Review of Revelation of the Daleks (#142)
DVD Release Date: 06 Jun 06
Original Air Date: 23 – 30 Mar 1985
Doctors/Companions: Six, Perpugilliam “Peri” Brown
Stars: Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant
Preceding Story: Timelash (Six, Peri)
Succeeding Story: The Mysterious Planet (Six, Peri)

Circumstances conspired against me again, and I was in no mood to appreciate even a Hidden Gem like Revelation of the Daleks when I sat down to rewatch it. Although I’ve come to appreciate Ol’ Sixie, he’s still among my least favorite Doctors to watch; I’ve gotten pretty tired of Daleks over the years; and to top it all off, I was fighting off a fever and sore throat.

Nevertheless, as the fog of obligation retreats, and I can reflect on it from the other side of that viewing, I find there are plenty of things to recommend Revelation. On a purely superficial level, for example, we have the Doctor’s coat-of-many-colors covered for most of the first 45-minute episode by a lovely blue cloak.

I’d also forgotten that this was Peri’s introduction to the Daleks. When she sees one roll past, then, she doesn’t immediately warn the Doctor of the danger; she merely calls out with startlement about “some sort of machinery.” To his credit, the Doctor doesn’t chastise her; he merely goes to investigate.

That point, in fact, is probably one of the best parts of the entire adventure, and one that didn’t even register as I was watching (a sure sign that I was not giving it my full attention—or at least not what would’ve been my full attention pre-pandemic). One of the most difficult things about the early parts of Colin Baker’s run is the way the writers had the Doctor and Peri at each other’s throats all the time. One of the reasons I love Mark of the Rani so much (aside from the Rani herself) is that the TARDIS team acts like they actually have affection for each other.

The same is the case here. There is almost a complete lack of snark, and the two are clearly concerned for each other’s welfare as well as trying to make their own ways through the obstacles in front of them.

Those obstacles stem from three or four (depending on how you count) intertwined plot threads. Our heroes land on the planet Necros, famous for its funerary services and cryogenic storage of (mostly) the rich and powerful at Tranquil Repose, to pay final respects to one of the Doctor’s friends. Meanwhile, “bodysnatchers” are infiltrating, looking for the body of one of their fathers.

Behind the scenes, Davros and his latest batch of Daleks have underhanded dealings both with the staff of Tranquil Repose and a mysterious and duplicitous businesswoman named Kara. For her part, Kara wants to be rid of Davros for her own ends, and hires a renowned assassin to take care of that little problem for her.

As all these threads intertwine, the Doctor and Peri get deeper into the mess. It’s another high body count adventure, but things end on a relatively hopeful note, and the Doctor suggests taking Peri to… Well, that’s where the episode cuts off.

That must have been a particularly frustrating kind of season-ending cliffhanger for folks who were fans at the time, especially given that the fate of the show was up in the air. It would be another year and a half before Season 23 rolled around, and the Doctor would walk out of his TARDIS into a courtroom on Gallifrey.

All in all, it was a decent way to finish Colin’s first complete season. There are interesting twists, fun secondary characters, and a good relationship between our heroes. If you like Daleks (or Davros) at all, you can certainly do worse than to revisit this Hidden Gem from Season 22.