Day 366: Death to the Daleks Part 1

And so, on the 51st anniversary of Doctor Who, we come to Death to the Daleks. It's nice to see how far we've come in certain aspects. Michael E Briant is able to use the camera in ways that we wouldn't normally have seen back in the 1960's, using it as a moving element throughout the story, in particular on location, which adds a dynamic feeling to the proceedings. We also have trust in the Doctor and his actions, we know that each action that he makes in the story is one that is the right thing to do. And yet, there are some things that haven't changed, one of these being the writing. This story is written by Terry Nation, writer of the second Doctor Who serial and many others after that point. Unlike Malcolm Hulke or Robert Holmes, Nation is more of an adventure serial writer, and so we don't get much opportunity for morally grey villains or comments on foreign policy and warmongering. Instead, we are left with a simple adventure story featuring Daleks, which sadly involves Sarah Jane being tied up and needing rescuing. This last point is especially annoying as the past two stories have featured Sarah Jane in a more active role, instigating revolutions and capturing the Doctor from the hands of Irongron. Here, she puts her hand on a light and is tied up and sentenced to death. It just goes to show that whilst there are some things that we have improved on on our trip through the series, there still remains some areas for improvement. Put another way, We've Got Work To Do!