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Doctor Who – Daleks: Manhattan / Evolution
Eeep. A week behind now… gosh I’m losing my touch!
Anyway… the big Dalek two-parter for this series has been and gone. And what an unusual two-parter it was.
It has to be said, my first reaction to Daleks in Manhattan was that it was a bit ploddy. My first reaction to Evolution of the Daleks, by contrast, was that it was a jumbled mess.
All told, following the inevitable repeated viewings, I have to revise my opinion of this and all told I think that it does actually all work rather well. Yes, episode one does stillo feel a bit slow but I had the same feelings about last year’s Impossible Planet and (as with last year’s follow up The Satan Pit) watched together they work amazingly well.
Plus with a certain amount of running around corridors (well, okay… sewers) and “oh my God, I’ve been captured” it all felt more like a traditional Doctor Who story than most of the series has managed so far.
And it has to be said there’s quite a lot packed in the overall story. The depression – against which the building of the Empire State must have been a big “f*** you” to those in Hooverville – Tallulah and Lazslo’s story, the gradual unveiling of Dalek Sec’s grand plan and the inevitable problem that causes with the other Daleks whose determination to remain “pure” is strong even in the face of exctinction.
For me this time round the Daleks were at their most malicious, instinctive, gloaty, nazi-esque best – a far cry from their basic “Villain of the Week” status in the last couple of appearances – and they actually came across as characters too. The “watercooler moment “with Jast and Caan was genius, and their various looks at each other as the episode progressed showed that they can be quite expressive if directed well. Couple this with more examples of them bitching – a trait lifted from Doomsday last year – and it was probably their most enjoyable appearance yet.
Aside from that watercooler moment, Evolution of the Daleks featured two more of my favourite moments of the series so far. One was the expression on the pig-slaves as they wait for the lift to get to the top floor, the boredom and “come on, come on” being a feeling I know well.
The other was the moment Martha and Tallulah went to find Frank, played by the rather delectable Andrew Garfield (who, worryingly, rather reminds me of an ex). The bit that particularly got me was just the brief glimpse of him having a cry over Soloman’s death – it wasn’t dwelt on, it was just a shot and I felt that it was beautifully and lightly done.
So yeah, I really rather liked it. Yes the science was absolute bollocks, but never mind eh? It was still a damned enjoyable piece of telly.
Posted on May 7, 2007 | Filed Under Film, TV, Theatre
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