By: Helen Raynor
**Spoilers**
If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.
I was actually surprised by the amount of people who responded to my review of part one to this two-parter, saying that they actually loved it. It's rather funny to me because, not only is it nice to see so many messages, but I thought that was a TERRIBLE episode! Guess it just goes to show what a diverse and controversial following Doctor Who has gathered over the past fifty years.
So shall we check in with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (also known as Dalek Thane or the Human Dalek) and his army of porcine mutants? Oh...and the adorable Frank. We can't forget him!
I actually liked this episode even less than the first one...partially because there wasn't an awesome musical number and partially because even The Doctor was behaving out of character. Guess that Gamma strike scrambled his brain a little bit more than usual...no, wait, that happened after the OOC behavior. Huh. Guess I'll have to blame it on bad writing. Again.
Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:
- While the Daleks gossiping in the sewer may be one of the few things I actually enjoyed about this episode, that scene just completely destroyed what little credibility as threats the Daleks might have retained after Doomsday's snarkfest. I physically cringe whenever I think about it. Moffat didn't ruin the Daleks. Yeah he hasn't exactly made it better (though, to be fair, we have to blame Gatiss for the Skittles Daleks) but the downfall started right here.
- Frank is still cute. And now rather badass too. It's my one consolation as I watch this thing...
- I'm pretty sure that I'm not meant to be laughing during the whole Pigs Attack Hooverville (that sounds like a crappy film title) but I just can't help it. The action is cheesy, the music terribly melodramatic, and the Daleks are taking mercy shots. Seriously...they spend more time blowing up burn barrels than they do exterminating people. They have no dignity any more.
- Also, why is The Doctor just standing there and watching the destruction? He should be working to save people, not looking on with a slightly bemused expression and then flinging himself forward as a sacrificial lamb of stupidity.
- It is a bit interesting the way the Daleks are observing that the humans always manage to survive, despite all odds. Unfortunately it led to both OOC behavior from the xenophobic pepperpots and yet another over-exuberant 'humans are AWESOME!' speech from The Doctor. I know he's supposed to love humankind and all that, but sometimes the writers go way overboard with the amount that he expresses this love. We're not the only race in the Whoniverse that he looks after, you know...
- Martha doesn't really do much in this episode. And that makes me very sad. While I do get sometimes annoyed with the idea that the Companion must prove their worth by being the one to save the day, I get equally annoyed whenever they're just there as an exposition excuse and a piece of the scenery. Rose had this problem from time and I am so disappointed to see Martha fall into the same trap.
- Writing-wise, this episode actually doesn't look all that bad on the surface. It has a beginning, middle, and end that pick up from where the first one left off with few hitches and doesn't switch plots partway through. So why have I been complaining about it in this review? You see...just because an episode has a solid, by-the-book plot, that doesn't guarantee that it will be executed well. Pig slaves might fulfill the role of evil minions, but that doesn't mean they do it well. Whenever I review an episode and decide on my rating, I am not just looking at the writing, special effects, and themes of an episode/film but at the entire experience as a whole. So even if I look at something and see that it fulfills all of the obligatory writing check boxes, if it still doesn't come together and be something engaging it will get a lower rating than something else with slightly more off the wall writing and yet better execution. Experience is everything.
- One of the biggest things in this episode that just doesn't sit right with me is The Doctor working with the Daleks. I don't care if the Human Dalek (*shudders*) said that he had seen the light. The Doctor would never work with his worst enemy by helping them to wage biological warfare. Nope, no...just no!
- Why was he so surprised whenever he was betrayed? Shock of shocks...the Daleks lied.
- I should very much like to know how The Doctor being electrocuted by the gamma strike (Visual reference to Frankenstein, perhaps?) transferred his DNA like that. I'm calling foul until proven otherwise. It just doesn't work like that...even by the laws of technobabble.
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This episode was just very confused and muddled where the message was. Did the human daleks resist the brainwashing because they were part-human or because of The Doctor's DNA? How did they even get his DNA? Wasn't this supposed to be a 'pat humankind on the back' story? While I did smile a bit at the ending to Tallulah and Laszlo's story, I was just relieved that the story was over. It had a few moments of promise, but overall failed to be either memorably bad or extraordinarily good. Evolution of the Daleks is a solid 2/5.
