Doctor Who 1x06 "Dalek" rewatch-review

[arabian]

As I've stated elsewhere, once I finished season two of New Who, I was going to rewatch and review what I call my "Her Name was Rose" collection (click here for the full list of episodes).

Comments

[robshearman]

Thanks for the enthusiastic comments!

I do have answers to some (though not all...!) of your criticisms, but I think there's nothing uglier than a writer coming over all self-justifying. So instead I'll just be glad you liked the story overall. (I will just say though, because it's on record anyway, that I had nothing to do with the towns beginning with 'S' scene, and that was a late insert by Russell when the BBC got concerned I let Van Statten off the hook too easily. I'm not fond of the scene, but I can understand why they wanted it.)

[arabian]

You're welcome, and thank you for stopping by to offer your two cents. Please, please feel free to offer justification. I love this show and love being persuaded that I was wrong about any issues I have. In my write-up for "Aliens of London," some comments had me rethinking one of my criticisms and I was quite pleased that their valid points made that issue I had go away. So hearing the whys of your thinking of whatever issue I had, I'm more than happy to hear.

(I will just say though, because it's on record anyway, that I had nothing to do with the towns beginning with 'S' scene, and that was a late insert by Russell when the BBC got concerned I let Van Statten off the hook too easily. I'm not fond of the scene, but I can understand why they wanted it.Ah, well, that explains a lot; I didn't know that. (I'm fairly new to the fandom.) I can see the flow out of the second-to-last last Doctor/Rose scene and then the final scene (him still talking briefly about the Dalek and Rose telling him he has her still) much better

[robshearman]

I'll see what I can do. You mean the reasons why Adam joined the crew? Or the deletion of the hug?

[arabian]

I actually added a whole section on why I think Adam joined the crew (both production-wise, and character-wise) to the post above (it's right under the last Doctor/Rose clip). I don't know why I didn't touch on that last night when I wrote this up, it makes perfect sense. (Of course my reasoning behind it could be all wrong, LOL!)

I would be curious about the why of the deletion of the hug, I know there's been a lot of speculation about that (including in this thread) and also why the Doctor revealed so much of himself to Van Statten in the elevator. I just don't understand why he would reveal so much of himself after seeing/knowing what Van Statten was. I get it in the cage with the Dalek, emotions brought up and stuff, but not afterwards with Van Statten.

Thanks again for commenting, I love hearing from the writer's point of view.

(BTW, I read your user profile and friended you after reading a couple of posts. You said to go for it, so I did, LOL!)

[robshearman]

Okay. Well, before I launch into this, I'd better explain the way the writing of these TV episodes works! Russell allows an awful lot of freedom to the freelance writers on the production, which is rare and a testament, I think, to a showrunner on a TV show who is also first and foremost a writer himself. (You'd have thought that was usually the case, but it really isn't.) You're given a certain latitude in how to interpret the broad commission brief you're given. In my case it was slightly broader than most, because I was being invited to adapt a Dalek story I'd already written for the Big Finish audio productions. The main changes were that Russell wanted the story set in the near future in an underground base in Utah run by a Bill Gates like figure (my original had been in an alternate contemporary England, where a single Dalek was wheeled out from the Tower of London every year to heckling and catcalling), that this feature the new Doctor and Rose (obviously!), and that it introduce Adam. That's what I had to play with

[robshearman]

It wasn't an agenda on behalf of the production team. To be honest, I far prefer it without the hug - I find the scene has such great performances from Billie and Chris in it that it's much subtler there's no physical contact between the pair at the end. But that's just my opinion! I was very keen to play up the ambiguity of the love between the Doctor and Rose at this stage. Neither of them really know where they stand with each other. The Doctor, we can imagine, has been very secluded going through his survivor guilt, and along comes this girl who opens up his heart. In a very real way, the story of what happens to the Dalek is a poisonous spin on that same story. The Dalek is a creature of lies, and we should take *anything* it says with a pinch of salt. It's only just been introduced even to the concept of love, as it understands from what it's absorbed from Rose - and it's telling that it immediately uses the very idea of it as a means of manipulation. It's a troubled scene, that one; it was originally a longer discussion, which

[arabian]

The Dalek is a creature of lies, and we should take *anything* it says with a pinch of salt. It's only just been introduced even to the concept of love, as it understands from what it's absorbed from Rose - and it's telling that it immediately uses the very idea of it as a means of manipulation.

