Day 50: The Waking Ally

This episode, after a couple of episodes of reasonably gritty realism, albeit starring metal pepperpots, but it's been stuff that's somewhat relatable, as we're able to see human reactions to these things. This episode throws that out completely as we encounter the Black Dalek's pet: the Slyther. It looks ridiculous, and is clearly intended just to function as a cliffhanger between episodes, so that the kids tune in next week. It's annoying because there are other ways that cliffhangers could go, threatening with guns for instance, or Daleks bursting into huts. But the real problem is that the Slyther represents the very thing Sydney Newman, one of the programme's creators, rallied against. It is a bug eyed monster, and it means that credibility is immediately lost when it appears on screen. The kids are somewhat entertained, yes, but the adults feel embarrassed that they're watching the show, because they aren't getting social commentary, or any actual scary moments, just a bug eyed monster.