BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE MASTER STORIES - NUMBER TWO

As the Countdown continues, we find ourselves back in the Classic Series...

THE BEAUTY OF RECURSIVE OCCLUSIONS

There is so much good that can be said about Castrovalva. If you bother to look over my Ranking the Regenerations entry (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-book-of-lists-ranking-regenarations.html), you'll see that I give it some very high praise with even the short paragraph or two that I write about it. Peter Davison does a such a great job with being so vulnerable. It foreshadows beautifully how his Doctor will be portrayed in forthcoming stories. It's great fun, too, as he impersonates previous incarnations in Part One. 

There's also that beautiful sense of poetry and renaissance that the whole story conveys. The costumes, sets and music all give it this very lyrical quality. The writing and performances further enhance the idea. I love how delicate the Castrovalvans seem. It's an absolute masterpiece of atmosphere. And there's a great little story being told. Even if Part Two feels a little padded as Tegan and Nyssa trek across that forest for quite some time! 

And then, finally, there's the Elephant in the Room that needs to be addressed. I know this will cause many fans to froth at the mouth, but Tom Baker did stay in the role for too long. The show was really starting to stagnate with him at the helm. We desperately needed new blood. Some will even partially agree with me and say that he seemed completely miserable in Season 18. But I actually think restraining him so much in his last season was the best thing to do. It was Season 17 that really killed things for me. Baker was out of control. I am so glad he was watered down and made more dignified as he took his exit. 

But he did finally go. And Castrovalva comes in like a breath of fresh air and lets us know that everything is changing. Everything is becoming beautiful again. And I love how it stirs those feelings. 

While it has all this going for it, there is still one more thing Castrovalva needs to receive love for: 

It is also an excellent Master Story. 

PRESENCE 

I will admit, I have been harping on this in just-about every entry I write on this subject. And, unfortunately, I must say it once more: one of the most enjoyable traits of a good Master Story is how he is used in the actual plot. What kind of choices are made on where the character shows up and starts becoming involved with the narration can be crucial to how much we appreciate the whole tale. 

The Master is as entertaining as he is in Castrovalva because he has, perhaps, the most unusual presence in a story that we have ever seen. Things follow on directly from Logopolis, so no attempt is made in Part One to conceal him from us. But he does seem to be sidelined a bit. More concentration is placed on the Doctor trying to recover from his regeneration. The Master just seems to be hovering in the background, causing trouble. We see more of his TARDIS than we do of him. We hear him talking in a sinister manner from off-camera as he watches Adric on a screen. He only makes a very poignant appearance on the TARDIS monitor as the episode wraps up and his latest evil plan is revealed. It's a really cool way to use the character. There is a constant reminder that he is up to something, but the full extent of his influence isn't realized until it seems like it's too late to do anything about it. I really like how he moves through that first episode. 

Part Two is the only time we really see all that much of him. There is something beautifully iconic about those scenes with the Master and Adric. For some reason, I love the image of the poor Alzarian being trapped in the Math Web as the evil Time Lord taunts him. I particularly adore how he raises the platform he's on when the conversation between them becomes more intense. 

And then, suddenly, as the story totally changes gears and Nyssa and Tegan walk through the woods for a while to mark time, the Master seems to disappear. He's not really gone, of course. He gives us a quick tease about a second trap he had in store for the Doctor and then puts on his Portreeve outfit. We don't think he's the Portreeve because we're too busy suspecting Shardovan. But it's not just the nice red herring in the plot that distracts us. Anthony Ainley is as brilliant in this disguise as John Simm was in World Enough and Time. 

Throwing the Master into a disguise after showing his presence throughout the first two episodes was a really awesome way of playing with the tropes of a good Master Story. I really love that twist. This time, we don't get the Big Reveal at the end of an episode. Instead it comes at the end of the whole story. And it's magnificent. I really love those last few minutes in the Recursive Occlusion. The budget restrictions do nothing to hamper the intensity of it all. It's all still very dramatic and exciting. 

And, of course, it's awesome when Shardovan proclaims: "You created us, man of evil. But we are free!"   

SOME OTHER GREAT, UNUSUAL STUFF

There are several other unique traits that set Castrovalva apart and even elevate it a bit so that it deserves its second place ranking. The biggest one being its actual premise. 

I have griped before about how most of the Master Stories during the Delgado Era were pretty much the same. The evil Time Lord plans his conquests by meddling with forces that will, eventually, betray him. It gets pretty tiresome pretty quickly. Particularly when it happened five times in a row during Season Eight!  We finally get some variety with the Corpse Master as he focuses, instead, on artificially extending his lifespan. It's only done for two stories that were spaced pretty far apart. So that works much better. Logopolis does go back to what we were getting in the Pertwee Days. The Master tampers with the secrets of the Planet of Mathematicians and it comes back to bite him on the ass!   

But then Castrovalva gives us something really different. The Master is just trying to catch the Doctor in a terrible trap and kill him once and for all. That's it. There's no great plan to overthrow the Universe. He just wants to get rid of his old enemy. 

This is yet another tremendous breath of fresh air. An actual original plot involving the Master! I love it. It heralds the beginning of several more interesting ways in which the Ainley Master will be used throughout his era. We'll get other stories like Planet of Fire or Survival where the Master is just in a big old mess and trying to get out of it. Or stories like Mark of the Rani or Ultimate Foe where the Master is the secondary villain making trouble in the background. The variety is quite wonderful. 

And then, of course, there's the atmosphere. I've gone on about it a bit, already, in the opening paragraphs but it deserves more compliments. There really is no other story that feels quite the way this one does. Part of it is due to the way Ainley plays the role. Particularly while he's disguised as the Portreeve. He really adds to the overall aesthetic. 

This is also the first story to leave the Master's fate under very questionable circumstances. As the Recursive Occlusion is closing once and for all, the evil renegade seems to be getting torn apart by the citizens of Castrovalva. Things appear inescapable for the Master. Surely he is doomed. We are dying to find out how he will get out of this. It's a very fun way for us to see him in his final scene. 

Finally, there's a new way in which the whole character is being interpreted. We see a bit of it in Logopolis but it really starts to flourish, here. The Master is truly beginning his descent into madness. This will continue to occur with all forthcoming incarnations. The very fact that the whole story is just one big plan to finally destroy the Doctor shows how he is consumed by hatred to the point where he will abandon grandiose plans just to pursue more petty vendettas. It's a fascinating new way for the character to move in. 

Nowadays, it might be nice to see the Master become more restrained, again. To see him act suavely as he did when Delgado was in the part. But to see a more maniacal version emerging as he was in Castrovalva was great. 

As I said at the beginning, there is a tonne of praise we can heap on this story. It may just be an Unsung Classic. It's certainly the best tale featuring a freshly-regenerated Doctor. But it does an equally-good job of featuring the protagonist's arch-rival. So much so, that it's my second-favorite Master Story, ever. I really do adore how he is represented, here. Even if the way he enters his TARDIS when it's disguised as a fireplace does seem a bit odd! 

And so, the Best Master Story is upon us. What will it be? 

Find out soon...

 

BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE MASTER STORIES - NUMBER THREE

 We're staying in the New Series just a little longer as the Countdown carries on....

THE TWO MASTERS! 

I think it would be near-impossible not to put World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls somewhere on this list. Some might even rank it at Number One. It's a story that almost seems to celebrate the Master. Not just because it features two different incarnations. It also completes the redemption arc we've been seeing Missy going through since she was first introduced in Series Eight. And it sorts out some major continuity issues regarding how the Simm Master escaped his fate during Part Two of The End of Time. 

Itemising those salient points does hammer home the fact that one of the strongest appeals of this story is that it is quite fannish. Like the fight that happens between the Daleks and the Cybermen at the end of Series Two, this is the sort of thing that long-time lovers of the show such as myself have been dying to see for ages. The Master actually becoming good and two different versions of the character encountering each other sounds as much like fan fiction as the two most notorious cyborg races in the history of the show insulting each other at Canary Wharf!

Here's the thing, though: I really thought the season finale of Series Two was not particularly good. That long-awaited confrontation between the Daleks and Cybermen felt very poorly-executed to me. After wanting to see something like this for so long, it was definitely a major letdown. So, just because the show is doing something very fannish doesn't mean we're, necessarily, going to get content that we actually enjoy. 

So, the big question is: Does World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls do the same thing? Does it take yet more fan pipedreams and flush them down the toilet with bad writing? Or does it end up giving us something somewhat magical? Perhaps, even, a bit awe-inspiring? 

The answer should be obvious. Would it be Number Three on this List if it had failed?!   

MORE THAN JUST A FANWANK 

So if I am saying there's more to this story than just its fannish appeal, where else do its strengths lie? Well, if we start with the first part, then we really have to discuss the Redemption of Missy. 

The Missy incarnation has been most unusual right from the start. Not just because we're finally seeing a female version of the villain. But Moff really does some unique things with the character. The huge tease that he gives throughout all of Series Eight is great fun. It leads to a magnificent Reveal in the penultimate episode of the season. It was a great (and also very different) way to bring the Master back into the series after being absent for a while. 

But that final episode of her first season is where we get the first Major Twist in the portrayal. After assembling what appears to be an unstoppable Cyber-Army, Missy does not act the way the Master normally does. She doesn't try to unleash her Latest Sinister Plan upon the Universe. Instead, she hands her forces over to the Doctor. I really love that moment. It telegraphs quite clearly that this villain we've known for so long is going to definitely move in some very different directions.

The concept progresses further at the beginning of Series Nine. Missy is now trying to rescue the Doctor as we watch the opening story with the Daleks. Admittedly, we've seen things like this before. The Master is helping the Doctor at the end of Trial of a Time Lord, for instance. But it's clearly to advance an agenda of his own. Whereas, this time, it seems more like a genuine gesture of friendship. 

