In one of the most epic Dalek stories ever told, The Evil of the Daleks mixes time travel with science fiction and a plethora of emotions to forge an definitive send off (for a while) for the Doctor's biggest enemies.
Story: 10
In a pretty unusual and exciting move, the serial begins directly from the previous one with Jamie and the Doctor hunting for the TARDIS.
Doctor Who rarely features other time travellers from Earth, particularly from the past. In that sense, Edward Waterfield is an interesting and intriguing character.
The Daleks' plot to use Waterfield's daughter to force him to lure the Doctor to them is grim and effective. It's one of the better plots they have come up with.
The story does have a feel of closure to it in terms of the Daleks, since they only care about killing the Doctor once and for all. Since they're fed up with being defeated by humans all the time they now want the 'human factor'. I do feel that I should like the story more for that reason, but somehow I feel it drags a bit in the middle. There are a couple of mysteries that keep the story going, though, such as Terrell's true nature.
The obstacle course for Jamie is pretty dull to watch in reconstructed format. That's the most boring part of the story.
The Episode 5 cliffhanger, where the Daleks are taking the Doctor for a ride, is both amusing and awkward. But it's also the big turning point for the serial. After that Maxtible and Waterfield both lose their grips and the Daleks truly step forward as the villains of the piece.
The ending to Episode 6 is great, introducing the Emperor Dalek and pitting the Doctor against it. There's some great acting and dialogue here. The last episode is rather exciting, when the Dale's enage in all out civil war and things seem pretty dark.
Acting: 10
John Bailey is an amazing Waterfield, who looks like Lincoln and feels believably 1860s. He comes across both as desperate and well-meaning.
Marius Goring is amazing as Maxtible, particularly at the end once he realizes that he's been fooled by the Daleks. Like Lesterson in Power of the Daleks, he goes from perfectly calm and stable to pretty insane by the end.
The rest of the supporting cast is overshadowed by Bailey and Goring, who feel like equals next to Troughton and Hines.
The Doctor: 10
The Doctor's face, when the Dalek appears to him, is priceless. Fortunately that episode exists so we can all see it.
The Doctor once again shows his furious side when facing the Daleks, and Patrick Troughton plays those scenes so well.
The Doctor and his actions have never been questioned before they way Jamie questions them in this serial. It's a very powerful way of casting the hero of the show in a new light. This is probably the best story to depict a more troubled relationship between the Doctor and his companion.
The Doctor has a warm and rather grandfatherly moment with Victoria in the final episode, bringing his first incarnation up for a moment.
The Doctor walking into the machine and letting the Dalek factor enter him feels like the most heroic thing he has done so far. This is also easily the Second Doctor at his most serious.
The Companions: 9
We are introduced to a new companion, Victoria Waterfield. She is adorable and well-played, but falls into the helpless girl in need category. That being said, Deborah Waitling isn't given very much to do in this serial.
There are some great scenes with Jamie and the Doctor arguing. Frazer Hines and Troughton play these very well.
The Jamie and Kemel duel would have been great to witness. His travels through the Daleks' traps are some of the better moments for the character.
This serial feels mostly like Jamie's story, at least during the middle episodes. The Doctor takes the backseat as Jamie is forced to fight, run and climb for his and Victoria's life.
The Monster/Villain: 10
Maxtible is the coolest looking Doctor Who villain ever. He looks like a 19th-century philosopher, like Marx. He is also very well played and has that touch of mad and evil, without ever feeling over-the-top. The hypnosis scene in Episode 5 makes him particularly creepy.
The Daleks feel properly evil and fed-up with the Doctor. They're not evil just for the sake of it, they just truly want to find a way to survive, somewhat like in they're first appearance. But the friendly Daleks have funnily light voices and they're hilarious. The scene early in Episode 6 is one of the more memorable Dalek moments.
The difference between the human nature Daleks and the usual ones is very obvious and makes for an interesting finale. The Emperor Dalek looks cool, but barely plays any part in the story apart from a cameo.
