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ladyofleithian...and it was amazing, but goddamn was it sad.
I'm going to do something outside the usual "things I loved" method just because in all honesty, this episode has a lot of special value to me. Let's say I first came across it when I was in a downer spot, and I really did not expect to love it as much as I do now. If nothing else, from the few clips I saw at first, the Ninth Doctor honestly frightened me. It wasn't until I watched the actual episode along with SF Debris' review (which I highly recommend: http://sfdebris.com/videos/doctorwho/s27e06.asp. Just because of the wonderful character analysis of Nine and company) that I started to adjust to it a bit more. I think the main selling point is Robert Shearman (who also wrote the Big Finish audio play "Jubilee", the source material for this episode) managing to make a Dalek, of all creatures, pitiable. And that's no small feat, considering that Daleks are, at their basic core, imperialistic space Nazis inside of pepperpots that occasionally fly. (Honestly, they're freaking terrifying) But it's really the process of...well, to say that the Dalek in question is having a bad day is a massive understatement. I mean, it's fallen through a crack in space in time, was basically screaming when they found it (according to Goddard), then captured and tortured by Van Statten for the sake of making it talk with little to no reprieve. And then the Doctor shows up and tells it that every other Dalek has been killed during the Time War. I know that its conversation with the Doctor was really powerful to listen to, thanks to Nicholas Briggs and Christopher Eccleston's top-notch acting. And the Dalek's weakly flickering lights as it talked were equally powerful, showing how...well, drained it really was. And its "I am alone in the universe" line was just...well, it was heartwrenching, really. And I think even though the Doctor kind of denies it at least on that front, there's the matter of how in a way, the Dalek is right. They are the same. Alone in the universe, the (seemingly) last of their kind, soldiers without commands to follow, and nothing to do except kill. In the case of the Doctor, he has nothing left to do but wipe out the last of the Daleks, Ahab and the white whale, one could say. Picard and the Borg. The Daleks haven't done to him what was done to Picard, but what they've done is drive him close to becoming exactly that. And in the case of the Dalek in question, it has nothing to live for except the matter of killing everything that's not Dalek. And in a way, both are saved by Rose, in a way -- although in the Dalek's case, it's akin to worse than death. Because the idea of absorbing human elements is really more than it can ever bear. I think the difference between them both is, in a way, the Dalek couldn't take it. The Doctor did. As Ten put it in "Journey's End", "[Rose] made me better", and I think it's shown very powerfully here. And I think it's why Ten loathed his past incarnation so much in a way; he couldn't bear the idea he could have nearly gunned down a vulnerable opponent for the sake of vengeance, for example.
There's also the matter of Rose herself. I think this episode was one of her best episodes, really. There's the little things, like chatting with Adam (and I'll admit, I don't dislike Adam as much as others do, at least not so far), and then there are the bigger things, such as making the decision to all but run to the Dalek's cell when she saw it being tortured on the viewscreen. And later, putting her hand on its dome if only to comfort it when it told her that it was going to die alone (granted it was -- semi? -- bluffing, but still a lovely gesture), and getting the Dalek to not kill Van Statten, simply by asking "what more do you want?" And the Dalek saying, simply, this: "I want...freedom."
I also love, later, Rose taking the Dalek out if only to see the sun. After it blasts open the ceiling to let the sun pour through, Rose...well, she looks up in amazement, even saying, basically, she never thought she would make it to there. And the Dalek just says these words: "How does it feel?" I think there's something about the way it says it that's really...well, it's lovely and sad at the same time. It's made all the more powerful considering that...really, when was the last time that a Dalek saw sunlight? As the Doctor says in "Doomsday", they're sealed in a metal pot from birth until death. Honestly, I thought Vader needing to be on life-support for the rest of his life was bad enough (and it still is), but there's something about Daleks being born in there that's all the more terrifying. They don't really realize it (I think that's another reason Davros removed their emotions -- to make them completely fixated, without guilt, without comprehension, on their goal of exterminating everything not Dalek), but in all honesty...is that not hell on its own? (At least, to me it feels this way. I could be alone in this, for all I know, but it still frightens me. It's one of those Fridge Horror things) So if nothing else, even as it opens its metal cage of sorts, the simple sensation of sunlight -- well, it's such a simple thing that means so much to this one Dalek. I also love Rose's reaction even as the Dalek opens up its metal casing and she sees what's inside -- just the look on her face in that moment. Besides stuff like "Doomsday", this was one of many moments where Billie Piper just shone for me as an actress. Then again, in general, Billie is amazing.
