Day 126: The War Machines Episode 4

45 days. That's how long it's been since I started series 3 of Doctor Who. Through that time I have seen companions, producers and script editors all come and go, not to mention all the writers and directors who showed their take on this series. Reflecting on series 3 as a whole, it has been variable. Not in terms of quality, but instead in terms of storytelling. Compare the first and last serials of this series. Galaxy 4 is a morality tale set in space, where we learn not to judge a book by its cover, meet a megalomaniacal villainess, and meet some robots who could become replacements for the Daleks. It is a simple idea for a story firmly set in science fantasy, your basic dose of escapism and fun adventure. But throughout the series, things have been getting darker and more realistic, even the traditional comedy historicals have rougher edges to them. And so we culminate with The War Machines, which is an urban adventure where we fight computers, and learn about the dangers of technology. It's not so much a dose of fun adventure as it is watching an action serial with danger at every turn. There's still fun, yes, but danger is more prevalent and fun is slowly being moved away from as we grow up and get more serious. But for all that seriousness, we still have robots introduced who could be replacements for the Daleks. We continually search for things that will drive the audience back because they have tired of seeing just the same thing week after week. The Daleks are less popular than they once were, and the production team is still mindful of trying to find a replacement for them to keep people interested. Because while the show is changing to make it better, it's also changing to allow for audiences to return. We just have to find a way for this to happen.