What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you have said differently?
So shall we check in with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (also known as Dalek Thane or the Human Dalek) and his army of porcine mutants? Oh...and the adorable Frank. We can't forget him!I actually liked this episode even less than the first one...partially because there wasn't an awesome musical number and partially because even The Doctor was behaving out of character. Guess that Gamma strike scrambled his brain a little bit more than usual...no, wait, that happened after the OOC behavior. Huh. Guess I'll have to blame it on bad writing. Again.
Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:
- While the Daleks gossiping in the sewer may be one of the few things I actually enjoyed about this episode, that scene just completely destroyed what little credibility as threats the Daleks might have retained after Doomsday's snarkfest. I physically cringe whenever I think about it. Moffat didn't ruin the Daleks. Yeah he hasn't exactly made it better (though, to be fair, we have to blame Gatiss for the Skittles Daleks) but the downfall started right here.- Frank is still cute. And now rather badass too. It's my one consolation as I watch this thing...
- I'm pretty sure that I'm not meant to be laughing during the whole Pigs Attack Hooverville (that sounds like a crappy film title) but I just can't help it. The action is cheesy, the music terribly melodramatic, and the Daleks are taking mercy shots. Seriously...they spend more time blowing up burn barrels than they do exterminating people. They have no dignity any more.
- Also, why is The Doctor just standing there and watching the destruction? He should be working to save people, not looking on with a slightly bemused expression and then flinging himself forward as a sacrificial lamb of stupidity.
- It is a bit interesting the way the Daleks are observing that the humans always manage to survive, despite all odds. Unfortunately it led to both OOC behavior from the xenophobic pepperpots and yet another over-exuberant 'humans are AWESOME!' speech from The Doctor. I know he's supposed to love humankind and all that, but sometimes the writers go way overboard with the amount that he expresses this love. We're not the only race in the Whoniverse that he looks after, you know...- Martha doesn't really do much in this episode. And that makes me very sad. While I do get sometimes annoyed with the idea that the Companion must prove their worth by being the one to save the day, I get equally annoyed whenever they're just there as an exposition excuse and a piece of the scenery. Rose had this problem from time and I am so disappointed to see Martha fall into the same trap.
- Writing-wise, this episode actually doesn't look all that bad on the surface. It has a beginning, middle, and end that pick up from where the first one left off with few hitches and doesn't switch plots partway through. So why have I been complaining about it in this review? You see...just because an episode has a solid, by-the-book plot, that doesn't guarantee that it will be executed well. Pig slaves might fulfill the role of evil minions, but that doesn't mean they do it well. Whenever I review an episode and decide on my rating, I am not just looking at the writing, special effects, and themes of an episode/film but at the entire experience as a whole. So even if I look at something and see that it fulfills all of the obligatory writing check boxes, if it still doesn't come together and be something engaging it will get a lower rating than something else with slightly more off the wall writing and yet better execution. Experience is everything.- One of the biggest things in this episode that just doesn't sit right with me is The Doctor working with the Daleks. I don't care if the Human Dalek (*shudders*) said that he had seen the light. The Doctor would never work with his worst enemy by helping them to wage biological warfare. Nope, no...just no!
- Why was he so surprised whenever he was betrayed? Shock of shocks...the Daleks lied.
- I should very much like to know how The Doctor being electrocuted by the gamma strike (Visual reference to Frankenstein, perhaps?) transferred his DNA like that. I'm calling foul until proven otherwise. It just doesn't work like that...even by the laws of technobabble.
.jpg)
This episode was just very confused and muddled where the message was. Did the human daleks resist the brainwashing because they were part-human or because of The Doctor's DNA? How did they even get his DNA? Wasn't this supposed to be a 'pat humankind on the back' story? While I did smile a bit at the ending to Tallulah and Laszlo's story, I was just relieved that the story was over. It had a few moments of promise, but overall failed to be either memorably bad or extraordinarily good. Evolution of the Daleks is a solid 2/5.
What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you have said differently?
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