And I think another moment where both Rose as a character and Billie as an actress shone: when she's pleading with the Doctor to spare the Dalek's life. For Rose, it's because the Doctor, who she's basically looked up to from day one, is pointing a huge shit-just-got-real gun at that Dalek (and thus her, although not before he tells her to get out of the way) and she tells him to stop. I know two of my favorite lines from that scene are, "It's the sunlight; that's all it wants" and "What about you, Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?" (Mostly recounting from memory) And the Doctor...I think this is where he elevates himself from most seeking vengeance. He puts the gun down. I also love Christopher Eccleston's delivery of "They're dead. They're all dead." Just...oh, Nine. ;.; Honestly, I also think this is what elevates Rose for me to My Companion -- I love Donna, Martha and Amy and the others, but Rose is My Companion -- because of just how kind she really is. Granted, she has her boundaries (e.g. the Doctor getting hurt), but most of the time, it doesn't matter who you are or what you've done -- she takes time if only to show pity. She's very much a Wide Eyed Idealist by nature, something that can be a blessing and a curse. Hell, she even took time (in a sadly deleted portion of "Journey's End") to pity Davros. I'll transcribe it from memory (it was something I heard was in THE WRITER'S TALE, btw, in case you're wondering. And it's when she and most of the others are prisoners on the Crucible):
ROSE: What happened to you? I mean, your face, your eyes...
DAVROS: Do you pity me, Miss Tyler?
ROSE: Someone had to once. Once upon a time.
And I think another great thing about Rose's compassion is that it's not done in a way that, if in the wrong hands, could come off as sanctimonious. Rose, if nothing else, is doing it just because she's an honestly sweet, sheltered girl with a ton of empathy. It's something I think isn't appreciated enough (hell, sometimes it can even be laughed at, saying that it's only for those who deserve it, basically). I'm not saying Rose is perfect (far from it, really), but fundamentally, she is a genuinely good person. I think there is a lot of difference there, really.
I also really liked the Dalek's...well, rampage through the base. A friend I sadly had to part ways with at one point said that the Dalek was "wimpy", but I think if nothing else, managing to kill almost everyone in Van Statten's base is no small feat. I definitely have a feeling that's going to haunt my nightmares for a while, especially the Dalek *fucking electrocuting* almost everyone in the room. (I say "almost" because Rose and Adam high-tailed it out of there in time) I think Shearman did a really good job at making the Dalek threatening and vulnerable at the same time. I know its "what am I? What am I?" to Rose in the elevator was another great moment. And asking Rose, later, to give it orders to die. Wonderful acting from both Billie Piper and Nicholas Briggs in that scene (also loved the Doctor's reaction. It's so subtle, and yet it says so much).
And the Doctor...oy vey. I know besides his conversations/rantings to the Dalek (just screaming at it to drop dead...that scene gives me chills every time), his yelling at Van Statten for seemingly helping to kill Rose was heartbreaking. Eccleston was amazing in that episode in general (hell, everyone was!), but this scene was one of many defining moments for him. And later, his "you're alive!" after he realizes the Dalek didn't kill Rose (and I know Rose's "Can't get rid of me" line was both adorable and funny at the same time in a really odd way) -- and the Dalek saying this: "What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?" (Fuck, I'm tearing up just typing this, and my eyes are stinging) Perhaps this is just my shipper side showing, but honestly, it's true. Because the Doctor loves Rose more than anything else. Indeed, he doesn't really need words to say it; it's there, plain as day. Every action, every little joke shared, every moment -- he loves her, even if he can't bring himself to say it out loud. He loves her, even if sometimes he's too afraid to say anything. I also loved his talk with the Dalek near the end; Eccleston was wonderful in that scene.
I also really loved Henry Van Statten. He's despicable (and how!), but he's also so fun to watch. While a lot of "Dalek" is really sad, Van Statten had some good jokes, e.g. his "in-tru-da window!" pun at the beginning. (I like puns. Don't judge me. XD) And his conversation with his aides at the beginning was just a massive Crowning Moment of Funny. I also liked Goddard, especially her giving Van Statten his comeuppance at the end, and that one soldier giving her life so Rose and Adam could escape.
Hell, I can't pick one part of this episode I loved. It was just a masterpiece, beginning to end.
So overall? Definitely recommended. (And yeah, as my icon suggests...yeah. Borderline emotional wreck after the episode.
