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   

 

   

COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS - A FEW MORE LUDICROUS CLIFFHANGERS

I was really only planning to write one entry in August. 

My career suffered from Lockdown longer than most but I was finally starting to work again. After a somewhat long period of inactivity, I was feeling extra tired from my renewed endeavors. So I was getting lots of extra rest between jobs. Which meant, of course, that certain activities in my life were going to get neglected for a bit. Working on this blog was meant to be one of them. 

I was quite happy with the one post that I did make in mid-August. As was the readership. Some pretty good hits on it and some very nice feedback. And I thought to myself: "That really wasn't too difficult to write!" And I also thought to myself: "There are a few more cringey Cliffhangers that I could talk about." And, finally, I thought to myself: "A second part to this essay before the month is over would look nice."    

So, here I am... 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #10: 

Stacking the Peril 

We're starting things off in New Who, this time. As mentioned in the previous post, fans seem to think that only Classic Who is guilty of silly Cliffhangers. But that's not always the case. 

This is one that's not just New Series, but seems almost exclusive to the RTD era. It's something he liked to do now and again that kinda worked well but, when you stop to think about it, is a bit on the silly side. I call it the Stacked Peril. 

It's a Cliffhanger where everyone seems to get in trouble all at once. Several major characters are in several different plot threads and they all, suddenly, get caught up in a life-threatening event at the same time. It certainly produces a Cliffhanger with high stakes.  And the resolutions at the beginning of the next episode can give us a nice sense of breakneck pace. But we must still ask ourselves: "Can so many people be in peril at exactly the same moment?!" This really does seem like too much of a coincidence! 

The end of Stolen Earth shows this off quite well. Everybody looks about ready to get exterminated and the Doctor appears to be regenerating. On the first watch, this does feel quite exciting. On re-watches, though, I've kinda felt like everything just feels a bit far-fetched! 

But I do think the Cliffhanger for Aliens of London is the best example of this. It sticks out more because it is the very first Cliffhanger we see in the New Series. Jackie's in danger. Rose is in danger. The Doctor's in danger. And, of course, some Slytheen are farting! It's like RTD was thinking: "First Cliffhanger in the Revival. I better make this big!!" He may have made it a bit too big, though.  As it all does feel a bit preposterous. 

The resolution, at least, works a bit better than Stolen Earth. All the perils get solved by one single clever choice by the Doctor. Whereas the beginning of Journey's End seems a bit sillier as each peril solves itself individually. It stretches credulity all-the-more. Can so many problems arise and then get fixed so quickly?! 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #11: 

Bad Effects Killing the Moment

This one is definitely much more of a Classic Who problem. The tight budget they had to work under meant that some of the effects looked intensely cheap. But when that bad effect appeared near the end of an episode, its ludicrousness was compounded. 

We're meant to be held in suspense at a Cliffhanger. We're meant to be wondering: "However will they get out of this one?!" But it's really hard to get wrapped up in the tension of it all when something so laughable is happening onscreen. 

Many cite Part Four of Seeds of Doom as the most memorable moment of this nature. We get our first solid look at the Krynoid in its full form. And the first shot we see of it actually looks quite good. Which, I think, just aggravates the disappointment that happens a moment later when the Krynoid trundles forward in the most ridiculous-looking of ways. Clearly, there's just an artiste beneath it all making the creature hop along like a rabbit. As the Cliffhanger Sting cuts in, we're seriously unimpressed. 

But I think Part Three of Robot is far more painful. That toy tank rolling into the bad CSO shot just sticks in my memory like an accidental fart on a hot date. There's just nothing more humiliating. The fact that the episode then ends on this, sort of, weird note gets the whole thing to feel even more "off". K-1 seems like he's going to do something horrible to everyone but doesn't, really  It's all quite strange. 

Of course, the special effects we will get throughout most of Part Four will get us to almost forget about that silly little toy tank! 

I've never been much of a fan of Robot. People complain about Twin Dilemma and Time and the Rani as being terrible "first Doctor stories". But I really feel Robot is so much worse than these 80s Tales could ever aspire to be. The awful Part Three Cliffhanger and the ensuing mess of the fourth episode really help to re-enforce my point!   

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #12:

Is it Really That Dangerous? 

