Sep 4, 2014
#tindogpodcast #doctorwho notes from wiki
"Into the Dalek" is the second episode of theeighth series of the British science fictiontelevision programme Doctor Who, written byPhil Ford and Steven Moffat, directed by Ben Wheatley, and first broadcast on 30 August 2014. Ford has written previously for the show, co-writing 2009's "The Waters of Mars". Starring Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman the episode also introduces Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink. It was watched by 5.2 million viewers in the UK on its initial transmission, according to unofficial overnight figures, taking a 24.7 per cent share of the entire TV audience and making it the second-highest rated programme of the evening.[2]
Plot[edit]
The Doctor saves Journey Blue, a rebel fighter, from her space shuttle, which is under attack by Daleks, but is unable to save her brother, who has already perished. He returns her to the rebel space station, codenamedAristotle. He is greeted by Journey's uncle, Colonel Morgan Blue, who thanks the Doctor for saving his niece, but declares that he must be killed for fear he is a Dalek spy. However, Journey declares that, as he is a 'doctor', the Doctor can help their patient, which is revealed to be a war-torn Dalek they found floating through space who has appeared to have turned good.
Meanwhile, Danny Pink, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan with emotional scars from his past, begins teaching Maths at Coal Hill School. In the staff room, Danny is introduced toClara Oswald, who invites him to a leaving do for one of their colleagues. Feeling awkward due to an obvious connection between them, Danny declines, but when Clara finds him in his classroom despairing over his actions, she invites him out for a drink. He agrees, and she returns to her office, where she comes face to face with the Doctor, who she has not seen since he left her three weeks ago when he went for coffee in Glasgow (as seen in "Deep Breath"). He tells her that he needs her help, and asks whether he is a good man. Clara replies that she does not know.
They return to the Aristotle, where Colonel Blue details plans to miniaturize the Doctor, Clara, Journey and two rebel soldiers, Ross and Gretchen, so they can enter the broken Dalek, nicknamed Rusty, to see if they can determine what is making it good. Entering through the eyepiece, they begin exploring the upper part of the Dalek. Ross shoots a griphook into the floor, and the Dalek releases antibodies, much like in the human body, which incinerate him. The Doctor, Clara, Journey and Gretchen flee to Rusty's waste centre, where the Doctor correctly guesses that nothing will be guarded. From there, they head to an area of high radiation, with Rusty speaking to the Doctor on the beauty it had witnessed in the galaxy, including the creation of a star, and that the Daleks must be destroyed for wanting to destroy that beauty. At the Dalek's power center, the Doctor discovers a large crack, which he deduces is causing the malfunction within the Dalek. He uses his sonic screwdriver to seal the crack, fixing Rusty in the process. However, this causes it to return to its normal thinking pattern, losing the good within it.
Colonel Blue and his men are helpless as the Dalek breaks its chains and begins exterminating the rebels, determined to aid the Dalek cause. It contacts the Dalek main ship, which releases more Daleks with the aim of destroying the rebel station. Inside Rusty, Clara convinces the Doctor to try to reawaken the good side of the Dalek. They split up, with Clara and Journey heading to reawaken memories of the Dalek's past now being suppressed, and the Doctor heading to the Dalek's consciousness. Gretchen sacrifices herself to set up another griphook to get Clara and Journey to the mind of Rusty, but is destroyed by antibodies. She awakens after her death in "Heaven" and is greeted by a mysterious woman named Missy, the same woman that greeted the Half-Face Man ("Deep Breath").
Clara manages to awaken Rusty's memory of him seeing the creation of a star, while the Doctor manages to link his mind to Rusty's consciousness, reminding him of the destruction the Daleks caused. However, Rusty associates with the Doctor's own deeply-rooted hatred towards the Dalek race, and he exterminates his fellow Daleks as they attempt to destroy the rebel station. On leaving the inside of the Dalek, the Doctor parts with Rusty, upset that the Dalek saw only darkness within him and wishing for a 'victory' in creating a good Dalek. Rusty's response is that the Doctor himself is a good Dalek, while Rusty is not. The Doctor vows to continue with his mission to destroy the Daleks. The Doctor and Clara depart. Journey asks to come with them, but the Doctor declines, telling her that though she has a kind heart, he wishes that she hadn't been a soldier.