I'm going to do something outside the usual "things I loved" method just because in all honesty, this episode has a lot of special value to me. Let's say I first came across it when I was in a downer spot, and I really did not expect to love it as much as I do now. If nothing else, from the few clips I saw at first, the Ninth Doctor honestly frightened me. It wasn't until I watched the actual episode along with SF Debris' review (which I highly recommend: http://sfdebris.com/videos/doctorwho/s27e06.asp. Just because of the wonderful character analysis of Nine and company) that I started to adjust to it a bit more. I think the main selling point is Robert Shearman (who also wrote the Big Finish audio play "Jubilee", the source material for this episode) managing to make a Dalek, of all creatures, pitiable. And that's no small feat, considering that Daleks are, at their basic core, imperialistic space Nazis inside of pepperpots that occasionally fly. (Honestly, they're freaking terrifying) But it's really the process of...well, to say that the Dalek in question is having a bad day is a massive understatement. I mean, it's fallen through a crack in space in time, was basically screaming when they found it (according to Goddard), then captured and tortured by Van Statten for the sake of making it talk with little to no reprieve. And then the Doctor shows up and tells it that every other Dalek has been killed during the Time War. I know that its conversation with the Doctor was really powerful to listen to, thanks to Nicholas Briggs and Christopher Eccleston's top-notch acting. And the Dalek's weakly flickering lights as it talked were equally powerful, showing how...well, drained it really was. And its "I am alone in the universe" line was just...well, it was heartwrenching, really. And I think even though the Doctor kind of denies it at least on that front, there's the matter of how in a way, the Dalek is right. They are the same. Alone in the universe, the (seemingly) last of their kind, soldiers without commands to follow, and nothing to do except kill. In the case of the Doctor, he has nothing left to do but wipe out the last of the Daleks, Ahab and the white whale, one could say. Picard and the Borg. The Daleks haven't done to him what was done to Picard, but what they've done is drive him close to becoming exactly that. And in the case of the Dalek in question, it has nothing to live for except the matter of killing everything that's not Dalek. And in a way, both are saved by Rose, in a way -- although in the Dalek's case, it's akin to worse than death. Because the idea of absorbing human elements is really more than it can ever bear. I think the difference between them both is, in a way, the Dalek couldn't take it. The Doctor did. As Ten put it in "Journey's End", "[Rose] made me better", and I think it's shown very powerfully here. And I think it's why Ten loathed his past incarnation so much in a way; he couldn't bear the idea he could have nearly gunned down a vulnerable opponent for the sake of vengeance, for example.
There's also the matter of Rose herself. I think this episode was one of her best episodes, really. There's the little things, like chatting with Adam (and I'll admit, I don't dislike Adam as much as others do, at least not so far), and then there are the bigger things, such as making the decision to all but run to the Dalek's cell when she saw it being tortured on the viewscreen. And later, putting her hand on its dome if only to comfort it when it told her that it was going to die alone (granted it was -- semi? -- bluffing, but still a lovely gesture), and getting the Dalek to not kill Van Statten, simply by asking "what more do you want?" And the Dalek saying, simply, this: "I want...freedom."
I also love, later, Rose taking the Dalek out if only to see the sun. After it blasts open the ceiling to let the sun pour through, Rose...well, she looks up in amazement, even saying, basically, she never thought she would make it to there. And the Dalek just says these words: "How does it feel?" I think there's something about the way it says it that's really...well, it's lovely and sad at the same time. It's made all the more powerful considering that...really, when was the last time that a Dalek saw sunlight? As the Doctor says in "Doomsday", they're sealed in a metal pot from birth until death. Honestly, I thought Vader needing to be on life-support for the rest of his life was bad enough (and it still is), but there's something about Daleks being born in there that's all the more terrifying. They don't really realize it (I think that's another reason Davros removed their emotions -- to make them completely fixated, without guilt, without comprehension, on their goal of exterminating everything not Dalek), but in all honesty...is that not hell on its own? (At least, to me it feels this way. I could be alone in this, for all I know, but it still frightens me. It's one of those Fridge Horror things) So if nothing else, even as it opens its metal cage of sorts, the simple sensation of sunlight -- well, it's such a simple thing that means so much to this one Dalek. I also love Rose's reaction even as the Dalek opens up its metal casing and she sees what's inside -- just the look on her face in that moment. Besides stuff like "Doomsday", this was one of many moments where Billie Piper just shone for me as an actress. Then again, in general, Billie is amazing.