This one is a bit similar to something we talked about in the first part. 

There have been instances in the show where the episode just suddenly ends without any real danger or a shocking revelation or anything of that nature. I mentioned in the first Ludicrous Cliffhanger entry how The Horror of Fang Rock seems to do this with great abundance. The first three episodes just seem to conclude out of nowhere without really trying to create any kind of actual suspense to entice us to come back next week. 

A reader did point out that there is the slightest sense of peril happening at the end of Part Three. The Doctor realizing that he's accidentally locked everyone into the Lighthouse with the Rutan is very subtle, but it does represent a Cliffhanger. Something bad is about to happen.

"Yeah," I had to admit, "But after two episodes of no real danger, being subtle was probably not the best choice. We needed something with some real wallop!" 

Which got me to see that there are a few other Cliffhangers out there that flop in a similar manner. There is an implication that something mildly nasty could be, sort of, happening soon. And we're meant to be concerned about it. But, quite often, it's just not quite hard-hitting enough. We're left with another one of those "That's it?!" kind of sentiments. 

I think Part Four of Frontier In Space models this best. The Doctor, Jo and the Master have been captured by Draconians. The Master seems quite nonplussed as they are locked up in a cell. We see him activate a homing device that his Ogron slaves are following. 

Clearly, the Ogrons will be up to some sort of no good in the next episode. We're aware of that. But it still doesn't seem like all that particularly intense of a Cliffhanger. It's like watching a character in a story who hates the protagonist calling a hit man to inquire about his prices. Yup, chances are something bad is going to happen to the hero sometime down the road. An attempt will probably get made on his life. But ... well, it's just not anything all that scary yet! 

Subtler Cliffhangers do work, sometimes. They're even a bit of a treat. As they offer us something a little different. But, admittedly, there are quite a few of them that seem more like the writer really wasn't able to come up with anything all that effective. So, instead, we get Michael Kilgariff in an elaborate ape costume staring at a blip on a screen.

 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #13:

The Terrible Zoom-In

We actually see numerous examples of this throughout both Classic and New Who. Oftentimes, the device is quite effective. Sometimes, however, it comes across as silly. And, during one specific era, it was genuinely excessive. 

During Season 23, JNT decreed that the directors zoom in on Colin Baker's face as much as possible when the Cliffhanger presents itself. Which is not a bad idea. Focusing on the Doctor as he looks on in horror at the fate that has befallen him is a good note to go out on. But, if it's done too much, it does start feeling a bit absurd. 

That magic moment, I feel, happens during Part Two of Mindwarp (or Part Six of Trial of a Time Lord - depending on how you choose to number these things!). Ycranos and Dorf spring out from nowhere and take out the guards that are meant to be protecting the Turncoat Time Lord. Ycranos then turns his attention to the Doctor, himself. With a sense of relish and menace that only Brian Blessed could do so perfectly, he threatens to kill Our Hero. 

And the Terrible Zoom-In occurs. But, by this point, it's happened at the end of most episodes this season. Not only have we really begun to notice it, but we're also getting tired of it. 

I mean, Colin is a handsome guy - don't get me wrong. Particularly with those nice long curly blond locks. And those sumptuous full lips. And his .... uh .... sorry, am I getting carried away?    

My real point is: the Terrible Zoom-In is definitely being abused by this point. We've had enough of it. But it will still go on a few more times before it's truly over. From there, we will move on and do it to Sylvester McCoy from time-to-time. But it will be less frequently. By the time Doctor Seven arrives, the Balance of the Terrible Zoom-In will be restored. 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #14: 

That Happened Quickly! 

This will be one of the few times I will pick on a 60s Who Cliffhanger. The truth of the matter is, a lot of them are actually quite good. Yes, some of them look as cheap as the ones I just described in a previous category. But, for some reason, bad effects don't make me cringe as much if they're shot in black-and-white!   

Keys of Marinus is a genuinely fun adventure during Season One. After stunning us with the darkness of Nazi allegory and the Cold War in The Daleks, Terry Nation gives us something far more rollicking in his next contribution. It's way too ambitious, of course. Which causes some sequences to look like they came straight out of Plan 9 from Outer Space. But, because the overall story is so enjoyable, I'm willing to forgive! 

