Dalek and The Long Game
(Series One, Eps. 6-7; 2005)
Viewed 12 Mar 2013

Doctor/Companion: Nine, Rose Tyler
Stars: Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper
Preceding Story: World War Three (Nine, Rose)
Succeeding Story: Father’s Day (Nine, Rose)

I distinctly remember my Original Who Mentor watching my face avidly for my reaction when the trailer for Dalek ran at the end of the previous episode. Not having grown up in the UK, and not having been one of “those people” growing up, I’d never even heard of a Dalek before. He was, needless to say, somewhat disappointed.

Source – bbc.co.uk – © 2005 BBC

It was an entirely different sort of expression I was anticipating on the Ladies’ faces when we watched this the other night. This episode has become one of my all-time favorites, and certainly my favorite of Series One. So I was hoping for some “oh, yeah – I remember this!” looks of pleasant surprise as the details slowly dug their way out of foggy memories.

However, things were even foggier than I’d feared. “I don’t even remember this one,” jO said confusedly as the opening credits rolled. Not that it got in the way of our enjoyment. It’s a bloody brilliant episode, and I’m not sure Eccleston’s ever better in the role. First, when he encounters the Dalek in its “cage,” the consternation and terror are plain to read on his face. Once he realizes the Dalek isn’t, shall we say, fully functional any more, he does a beautiful job going off the deep end. The Doctor really is insane in those moments, and you see it in his eyes. Later, his “I killed her. … She was nineteen years old” speech is one of the best deliveries he gives throughout his tenure. Writer Rob Shearman gave Eccleston plenty to sink his teeth into, and did he ever run with it!

One of the things I love most about the episode, in retrospect, is what a perfect introduction it was to the Daleks and what they’re all about. As I mentioned above, I’d never even heard of one before, yet by the end I knew plenty about them. They’re engineered beings bred for war and not for compassion. They seem limited by their casings but aren’t really – as evidenced by the way this Dalek worked the 10-key pad to open the cage (“It’s got sucky pressers. It’s an oxymoron, but look – it works!” observed jE) and how it navigated stairs without more than a brief pause for effect. A single individual can slaughter millions, given the chance. And its only real weakness, aside from self-hate born of racial purity issues, is its eye stalk. It’s a tall order to summarize Daleks in forty-five minutes, but it certainly worked for me.

The only parts I don’t particularly care for involve Adam. Rose is, sadly, a total minx, but I have an even harder time stomaching the unapologetic genius who brings it out in her. He’s not really insufferable in Dalek, but once he gets out into the universe in The Long Game, he takes a sharp turn for the worse. There’s almost nothing redeemable about him here. He can’t handle the ride, plays Rose for a fool, and almost instantly falls prey to his “genius” greed for knowledge.

In contrast, the story about a news outlet that doesn’t do any actual journalism (one can’t help but think fondly of what a contrast Sarah Jane is to Cathica) is fairly engaging. It never hurts when there’s a mysterious individual already embedded in the situation. When Suki is suddenly promoted, we finally start to get to the bottom of it all. “She’s missin’ the gold walls. … But luckily, even though she lives on a space station, she just happens to have a flashlight with her – that she had with her at work,” jE exclaims. jO replies – with mystery in her voice and a waggle of the eyebrows – “That’s because she’s much more than she appears to be.” Who knew that anarchists were trained, like Boy Scouts, always to be prepared?

I like how the resolution of the whole plot brings Rose back to her senses, too. It really highlights how, without Adam to muddle her thinking, she has learned to ask the right questions, keep herself out of undue trouble, and enjoy the challenges of the Doctor’s lifestyle. The brief scene of the two of them taking the elevator up to Floor 500, as Cathica scarpers, really says it all for me.

Doctor: That’s her gone. Adam’s given up. It’s just you and me.
Rose: Yep.
Doctor: Good.
~ They smile at each other, and hold hands as the doors close. ~

After all is said and done, it’s Nine and Rose. That’s about as good as it gets.

General reactions:

• jE – good to watch these again; hardly remember them
• jO – nice to see Nine and Rose again
• mrfranklin – I adore Dalek, & like the non-Adam parts of The Long Game

To my mind, the highlight of this entire series is the relationship between the Doctor and Rose. Even with Adam stuck in the middle, they still manage to have some beautiful moments, like when they play him as he first emerges from the TARDIS. He’s duly awed that Rose can figure out where they are just from a few clues, when the Doctor has actually prepped her. Our TARDIS crew are already acting like best friends out on a lark. Whether it’s pre- or post-Hiatus Who, the best stories always happen when that dynamic comes through. How can you help but love it?

Verdict: Thumbs up

Looking ahead: Father’s Day