And then, of course, we get to Series Ten. Once more, Missy is a major part of the season arc (which is also another unusual thing in itself - the Master usually just appears for one story and then moves on). The mystery of "What's in the box?" and then watching her try to "become good" was immensely engaging. I particularly like how she finally starts crying over all the murders she's committed throughout the years. 

World Enough and Time represents a final emergence of "Good Missy". The Doctor is starting to believe she may have legitimately turned over a new leaf and is putting her to one final test. As his old rival emerges from the TARDIS after it materialises on the colony ship, she does seem like a totally different character. While she is still very saucy and even a bit cruel-sounding, she just might be the heroine the Doctor believes her to be. And it really is quite amazing to see the character moving in such an unusual direction. 

Even as things start to go wrong and Bill is taken down to the engines, Missy seems to still be on the right side. Quite honestly, we don't really hear much from her for a good chunk of the episode. But she does still appear to be present in the story and fighting for good. It's all quite fascinating to watch. 

Of course, while all this is going on with Missy, something else equally intriguing is happening with the Master. 

ANOTHER BIG REVEAL

As I've already mentioned in previous entries, one of the great appeals of a good Master story is how he is inserted into the plot. Oftentimes, he is lurking about in the shadows without us even knowing it. Only to appear at a poignant moment that gets us to gasp in surprise. 

The Roger Delgado days could be a bit weird. Oftentimes, we would just discover he was in the adventure in the middle of an episode.Which did almost seem like a bit of a wasted opportunity. Reveals were so much more effective during the Anthony Ainley Days when they would, mainly, happen at the cliffhanger. 

Moff brings that tradition back at the end of Dark Water and keeps it going, here. But what a wild Reveal it is! Essentially, the Master reveals to herself that he has been pulling the strings all this time. I still think the Reveal in Spyfall - Part One is probably the best one we've ever had. But this one does score well for just being so exceptionally bizarre and fun. 

I know some fans complained about how we see the John Simm Master at the end of the Series Ten Trailer but I actually thought it was clever to do things that way. Yes, the surprise of him being in the season is spoiled. But my curiosity was piqued like crazy by him appearing in the trailer. I was dying to find out how he would figure into the whole storyline. And I certainly did not suspect that he was Razor the whole time. That twist was absolutely brilliant. Mad props to John Simm for playing the role so well that we didn't guess that it was all just a clever disguise. Would it have been better to just have our mind blown at the end of World Enough and Time by not seeing him in the trailer? Maybe. But I think this way worked just as well. Possibly better...

KIND OF ALMOST EXTRANEOUS 

As we move into The Doctor Falls, I have to admit that a very strange thing starts going on with our two incarnations of the evil Renegade Time Lord. When you really think about it, Missy and the Simm Master are not relevant to the main plot, whatsoever. 

The story could have really been just about the origins of the Cybermen. The Doctor and Nardole could easily have just decided to start heading back up the ship to the TARDIS and stopped at the solar farm. Missy and her previous self didn't need to really be involved with getting them to make that move. Once on the solar farm, the only thing the two different incarnations do to help propel the plot is find where the lifts are. Again, something the Doctor could've easily accomplished, himself. The whole inclusion of this story thread does almost seem irrelevant. It doesn't really contribute to the central plot. 

And yet, it's still so good that Moff creates this subplot. The Redemption of Missy, by this point, is so engaging that it can be a storyline onto itself and we're okay with it. It is great seeing her put to the ultimate test. He own past comes back to haunt her and dilute her new-found principles. But, in the end, she makes the right choice. She elects to stand with the Doctor. Only to be shot down before she can truly display her loyalty to him. 

Of course, those final moments between the two incarnations are absolutely awesome. Watching them kill each other off was wickedly cool. It's an excellent ending to the whole redemption arc that also does a great job of sorting out some continuity. Not only do we know how the Simm Master escaped Gallifrey at the conclusion of The End of Time, but we also know how he will transform into Missy. It's some great work on Moff's behalf to bridge the gap between his era and RTD's. But, even if there had been no continuity fix, I still adore this scene. Watching the Master killing him/herself is quite the spectacle. I love it all-the-more for the extra work it did to get the show to make better sense.    

AMBIGUITY 

One of the other aspects of this story that I really relish is the number of "grey areas" Moff leaves us with as it concludes. These are not plot holes or inconsistencies of any sort. They're just little mysteries that he seems to have intentionally created within the structure of the tale. 

The biggest point of ambiguity would be whether or not Missy was actually lying when she claimed she couldn't remember anything that happened between her and her previous incarnation because the timelines were too tangled. There seem to be some strong hints that indicate that she recalls everything. Yet Missy swears her memory is blank on the matter. All this leads us into a furious argument regarding whether or not Missy knew that she would be fired upon by the lazer screwdriver or if the whole thing was a genuine surprise. Which, of course, dovetails into the Great "Where Does the Sacha Dhawan Master Fit in the Timeline?" Debate. 

This is not the only mystery left unanswered, though. Fans have pointed out that moment where Missy shakes the Doctor's hand for the final time. Does she actually let him feel the blade she is concealing up her sleeve? If so, does this effectively convey to him what she plans to do to her previous self? Or is the Doctor just wondering: "Why did Missy let me feel the knife she's hiding?!!" 

To build points of ambiguity into a plot is a great test of an author's ability. You can't leave too much unanswered or it does come across as sloppy writing. You have to create just the right level of exposition so that the important details are covered but there's still room left for speculation. To me, Moff does this magnificently. And it really adds a great extra dimension to the whole tale. You can watch these two episodes over and over and try to find clues that support the various arguments that revolve around them. It's great fun 

Which, in the end, is what has caused this story to rank so highly on this list. There's just so much fun to be had, here. Not just the fannish stuff, either. The whole subplot involving the Master and Missy is really well-constructed. Particularly when you consider that it didn't actually really need to be there at all! 

Number Three complete. Stay tuned for Number Two....

 

BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE MASTER STORIES - NUMBER FOUR

The Countdown continues....

AN ENTRY FROM THE NEW SERIES 

Aside from the Daleks, New Who hasn't always been entirely kind to villains and monsters from its rich past. More times than others, some huge errors of judgement were made on how to bring them into the 21st Century. 

I do feel Moff did a better job with them than RTD. The Sontarans are a great example of this. Sontaran Stratagem/Poison Sky, to me, went really South. Stratagem showed promise but Sky just crapped the bed! I especially hated watching Sontarans fall from mere bullets. To me, they should be immune to such weapons. Unless, of course, you can put a bullet in the probic vent! 

Moff's desire to take a single Sontaran and make him into comic relief did ruffle some feathers with fandom. But, overall, it was an improvement over what we got when they were in RTD's hands. This is the pattern I tend to see. RTD doesn't do well with Classic Who baddies. Moff slowly cleans things up.  

Again, I will defend quite a bit of the treatment Davis gave to the Daleks. But with most other recurring enemies, I didn't really start liking them much til the Head Writer changed hands. Even then, it still took time for some of them to improve. 

While many fans can't seem to stop spewing vitriol over how bad a writer they think Chibnall is, he does seem to get one compliment from many. He handles the return of an old foe better than any other Head Writer, so far. I tend to agree with that. Which is why the incredible Spyfall - Part 1 and 2 makes it onto this list. 

REVELATION OF THE MASTER

Some of the biggest points Spyfall scores is that super-awesome ending to Part One. Planting the Master secretly into the plot and not revealing his presence til a crucial moment is a much-loved trademark of any great Master story. It's been done with varying levels of success, of course. Even just a few seasons previously, finally letting us know who Missy is at the end of Dark Water was a ridiculously awesome sequence. The way Michelle Gomez leans in conspiratorially and whispers: "Couldn't very well keep calling myself the Master, now, could I?" (or words to that effect) was utterly brilliant.

And yet, somehow, Sacha Dhawan manages to top that. You'd think no one could do better than finally revealing that Time Lords can gender-swap but I really did find my jaw hitting the floor that little bit harder as Dhawan repeats "Spy ... Master" with better emphasis. There is just something about the execution of this revelation that makes me believe there will never be a better one. 

I think it has a lot to do with how well we believe in the Master's false identity throughout the rest of the episode. We do like "O". He's a nice little recluse who seems to be really helping the Doctor along in this latest adventure. We're absolutely positive he's one of the Good Guys. So when the rug gets pulled out from under us, we hit that floor all-the-harder. The Master does an amazing job of hiding in plain sight throughout this episode. As he finally gives himself away, it's almost like a punch in the face!    

The fact that his house is floating through the air beside the airplane makes the whole moment even cooler!    

MORE THAN JUST REVELATION

Of course, an awesome Reveal is not enough to truly give us a great Master Story.  There needs to be more. 

Spyfall gives us an excellent lead-up episode to that climactic cliffhanger. This is not always an easy thing to accomplish. There have been any number of episodes in both New and Classic Who where the plot really wasn't delivering anything great until the Big Reveal happened. If the surprise is well-executed, we forget the unwieldy episode we just sat through. But this isn't always the case. Sometimes, it's just a bad episode with a nice twist at the end. 

Not so with Part One of Spyfall, though. The sinister plot of the Kasaavin is quite compelling. They're  a very interesting race with an ominous presence throughout the first part. I love how visually simple they are, too. I've always been impressed by how Doctor Who can create so much with so little. The modern-day version doesn't engage in this quite as much, of course, because it has a better budget. It can go a bit flashier if it wants to. But a creature like the Kassavin almost feels like a callback to the show's roots. Where they could create things cheaply but still made them effective. The Raston Warrior Robot illustrates this sort of idea quite well. He was, essentially, a man in a silly helmet and a unitard shifting around through cheesy film editing. But damn was it cool when he took out all those Cybermen! The Kasaavin embody that same principle. They look like men in bowler hats with an over-exposed lighting effect. But they're also really menacing. The overall effect that they have in the plot really keeps you engaged. This is a great story even before we find out the Master is behind it all. 

