Asylum of the Daleks - A Whovian's Review.

And so the seventh – or is that thirty-second – series of Doctor Who starts, albeit a little earlier than expected, and after a somewhat convoluted sixth series that raised more questions than it answered my anticipation is huge that this year (and next) returns the show to the quality I know it’s capable of. Over the next five weeks, as we get our first helping of the season, I’ll be reviewing each episode as they air.

 

There was a lot of pressure resting on Steven Moffat’s shoulders over this first episode. Last year’s brisk paced, arc-heavy run of episodes had turned a lot of people off; Moffat himself needed to redeem his own name after the frankly disastrous Christmas special; and with his announcement that the seventh series would commence with a return of the Daleks, easily the Doctors most famous foe, there came one very simple, but seemingly impossible, promise: to make them scary again.

Did he succeed? Did this episode stand-alone but still set up an exciting series? Was it worth the wait? Was it funny enough, exciting enough, quirky enough? Most importantly, were the Daleks returned to their former glory? The answer, quite truthfully, is a resounding yes.

There will forever be an ongoing debate as to what is the best Dalek story there has ever been. Most say Genesis, some will say Resurrection, Destiny or maybe even Remembrance. Those unfamiliar with the classic years will undoubtedly say Dalek. I want to offer up a difference perspective and say that the best Dalek story ever told is one that has never been shown; and, hopefully, one that never will be.

Let’s be honest here, Dalek stories are a tough one to get right. For every Genesis there’s a Revelation; for every Day of there’s a Chase. Since the re-launch in 2005 the Daleks have suffered more than ever: after a triumphant return in Dalek and a surprising one in Bad Wolf, the Daleks haven’t had a single worthwhile story to their name. They’re a gimmick in Doomsday and an embarrassment in Evolution; they’re wasted in Journey’s End and their return was laughed at in Victory, but ever since Rose the Daleks have laid claim to the greatest story in Who history; one that is rife with ideas; of drama, of intrigue, and, to the die-hard fans, solutions to continuity. The Time War – or, as the Whovian in me will attest, the Last Great Time War. A story that belongs to everyone and one that shouldn’t ever fall upon the head of any one specific writer to get ‘right’. Only the Doctor knows what really went on there and he’s not telling, so neither should we.

The Time War should form the basis of any good Dalek story because it’s something that will always be at the back of the Doctor’s mind. You don’t have to know the details to know it affected him greatly; and if it’s on the Doctor’s mind it needs to be on the writer’s mind and actor’s mind, for only they can make us truly believe the history between the Doctor and the Daleks. Thankfully, here, we believe, because here Moffat has crafted a story that is fresh and engaging, paying homage to the entire history of Doctor Who and teasingly setting up the future. Like Dalek, the Time War casts a looming shadow, and like Dalek we really catch a glimpse of the Doctors inner most feelings. Matt Smith is at the top of his game here, because not since Christopher Eccleston came face-to-eye stalk with his nightmare for the first time do we fully understand the Doctor’s up most fear and hatred of these creatures of Skaro.

But that’s not all that makes this episode a success. As grown up as Doctor Who has gotten since Moffat took over as show-runner, suddenly it all feels scarily realistic too. Daleks and spaceships and time travel aside, there’s a surprising subplot to this episode that details Amy and Rory’s somewhat loveless marriage, as we learn that after the events of last season Amy is unable to conceive and the idea of not being able to bare Rory a normal, less flirtatious, grown-up, may-or-may-not-be-married-to-the-Doctor, child has put a serious strain on the relationship. If the knowing departure of Amy and Rory didn’t affect you when the news broke then it certainly will now, and though this episode goes a long way to tantalize and tease the new companion – take a bow, Jenna-Louise – the Ponds will, most assuredly, not be forgotten about. These are their episodes as much as anyone else’s, and we’re heading towards an unforgettable finale.

The finest Dalek story since Dalek, maybe even of all time, this episode certainly isn’t one to be missed. Did Moffat succeed in making the Daleks scary again? Well, fear is subjective, but there were certainly a few moments that could send a shiver down the spine of the older viewers whilst sending the younger straight behind the sofa. It works on it’s own and it sets up a series arc; Asylum of the Daleks is everything that it needed to be.