The Rescue (The Daleks Episode 7)

The one where the Daleks are defeated once and for all...

And so we reach the end of Terry Nation's inaugural Dalek serial, and it's called The Rescue - not to be confused with the two-part story of the same collective name the following year, of course! The episode kicks off with the death of Antodus, who selflessly cuts his rope and plummets into the watery ravine below. A noble self-sacrifice, or just his way of avoiding the dangers that lie ahead in the Dalek city? Either way, he's better off gone.

I've been a little critical of director Richard Martin when reviewing his episodes of The Daleks, and the second scene shows why. It starts abruptly with neither William Hartnell or the Dalek quite knowing who should speak first (I'm guessing Hartnell jumps the gun a bit), resulting in a confusing mess. It's indicative of the direction of this episode as a whole. As I've said before, Martin is a capable director, but not all that technically adept (like Christopher Barry or Waris Hussein have been), and the blocking, camera positioning and choreography of this episode is pretty ropey, which tells most in the final battle scene.

The Ordeal (The Daleks Episode 6)

The one where Antodus gets a fit of the collywobbles...

Definition - Ordeal (noun): a very unpleasant and prolonged experience; a trying test or trial.

Terry Nation has stretched The Daleks out to its sixth and penultimate episode, the finale is just around the corner. But The Ordeal is most definitely an ordeal to watch too, because very little happens, and what does happen is unutterably boring to watch. Coupled with Richard Martin's capable but uninspired direction, it makes for the dullest episode of Doctor Who yet.

We start with the reprised death of Elyon in the whirlpool of doom, and to be honest, there is a palpable sense of loss as the others stare remorsefully into the water. Elyon wasn't exactly a major loss as a character, but to the peaceful Thals, such a violent and sudden death would be even more disturbing. Plus, it allows Antodus to hover over the hysterical switch again. He really is the Thal version of Susan.

The Expedition (The Daleks Episode 5)

The one where Ian tricks the pacifist Thals into fighting for their cause...

For saying the Daleks are supposed to be sophisticated beings, intelligent and scientifically advanced, their technology is pretty antiquated. When they want to look at photos taken by their laserscopes, the clunk-whurr of the projector is like something out of a Heath Robinson laboratory! The image reproduction (on Frequency 6) is pretty low-res too, although they're still able to make out the "elderly prisoner", "the girl" and the "young woman", and show great interest in whether the "young man" is dead or injured. The fact their third photo answers their question, showing he is still alive and well, seems to pass them by.

Despite this clunky tech, the Daleks are adept at operating it. Just look at the ticker-tape read-out they examine. The Dalek operators manage to pass the paper string to each other expertly, but I am left wondering how they manage to replace the paper roll when it runs out.

The Ambush (The Daleks Episode 4)

The one where the Daleks make their first killing...

We sadly don't see any more of what was found inside that Dalek machine last week, and so the horrors our imagination has been dreaming up must stay in our minds. It's this kind of psychological torture that children must have been affected by, and loved! It's one way in which the weekly cliffhanger serial format works so well, planting ideas and images into the brain and letting the imagination run riot for a whole seven days.

Ian gets to ride around inside a Dalek, and many viewers were probably quite envious. Proceedings are tense as the quartet try to affect their escape by stealth, attempting to bluff a sentry Dalek guarding the lift. We learn that there is such a thing as a Dalek Council (I wonder how often they empty the bins?), and that Daleks have a rather flashy line in control panels and buttons. Following on from her strong show in The Escape, Susan is the one who takes the initiative to prevent them being rumbled by feigning an hysterical fit. It comes to her so easily too...

The Escape (The Daleks Episode 3)

The one where we (sort of, almost) get to see what's inside a Dalek...

Blimey, what a dull episode title! I mean, there must be an escape of some kind almost every week in Doctor Who!

Susan ventures out of the Ship into the storm-lashed forest outside and straightaway spots an imperious Aryan figure looming over her. And what's the first thing Susan does? She sinks to her knees, almost in supplication and awe. It's one way of placating potential aggressors during your interplanetary travels, I suppose...

And so we meet the Thals, the other race which inhabits this desolate irradiated world. But they must be the good guys because they are white, blond, beautiful and don't have scary, monotone voices. But these are supposed to be the "dis-gusssstingly mutated" creatures the Daleks spoke of. In a wonderfully ominous line, Alydon says: "If they call us mutations, what must they be like?"

The Survivors (The Daleks Episode 2)

The one where the Daleks appear for the very first time...

Considering Terry Nation's episode titles would later become so ostentatious, the individual titles for The Daleks are magnificently dull! Proceedings in The Survivors, however, are far from dull, as this is where Doctor Who went from being a run-of-the-mill Saturday teatime adventure serial to a runaway phenomenon - and all because of the Daleks!

We're sadly not treated to a reprise of Jacqueline Hill's glass-shattering scream, but instead follow the Doctor, Ian and Susan as they explore the city in search of Barbara. They try various doors (some of which slide open seamlessly, others only half-open; some of them with the relevant opening mechanism sound effect, others not!) until they find a starkly lit laboratory where they learn they've been exposed to radiation poisoning on the planet's surface. They also learn that the people who inhabited the city must have been intelligent, and Ian wonders what form their intelligence took. "What does it matter?" snaps the Doctor, obviously not thinking about the safety of the group, merely the excitement of scientific discovery. Again, the Doctor shows a critical lack of judgement.

The Dead Planet (The Daleks Episode 1)

The one where Ian and Barbara have J62-L6 for supper...

Right from the outset, The Dead Planet is disconcerting and strange. After the fairly run-of-the-mill explore-capture-escape shenanigans in prehistoric times with the first serial, the first episode of the second story seems intentionally strange and alien. The negative effect on the picture makes the jungle look, well... dead. Toxic, even. And the spooky score by Tristram Cary adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

And like Waris Hussein before him, director Christopher Barry slaps his youthful ambition right up there on screen. The negative effect lasts well into the first scene when the TARDIS lands and the travellers venture outside, slowly mixing back to positive almost like it's the viewer's perspective adjusting to this weird new planet.