The Doctor returns Clara to her office, moments after she left. Clara tells the Doctor that, although she is still unsure of whether he is a good man, she knows his intentions are well meant. On leaving, she bumps into Danny, who says he's glad that his being an ex-soldier hasn't put her off. Remembering the Doctor's treatment of Journey, Clara tells Danny that she is not so judgemental.
Continuity[edit]
The Doctor refers to his first encounter with the Daleks on Skaro in The Daleks and his first incarnation's initial lack of altruism prior to meeting them. Rusty's assessment that the Doctor "is a good Dalek" echoes the lone Dalek's comment to the Ninth Doctor in "Dalek" that he "would make a good Dalek." The Doctor's loathing for the Daleks manifests in "Dalek", "Victory of the Daleks", and "Asylum of the Daleks".
Promotion[edit]
Two clips from the episode were featured alongside an interview with Peter Capaldi onBBC News on 7 August 2014.[3] On 25 August, a ten-second clip was released showing the Doctor's reunion with a lone Dalek.[4] The same clips were re-released on 27 August in slightly extended form.[5][6]
Reception[edit]
Into the Dalek was watched by 5.2 million viewers in the UK upon its initial transmission, according to unofficial overnight figures, taking a 24.7 per cent share of the entire TV audience and making it the second-highest rated programme of the evening.[2]
Into the Dalek received highly positive reviews. Simon Brew of Den of Geek wrote that the episode "stakes one hell of a claim...as a series highlight," and that it was "a really good, really entertaining episode." They noticed the similarities to 2005's "Dalek". He was pleased with the new characterization for Clara and praised Capaldi saying the episode is when we fully get to see Capaldi as the Doctor. They called the episode "one of the most downright enjoyable episodes of Who in the past year or two."[7] The Guardian also noticed similarities to "Dalek" and found the episode to be "better than we might have expected." They praised the guest cast, specifically the character development of Zawe Ashton's character in such a short space of time. They praised Ben Wheatley for "evoking a genuine sense of claustrophobic menace," and felt the episode "works fantastically well."[8] Terry Ramsey of The Telegraph gave the episode four stars out of five praising Capaldi, "It may be hard to believe in a good Dalek, but after Saturday night it is easy to believe this will be a good Doctor."[9] IGN also heavily praised the episode, particularly Ford and Moffat's script, stating that it "evolves along with its characters". They ultimately labelled the episode "an entertaining new take on a classic old foe", awarding it 8.4 out of 10.
Neela Debnath of The Independent was highly positive of the episode, calling it "A classic sci-fi adventure with all the spectacle of a blockbuster." She praised the new dynamic between The Doctor and Clara as "just what we needed...it only took a whole series but finally she (Clara) has become the companion we were hoping for." Overall she called it "a strong installment," and "finally, a Dalek story that viewers could really get their teeth into."[10] Tim Liew of Metro gave a positive review saying, "I rather enjoyed this episode." He was also positive about the character development for Jenna Coleman and also saw the similarities to Dalek, "the tight focus on a single enemy makes this the most menacing Dalek episode since Dalek."[11] Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy also felt the episode was an improvement over the series' opening episode and that it "felt like the proper debut of our new lead," and "felt like his (Capaldi) first real chance to spread his wings with the last vestiges of the Matt Smith era discarded."He felt the dynamic between Capaldi and Coleman was very similar to that of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. He praised Coleman's acting and chemistry with Samuel Anderson in only short teaser scenes. He praised Ford's script, "The 'romantic comedy' portion of 'Into the Dalek' is utterly charming with strong use made of comedic cross-cutting." He was positive on the new spin taken on the Daleks. He called the episode "smart, stirring and visually spectacular," and ended with "the Daleks may never change but both our favourite sci-fi series and its unique lead character seem to be undergoing a transformation and I'm fascinated to see where it leads us." He gave the episode four stars out of five.[12]
The episode received an Audience Appreciation Index score of 84, considered Excellent.[13]It was much better received by the fanbase than the previous episode was.[14]
Leak[edit]
As part of the series 8 leaks, both the script and a rough cut of the episode were leaked online from a server in Miami.[15][16] Despite the fact that the initial online copy of the episode contained a glitch that prevented people from downloading it, a workable version found its way online by the second week of August 2014.[17]