*INSERT USUAL SPOILER MESSAGE HERE*
When last we saw The Doctor and his lovely companion, they were getting a phone call from Winston Churchill saying he might need their help. Apparently the TARDIS still has some kinks to work out yet, because The Doctor doesn’t actually show up until a month after that call takes place. By that time, Churchill has already put into place a new secret weapon: the Daleks?
Wait, did I just see Winston Churchill working with the Daleks? That can’t be right… can it?
That is how it in fact seemed to be. Except they weren’t calling themselves “Daleks”. Instead they were called “Ironsides” and were created by a Professor Bracewell. It is all very confusing for The Doctor, especially the part where AMY DOESN’T REMEMBER THEM?! You mean AT ALL?!
So that was another thing that seemed off about this whole situation.
Also, their new purpose was to win the war for Great Britain. The Doctor isn’t buying any of this and even says to “Exterminate them” – Hey, Doc, that’s their line.
Another great line from The Doctor – “What does hate look like? It looks like a Dalek, and I’m going to prove it.” We all know The Doctor hates the Daleks, but for good reason. They destroyed his home and tried to destroy Earth (which is like his second home). You would hate them too, if you were him. Even still, it is amazing to see the level of emotion that they bring out in him (a combination fear, hate, and anger).
After enough words are shared between the two species, we finally get some explanation as to what is going on. It turns out the Daleks found this “Progenitor” that contained pure Dalek DNA, but did not recognize them as Daleks (because of mutations that happened in a previous episode). They needed The Doctor’s testimony to get the progenitor working. This created a whole new race of Daleks. First task: exterminate the old “inferior” models. Next they turn their sights on their old enemy: The Doctor. How will he escape this time? With the help of Winston Churchill of course!
Churchill sends Spitfires to blast the Dalek ship. The Doctor lowers their shields long enough for the planes to get a clear shot. But there is a slight complication. Seems old Bracewell is really an android created by the Daleks as part of their plans, and he is set to self-destruct. The Doctor now has a choice: stop the Daleks from escaping or keep the bomb from going off and taking all of planet Earth with it. He chooses to save the Earth, which the Daleks criticize him for. “His compassion is his greatest weakness,” they say. I disagree. I believe that is is actually one of his greatest strengths and what sets him apart from the rest of the world (besides, you know, the whole “Time Lord” thing).
The Doctor proves this in saving Bracewell. He tries to get Bracewell to remember how it felt to be human in an attempt to stop the bomb from going off. This is a great idea, but needs help from an actual human. Yet again we see the companion helping The Doctor in a crucial way. This time she asks Professor Bracewell if he has ever been in love with someone he shouldn’t have been. As he starts telling the story of a girl he knew once, the bomb is deactivated, thus proving that love is our greatest strength. Unfortunately, the Daleks use this to complete their time jump and escape. When Amy proclaims that they won (because the Daleks are gone and nobody died), The Doctor questions this. Was it really the right thing to let them escape, considering how much harm they could do to the Universe? The phrase, “Live to fight another day” came to mind here, for me.
Things that still needed answering at the end of this episode: why couldn’t Amy remember the Daleks? My second “open-ended” item might be connected to this – what is the deal with the cracks appearing everywhere? First we saw one in Amy’s room, then in the side of the ship in “The Beast Below”. Now we saw one in the wall as the TARDIS was disappearing. These are supposed to be cracks in time, so I am thinking this will be connected to Amy’s memory being apparently altered. Maybe something happened to “break” time somehow and caused history to be altered. We will have to continue watching to find out more.
As always, after the episode finished we were treated to another edition of Doctor Who: Confidential. This week gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the Churchill cabinet war room. The writer (Mark Gatiss) went there for research purposes. We also see how the “Spitfire in space” scene worked. Some very cool stuff worth having a look at, if you haven’t already done so.
Next week we get part 1 of the two-part episode with the Weeping Angels. This is the one I’ve been most excited to see, so you can be sure I will have lots to say once it’s over.