There is still one scene in Marinus that is just a tad too difficult to swallow. It happens at the end of Part Three. Ian and Barbara have dealt with the weird Screaming Jungle and have teleported to the next location. This time, it's a frozen tundra. They are without any kind of decent protective clothing in this harsh environment - so it is bound to affect them pretty fast. But the effect is, perhaps, just a bit too quick! They are passing out within seconds of arriving! Because, of course, there are only seconds left in the episode! 

Jacqueline Hill and William Russell are trying so hard to sell it. They even come quite close to pulling it off. Their efforts, however, come to no avail. We just watch two people start freezing to death in record-breaking time. The whole moment becomes high comedy rather than gripping suspense. 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #15: 

Yup. We Know There Are Daleks in This 

This is one that Moff jokes about quite a bit. 

For quite some time in the Classic Series, "Of the Daleks" titles were quite popular. We had Power of the Daleks and Day of the Daleks and Planet of the Daleks and Power Tools of the Daleks and Re-Mortgaging of the Daleks and .... okay, I might be making up a few of these. But there were a lot of stories that had names like these!    

Moff's point was that Part One of many of these adventures would end with a revelation that the Daleks were in the story. A surprise that might have been effective if we had missed the title sequence, not checked any of the listings or paid attention to any trailers or previews. Otherwise, we know there are Daleks involved cause their names are right in the title! When you've put it in the name of the story, it seems pretty silly to build your first Cliffhanger around surprising your audience with the appearance of a Dalek!    

Of course, some of the sequences still work because there is a sense of peril that accompanies the "surprise appearance". When Daleks smash through the wall at the end of Episode One of Destiny of the Daleks, for instance, they still converge on Romana and threaten her. So the Cliffhanger is effective to a certain extent.

But there are other tales that really do make it all about revealing the presence of Daleks in the plot. Even though we know, already, that they're there. The one that does this best, I think, is Part One of Planet of the Daleks. They go to great lengths to keep that Dalek hidden to the very bitter end of the episode. They actually take the trouble of making it invisible until Jon Pertwee and Bernard Horsefall give it a paint job. There's also no sense of danger that  helps to make the Cliffhanger achieve a threat of some sort. The Dalek has perished from light wave sickness (whatever that is!) and can't hurt them in any way. 

But still, we're supposed to react to the surprise of it all. "Oh my God!" we're meant to exclaim, "There's Daleks in this story! What a shock! Even though we already knew there were Daleks in this story!"    

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #16:

Impact Over Logic 

This one happens mostly when the show is trying to do a surprise reveal of some sort. 

When the Master strips off his Kalid costume at the end of Part Two of Time Flight, for instance, we're meant to just exclaim: "Wow! It's the Master!". Which is exactly what I did for the first few seconds of that particular Reveal. 

But then I stopped and thought. In the next few seconds, I exclaimed: "For the first two episodes, the Master was alone in a room. Why would he be in a disguise for no one?!" The only sane answer, of course, is that we were watching Kalid during these scenes and the production team didn't want to ruin the surprise. 

The Part Two Cliffhanger of Time Flight is a great example of what I like to call Impact Over Logic. Where something happens at a Cliffhanger that packs a big punch but doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. The Master being Kalid the whole time, however, is still not the worst case of this. 

The end of Part One of Dalek Invasion of Earth is probably the most ludicrous case of Impact Over Logic. Because this is an era where each individual part gets a name, we don't have another Cliffhanger Style #15 going on. The episode is merely called World's End. The full name of the story isn't something that's created til much further down road. So the audience really is genuinely surprised when the Dalek slowly emerges from the Thames to stop the Doctor and Ian from going for a swim. Admittedly, it's a pretty damned nice visual. I'm sure, if I had been watching the moment when it was actually transmitted, I would have been blown away. 

But, once more, as the shock of the Reveal subsided - I had questions. The biggest one being: "Why the Hell is a Dalek just strolling along at the bottom of the River Thames?!". I also asked: "How does a Dalek just happen to come ashore at that very moment?!" I had a few other quibbles of this nature, but I think you get the point. 

As cool as the whole sequence looks, it makes no real sense of any sort. It was merely created to bring the episode to a very thunderous conclusion. But it seems to me that you can't just put Anthony Ainley in a silly outfit or pull a Dalek casing out of the Thames just so that the audience can have a nasty shock. There needs to be a legitimate reason for this to happen.    