Oh, this is just brilliant. As I was reading this, I was just nodding my head in agreement. I want to kick myself for not consciously catching that enough to acknowledge because it's so perfect, so true. But, I suppose I'll offer that as a compliment to you that I was so engrossed in the scene and the story that it fit so organically, it didn't even stand out. But, yeah, brilliant.

... it was originally a longer discussion, which got cut down to a single line. I once thought that worked - now I'm not so sure.

I love the line (as do many in the fandom), but it's intriguing to know that there was a longer discussion there. Hmm ...

The stuff in the lift? The Doctor has met a Dalek. Everything has changed. The world could end. Even worse

[robshearman]

Oh, you're very welcome

[arabian]

My biggest regret about the story is that the supporting characters come across as such bland ciphers now - but that Dalek took up all the screen time. Van Statten isn't a villain, he's a macguffin!

Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that. I loved Goddard, and the female soldier who had the one big scene was quite, quite memorable. Not bland at all. (And, of course, the snarky military guy who told the Doctor he could take out the tin robot.) Adam and Van Statten weren't bland, stock characters either. For me, personally, I just wasn't overly impressed with the acting.

Many happy returns, and have a great birthday! And do feel free to keep in touch.

Thank you! :)

[transcendancing]

As usual lovely to read your thoughts on the new series and in particular the episode you've written (I would love to see more of your eps in future seasons!)

*big hugs and fruity alcoholic things*

If I could, I'd totally move Swancon to London - now about those instantaneous transportors we were discussing :)

I found your insight beautiful and interesting, especially now that it's a few years later. Seeing everyone else's comments as well makes for a great deal of food for thought.

*much love*

[thistwilight]

Rob,

It was a pleasure reading about your point of view on this. I found this very beneficial and I really feel like I understand the episode better now.

Also, I'm fangirling like crazy right now, because AN ACTUAL DOCTOR WHO WRITER IS ON LIVEJOURNAL AND COMMENTED A POST ABOUT DOCTOR WHO.

I'm sorry, I just had to get that out of my system.

So, again, thanks for taking the time to explain all of this. It was very helpful and SO COOL.

Thanks a lot,

Rachel

[wendymr]

Sorry for butting in, but I just wanted to say how very much I appreciated reading the writer's perspective on Dalek. S1 remains the season of New Who in which I love every single episode without exception (in every other season there's been a minimum of one and often more that I haven't liked as much), and within S1 my two favourites are Father's Day and Dalek, so it's really made my day to read this behind-the-scenes rationale for some of the inclusions and omissions. Chris Eccleston gave one of his very best performances in this episode, but in order to do that he had to have excellent material with which to work - and he clearly had that.

Thanks, Rob, for generously giving your time to elaborate for us, and thanks, arabian, for posting this review in the first place :)

[arabian]

I just wanted to say how very much I appreciated reading the writer's perspective on Dalek ...it's really made my day to read this behind-the-scenes rationale for some of the inclusions and omissions.

I truly can not express how thrilled I am to actually get the writer's thoughts on the whys and whyfores of what came into the end result of this episode. I spend so much time thinking on what it all means, analyzing it to death, to actually be able to get a back and forth with the writer himself? No words.

I've never been happier at my decision to do these rewatch-reviews since it led to this.

[robshearman]

Thank you!

I think, hand on heart, that my script benefits hugely from an impassioned performance from Chris - rather than Chris benefitting from my script! But that's kind of you to say.

I remember the first time I saw the Dalek confrontation scene, with Chris determinedly investing in the part (as he told us) the horror of a holocaust survivor meeting one of his captors. And I was stunned by how much anger and despair and honesty he was able to get out of the lines. The lines are really much simpler and balder than you'd think - it's Chris who gives them depth.

[arabian]

Again, thank you for the info. You helped a lot in my understanding of the elevator scene. A lot. So thank you.

This was fascinating reading the ins and outs of how it all came about. I think this is very interesting:

I knew that Russell planned on writing a story called at that point 'The Companion Who Couldn't' for the episode seven slot. It'd be a yarn which emphasised that not just *anybody* is up to the job of travelling in the TARDIS - and by showing how Adam was too frightened to cope with the experience, how remarkable Rose was in comparison. It's not a bad idea, but I think the trouble was that it's one of those concepts that quickly get out of date once the production's being made. By the time 'Dalek' was being made, it was pretty clear to all that Rose was special already, and that Billie had a terrific chemistry with Chris, without bringing someone in who hadn't and didn't to labour the point.And that makes so much sense. It really does make it so clear; you never really know just how things will hit when all is

[prynne12]

In hopes that you still look at these posts--was there any particular reason that Mr. Davies wanted Utah as the new setting?