All the actual spy stuff in Part One also contributes greatly to its success. There's just a lot of fun being had with gadgets and secret infiltration and all the other tropes that make stories of this genre so enjoyable. The comedy that's created out of the fact that most of the characters trying to be spies are not at all qualified to do so is a nice touch. I love it when Ryan and Graham spaz out over all the cool spy gear in the MI6 office. 

With the spooky Kasaavin and the cool spy theme, Part One carries itself very well towards that amazing climax. 

BUT WHAT ABOUT AFTER REVEAL? 

Of course, what happens after the Big Reveal can be just as tricky. Utopia, for instance, created a totally awesome return for the Master into the New Series. Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords didn't really maintain the standard. Last, in particular, actually seemed to upset quite a few fans with its deus ex machina ending. Something similar happens in the Classic Series with Time Flight (although, truth be told, the whole story seems to be in a lot of trouble!). There are times when the Reveal makes writing the story very challenging. Your audience is saying: "All right! The Master is in this! This is going to kick ass!" So now, of course, you really have to make sure your story kicks ass. If it doesn't, the viewers notice this all the more because they had such high expectations. 

This is not a problem for Part 2 of Spyfall. We get all the stuff that makes a fight between the Doctor and the Master great. The rivals do all sorts of things to put obstacles in each others' paths. This creates a variety of fun twists and turns in the plot. For good stretches, the Master even seems to have the Upper Hand. The Doctor must then come up with something truly clever to defeat him. 

This is done especially well since the Doctor is deprived of her TARDIS for most of the episode. There have been any number of occasions where the two Time Lords have used their time machines against each other as weapons (Time Monster, Logopolis, Time Flight just to name a few). It's always kinda cool when this happens. But it can also feel like a bit of a cop-out, sometimes. Rather than relying on the Doctor's resourcefulness, the writer just has him jump in his TARDIS and do some piece of technobabble with it to save the day. I love that, in Spyfall, the Doctor is stranded in the past without her handy time vessel. So she has to figure out something clever with what she has on hand to take him down. 

And she accomplishes just that. Getting Noor to send the false message and then purposely confronting the Master to remove his perception filter was just the sort of intelligent solution that I was looking for. Up until that moment, the Doctor really seemed to have her back against the wall. Once more, however, she's able to work with what she has to defeat her enemy. This, to me, is what a good Doctor/Master fight should be all about. The two try to outmaneuver each other in a battle of wits. Eventually, the Doctor proves that she's that little bit smarter. It's a great plot structure that really makes Part Two shine. 

It's also really cool the way the Master then has to hide in history til he can reach that specific moment where he can re-join the story! 

SOME OTHER STUFF THAT I REALLY LIKE

So we've talked about all the important things that the story does in and around the Big Reveal - is there anything else about the tale that I like? 

Of course there is! 

The dynamic between the Master and the Doctor in the New Series was quite peculiar for a while. I'm not even really complaining about it - it was cool. But it is nice to see a very succinct shift in the way the two rival Time Lords deal with each other now that Dhawan is at the helm. 

What exactly am I talking about? I'll explain better... 

When Simm was playing the Master, he seemed more intent upon humiliating the Doctor. Or, at the very least, tormenting him. Last of the Time Lords demonstrates this best. For most of the episode, the Master has the Doctor completely defeated. In the Classic Series, when the Master has this kind of advantage, he tries to kill the Doctor. But this was not the case in Last. He kept the Doctor alive for an entire year - forcing him to watch as he and the Toclofane set about enslaving humanity. 

As Missy takes over, the dynamic becomes even weirder. The Doctor's greatest enemy actually becomes his friend. In a few stories, she even sets out to rescue him. In the end, she chooses to become "good" and wants to join the Doctor at his side as he takes on the Cybermen that are trying to invade a solar farm on the Mondasian colony ship. It's something we never expected to see happen between these two bitter rivals. And, quite honestly, it was amazing. 

Again, I've actually really enjoyed seeing these new sorts of relationships going on with these last few incarnations. But, having said that, I do love seeing the Master back to just trying to kill the Doctor. It is great to see that level of hatred and rage burning again in the character. He is emulating Simm's Master a bit. They both have that high level of manic energy that makes them just a bit comical in places. But Dhawan seems that little bit more menacing. Most of the time, he is quite ready to kill the Doctor. Which takes us back to the Classic Series Days - where the Master was always out to end the life of his greatest foe. It's good to see that "edge" back to the character. 

Another element to the story that I am quite happy to see are the various confrontation scenes that take place. The first one during the actual Big Reveal is, of course, quite stupendous. But the one that takes place at the inventors' convention is equally intense (what a different connotation there is when the Master gets the Doctor to kneel before him!). Even the brief psychic link that they form after the four taps on the telegraph is really well-performed. 

But then, of course, we get to the Eiffel Tower. The reference to Logopolis is a nice touch. A great way to start things off. But then the whole moment just seems to get better and better with every line of  dialogue. This is how a confrontation between two bitter rivals should flow. Particularly as we get to that awesome revelation that the whole meeting was just a trick. The Doctor takes advantage of her enemy's need to gloat over his victories in person to take him down. It's great stuff, really. I loved Ainley so much because he always did his confrontation scenes so well with whatever Doctor he was playing off of. We're seeing a lot of that same vibe going on, here, too. 

On a more superficial level, I adore that the Tissue Compressor is back! I always loved that thing and have missed it greatly. A laser screwdriver just wasn't the same! 

CONCLUSION 

In the end, Spyfall's greatest strength lies in those climactic final minutes of Part One. That really is what propels the story into making it onto this list. But it is also so much more than that. It is a genuinely solidly-written tale that brings us back to those wonderful Anthony Ainley days that I loved so much.  The Master is completely unbalanced and highly intent upon murdering his greatest enemy. He's also using one of the coolest weapons ever as he does so! 

It's these various factors that make me love Dhawan again as he returns at the end of the season. While his second story is considerably more controversial among fandom, I still love it. It doesn't quite make it into my Top Five (or maybe it does - we've still got three more stories to go!) but it's also another great Master Adventure penned by the much-maligned Chris Chibnall. 

As far I can see, Chibnall "gets" the Master better than any other Head Writer for the New Series has. While I hate to sound "Trumpian", he's made the Master great again! 

The Countdown will continue shortly. See you all again soon... 

BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE MASTER STORIES - NUMBER FIVE

I was filled with shame by the fact that I only wrote one entry in the month of October. How can I even call myself a Blogger - much less, a Doctor Who Fan Who Blogs - if I'm producing so little content?! 

Part of what makes creating material for this blog tricky is that I don't rely too much on opinion pieces and actually research a lot of what I write about. So writing an entry can become quite a bit more involved than it does for most people that blog (or vlog, for that matter) about Doctor Who. It is far easier to just state opinion than it is to present actual facts. 

But, as we reach December, I do an Epic End-of-Year Countdown about something I like about the show. I've listed my Top Ten Favorite Doctor Who Stories. Or Ranked Doctors in my Order of Preference. Or things like that. It's a fun way to finish off the blog for the year that isn't too taxing on me. 

Normally, I won't do this until the last month of the year. But, because of my lack of content in October, I've decided to start this little tradition earlier and extend it for a longer period of time. Because I will be just expressing opinion for the next two months, it will be easier for me produce more material and give you all more blog to enjoy.    

HOW I'M GOING TO DO IT

Rather than try to compile one gigantic countdown that can span the course of two months, I'm going to do a series of smaller ranking systems. Basically, I'm going to create Top Five Lists for the three most popular recurring villains/monsters the show has featured. So, the five best Master stories, Cybermen tales and Dalek adventures. And, of course, I'll be writing a somewhat detailed explanation of why I've ranked them the way I have. 

It's been quite sometime since I've done a BOOK OF LISTS post. Instead, I've been working on REVIEW OVERVIEW essays. So I should make it clear that this really will be my own personal opinion being expressed. There will be no special criteria that I will establish like I have been with the REVIEW OVERVIEW format. This is me purely expressing my tastes and nothing more. 

So, let's begin with the Master. 

TOP FIVE MASTER STORIES - NUMBER FIVE: 

THE MIND OF EVIL 

I should say this upfront: this will be the only story on this list featuring Roger Delgado as the Master. 

I know a lot of other fans compiling a list like this would mainly have tales involving Delgado's Master in most of the positions. If not, all of them! To many, he was the greatest Master of them all. And his stories are beyond reproach. He is the best of the best. 

Well, if you bothered to read my Ranking the Masters series, you know he's not at the top of my list (This is where he made it: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/12/book-of-lists-ranking-masters-part-3.html). I don't hate Delgado as the Master, of course. In many ways,.he is quite good. 

I'm not all that fond of a lot of his stories, however. The plots of most adventures that feature him are pretty repetitive: the Master is messing with things that he can't control. This re-tread does mean that there's not much that stands out all that strongly. A lot of the time, I think we're just meant to be excited to see that the Master is back and not care too hard about what he's actually up to! I would even dare to say that, because the premises aren't very diverse, some of his stories are downright weak. I've never, for instance, been able to understand how anyone can find The Daemons all that particularly enjoyable. Honestly, I'm actually getting tired of the Master by the time we reach this point in the season! 

I've actually said a lot about Mind of Evil in an Unsung Classic essay (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/03/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-unsung.html). So I will try not to do too much of re-tread, myself. This post, in fact, will accomplish what all essays of this nature will do. It will focus on how well of a job the story does on featuring the recurring villain/monster. In this way, we should get a different review from the one I've already offered. 

Yes, Mind of Evil is hanging its hat in the usual place. Once more, the Master is meddling in something that will become his undoing. In this case, of course, it's am alien psychic parasite that he's placed at the core of the Keller Machine.  But, just this once, he's actually working on a second plan. A legitimate subplot! How crazy is that?!! 