If you missed Part One: 

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/08/complete-and-utter-silliness-few-of-my.html

COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS - A FEW OF MY FAVORITE LUDICROUS CLIFFHANGERS

After several entries of deep, heavy analysis, I felt it was time to lighten things up a bit. Pointing out a few of my favorite plot holes in certain stories a while back seemed to be well-received (apparently, one of the entries was published in a fanzine. Or, at least, I gave permission for it to be published. Not sure if it actually went to print!). Since the readership seemed to enjoy me poking a bit of fun at the show, I thought I might do it again. This time, though, I'm going to look at some cringey cliffhangers.   

In my 10 Amazing Cliffhangers That Weren't Particularly Cliffhangerish entry (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/06/book-of-lists-ten-amazing-cliffhangers.html), I explain how strong of a role the Cliffhanger has played in the history of the show. Particularly during Classic Who, of course, where most episodes finished on a "However will they get out of this one?!" note. But even the Revived Series likes to throw out, at least, a few Suspenseful Final Moments That Will Get Solved in the Next Episode per season. One cannot dispute it, the Cliffhanger is a significant trademark of the show. 

But there are downsides to this. Sometimes, a story is contrived in a way that doesn't quite support the Cliffhangers that are required of it. At a point that is completely inconvenient, the author of the script has to just shoehorn one in that massively interferes with the flow of the narration. Or a writer is trying to come up with a type of Cliffhanger that we've never seen before and creates something original but completely ludicrous. Or we just get a Cliffhanger that, for whatever reason, doesn't seem to work. 

We're going to spend this entry looking at a few of those really shaky Cliffhangers and have a bit of a laugh over them. As usual, when I write something like this - I'm not trying to demean the efforts of the writers that created the content. But I am, perhaps, poking a little fun at them in a lighthearted way. I hope no one takes offense to this. 

In my similarly-written series that looked at Plot Holes, I tried to pick some stuff that doesn't get discussed so much in Fandom. This time, however, I am going to go for a lot of the more famous Ludicrous Cliffhangers. With, maybe, the occasional obscure one peppered in. 

Like the Plot Holes entries, we do see certain recurring styles of Ludicrous Cliffhangers. I'll try to showcase a few of them. 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #1: 

Crammin' It In 

I've mentioned this phenomenon already. It's when there really isn't a whole lot of room in the plot for a proper cliffhanger but there still needs to be one. The writer almost seems to just suddenly pull one out of their ass and shove it in so they can conclude the episode with some kind of implication of danger. The effect, however, just feels very incongruous. Clearly, the Cliffhanger doesn't really fit in. 

My favorite example of this is one that I don't actually hear much discussion about. Part Three of the immensely brilliant Snakedance is moving along at a cracking little pace (even though most of it features the Doctor locked up in a cell!). We really start getting a sense of the whole impact the Mara will have if it returns to Manussa. The Doctor, Nyssa and the Assistant Guy Who Finally Believes Them are running around trying to work out a way to thwart the Mara's re-manifestation. It's all very intense. 

But, unfortunately, the episode has run its course. We're twenty-three minutes in so we need something perilous to occur. The trio of do-gooders suddenly zip around the corner in a series of corridors (there's something we've never seen before in Doctor Who!) and, suddenly, find a few guards waiting for them. Members of a completely sophisticated and peaceful society have a huge change of character and decide to kill our protagonists. Just to punch things up a bit - Nyssa lets out a scream as they advance on them. 

The whole thing really seems to come out of nowhere and doesn't sit right in the slightest. Especially the very rushed shriek that Sarah Sutton has to emit. It causes the moment to feel even more shoehorned. It's the only real flaw in an otherwise amazing tale. But it looks quite ridiculous the way the sequence is crammed in just to give us some kind of Cliffhanger.

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #2: 

Can We Even Call it a Cliffhanger?! 

Horror of Fang Rock is guiltiest of this transgression. Pretty much every episode just seems to suddenly end with no real implication of any kind of actual peril. Terrance Dicks seems to have almost forgotten the whole show's format and just lets the episode run out of time without providing us with any kind of real incentive to come back next week. The story's just gonna pick up where it left off and keep going. After several years of almost always seeing a Cliffhanger at the end of most episodes of a Doctor Who adventure, the conclusions to Parts One, Two and Three of Horror feel tremendously jarring. To the point of being comical. 