Production: 11
I love Dudley Simpson's score, and particularly his clever sampling of the theme tune in the Daleks' score. The serial has some of the best music ever in Doctor Who.
The Dalek uprising and explosions in Episode 7 sound and feel pretty big budget, like a definitive finale for the Daleks. Throughout the serial, it's clear from the telesnaps, that this is yet another fine directing job for Dalek veteran Derek Martinus.
The Emperor Dalek looks menacing and Skaro seems to stay true to earlier appearances.
Pacing: 7
Episodes 3 and 4 are a bit boring and feel dragged out. I feel that Jamie's trials would be a whole lot more interesting to watch if they existed.
The final two episodes are intense and exciting, and feel like a proper payoff after the slow build-up.
Atmosphere: 10
The story slowly builds up the sense of evil and danger and the final episode even has a touching moment in Waterfield's sacrificial and the Doctor's decision to take Victoria with him.
This story can be funny, scary, exciting and touching. It's a good mix of primary emotions, and they rarely appear this well in a single Doctor Who story.
Impact: 10
For their final appearance for five whole years, The Evil of the Daleks feels like a proper and epic sendoff. It further cemented the Daleks as properly evil, instead of silly, and helped establish Jamie as the Doctor's equal and the Second Doctor himself as a true hero.
Replay Value: 7
This story would probably be one of the best to rewatch if it existed or was animated. In the current state, I would only rewatch the first couple of episodes and/or the last three.
Random Observations:
Interestingly, the First Doctor mentions at the beginning of The War Machines that he has the same feeling he has when the Daleks are around. With the beginning of this serial happening in London the same day, he's technically right.
The Episode One cliffhanger is yet another copy of the one in Episode One of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. It's getting old by now.
Kemel being chosen for the test for having an inferior mind seems somewhat racist. That being said I kinda like him once he becomes Jamie's ally. He's the second supporting character to be added to my list of all-time favourites.
Sadly, this is the first and only appearance of the Emperor Dalek in Classic Who. It would eventually return in the revived series.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParent2020-06-01T15:43:47Z
In one of the most epic Dalek stories ever told, The Evil of the Daleks mixes time travel with science fiction and a plethora of emotions to forge an definitive send off (for a while) for the Doctor's biggest enemies.
Story: 10
In a pretty unusual and exciting move, the serial begins directly from the previous one with Jamie and the Doctor hunting for the TARDIS.
Doctor Who rarely features other time travellers from Earth, particularly from the past. In that sense, Edward Waterfield is an interesting and intriguing character.
The Daleks' plot to use Waterfield's daughter to force him to lure the Doctor to them is grim and effective. It's one of the better plots they have come up with.
The story does have a feel of closure to it in terms of the Daleks, since they only care about killing the Doctor once and for all. Since they're fed up with being defeated by humans all the time they now want the 'human factor'. I do feel that I should like the story more for that reason, but somehow I feel it drags a bit in the middle. There are a couple of mysteries that keep the story going, though, such as Terrell's true nature.
The obstacle course for Jamie is pretty dull to watch in reconstructed format. That's the most boring part of the story.
The Episode 5 cliffhanger, where the Daleks are taking the Doctor for a ride, is both amusing and awkward. But it's also the big turning point for the serial. After that Maxtible and Waterfield both lose their grips and the Daleks truly step forward as the villains of the piece.
The ending to Episode 6 is great, introducing the Emperor Dalek and pitting the Doctor against it. There's some great acting and dialogue here. The last episode is rather exciting, when the Dale's enage in all out civil war and things seem pretty dark.
Acting: 10
John Bailey is an amazing Waterfield, who looks like Lincoln and feels believably 1860s. He comes across both as desperate and well-meaning.
Marius Goring is amazing as Maxtible, particularly at the end once he realizes that he's been fooled by the Daleks. Like Lesterson in Power of the Daleks, he goes from perfectly calm and stable to pretty insane by the end.
The rest of the supporting cast is overshadowed by Bailey and Goring, who feel like equals next to Troughton and Hines.
The Doctor: 10
The Doctor's face, when the Dalek appears to him, is priceless. Fortunately that episode exists so we can all see it.
The Doctor once again shows his furious side when facing the Daleks, and Patrick Troughton plays those scenes so well.
The Doctor and his actions have never been questioned before they way Jamie questions them in this serial. It's a very powerful way of casting the hero of the show in a new light. This is probably the best story to depict a more troubled relationship between the Doctor and his companion.
The Doctor has a warm and rather grandfatherly moment with Victoria in the final episode, bringing his first incarnation up for a moment.
The Doctor walking into the machine and letting the Dalek factor enter him feels like the most heroic thing he has done so far. This is also easily the Second Doctor at his most serious.
The Companions: 9
We are introduced to a new companion, Victoria Waterfield. She is adorable and well-played, but falls into the helpless girl in need category. That being said, Deborah Waitling isn't given very much to do in this serial.
There are some great scenes with Jamie and the Doctor arguing. Frazer Hines and Troughton play these very well.
The Jamie and Kemel duel would have been great to witness. His travels through the Daleks' traps are some of the better moments for the character.
This serial feels mostly like Jamie's story, at least during the middle episodes. The Doctor takes the backseat as Jamie is forced to fight, run and climb for his and Victoria's life.
The Monster/Villain: 10
Maxtible is the coolest looking Doctor Who villain ever. He looks like a 19th-century philosopher, like Marx. He is also very well played and has that touch of mad and evil, without ever feeling over-the-top. The hypnosis scene in Episode 5 makes him particularly creepy.
The Daleks feel properly evil and fed-up with the Doctor. They're not evil just for the sake of it, they just truly want to find a way to survive, somewhat like in they're first appearance. But the friendly Daleks have funnily light voices and they're hilarious. The scene early in Episode 6 is one of the more memorable Dalek moments.
The difference between the human nature Daleks and the usual ones is very obvious and makes for an interesting finale. The Emperor Dalek looks cool, but barely plays any part in the story apart from a cameo.
Production: 11
I love Dudley Simpson's score, and particularly his clever sampling of the theme tune in the Daleks' score. The serial has some of the best music ever in Doctor Who.
The Dalek uprising and explosions in Episode 7 sound and feel pretty big budget, like a definitive finale for the Daleks. Throughout the serial, it's clear from the telesnaps, that this is yet another fine directing job for Dalek veteran Derek Martinus.
The Emperor Dalek looks menacing and Skaro seems to stay true to earlier appearances.
Pacing: 7
Episodes 3 and 4 are a bit boring and feel dragged out. I feel that Jamie's trials would be a whole lot more interesting to watch if they existed.
The final two episodes are intense and exciting, and feel like a proper payoff after the slow build-up.
Atmosphere: 10
The story slowly builds up the sense of evil and danger and the final episode even has a touching moment in Waterfield's sacrificial and the Doctor's decision to take Victoria with him.
This story can be funny, scary, exciting and touching. It's a good mix of primary emotions, and they rarely appear this well in a single Doctor Who story.
Impact: 10
For their final appearance for five whole years, The Evil of the Daleks feels like a proper and epic sendoff. It further cemented the Daleks as properly evil, instead of silly, and helped establish Jamie as the Doctor's equal and the Second Doctor himself as a true hero.
Replay Value: 7
This story would probably be one of the best to rewatch if it existed or was animated. In the current state, I would only rewatch the first couple of episodes and/or the last three.
Random Observations:
Interestingly, the First Doctor mentions at the beginning of The War Machines that he has the same feeling he has when the Daleks are around. With the beginning of this serial happening in London the same day, he's technically right.
The Episode One cliffhanger is yet another copy of the one in Episode One of The Dalek Invasion of Earth. It's getting old by now.
Kemel being chosen for the test for having an inferior mind seems somewhat racist. That being said I kinda like him once he becomes Jamie's ally. He's the second supporting character to be added to my list of all-time favourites.
Sadly, this is the first and only appearance of the Emperor Dalek in Classic Who. It would eventually return in the revived series.
Score: 94/120