The Master is also trying to use the Thunderbolt Missile to plunge the world into a Third World War that should wipe out the bulk of humanity. As this happens, he intends to sit safely in his TARDIS and only come out when things have settled down. He will be able to easily enslave the survivors. Is it much of an alternate agenda? No. But, by golly, I'll still take it! For once, the Delgado Master is doing more than just putting his nose where he shouldn't. And it's just so nice to see that! 

The subplot also makes a fair amount of sense. Without a properly functioning TARDIS, he can't really do much more than wipe out humanity. But this complication in his life does create a very nice link to the first tale of Season Eight. Which rounds out those first ten episodes quite nicely. As Mind of Evil closes, these first few clashes between the two Time Lords feel very complete. If only the production team had decided to leave the character alone for a bit. No such luck, though. The Master will just keep returning and returning and returning (this isn't even an exaggeration - he comes back three more times in a row!).

There is another flaw to the Delgado Master that Mind of Evil skirts around quite nicely. While other performers who have taken on the role play up the character's insanity and go a little OTT in places, Delgado seemed to be playing things straight. But there were always moments in his adventures where things got a bit camp. This wasn't even always Delgado that would make this choice. Sometimes, the silliness was written right into the script. When such scenes occur, it never sat well with me. It just felt out of place for this particular incarnation. 

Mind of Evil never really seems to go in that direction. Everything the Master does sits on the right side of serious. Even really strong visuals like the Master puffing a cigar in his limo as he listens to horrible, sinister music doesn't seem to go too far. We're able to believe in the character for the whole six episodes. At no point does it feel like Delgado is chewing up the scenery or just being a bit absurd. I think it's important that his Master was skewed that way. Sadly, we only seem to really get this with this tale. In other cases, we have instances like the Master believing claymation characters are actual aliens! 

The way the Master gets inserted into the plot is also done quite nicely. In Episode One, we don't see him at all. But we still witness the results of the masterplan he has been constructing. Even in the second part, he is still on the sidelines quite a bit. His interference seems somewhat inconsequential. Only as Part Three kicks in does the Master really start to feel like he's propelling along the conflict. From that point on, he is now heavily involved with things. And I do love how he moves along through the story. Slowly but surely arranging things until he's got all his ducks lined up for the execution of his ultimate objective. It all comes together quite nicely. Even the way he contends with various obstacles seems so smooth and calculated. This, to me, really is the Delgado Master at his best. He is suave to the point of being completely nonplussed. No matter what sort of pressure he may seem under. 

Of course, there is just the briefest moment of panic for him. Which creates one of my favorite moments in the whole history of the character. Yes, I blathered on about this in the other entry, too. But I must still say: a giant version of the Doctor towering over the Master and laughing at him mockingly is an absolutely gorgeous image. It shows the true root of the villain's insecurity. When influenced by the Keller Machine, he doesn't witness horrible monsters or terrible danger. Instead, he sees his arch rival telling him he's minute and ineffectual. It's brilliant.

The other really important aspect to the story that gets mentioned in the other essay but bears repeating here is the how much this all feels like something out of Season Seven. Pertwee's first season is the only portion of his era that I relish all that much. The other four do feel very formulaic and repetitive. The lack of variety to the plots of Delgado's Master certainly help to re-enforce this point. But, for six episodes of Season Eight, we go back to happier times. In so doing, we get a better Master. 

Those are, essentially, the key elements that set Mind of Evil above the rest of the Delgado stuff. These qualities are enjoyable enough that it actually propels the story into my Top Five. It's not just the strongest Delgado Tale, it's one of the best Master Stories ever. 

I really do feel it's a masterpiece (pun completely intended). 

POINT OF DEBATE: IS IT ETHICAL TO IMPRISON A PTING?

I was a bit torn about which category to place this entry in. POINT OF DEBATE made the most sense, of course. As it would be a contemplation on the ethics of Pting entrapment. But then I realized I would be using terms like: "a contemplation on the ethics of Pting entrapment" and wondered if  COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS might be a better heading to use! 

For a time, I even thought about doing a special "hybrid topic" and just blending the two terms together with a backslash between them. That would be fascinating. It would be the first time in the history of the blog that I would do something of this nature. This could almost be a bit exciting! Imagine the impact such a bold gesture might have on my readership...

And then I came to terms with the fact that the only one who might find such a merger legitimately enthralling would be me! So I just went back to my original idea and decided to label it a POINT OF DEBATE essay. I also realized that getting this excited about my blog might indicate that I need to get out a bit more!

Being one of the few fans that didn't seem to think The Tsuranga Conundrum was an atrocity to television probably makes me even more fond of the Pting than most. As a monster, I just think he's a great concept. This guy is a force onto himself. He could go up against Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels - the whole lot. And all of them would fail! The Pting would literally consume them with little or no effort. He is one of the deadliest creatures in the Doctor Who Universe. 

And yet, he looks like a character from a Disney movie (and I actually mean that - he really does resemble that weird thing in Lilo and Stitch). I love the idea that one of the most powerful beings we've ever seen the Doctor encounter comes across as so cute and adorable. I thought it was a very fun image to play with: a terrible menace that you wanted desperately to cuddle! Other people didn't seem all that particularly thrilled with the Pting, but I really loved him. 

I was delighted to see him make a brief return during Revolution of the Daleks. I was also quite surprised by the number of fans that expressed a positive sentiment about his cameo. Perhaps folks didn't despise the 'ole Pting so much, after all. They might even be re-evaluating their overall opinion of Tsurango Conundrum! 

But once I was finished being happy about the Pting coming back, I realised that where we saw him did raise some interesting questions. Our little buddy had been locked up in a jail that he couldn't actually escape from. That's a Hell of a prison! 

But the very fact that he is incarcerated actually creates a philosophical quandary that I feel bears some deeper scrutiny. So much so, that I am devoting an entire entry to it!

THE ETHICAL DEBATE

Clearly, the Pting is a menace to all life in the Universe. His near-insatiable appetite means that he can, easily, devastate any civilisation he runs into. Eve Cicero actually mentions how a Pting took out an entire armada just because he needed a snack! So I can see why people might feel a need to incarcerate or restrain him in some way. 

However, there is one simple issue that clouds this whole situation quite heavily. As great of a danger as he might be to the Universe, it's not really the Pting's fault. To all intents and purposes, he is a creature of pure instinct. He's more like an animal than a proper sentient being. So, yes, he tears apart spaceships at his leisure - but it's not out of any genuine malevolence or evil intent. It's just how he nourishes himself. 

So the question becomes: is it right to punish such a creature for simply doing what they do? The other inmates we see in the prison make sense. They all possess a proper free will. They could have made better choices and not ended up behind bars. But throwing the Pting into such a place would be like making a dog serve time because he sniffed the butt of another dog. Technically, he violated that canine. But, really, that's just how dogs do things!   

The Pting, to me, is the same situation as our inappropriate dog. We can't measure its behavior by our own standards. We don't, as a rule, just approach strangers and stick our noses into their rectums. And laws are in place to stop those who might be inclined to do so. But we understand that we can't really enforce that same system of discipline on the canine species. They function in a very different way from us.

The same rule should apply to the Pting. He is, essentially, an animal. To place him in a legitimate penal system of any sort would be an unfair act. Perhaps even a bit cruel...

THE PRACTICAL DEBATE

As much sense as the Ethical Debate makes, there is still one problem that remains: the Pting is highly dangerous. While he does seem to spend a lot of time just floating around in space and causing no real harm, when he does come into contact with civilised beings - great amounts of destruction and loss of life can ensue. 

Again, the accounts of Eve Cicero back this idea up strongly. She really does sound horrified when she discovers there's a Pting on the Tsuranga medical craft with her. The vague descriptions she gives of her previous experience with one makes it sound like she was fortunate to get out of it alive. As "good" of a person that it may make us to not imprison a Pting, the fact of the matter is: if this creature is allowed to just run loose, people get hurt. 

The fact that the Pting does not seem to possess full sentience doesn't just imply that it's an animal. It may, in fact, mean that it is far more than just that. We might be able to actually label it as a legitimate force of nature. Everywhere the Pting goes, he wreaks havoc. In much the same way as a tornado or a forest fire does.

In this sense, then, incarcerating a Pting might be more akin to finding a way of preventing a hurricane or an earthquake. If we have the means to do it - then why not? Lives will be spared  and damage prevented if we do. 

SEMANTICS

That is, essentially, both sides of the debate. What you consider the Pting to be determines whether you're justified to put him in a maximum-security prison or not. If he is labeled as a proper animal, then he should not be incarcerated. Or, at the very least, he should not be in a penal system for criminals. But, if you see him to be something more elemental, then jailing him is merely the prevention of a catastrophe. 

Some would say the argument is easy. He is a living creature with thoughts and senses so he can't really be considered a force of nature. He appears to have a functioning digestive system and, although he is driven mainly by instincts, he does make conscious choices. All signs of a living creature. 

But there is so little we know about the Pting's nature. He seems to be indestructible. And, perhaps, even immortal. And, while he does seem to possess a free will of sorts, his appetite seems almost insatiable. If there is nourishment around him, he will eat away at it until it is completely consumed. Something you can't stop that will ravenously destroy everything around it definitely takes on a more elemental quality to it. 

So far in this debate, both sides seem to have an equal footing. Let's try to take a deeper cut...

ETHICS - LOOKING A BIT DEEPER

In order to better illustrate the ethical side of this debate, let's create a bit of a hypothetical situation: 

Imagine you are a firmly-convicted vegetarian. You're very proud of the fact that you sustain yourself without ever having to hurt any animal. You don't even do dairy or stuff that's been fried in oils. Strictly veggies for you. 

Now imagine that a sentient plant life-form comes along to see you. Something like the Krynoid or the Vervoids or the Trees from End of the World. They see you as an absolute atrocity, of course. You've killed endless amounts of their kin throughout your life. To them, you're a menace. 

