Day 167: The Evil of the Daleks Episode 5

One of the best things about this serial is the conclusion to this episode. It's not a cliffhanger, but it's still thrilling nonetheless because it represents a key movement forward in the plot of the story. The Daleks have just been injected with the human factor and they pick the Doctor up and carry him away. But not in the sort of Evil Dalek way that we've come to expect from these diabolical pepperpots. No, instead, they're more playful, as the Doctor says "They're playing a game!". Suddenly, everything that we know about the Daleks is wrong because they have gained playfulness, emotion, they have become human. This is the thing that Whitaker is not afraid to do: have cliffhangers without action. This cliffhanger doesn't feature a scare, but it does develop the plot in such a way as to ensure that interest is held. The audience may not want to tune in next week to find out how our heroes will get out of this sticky situation, but they might tune in to see how the plot develops, and what will happen now that things have changed completely. The Evil of the Daleks has somehow become The Playfulness of the Daleks, and this viewer can't wait to see what happens next.