And I think another moment where both Rose as a character and Billie as an actress shone: when she's pleading with the Doctor to spare the Dalek's life. For Rose, it's because the Doctor, who she's basically looked up to from day one, is pointing a huge shit-just-got-real gun at that Dalek (and thus her, although not before he tells her to get out of the way) and she tells him to stop. I know two of my favorite lines from that scene are, "It's the sunlight; that's all it wants" and "What about you, Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?" (Mostly recounting from memory) And the Doctor...I think this is where he elevates himself from most seeking vengeance. He puts the gun down. I also love Christopher Eccleston's delivery of "They're dead. They're all dead." Just...oh, Nine. ;.; Honestly, I also think this is what elevates Rose for me to My Companion -- I love Donna, Martha and Amy and the others, but Rose is My Companion -- because of just how kind she really is. Granted, she has her boundaries (e.g. the Doctor getting hurt), but most of the time, it doesn't matter who you are or what you've done -- she takes time if only to show pity. She's very much a Wide Eyed Idealist by nature, something that can be a blessing and a curse. Hell, she even took time (in a sadly deleted portion of "Journey's End") to pity Davros. I'll transcribe it from memory (it was something I heard was in THE WRITER'S TALE, btw, in case you're wondering. And it's when she and most of the others are prisoners on the Crucible):
ROSE: What happened to you? I mean, your face, your eyes...
DAVROS: Do you pity me, Miss Tyler?
ROSE: Someone had to once. Once upon a time.
And I think another great thing about Rose's compassion is that it's not done in a way that, if in the wrong hands, could come off as sanctimonious. Rose, if nothing else, is doing it just because she's an honestly sweet, sheltered girl with a ton of empathy. It's something I think isn't appreciated enough (hell, sometimes it can even be laughed at, saying that it's only for those who deserve it, basically). I'm not saying Rose is perfect (far from it, really), but fundamentally, she is a genuinely good person. I think there is a lot of difference there, really.
I also really liked the Dalek's...well, rampage through the base. A friend I sadly had to part ways with at one point said that the Dalek was "wimpy", but I think if nothing else, managing to kill almost everyone in Van Statten's base is no small feat. I definitely have a feeling that's going to haunt my nightmares for a while, especially the Dalek *fucking electrocuting* almost everyone in the room. (I say "almost" because Rose and Adam high-tailed it out of there in time) I think Shearman did a really good job at making the Dalek threatening and vulnerable at the same time. I know its "what am I? What am I?" to Rose in the elevator was another great moment. And asking Rose, later, to give it orders to die. Wonderful acting from both Billie Piper and Nicholas Briggs in that scene (also loved the Doctor's reaction. It's so subtle, and yet it says so much).
And the Doctor...oy vey. I know besides his conversations/rantings to the Dalek (just screaming at it to drop dead...that scene gives me chills every time), his yelling at Van Statten for seemingly helping to kill Rose was heartbreaking. Eccleston was amazing in that episode in general (hell, everyone was!), but this scene was one of many defining moments for him. And later, his "you're alive!" after he realizes the Dalek didn't kill Rose (and I know Rose's "Can't get rid of me" line was both adorable and funny at the same time in a really odd way) -- and the Dalek saying this: "What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?" (Fuck, I'm tearing up just typing this, and my eyes are stinging) Perhaps this is just my shipper side showing, but honestly, it's true. Because the Doctor loves Rose more than anything else. Indeed, he doesn't really need words to say it; it's there, plain as day. Every action, every little joke shared, every moment -- he loves her, even if he can't bring himself to say it out loud. He loves her, even if sometimes he's too afraid to say anything. I also loved his talk with the Dalek near the end; Eccleston was wonderful in that scene.
I also really loved Henry Van Statten. He's despicable (and how!), but he's also so fun to watch. While a lot of "Dalek" is really sad, Van Statten had some good jokes, e.g. his "in-tru-da window!" pun at the beginning. (I like puns. Don't judge me. XD) And his conversation with his aides at the beginning was just a massive Crowning Moment of Funny. I also liked Goddard, especially her giving Van Statten his comeuppance at the end, and that one soldier giving her life so Rose and Adam could escape.
Hell, I can't pick one part of this episode I loved. It was just a masterpiece, beginning to end.
So overall? Definitely recommended. (And yeah, as my icon suggests...yeah. Borderline emotional wreck after the episode.