So they take you and throw you in a special penitentiary where they keep all their other worst criminals. Murderous broccoli and treacherous ferns surround you on a regular basis. But do you deserve to be there? What deed did you actually commit that was so wrong? All you did was provide yourself with three square meals a day. But, in the eyes of the Plant People, you needed to be restrained. 

This is, essentially, what we've done with the Pting. As I've said before, he's just doing what he does. It's part of his life cycle. Do we have the right to throw him in jail for it? 

THE ULTIMATE PRACTICALITY

As much as I'm trying to create a sense of empathy for the Pting, the fact remains: when this thing roams free, people end up dying. Something has to be done about it. We can argue til we're blue in the face about the rights of a single living creature. But the fact that it takes out other living creatures just to maintain its own survival is an issue we have to face and deal with. 

In the end, not restraining the Pting when we have the opportunity to do so, would make us an accomplice to any future murder he may commit. Which, in many ways, makes this side of the argument just as ethical as the other. We can't allow a clear and present danger to continue raging on through the cosmos if we have the resources at our disposal to stop it. 

Clearly, something as powerful as the Pting needs a maximum security prison like the one the Doctor was in during Revolution of the Daleks. Anything less might not prove adequate. So, yes, putting him in with criminals might not be entirely fair, but it needed to be a place that could genuinely hold him. Every day that the Pting is restricted is a day the rest of the population of the Universe remains safe. 

As much as one may want to refute this, it's undeniable. For the sake of everyone else's safety, the Pting needs to be kept under wraps. 

FINAL VERDICT

In some ways, the last argument I presented has settled things. If we are to assume the ultimate moral high ground, then we have to concede that the Pting can't be allowed to continue rampaging through the galaxy. It's very similar to the reasoning the Doctor uses whenever he fights the Daleks. If he doesn't try to stop them at whatever it is they're up to, he is doing the Universe a disservice. 

But there are still a few layers to the debate that we can sort through. The biggest one being: was it necessary to throw what is, essentially, a simple creature that is slave to its own instinct in with dangerous criminals? It's like the poor vegetarian in the previous section being incarcerated with bad-ass begonias or creepy grapevines. Sure, he needed to be restrained for the protection of all vegetable life, but does it need to be under such harsh conditions?   

Some might argue that it doesn't really matter where you put the Pting in order to stop him. He seems quite impervious to just about any form of attack. So, even if his cellmates are a nasty bunch, they can't really do anything to harm him. But, while they probably can't hurt him, other prisoners could still try to make life difficult for the Pting in any way they can. He's still stuck in a hostile environment for doing something that's not really his fault (or, at the very least, he can't control). And that's not fair to the little guy.   

I think, if we are to reach a truly humane solution for the Pting, he should be given his own special prison. One that might be similar to the jail the Minotaur got in God Complex. Or even the way they incarcerated Kong at the beginning of the latest version of Godzilla versus King Kong. Or something to that effect. It should simulate an environment that leads the Pting to believe he is still in his natural habitat. When, in truth, he is being kept under lock and key.  

Perhaps such a prison demanded too great of a strain on resources and a cheaper solution was needed. So, instead, they just locked up that poor old Pting in a regular jail. But taking that route does mean that the question in the title of this entry can be answered with a resounding "No." It was not ethical to imprison the Pting. At least not in the manner that we saw in Revolution. If something had been done to enable the Pting to feel that it was still free but kept under restraint, I could agree with the sentiment. But sticking him in a Shada-esque prison was not right. 

So that's my take on what is, clearly, a very silly Point of Debate. Feel free to chime in with your own opinion on the matter. That's what the whole topic is about. 

I try to average, at least, two entries a month in here. But October is quite busy for me. And, with several months in Lockdown only shortly behind me, this flurry of activity has exhausted me immeasurably. So, unfortunately, I think I will only manage one entry this month. I'll try to pick up the pace in November!

REVIEW OVERVIEW: WHICH IS THE BEST DALEK SAGA? - THE SEQUEL

And so, we continue with our comprehensive review of all the Great Dalek Sagas.

What's a Dalek Saga? How are we reviewing them? If you're asking yourself these questions then you've sure missed Part One of this series. 

Here be the link: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/09/review-overview-which-is-best-dalek-saga.html

Give it a read first, if you haven't. Then proceed on with this: 

Third Place:

The Davros Saga - Part One

Given the deep love that so many have for Genesis of the Daleks, I would imagine most fans would rank this Saga higher than I am. But, if you're an avid follower of this blog (and there are a few of you out there besides my Mom who read this quite regularly!), you know I'm not as big on this tale as most folks are. So Story Quality will not, necessarily, earn it all that much street cred for me. 

But there are other problems, too. Ones that I will get into momentarily. But I have not come here just to bury Part One of The Davros Saga. There's quite a bit to it that I rather enjoy. Which is why it places where it does in this list. 

Dalek Presence: 

Genesis of the Daleks is weird when it comes to Dalek Presence. In some ways, it works that we don't see that much of them. They are in their earliest stages, there wouldn't be that many of them around, yet. I would even say that the comments fans sometimes make about their lack of presence in the story is exaggerated (Fans?! Exaggerate?! Never!). They do show up for a bit in most episodes. They're not pushed to the background as much as some would have you believe. 

The problem with Dalek Presence in Genesis lies more in the fact that this is a six-parter that really only needed to be four. To compensate for this, we are lumbered down with some really blatant padding (Davros' long impassioned speech to the five extras hired to portray the remaining Kaled scientists in Part Six being one of the more obvious examples of this). If some scenes had been created with more Daleks in it, this might have solved this problem. Sequences where the Daleks start behaving eccentrically and showing some degree of free will would have made the whole story far more interesting. Especially since the Daleks suddenly seizing control of things at the end of the whole adventure seems to come out from nowhere. Creating a whole chain of events throughout the six episodes that shows them reaching full independence would have been far more interesting than what we got. Or it could have been an altogether different storyline involving Daleks. It just would have been nice to have gotten more Dalek action and less obvious time-marking.   

So, in some ways, the lack of Dalek Presence in Genesis does make perfect sense. I don't dispute that.  But the story still could have benefited if that presence had been stronger and used in a clever manner.

Destiny of the Daleks, on the other hand, seems to make a very conscious effort to make sure it's not all about Davros. Especially since he doesn't actually come into the plot until halfway through it. But even when he does arrive, lots of time is still spent with the Daleks. We're not getting more drawn-out scenes of Davros pleading to Kaled scientists with artificial heart valves. 

Of course, Destiny still hides its Daleks til the end of Part One to give us a Great Reveal that really isn't that great. Another example of this incredibly silly practise that various production teams indulged in for a time. Once more, the Daleks arrive at a Cliffhanger even though their name is right in the title . 

Dalek Progression

Something else that works well in some places and not so well in others. One of the things that makes Genesis great is the Deep Dive it does into Dalek Philosophy. Through the various rantings and ravings of Davros, we see that this mutant race are more than just ruthless conquerors. That Davros sincerely believed that turning them into Nazis was the best way to ensure their survival. He felt he was doing good even though his creations turn out very evil. Taking the time to show this in their origins made the very two-dimensional quality of the Daleks suddenly seem a bit richer. 

Destiny, however, doesn't really push that idea along much. It's more of a just a fun run-around and a way to bring Davros back since he was so popular in his first tale and the fans wanted more of him. 

So, lots of progression in Genesis. We understand the Daleks on a whole new level thanks to that story. But Destiny doesn't do much to follow this idea up. Nor does it do much of anything else to present us with anything new or different about the Daleks.  

Connectivity 

This element works quite well between the stories. Some time is taken to explain how Davros could survive a full blast of Dalek firepower at point-blank range.It's a reasonably satisfactory answer. We're also given a good reason for why the Daleks just left him to rot in a bunker for so long. 

Everything lines up very beautifully, here. It's even quite neat that it takes a good two episodes for the link between the stories to be properly established. That's actually some pretty competent writing!

Execution of the Overall Theme 

Admittedly, I've covered this a bit already when I discussed Dalek Progression. 

Terry Nation creates Davros so that the Daleks, at last, have a somewhat more eloquent spokesman. With him, we can now really explore what makes the Daleks tick.Which is what I believe this Saga was really meant to be about.

This theme is executed masterfully in Genesis. And I wouldn't say we don't get this at all in Destiny. Davros does indulge a bit more in the ideology behind his creation during certain conversations that he has with the Doctor. But this sort of stuff is still painfully scant in the second story of this Saga. 

I do still find Destiny to be a pretty fun story. But it doesn't really present much of what seems to be the real core issue of this Saga. Which means, of course, that the Execution of the Overall Theme is only so good.   

Story Quality

While I do love to point out that Genesis of the Daleks is not the Classic many fans make it out to be, I don't think it's terrible, either. There is still quite a bit about the tale that I genuinely enjoy. It is gorgeously directed with a very gripping visual tone to it. I believe this is another one that ruffled Mary Whitehouse's feathers a bit - and I can see why! It is very gritty and disturbing, in places. And, like most fans, I love it for that. 

The central premise of Genesis is also quite brilliant. The Doctor has undertaken a few missions for the Time Lords over the years - but never one like this! That opening scene with him and the Time Lord is very powerful and sets a great tone for the rest of the story. The Doctor finally reaching that intense moral debate with the two wires in his hands is a great ultimate destination for where this whole journey has been going. None can deny that this aspect of the plot is handled magnificently. 

The real problem with the story is that the some of the lesser narratives that it tells don't always work so well. The subplots really get "clunky". To the point where some pretty absurd stuff happens in places (Sara's fall from the scaffolding at the end of Part Two being one of the more notorious examples of this). There's some definite kinks that needed to be hammered out with some of the writing that just never happened. Which, to me, causes the whole adventure to work better in theory than it does in execution. 

I have a strange soft spot for Destiny of the Daleks. It is the first Doctor Who story that I watched in its entirety (for a deeper look into that experience, try reading my First Anniversary Special: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/03/first-anniversary-special-something.html). Clearly, I'm going to have a bit of a bias for Destiny since it's the one that "got me hooked." 

But it reeled me in for a reason. Overall, it tells a half-decently interesting plot. The utter absurdity of two military races that are too dependent on logic is quite a novel premise. Their quest to bring chaos into their lives in order to solve the problem is also quite entertaining. The very thing they need to integrate into their battleplan, of course, becomes their undoing. 

It's all quite clever. 

Making the New Davros wear the same mask as the Old Davros is probably the most damaging error in judgement that the production team made. It really does become quite distracting, sometimes. And, while some fans froth at the mouth over the scene where Tom Baker taunts a Dalek to follow him up a mineshaft, I was quite amused by it all. This is, in fact, the only story in Season 17 where I don't feel the comedy ever really works to the story's detriment. Anything else this season has to offer will, more times than others, take the humor too far (and, yes, that does include City of Death!). 

I do find that, even with my own personal biases, Destiny is a fairly solid tale. It's not some great work of poetic brilliance that astounds me in any sort of way. But it accomplishes its task of giving us an exciting Dalek story. 

In the final analysis, Part One of The Davros Saga is a solid mid-ranger. There's some very great stuff in there with only a few problems that drag it down a bit and prevent it from getting a better ranking.  Still, for the most part, I'm quite pleased with it. 

Second Place:

The Recon Dalek Saga

This is where things really begin to excel. 

There are, of course, any number of fans out there that hate Chris Chibnall's writing. But some of them are willing to concede on certain points. One thing that they will offer the Head Writer a backhanded compliment on is the fact that he does seem to write very well for recurring monsters and/or villains.

His Dalek stories definitely back up that point. Both of them are really quite magnificent. Working together, they create what I think is an amazing Dalek Saga. 

Dalek Presence 

The Dalek Presence in both of these stories works in a very peculiar way. Which actually gives it a great new tone. In Resolution, the Recon Dalek only finally gets his casing towards the end. But, because of his special abilities to "pilot people", he is active throughout the entire tale. He's just not functioning in the usual Dalek fashion - which makes for a far better adventure. We're experiencing the Daleks in a very new and interesting way.  

Revolution of the Daleks also comes at things from a weird angle. A cloned version of a recon Dalek is at work, again. This time, he is trying to build a whole army.  But, in the meantime, we also see these Dalek-shaped security drones all over the place. No, they're not "true Daleks". But we know that will change soon enough. It's a bit reminiscent of Power of the Daleks. Or even Victory of the Daleks (which is really just trying to imitate Power, anyway!). For a time, it's safe for a human to be around a Dalek.  But that won't last. At the right moment, those defense drones are going to turn. So, again, there is a real Dalek Presence in this tale. But it's done in a different manner than just having them roll along all day and exterminate everyone in sight. 

Both stories have a solid Dalek Presence that is used in a very creative manner. 

Dalek Progression

Clearly, introducing a Recon Dalek takes the whole concept of the Daleks in a new direction and makes them very fresh, again.  Learning what makes this particular brand of Dalek different from its kin is quite fascinating. 

As we witness that Recon Dalek trying to operate on a grander scale in the second adventure, we see all-the-more how much he breaks away from the common Dalek. In many ways, this is the opportunity that the Cult of Skaro Saga missed. The Recon Dalek is quite happy to just take available resources and work with them to create a force to be reckoned with. To then, suddenly, discover there is a special task force among the Daleks to deal with the sort of thing creates an interesting new dimension to their culture. If such a team of Daleks exists, it makes us wonder how many other times this sort of thing happens. Which causes our imaginations to reel in all sorts of interesting directions. 

The Recon Dalek Saga, for me, scores tremendous points in this category. Chibnall really does do some great new things with a monster that has been viciously overused. 

Connectivtiy

Some other huge points to be scored, here. 

The fun little re-cap of Resolution's last few minutes is nice. The bridge that then gets built into Revolution of the Daleks is great. I especially like that it takes quite some time to really see the full consequences the first story has on it successor. Only after several minutes of secret meetings between Robertson and the Tech-Minister-turned-Prime-Minister does the join between the two adventures finally complete itself. I love that things flow this way. It's a nice sense of realism. Things should not get resolved in one hastily-written scene. 

I'd go so far to say that, out of all the links that have been done in Dalek Sagas, this one was the best. 

Execution of the Overall Theme

The theme of this Saga is a simple one: Recon Daleks move very differently from the common Dalek. But the exploration of that theme is done quite thoroughly. We begin with just the examination of a single Recon Dalek and then watch as it works on perpetuating itself into a sizeable army. It's done with a straightforwardness that makes it quite refreshing. Even delightful. Particularly when you consider how convoluted or disjointed some of the other Dalek Sagas are, sometimes. 

This Saga understands that if you're going to link several Dalek stories together into a singular narrative, then you need to maintain some consistency. And it does an excellent job of accomplishing this.   

Story Quality

And, again, this Saga crushes in yet another category. 

Resolution is one of those nice plots that really shows us the deadliness of the Daleks by scaling things back and featuring just a single member of this fearsome race. New Who does this from time-to-time. We saw it first in Dalek, of course. And then Into the Dalek does something similar (there is, technically, more than one Dalek in the adventure, but it's still mainly about Rusty). With the introduction of a whole new type of Dalek in this story, I'm glad that Chibnall takes this tact. We really get to see the full extent of its powers. 

I especially like that, unlike Dalek and Into, there isn't one of those "You would make a good Dalek" moments in Resolution. It really does show the much stronger moral compass that Thirteen brandishes. It's quite nice to see the Doctor just being full-on heroic again and not having her greatest foes trying to make her actions seem questionable. Yes, perhaps it makes the tale a little simpler. But it's nice to have a version of the Doctor on the show, again, where we're not asking ourselves: "Did she throw the Cyborg off the balloon or did he jump?!".  Pondering such things for a bit was actually fun. But we really did need someone like Thirteen to come along and give us a Doctor who refuses to compromise certain crucial ideals. Resolution, I find, really highlights this incarnation's ethics. Dealing with something so ruthlessly evil throws things into sharp relief and we can really see the dark and light at work against each other. 

The plot moves at a gorgeously breakneck speed but still takes some time for character development among the regular cast. Ryan coming to terms with his Dad did make for a great subplot. 

Resolution is definitely one of the better Dalek stories in the Revived Series. 

And then of course, we have Revolution of the Daleks. Admittedly, I was excited about this story before it even came out. Having the word Revolution in the title implied another Dalek civil war. And, for some odd reason, I really enjoy seeing Daleks fighting each other. 

Chibnall doesn't just try to give some kind of re-tread of previous Dalek civil wars. Revolution is definitely telling its own tale. And it tells it well. Over the last few years, we've had a couple of different Doctor Who stories that have had cinematic releases. I do wish the story had received the same treatment. This one really does flow like a really great action film. 

But, again, there's some wonderful character moments. The plot slows down very nicely for both Jack and Yaz and the Doctor and Ryan to have some nice heart-to-heart moments. And the ending with Graham and Ryan really played out beautifully. It was so nice to see companions just decide to leave again. Rather than get stranded in parallel universes or get turned into Cybermen or some other such harsh style of separation. We need more companion farewells like this. 

Each story is riddled with slight issues in plot mechanics. The way in which the shell of the Recon Dalek is stolen from the truck driver at the beginning of Revolution, for instance, is super-contrived and a bit preposterous. But these are fairly minor quibbles compared to the strengths of both these stories.   

First Place:

The Davros Saga - Part Two

I should say, upfront, that there are a few substantial problems with some of the adventures in this Saga. For instance: we never get a satisfactory explanation of how Davros survived the Movellan virus in Resurrection of the Daleks (his life support system is equipped with an automatic toothpaste dispenser that malfunctioned?!). And I've never been fond of the supporting cast slaughterfests that occur towards the end of certain stories in Seasons 21 and 22. Both Resurrection and Revelation use this device and that bothers me a bit. 

But, even with those issues, it so hard not to love this trilogy. This isn't just the best Dalek Saga, ever. But these are also some of the greatest Dalek stories that were made. 

The Quality of the Stories, in fact, is a huge part of what makes the Saga so successful. We'll  definitely explore that category when we come to it. Let's cover the other stuff, first, though. 

Dalek Presence:

With the exception of Part One of Revelation of the Daleks - where Dalek Presence does feel a bit light - there is no real problem with this issue. Which can be a tricky thing to accomplish in stories involving Davros. He really steals that limelight from his creations, sometimes. 

I'm especially happy that both Resurrection and Remembrance provide some great "Grand Entrances" for the Daleks when they first appear onscreen. But we don't have to wait til the end of an episode to see them. It just happens at a nice poignant moment during Episode One.  Thankyou, production team, for finally breaking that painfully nonsensical trend!    

Dalek Development: 

It is in this Saga where we discover that the Daleks can actually engage in politics and, in so doing, become capable of destroying themselves from within. 

Admittedly, we did see something like this in Evil of the Daleks. But that was artificially engineered by the Doctor.  This time, the process occurs more organically as the Daleks come to terms with the fact that their creator must be acknowledged and respected for the contributions he has made to their development. It's another one of those great moments where the Daleks become something more than just two-dimensional ruthless conquerors. 

Connectivity:

The links between stories are quite interesting in this one. They all require a bit of imagination to fill in certain gaps. We don't know for sure, for instance, how Davros establishes himself as the Great Healer on Necros. But it's not hard to see how the process might happen. The same can be said for the huge re-arrangement of Dalek politics that occurs between Revelation and Remembrance. 

While I love how thoroughly the join between Resolution and Revolution is displayed in The Recon Dalek Saga, this way works just as well. In some sense, it even shows a bit of creativity on the part of the writers involved. They're able to let us create some of the story on our own rather than spelling everything completely out for us. 

Execution of the Overall Theme: 

While Part One of The Davros Saga was about giving the Daleks a spokesman in the guise of Davros (or should have been, at least, Destiny only maintains that principle so well!), Part Two is about the relationship that develops between the Daleks and their creator. 

After his first two stories, Davros comes to terms with the fact that his creations are not going to give him the respect that he deserves and takes matters into his own hands. Watching the Greatest Dalek Civil War build up over a series of three stories is amazingly enjoyable. We go from a handful of Daleks that Davros has injected with a mind control virus to an army of white-liveried Daleks that is so formidable that the original strain is now considered the Renegade Faction. The central theme of this Saga is executed brilliantly. The Three Story Burn that it takes us to get there is magnificent. I really don't think there will ever be a Dalek Saga that executes its Central Theme better than this one. 

Story Quality

While the Saga scores well in all categories, it's in this one that it truly propels itself to the top. 

Resurrection of the Daleks is, probably, the weakest of the bunch. So it makes all-the-more sense that this is the first installment in the arc. Things have somewhere to go, now. 

Its biggest problem is that the Daleks are up to too much at once. They want to cure the Movellan disease, assassinate the High Council of the Time Lords and take over 20th Century Earth with their duplicates. Things do feel a bit too convoluted because of this.    

I may claim that this is the weakest of the three tales but that doesn't mean this is a bad story. Resurrection has some very intense stuff in it. It manages to overcome most of the budget limitations that start showing quite clearly when you're trying to do a bit of a space opera on Doctor Who. There's even some stuff that's downright terrifying. That scene where one of the two prison ship crewmembers that is trying to kill Davros suddenly succumbs to the disease the Daleks have unleashed is, quite easily, one of the most disturbing moments in the history of the show. 

In many ways, Resurrection is the Dalek version of Earthshock. It doesn't pack quite the same punch - but it still does well. 

Revelation of the Daleks is almost off to a bit of a shaky start. It does take quite some time for the Doctor and Peri to get involved with the central action. It also feels like Davros is dominating things too much during Part One and the Daleks are taking too much of a back seat. 

The supporting cast, however, is just so morbidly delightful. The DJ is the most fun, of course. But Jobel is a great laugh, too. As are Bostock and Orcini. The less colorful characters also hold our attention quite nicely. The scene with Arthur Stengos begging his daughter to kill him is a bone-chilling moment that rivals the disturbing sequence I just described when speaking of Resurrection. 

And then Part Two kicks in. Even before the gunmetal-grey Daleks arrive, the episode is great fun. There's action sequences aplenty that are keeping us entertained. But once we finally realize why Davros' Daleks are such a weird color, things become truly epic. Suddenly, the Daleks have some legitimate politics going on. It's a fascinating new dimension to them. 

Much should also be said about how great of a director Graeme Harper is. This may sound blasphemous, but I actually prefer what he did here to Caves of Androzani. 

In many ways, it felt like Revelation couldn't be topped. It was a truly awesome adventure. But then along comes Remembrance of the Daleks. I have nothing for this story but superlative upon superlative. There's so little that I can find wrong in this tale that it's just not worth going into. It is, quite simply, mind-blowingly amazing. 

Of course, if you really want to hear about my deep love for this story, it's just easier to go here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-2.html. This is my second-favorite Doctor Who story, ever. I give it much love in that particular entry.   

The way these stories improve in quality each time a new one comes out is a huge part of what makes this such an incredible Saga. Things build to such an awesome climax as the Dalek Civil War grows more and more complex. 

For all we know, there may be more Dalek Sagas to come (in fact, The Recon Dalek Saga might not even be over). But I doubt anything will ever beat this one. Watching these three adventures back-to-back was an utter delight. 

Unfortunately, I decided to watch the Sagas in chronological order. Which meant Cult of Skaro was after it. It may have been the harshest contrast since Twin Dilemma had to follow Caves of Androzani! 

REVIEW OVERVIEW: WHICH IS THE BEST DALEK SAGA?

DEFINITION: 

Probably the biggest question one might have when one sees a title of this nature would be: "What in God's Name is a Dalek Saga?!" 

And it's a valid one. 

It's another one of those terms I came up with that no other fan really uses. From time-to-time, I have noticed that certain stories featuring Daleks strongly interlink with each other. Essentially, the smaller tales tell a bigger adventure. But, if  I am to label things as a Proper Saga, they do have to be stories that are separate from each other. It can't just be one long adventure like The Dalek Masterplan (even though we could count Mission to the Unknown as a story onto itself that is distinct from the rest of the plot. But, because it doesn't feature the Doctor or anyone else aboard the TARDIS, I've decided it doesn't count!) A good Dalek Saga is made up of multiple stories that usually take place quite some time apart from each other. But, if you do watch them back-to-back, they display a nice ongoing arc. 

With these strange, convoluted parameters in place, here are the Dalek Sagas we will be rating. In chronological order, of course:   

The Intergalactic War With Earth Saga

Frontier In Space

Planet of the Daleks

The Davros Saga - Part One

Genesis of the Daleks

Destiny of the Daleks

The Davros Saga - Part Two

Resurrection of the Daleks 

Revelation of the Daleks

Remembrance of the Daleks 

The Cult of Skaro Saga

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks 

Stolen Earth/Journey's End 

The Recon Dalek Saga

Resolution 

Revolution of the Daleks

SPECIAL NOTE: If one is being pedantic (and, given you're a Doctor Who fan, you probably are!), one could almost  say that all the stories in the Classic Series that feature Davros could be considered one long Saga. And I wouldn't dispute that point too hotly. They do connect together quite nicely as we follow Davros through a whole series of unfortunate events.

But, for various reasons, I do prefer to break them down into two parts. The most significant reason for doing this is that there is a huge shift in Davros' motivation between Destiny and Resurrection. The Mad Kaled Scientist still cooperates with his creations in his first two tales. But, after that, he actually conspires against them and works on creating a special army of his own that is obedient exclusively to him. To me, this constitutes a whole new Saga that should be considered distinct from the first two Davros adventures.  

CRITERIA 

As usual, this is a REVIEW OVERVIEW not a BOOK OF LISTS. So we will be judging each Saga by certain points of criteria rather than just spewing complete unfounded opinion! In this instance, we will be looking at the strengths of five different elements that each Saga contains. In the last few essays of this nature, I've even attached a point value to these sort of components. This time, however, I will just discuss them in each review and make a call on them without going to such lengths as giving them a specific score. 

Let's explain, however, which each point means: 

Dalek Presence: 

A simple enough idea, really. But it is a problem that exists in some of the Sagas. Even though it's meant to be all about them, we don't actually see a whole lot of the Daleks for great chunks of the story. There is some justification for this, of course. They're "hiding" the Daleks for a big reveal at the end of an episode or something else of that nature. But, sometimes, a Dalek Saga just doesn't feel like one because there just aren't a lot of Daleks in it! 

Dalek Development:

This one's inspired by a very interesting quote from Steven Moffat. It went something to the nature of: "There's no point in doing a Dalek story unless it reveals something new or different about them." And he's very right. Just having Daleks trundle along and shoot people up only works well for so long. Something has to exist in the plot that propels the idea of the Daleks ahead in some sort of way or reveals some hitherto-unknown nuance to their culture. Or, if you've got a really good writer working on the script, both of these things happen.  

Connectivity: 

This one relates to the overall execution of the Saga. In some instances, it really does feel like the various stories flow into each other quite nicely. In other cases, the whole thing comes across as much more disjointed. The adventures seem as though they're held together quite tenuously. This can definitely damage the effectiveness of the Saga. 

Execution of the Overall Theme:

Similar to Connectivity, but not quite the same. 

There does seem to be some specific themes to every Saga. A sort of central idea that all the tales are built around. Some Sagas adhere well to that core issue and display it clearly. Others seem a lot more muddied. Sometimes almost to the point where we find ourselves wondering if we can really refer to them as a Saga. They almost don't seem to be telling a larger plot, after all. 

Quality of Stories:

As always, one category is reserved for personal opinion. In this one, I simply discuss how I feel about the various adventures that make up the Saga. 

RANKINGS

So, we've made everything in this latest REVIEW OVERVIEW relatively clear, let's get on with actually rating the Sagas. We will start at the bottom and work our way up. Reviews will be quite comprehensive, so I will only tackle the worst two in this entry and do the other three later in the month. I do hate it if these things go on for too long! 

Fifth Place:

The Cult of Skaro Saga

I can remember being just a tad frustrated with RTD back when he wrote for Doctor Who. One of the things that he did that really got to me was the way he never seemed to have much good to say about 80s Who (one of, if not, my favorite eras of the show). What irritated me even more about him was the fact that he still did certain things to emulate that period but failed at it miserably. It's one thing to denounce something. It's another thing entirely to imitate the thing you're deriding but execute it far worse than the source material did. 

The Cult of Skaro Sago is one of the obvious examples of this phenomenon. It seems clear to me that he was trying to re-create the dynamic we first saw in the last three Dalek stories that came out in the late 80s (Resurrection, Revelation, Remembrance). There are all sorts of similarities in the way both Sagas are structured. The big difference between the two, however, is that the 80s Who stories are outstanding and Cult of Skaro sucks pretty bad! 

Dalek Presence: 

Most of the trilogy has a very strong Dalek Presence. Army of Ghosts is the only exception, of course. But that's because they're trying to do an end-of-episode reveal.  But suddenly including the Daleks in what appears to be a Cybermen story was a bit odd and really only worked so well. I was impressed, at least, that when we got to Davros in the final story, the Daleks didn't seem to take a back seat like they sometimes have before. 

Dalek Development:

Aside from announcing the idea of the Cult of Skaro (but not really showing off that idea all that particularly well), we don't see a lot of that much-needed element that Moff mentions. There is a fair amount of Daleks just trundling along and killing people and not really doing much else in both Army/Doomsday and Stolen Earth/Journey's End. Only Manhattan/Evolution really shows the Daleks exploring something new and interesting. 

Connectivity: 

The bridge between Army/Doomsday and Manhattan/Evolution does work quite well. It really does feel like the two stories link up nicely. 

However, the very rules laid down in the first two stories about how an Emergency Temporal Shift works seem to get thrown out the window for the third installment. It's already established that Dalek Caan has drained himself of almost all his power from the first shift that he made in Doomsday. How, then, does he manage to break the time lock on the Time Wars and go in and rescue Davros? If his first trip through time forced him to hide in the sewers of New York because he has so little energy left, how can he accomplish such a monumental task?! 

There are other stories in other Sagas that require you to imagine a bit of head cannon to get the links to work (Davros creating an Imperial Dalek Faction between Revelation and Remembrance, for example). Most of the time, it's not that hard to make the jump. But I do find this particular leap a bit difficult. To me, a time lock should be near-impossible to break. Certainly, a burnt out Dalek shouldn't be able to accomplish it. Even if the whole things seems to have wrecked his casing and made him insane (and, somehow, prophetic at the same time!)    

Execution of the Overall Theme:

The actual theme of these three stories seems a bit muddy. Which speaks volumes of its execution, right there. 

I was under the impression that it would be about the Cult of Skaro exploring new ideas that Daleks would never face before. We do get a bit of that in Manhattan/Evolution, of course. But, most of the time, the stories seem to be more about the Daleks trying to re-build their empire over and over but getting it wiped out by the Doctor every time. 

Since this premise was already explored in Series One, this theme gets tired pretty fast. I am, in fact, quite thankful that Moff finally lets the Daleks succeed at doing this in Victory of the Daleks so that we can move on to other more interesting things. 

Quality of Stories: 

This is where I will ramble on quite a bit!

The first thing I noticed as I re-watched these stories together was that they really haven't aged well. When they first came out, I was a much easier fan to please. I was just so happy to see my favorite TV show back on the air. The actual content didn't need to be incredibly well-written, it was just great that Doctor Who had returned!

Now, of course, I'm much more discerning. And looking back at a lot of those early days can be a bit painful, sometimes.  

The utter simplicity of Army/Doomsday is what I find the most underwhelming. Some Daleks and Cybermen are bleeding into our reality. The Doctor sends them back. That's, pretty much, the whole plot, right there. There are some subplots going on, but quite a few of them are cringeworthy. The worst being, of course, the Doctor and Rose saying goodbye. I have been known to just shut the story off once all the baddies have been thrown back in the Void. Those last few minutes of Doomsday are just too damned sappy for my tastes.   

While most fans berate Manhattan/Evolution quite heavily, I actually like this one the most out of the three. Particularly since it tackles best what I thought would be the central theme of the Saga. It is still riddled with all sorts of problems, of course. Many of which have been pointed out endlessly by other fans, so I won't go into extravagant detail, here. I'll just simply say that RTD was mad to give Helen Raynor another two-parter involving a well-established monster from the Classic Series  a season later. Her track record did not merit such a privilege. She deserved a second chance - as some of her writing did show promise. But she probably should have just gotten a single episode story with a new monster we've never seen before. RTD does seem a bit arrogant in this choice. Like he was saying: "Screw you, fans! I'll give you more Raynor even though you want less!"

While I do claim to be a less critical fan during the first few seasons of New Who, I was still not very impressed with the Series Four Finale. It seemed far too soon to be taking such a huge nostalgia trip. Particularly since the entire plot of Stolen Earth is, pretty much, just checking in on various old companions and spin-off characters at regular intervals. 

There's also a lot of elements to the story that don't seem to be making a whole lot of sense. The Doctor suddenly being able to siphon off regeneration energy so that his appearance doesn't change would be one of the bigger ones. I'm still not entirely sure how his hand floating nearby in a fish tank, somehow, facilitates this process. Nor do I fully understand how it creates an extra copy of him, later.  It all seems to be happening for the sheer sake of plot convenience.   

I have literally tried to like this story. But there's just too much going on in it that makes me full-on wince while I watch it ("cringe" didn't seem to be a strong enough word - had to go for "wince"!). I would say it's the worst story of the entire New Series - but The Next Doctor follows immediately after it!  

If we're going by story quality alone, The Cult of Skaro Saga really doesn't fare well. The fact that it's not doing good with some of the other points of criteria just worsens the problem. This Saga really didn't work It's a pity that RTD made it such a huge crux of his whole era. It gives his period as Head Writer a very unsatisfactory undertone. 

Fourth Place:

The Intergalactic War with Earth Saga

This is, of course, the first real attempt at a Dalek Saga. So I am a bit more forgiving of it, in places. Still, there are a few problems with this Saga that we can't make excuses for. Although I'm much more satisfied with it than I am Cult of Skaro. 

Dalek Presence: 

This is a tricky one, of course. We only get the briefest of cameos at the end of Frontier in Space. But such a low Dalek presence in this story makes total sense. The surprise of the Master appearing on the ridge with Daleks in tow is one of my favorite moments of the Pertwee Era. And the fact that we still have some Dalek Presence in Frontier allows the two adventures to be labeled as a Saga. I heavily considered putting The Long Game and Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways onto this list. Long Game is, after all, part of a huge plot by the Daleks to re-build their army. But since the episode contains absolutely no Daleks, I decided it didn't qualify. Frontier, at least, gives us Daleks for a few minutes. And their lack of presence in the other five parts makes total sense. 

Continuing to hide the Daleks in Part One of Planet of the Daleks, however, is downright silly. We know, already, that this is a Dalek story. Not just because the Doctor explains to Jo at the end of Frontier that he is following the Daleks into the next story, but also because the tale actually has the word "Dalek" right in the title! So why are we waiting til the Cliffhanger at the end of the first episode to bring the Daleks in?! (I lament about this quite a bit in another recent entry. Check it out if you want: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/08/complete-and-utter-silliness-few-more.html) 

Dalek Development: 

While we might look at the Saga now and not see much in the way of shedding new light on the Daleks, it does actually accomplish this if we view the story more contextually. This is the first real story that shows the military presence that the Daleks have in the galaxy. Yes, we did see them invade worlds and act in a militaristic fashion in other stories. But those cheap Dapol models in a polystyrene cave gave an atmosphere to the Daleks we had never seen before. Up until this Saga, their army was talked about here and there. Finally, we actually witness their forces in their full miniaturistic glory!   

Connectivity 

This is definitely one of the sore points of this Saga. There is even some dialogue slipped in during Part Four of Planet to try to highlight the idea that the stories really are intertwined. But they do feel pretty separate from each other. Like they almost don't need to be connected at all. The plots of the stories are just so different from each other that the link between them feels very weak. In some ways, it's nice to have two stories that are so diverse still telling a larger adventure. But, in many other ways, this seems to work against the Saga. 

Execution of the Overall Theme: 

This is a great illustration of how this category is different from Connectivity. While the two adventures don't join together very well, we are always thinking at the back of our minds how the Doctor is fighting to save 26th Century Earth and its various associated colonies from the evil clutches of the Skarosian Conquerors. Which is the central theme of the Saga. So, as far as I can see, the theme was well-executed all the way through. 

Quality of Stories: 

While I do say that I am happy with this Saga, Frontier in Space does actually make it a bit difficult for me to truly feel that. 

The plot is threadbare. We need about two episodes to tell it - not six! To compensate for the deficit, we get endless captures-and-escapes to mark time (It actually breaks a record! Read about it here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/11/complete-and-utter-silliness-capture.html). The story, itself, just drags and drags and drags... 

There are some good points, of course. Like the Silurians, Malcolm Hulke creates another three-dimensional species in the Draconians. And I've already mentioned that great reveal of the Master and the Daleks working together at the end of the story. 

But I will have to say that I find Frontier more disappointing than enjoyable. 

Planet of the Daleks is not without its flaws, either. While it took me years to genuinely see the similarities, it is a bit of a re-tread of The Daleks. It also follows a bit of a formula that Terry Nation is trying to exploit so that his job as a writer can be much easier. Death to the Daleks follows a lot of the same patterns that he first establishes in this tale. (There was a temptation, by the way, to include Death in this Saga since I do believe it takes place at the end of the War these stories are foreshadowing - but I did feel that the connection between the stories just wasn't strong enough). 

But Planet does rise above its flaws and tells us a very entertaining story.  Most of the time, the constant peril that the characters seem to be in works quite well and gives the whole adventure a nice "edge". It's quite nice to see the Thals back, too. I wish we'd get more of them. The fact that a complete anti-thesis of the Daleks lurks on their own planet is an interesting concept that bears further investigation. One imagines that the Thals are either wiped out by their enemies or emigrate to another world. It'd be nice to find out what their ultimate fate was. But Planet, at least, builds nicely on their mythology.  

Because Planet is a vast improvement over Frontier, the Saga, in general, works fairly well. It's weak enough in places that it ranks pretty low in the list. But it's still better than the mess that is The Cult of Skaro Saga. 

Well, that's enough for now. Not sure if you agree with my sentiments, thus far, on the Sagas that I've covered. You may love the whole Cult of Skaro thing or think Frontier In Space is a work of art. If so, sorry if I offended you. 

Anyhow, I'll be back in here shortly to cover the other three stories... 

If you like REVIEW OVERVIEW essays, here's some links to a few more: 

Actors in Multiple Roles - Part One: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/01/review-overview-when-leads-play.html 

Actors in Multiple Roles - Part Two: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/01/review-overview-supporting-actors-who.html 

The Very First REVIEW OVERVIEW of Them All! 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/01/review-overview-supporting-actors-who.html