If we had to choose one Cliffhanger that illustrates this best, I would go with the end of Part Two. Once more, we get a scream from nowhere that heightens the comedy of the moment. In this case, however, the sound technician seems to have put some sort of post-production modulation on it that makes it sound quite silly. Then the Doctor and Leela run off to investigate while a couple of supporting characters look on in horror and make a shocked remark. That's it. That's really how they're going to end the episode. "Let's find out what that goofy-sounding yelling is about!" hardly creates any kind of real sense of impending doom. 

Again, it's the abruptness of it all that really gets the moment to flop in a quite hilarious manner. We're just, sort of, sitting there as the Cliffhanger Sting starts up and thinking: "Oh! I guess we're done?!". It's almost a bit surreal! 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #3:

Bohemian Rhapsody 

The end of Part One of Attack of the Cybermen is usually the one fans like to cite for this. To enjoy the full comedy impact, you almost need to close your eyes and just listen. The dialogue and music almost seems to come in at such weird places that it really does sound like the operatic portion of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. One is almost expecting the Cyberleader to suddenly proclaim: "Easy come. Easy go. Will you let me go?". And the rest of his Cybermen to chime in with: "Bishmallah! No!. We will not let you go!" 

But I think there's an even clearer example of this in New Who. Yes, there are even Ludicrous Cliffhangers in the modern version of the show. It's not just the Classic Series that commits these sins. 

The ending of Silence in the Library comes across way more like Bohemian Rhapsody than Attack of the Cybermen could ever hope to. The interplay between Donna's repeating quote and the poor archaeologist that was stripped away by the Vashta Nerada that keeps saying: "Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" just needs some Brian May guitar licks playing underneath to really complete the effect. 

The fact that the whole thing seems to go on for what feels like eight minutes really gets the Cliffhanger to appear quite silly instead of threatening. It's like Moff  couldn't fill up the episode so he just wrote six pages of Donna and "Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" and hoped no one would notice!

Ludicous Cliffhanger Style #4:

Supporting Character in Danger That We Just Don't Care About

This one, I think, is another situation that is the result of a plot that is just not able to support the Cliffhanger structure properly. 

If we want a good Cliffhanger, the Doctor and/or companion(s) are the ones that need to be in some sort of jeopardy at the end of an episode . But, in some stories, they are all in the middle of something that can't really be interrupted with an element of danger when the run-time demands it. 

When this happens, scriptwriters seem to think that threatening the safety of a supporting role that we've just met will create a suitable substitute. In some cases, this does actually work. We really have fallen in love with this new character that we will only see for this tale. Killing them off will genuinely upset us. 

Most of the time, however, we don't really give a rat's ass about them. Or, at least, we're not so attached to them that creating a sense of peril for them as a part ends is going to tug all that hard on our heartstrings. And, because their death wouldn't really be all that significant to us, the Cliffhanger feels almost hollow. Like you just want to say: "Who cares?!" as the ending credits roll on.    

My favorite example of this would be Part Two of Face of Evil. Tomas, a character so forgettable that I had to go look up a plot summary on a fanpage to retrieve his name, is trying to fight off the Giant Floating Invisible Tom Baker Heads that are roaming the jungle sets. Once more, there's that sense of twenty-three minutes passing since the last episode and something bad has to happen soon. But the Doctor and Leela are too busy climbing over giant rock teeth. So, instead, we decide that Tomas firing indiscriminately to protect himself is the note to go out on. 

The sequence is laughably ineffective. The stakes are just too low. Yes, Tomas is a nice guy and we'd hate if a Giant Invisible Floating Tom Baker Head (who leaves footprints in Part One when he really shouldn't!) ate him. But, in the end, we're not so invested in him that he deserves a Cliffhanger. It all just comes across as a weird place to end an episode.  

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #5: 

Shoulda Cut it Sooner

This is one that's all about the visual. You just get a Cliffhanger every now and again where they hold on to the shot a little longer than they should have. And the poor actors that are being filmed have to just try to keep reacting in abject horror to the terrible fate that's befallen them. And, of course, the whole thing becomes hilarious rather than compelling. 

Elisabeth Sladen seems to get stuck in these more than anyone else. Directors just loved to keep that camera on her while she struggles for her life at the end of an episode. The scene with her trying to fight off a cybermat at the end of Part One of Revenge of the Cybermen, for instance, could have been cut a lot sooner than it was. Watching her face getting squashed by the G-force of Guy Crawford's rocket lifting off in The Android Invasion is another moment that goes on for an awkwardly long time. 

But the clear winner, here, is the end of Part Two of Pyramids of Mars. Poor old Liz has to spend eternity mugging up a storm as a robot mummy stalks towards her with the intent of throttling her to death. Her face contorts in fear for several long seconds. Whatever tension the moment was meant to inspire melts away and the whole thing turns into high farce. To Sladen's credit, she still almost manages to sell it. But I have no idea why the director thought it was a good idea to not edit that shot down a bit. Unless, of course, he was aiming for camp sensibility instead of suspense.

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #6: 

We Just Don't Know it's Dangerous!

Just like in the last Cliffhanger Style, 70s Who seems to be the biggest perpetrator of this crime. Even the aforementioned Pyramids of Mars does this a bit at the conclusion of its third episode. "Oh no!"  we cry, "Tom Baker is being bathed in a green light! How horrible!" The impression is still given that the green glow we see first from Sutekh's eyes  is a death ray of some sort. But it's not really made as clear as it should be. 

But there are far more glaring examples of this. The most notorious one, of course, is the end of Part Three of Death to the Daleks. Fans make endless fun of this one. 

The Doctor and Belal are assailing an endless array of traps in the Sentient City of Exilon. Even Indiana Jones would be like: "Wow! These are a lot of traps!". As the episode nears its end, they are approaching a funky-looking design on the floor. "Stop!" the Doctor cries out. The camera zooms in on the floor decoration as the Cliffhanger Sting kicks in. 

As we will find out in the next episode, this is the latest trap they need to overcome. It's quite similar to the one in The Five Doctors but doesn't rely on pi to defeat it. The sonic screwdriver takes care of it just fine (perhaps a COMPLETE AND UTTER SILLINESS entry on Times the Sonic Screwdriver was a Blatant Plot MacGuffin might soon be in order...).

Here's the thing: it's not explained in the slightest at the end of Part Three that the floor design is dangerous in some way. We just get a bit of a crash-cut to some red shapes on the ground and everything is over until next week. We really have no idea why the sequence merited this Cliffhanger. It's just a cheap paint-job on the floor that is, somehow, meant to represent peril. All it really conveys, of course, is a complete sense of silliness. How is a bit of decor meant to hold us in suspense?!  

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #7: 

Something Was Going on in the Previous Part That We Don't See til the Next One

This one has another story that we all remember it for. To the point where we almost seem to think it only ever happened in this adventure. When, in truth, even the New Series has done it. 

We all love to talk about how cheap the cliffhanger resolution is in Mark of the Rani. At the end of the first part, the Doctor is strapped into a gurney on a mine cart and is hurtling towards a seemingly bottomless pit. There seems to be no one near enough to help him. He's doomed! 

Turns out, as Part Two starts up, there really was someone around to help him. George Stephenson was conveniently strolling along in the nearby forest and just happens to see the Doctor in trouble. In the nick of time, he runs up to the cart and stops it. 

This already seems like a fairly cheap way to save him. But what makes it even more ludicrous is the fact that there is no sign of Stephenson at the end of the first episode. His scenes of walking through the forest and charging to the Doctor's rescue are only edited in to the beginning of the second part. Which makes it all seem like a pretty big cop-out. Stephenson really does just come out from nowhere and provides a very cheap fix to the problem. 

"But Rob!"" some of you are saying, "You said the New Series has done this too. Where does this happen in New Who?! 

Check out Zygon Invasion/ Zygon Inversion. Clara's Zygon impersonator takes out the Doctor's presidential jet with a bazooka at the end of Invasion. But then, at the beginning of Inversion, we discover the Real Clara was in a weird dreamscape influencing things so that the Doctor has time to escape the plane before it's destroyed. Because of the way it's written, the sequence doesn't feel as much like the trick that's pulled at the end of Mark of the Rani. But, in essence, it really is the same execution. A Cliffhanger is resolved by something that was going on at the same time that we didn't see happening until the next episode. 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #8: 

The Full-On Extremely Awful Resolution 

Again, there are any number of stories that have featured this particular embarrassment. But there is a clear winner in this competition. One tale that has such an intensely bad resolution that all other examples of this pale in comparison. 

Again, poor Liz Sladen has to be the one caught up in this. As Sarah Jane Smith is climbing the scaffolding alongside the Thal missile at the end of  Episode Two of Genesis of the Daleks, she seems to lose her footing and plummet to her death. The Cliffhanger actually looks really good as the whole scene stops in a very gripping freeze-frame. I still vividly remember the first time I saw it and thinking: "Nice! I gotta see how she gets out of that one." 

As it turns out, she just seems to land on a part of the scaffolding that is only slightly lower than where she was falling from. She's okay. 

What makes this work even worse is the fact that the Cliffhanger clearly shows Sarah falling way off of the scaffolding. Like, several feet away from it. Did a strong wind suddenly blow in and send her back onto it?! Was there a wider configuration to the scaffolding that we just never saw that made it possible for her to land on it? Did a freak time eddy open up and transport her to a parallel reality where she didn't fall quite so far away from the scaffolding? It really is a sequence that is just so terribly executed that it looks downright laughable. 

Fandom goes on endlessly about how great of a story Genesis of the Daleks is. I feel it is over-rated. It's an okay story - but it's not great. This opinion has been known to cause fans to foam at the mouth and insist I face summary execution.  

"It is an absolutely perfect story!" they will claim. 

"It has it's flaws." I will respond. 

"Impossible!" they will insist, "There is nothing wrong with Genesis of the Daleks! It is sheer perfection!" 

"The Resolution to the Part Two Cliffhanger." I will plainly state.  

The Room always falls silent after that. 

Ludicrous Cliffhanger Style #9: 

The Truly Bad

And then, finally, we have those Cliffhangers that are best left forgotten. But are just so bad that we can't block them out of our memories. 

Again, there is an obvious victor in this category. There is no Cliffhanger worse than the end of Part One of Dragonfire. And there probably never will be. 

In defence of the writer, the scene does not play out the way it was scripted. He had intended for the Doctor to climb along a series ledges to a point where he could go no further but would also not be able to make his way back. And then, on top of that, he starts to lose his footing. Or something to that effect. It's described by the author in a DVD bonus documentary in a somewhat contrived way. 

I'm guessing they were just running out of time to shoot the sequence. Or perhaps they just didn't have the budget to create a series of complex cliff edges. Or a combination thereof. 

The end result, of course, is a sequence that almost seems to be a parody of a Doctor Who Cliffhanger. Sylvester McCoy just climbs onto a ledge and gets stuck there. Like the Doctor was thinking: "Well! Time to be in peril!" 

Most people neglect to mention just how awful the resolution is too. In fact it's nearly as bad as the one in Genesis of the Daleks. Sabalom Glitz seems to find a lower ledge that comes out from nowhere. We have no idea how he got to it. We even have to wonder why the Doctor didn't just use that particular ledge in the first place! But, it's there. Almost as if by magic, the Intergalactic Rogue helps the Time Lord from his seemingly self-inflicted predicament.   

While I am a great lover of McCoy's gift for visual comedy (Read about it here, in fact: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/04/review-overview-which-doctor-is-best-at.html and Part Two: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/04/review-overview-which-doctor-is-best-at_23.html and Part Three: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/04/review-overview-which-doctor-is-best-at_27.html), the slapstick that he creates throughout the Cliffhanger and its resolution just add insult to injury. It feels like the actors involved are consciously admitting that this whole thing is a mess. Like they're making fun of it a bit.

It's almost a bit surreal that, of all the moments that could have been chosen to highlight the Seventh Doctor during Name of the Doctor, this one gets picked. I guess, quite sadly, this is one of the things we remember most about his era.  

Forget killing the Supreme Dalek with mere words Or the extended game of chess he played with Fenric for several seasons. Or strolling off into the sunset with Ace as a beautiful monologue plays out in voice-over and the whole show comes to a close. 

It's the damn Cliffhanger in Dragonfire.