I must admit, before this episode aired I felt very little enthusiasm about the return of Doctor Who. While I knew that kids love the Daleks, I'd personally grown tired of them. When they first came back, in the 2005 episode Dalek, the old monsters felt fresh and exciting again. Now, after appearing in many episodes since, their cries of "exterminate" have once again become stale and repetitive. Why, I thought, could the production team not have brought back another old enemy? Like the Cybermen? Or the Master? Something that hasn't been used quite as often. Or even better, create an entirely new and exciting adversary? Fortunately, with this episode, Moffat managed to make me excited about the idea of Daleks once more.
The episode gets off to an impressive start with an impressive CGI sequence of the ruins of the Dalek City on Skaro. It's been years since this planet appeared on Doctor Who. When the camera pans through into the Dalek statue it's a good reminder of how far the series has progressed, technically, since 1963. It is here, that the Doctor encounters Dalek sleeper agent Darla Von Kaarlsen, and is trapped by the Daleks. Meanwhile, on Earth, Amy and Rory are also captured by the Daleks and brought to a ship. Here they reunite with the Doctor and are take before the Dalek parliament. It's another impressive feat, with hundreds of Daleks. Only the Dalek Minister himself is a disappointing, just a Dalek mutant in a tube. On top of all this, the Daleks ask the Doctor, Amy and Rory to save them. Nothing like this has ever happened before.
Great as the pre-credits sequence is, it's nothing compared to the shock that comes after the titles when we meet Oswin Oswald, an ever so familiar brunette. Jenna Louise Coleman's surprise appearance, several months before she becomes the new companion, has to be one of the best kept secrets of the new series. For a moment I doubted my facial recognition skills. I was also surprised to find that I enjoyed watching her. She was funny and quick witted. I now look forward to seeing her in the Christmas special.
Oswin was a crew of the Alaska, a ship that has crashed into the Asylum, a planet where the Daleks keep their insane in captivity. The Alaska has crashed into the planet, meaning the insane Daleks can get out. The Daleks want the Doctor, Amy and Rory to go down to the planet and deactivate the shields. The Asylum itself is a good concept. The outside of the planet is a beautiful snowy landscape, filmed in Spain. The interior is a wonderful area of dank, dripping metal rooms and corridors. It's another success for production designer Michael Pickwoad.
With the help of Oswin, The Doctor, Amy and Rory are able to avoid the nanite infected bodies of the Alaska crew and the insane Daleks to reach the shield control. Along the way, Amy becomes infected with the nanites, converting her into a Dalek slave. There is also the underlying issue of Amy and Rory's breakup, something the Doctor is determined to fix. I never quite believed this subplot since in The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe they seemed to be fine together. Amy eventually reveals to Rory that she left him because she cannot have children. While it's nice to know that events in A Good Man Goes to War are still having repercussions for Amy, after she was so blase in Series Five, It still seems odd that Amy and Rory never discussed these reasons while they were arranging the divorce. What did Amy actually tell Rory was the reason she wanted the divorce?
Before leaving the planet, the Doctor attempts to rescue Oswin and another twist comes into play. Oswin was an insane Dalek all along. Her human personality is her way of blocking off the truth. There's still the question of why Oswin spoke in a human voice to the Doctor, but it doesn't spoil the fun. She manages to overcome her Dalek nature, aiding the Doctor's escape and breaking the fourth wall by looking at the camera and saying "remember me". Doctor Who fans will certainly know the reason why.
The Doctor, Amy and Rory materialize inside the Tardis, which strangely hasn't been moved since it was brought to the Dalek ship. The Doctor emerges briefly to gloat over the Daleks but they have forgotten who he is. Oswin has removed their data concerning him, and the Doctor's identity is once again hidden.
Asylum of the Daleks explores the idea of Daleks representing pure hatred. The Dalek Minister states that they find "Divine Hatred" beautiful. Moffat also ties this idea in with his favourite themes of identity and memory. The Dalek Slaves have lost their humanity, and their past memories are simply tools to use as a weapon. When Amy becomes infected by the nanites she too begins to lose her identity and memory. She even mistakes Daleks for humans when she's hallucinating. Oswin Oswald manages to hold on to her old identity by dreaming up a false reality for herself. The Doctor's own identity is important to the Daleks, as he is a figure of hatred to them. When the story begins, the Doctor is "the Predator". Oswin says that the Daleks have become stronger in fear of the Doctor. By the end, the Daleks have forgotten the Doctor, and perhaps this will mean a decrease in their strength.
Even as he finds new angles to explore regarding Daleks, Moffat takes the time to pay homage to the Dalek stories of the past. Several of the Daleks in the asylum are models from the classic series. Sadly, most of them were barely visible in the darkness, although I did manage to spot the Special Weapons Dalek. There are references to the Dalek attacks on Aridius, Kembel and Exillon and the Dalek Slaves are a cross between the Robomen from Invasion of Earth and the Dalek troopers from Resurrection. The story also reestablishes the personal conflict between the Doctor and the Daleks, instead of the Time Lords in general
It was good to see Amy and Rory again, although, considering that this is their last season they felt extraneous to the main plot. The Doctor could just as easily have infiltrated the Asylum on his own, and chatted with Oswin along the way. Amy's presence provides an element of peril when she starts transforming into a Dalek but neither she nor her husband contribute anything useful to the Doctor's mission.
Niggles aside, this was an enjoyable piece of television with a few excellent twists and turns. It has renewed my excitement for Doctor Who and I can't wait to see the next episode!
9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment