BOOK OF LISTS: TOP TEN WHO STORIES #2

REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS

            

Where does one start with Remembrance of the Daleks?   It's so difficult, really.   So many things are so intensely praiseworthy.   The positive qualities of this story are endless.   So much so, that it makes me scratch my head when I look at The Mighty 200 and say to myself:   "Talons of Weng Chiang and Caves Of Adrozani got ranked higher?!    What is wrong with Fandom?!!"

            

I suppose the first thing one should point out was the way this story heralded a new-but-shortlived Golden Age of Doctor Who.    Alot of fans were worried before Remembrance hit our screens.    There'd been all that trouble with the Colin Baker era.   Season 22 was considered too violent. A tonne of behind-the-scenes drama went on during Season 23.    Sly's first season only looked so promising.    Stories like Time and the Rani and Dragonfire had us wondering if the show was becoming a parody of itself.   With a goofy slapstick Doctor going on adventures with plotholes so big you could drive trucks through them.

            

But then, we begin Season 25 with Remembrances of the Daleks.   Within the first few seconds of 60s soundbytes and a mothership hovering over the planet Earth we feel re-assured that things are finally back on course.   Actually, "back on course" is an understatement.   Those first few seconds are already telling us things are going to be awesome!   That, whether or not you've had problems with the last few seasons (and some people, like me, didn't!), Doctor Who is about to become genuinely great again.   Sylvester McCoy is suddenly going to be a better Doctor than Tom Baker.   Ace is about to become one of the coolest companions ever.    And, most importantly, the Daleks are going to become respectable monsters, again (although, admittedly, they were pretty good in Revelation too!).   

            

This is, perhaps, what's still most notable about Remembrance.   It's a signpost of better things to come after a few troubled years.    Whether you were watching Doctor Who back when all this turmoil was happening or are simply enjoying the show retrospectively from today, you see a very definite change of tone as this story comes on.   Doctor Who stops being something you're mildly embarrassed about and goes back to being a show you can truly be proud of.   Even if the special effects are still a bit wonky in places!   

            

As with so many of the stories that have made it onto this list - much of my appreciation stems from the strength of the script.   Some debates go on between fans about which authors from the Classic Series should be brought back to write for New Who.   On the basis of this script alone, Ben Aaronovitch should be getting an engraved invitation.  

            

One almost envisions him writing this story with a bit of a confidant swagger:    

"Bring back the Daleks with style?   No problem!".  
"Create a whole new dimension to the Seventh Doctor's character?   Easy stuff!"  
"Commemorate the show's 25th anniversary by re-visiting certain key points of the very first episode?    Is that all you really want?!"  
Ben shambles out of Andrew's office at a leisurely gate that belies not the slightest hint of worry over the Tall Order he's been given....  

That's how I picture the first briefing between script editor and writer.    Remembrance feels so slick, so polished, so full of genuinely sparkling dialogue and outstanding dramatic pacing that one can only imagine Ben Aaronovitch as a ridiculously over-confident bastard.   It's mildly shocking when you actually see him speaking in interviews.  He sounds so humble and even a bit insecure.    Surely such a great tale could only have been composed by the hand of a rampaging egotist?!   

           

And yet, it wasn't....

            

But before heaping on too much praise, let us acknowledge one of the more subtle qualities of the script: Ben is probably the first writer for Who that can put in "fanwankish" continuity references without being intrusive about it.   The Doctor's mentioning of the Zygon gambit with the Loch Ness Monster or his experiences on Spiridon are pleasing nods to the past that the casual watcher will simply gloss over and still understand what the story's about.   Unlike, say, Attack of the Cybermen - where an extensive knowledge of Cyber-History is required before you can truly understand what's going on in the plot.    New Who writers would become masters of this technique.    We'd hear references to the Eternals now and again or get a cameo appearance by the Macra.    We'd even see traces of zanium on the floor after people teleport out of the Game Station during Bad Wolf.   But it was Ben Aaronovitch who first showed us how to do this trick with such great style and finesse.   And he deserves honourable mention for being able to do that.  

            

But let's move away from Ben for a bit and tackle some other strongpoints.

            

Matching Ben’s talents as a writer are Sylvester McCoy’s abilities as an actor. He was getting along okay in Season 24 – doing the best that he could with the weaker scripts and then really knocking things out of the ballpark with Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen. But he definitely picks up on what Aaronovitch is doing with the character as Season 25 kicks in. And yet, he still remembers the clownishness of his previous season and makes sure that this new darker dimension still fits in with what went on before. That’s a feat in itself. But as we watch him tackle such difficult scenes as actually talking a Dalek to death or conning Davros into destroying his homeworld – we cannot deny that Sylvester McCoy is the Doctor.

A new kind of Doctor, even. One that manipulates and pre-plans his battles. Before this incarnation, the Doctor managed to keep one step ahead of the bad guys. Now he seems four miles ahead. It was truly an awesome re-invention of the character. Yes, good writing has a lot to do with it. But the man bringing the words to life must also take some solid credit.

            

As must Sophie Aldred as Ace. What we see, here, in Remembrance would have tremendous bearing on how the companion would be treated in Doctor Who from hereon in. Up until this moment, the companion was still more of a cipher. Someone to ask: “What is it, Doctor?” and then have things explained to them so that the audience can receive the explanation, too. But, from this point forward, the companion would be a fully-fledged character with a real backstory and legitimate development. The companion would receive as much, if not more, attention than the Doctor did. And Sophie makes sure to give a performance that makes her character worthy of all that attention. Not to mention how awesome she was with that super-powered baseball bat!

            

Which brings us neatly to another great aspect of this tale: the action!  Such sequences are usually difficult to watch in Classic Who. The budget and time constraints often made scenes that were meant to be exciting and dangerous look laughable, instead. But a lot of the battle sequences that take place in Remembrance still stand up pretty good - even by modern-day standards. Is there a soul out there that didn’t fall in love with the Special Weapons Dalek?! Or the way Ace takes one last swing at the Dalek on the stairs as she runs past it? Even the Doctor sliding down the rope tied to the Dalek assault shuttle with his brolly is great fun to watch every time. It’s always wonderful when a great Classic Who story also looks pretty damned good.

Counterpointing all that great action, however, is a solid story. We’ve got a well-structured plot going on with a more interesting narrative than usual because the Doctor is walking into this whole mess with a legitimate plan rather than just brilliant improvisation. When that plan is, at last, revealed with a surprise appearance by Davros (in a place where we didn’t expect to see him – we all thought he was the battle computer!) and the Doctor delivers his wonderful “Unlimited rice pudding!” line there is nothing left for the viewer to do but stand in shock and awe. This is one of the best climaxes in a Who story, ever. As scary as it is that he’s just wiped out a solar system, we also love the Doctor in this moment. The completion of his masterplan does a magnificent job of illustrating some of the greatest beauties of Doctor Who’s central messages: That intellect and romance will always conquer brute force and cynicism (let’s see who recognizes that quote!) and that evil often destroys itself with its own means. Yes, most Who stories illustrate this idea. But few display it as well as Remembrance does.

While on the topic of messages, this tale marks another important turning point in the series: a very strong undercurrent of social awareness will start running through many of the storylines. The futility of the Daleks’ civil war is meant to parallel the racial hatred found within Mister Ratcliff’s organization. Those two themes come together to deliver a nice big anti-racism statement. But, what makes the moral undertones of this particular story so much more enjoyable are their subtlety. Most previous attempts in Who to deliver a social message tend to hit one quite viciously over the head (yes, Green Death, we get it. We need to take better care of our environment). But Remembrance and many of the stories to follow it make sure not to ride that moral high horse too hard. It’s a great trend that starts right here, though. And that enhances our enjoyment of the tale all the more. 

            

There is so much more I could go on about regarding Remembrance of the Daleks. It’s not only a great story, but it comes with a definite sense of triumph behind it. The Doctor Who that everyone loves so much is back. And it’s back with more style and aplomb than anyone could’ve ever imagined.

            

It’s a work of sheer beauty.










Previous Rankings....

#10 - http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-10.html

#9 - http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-ten-fave-who-stories-9.html

#8 - http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-10-fave-who-stories-8.html

#7 - http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-7.html

#6 - http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-6.html

#5 - http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-5.html

#4 - http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2015/12/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-4.html

#3 - http://robtymec.blogspot.ca/2016/01/book-of-lists-top-ten-who-stories-3.html