retro-the-best....: [New post] Doctor Who and the Resurrection of the Daleks

Thursday, December 16, 2010

[New post] Doctor Who and the Resurrection of the Daleks

Doctor Who and the Resurrection of the Daleks

dailypop | December 16, 2010 at 2:43 pm | Tags: doctor who action figures, doctor who daleks, Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks, peter davison tom baker matt smith david tennant doctor who | Categories: Doctor Who- 5th Doctor | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-2bF

Doctor Who and the Resurrection of the Daleks

Story 133
8-15 February 15, 1984
In the far future the Daleks are losing a galactic war, causing them to free their creator Davros from his cryogenic tomb on a derelict space station. Investigating a time contour that dragged the TARDIS to contemporary Earth, the Doctor and his companions have been drawn into an intricate trap by the devious Daleks. With the fate of not only the planet Earth but also his own people the Timelords hanging in the balance, the Doctor is forced to reconsider his stance on violence and finally decides that he may have to kill the Dalek's creator Davros after all.

Aside from a brief appearance in the 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors, it had been many years since the Daleks's last appearance on TV. Destiny of the Daleks, an awkward collaboration between Douglas Adams and Terry Nation, de-fanged the Daleks, making them into simply bumbling pepper pots. Eric Saward was determined to reinforce the threat and power that the classic menaces once held. Originally planned as the finale to the 20th anniversary series and titled Warhead or The Return, the story was rescheduled to Davison's final series due to complications with Dalek creator Terry Nation. A violent, hopeless, blood-filled adventure, Resurrection of the Daleks redeemed the monstrous Daleks as the most dangerous foe that the Doctor had ever faced once again.

Peter Davison and Janet Fielding pose at Shad Thames with Daleks

Actor Peter Davison was only 29 when he was cast as the Doctor in 1979, but in his time on screen he had already proven that he was enough of an accomplished actor as to carry the most important role on BBC TV with ease. He moved and spoke with an alacrity that matched his white tennis trainers yet maintained a gentlemanly dignity that befit a man beyond the actor's years. In fact, alongside Tom Baker, Davsion has one of the most enduring followings of any actor to play the Doctor in classic Who. After being disappointed in the quality of scripts for his second series, Davison announced that he was leaving the program. He was shocked to find that his final series was a vast improvement as scripts may not have been as intelligent or far-reaching as the previous years', but they were much more exciting on screen and allowed the Davison room to shine as an actor.

The first fan of the series to be cast as the Doctor, Davison admitted in an interview at the time that he would have been disappointed to have left the program before he faced the Daleks. Luckily, he was allowed to face off against the classic monsters in one of their finest TV outings. The Doctor is seen to be brave, desperate and bold at times during the Davison era, but thus could be one of the actor's best performances. The sequence where he begs with the clone of Stein as his mind is ripped away from him is wonderful as is what could have been his final confrontation with Davros. A very human and flawed version of the character by design, the fifth Doctor can be seen to be maturing to meet an exceedingly hostile and grim universe in his final adventures.

Resurrection of the Daleks is a decidedly down-beat story. The two settings; a deserted warehouse along the Thames and a space prison falling apart in the distant future, speak to the hopelessness and defeated quality of the world in which the adventure is set. The Daleks have lost a war against the Movellans and are seek out the aid of the creator Davros who has been in cold storage for some time after being thwarted by the Doctor on Skaro in Destiny of the Daleks. They have enlisted a mercenary force of humans led by a man named Lytton (soon to be seen again in Attack of the Cybermen) to help them break Davros from his prison and achieve revenge on the human race and the all-powerful race of Timelords, their hated foe the Doctor's own people. Rather than simply trundling down halls and firing wild death rays, the Daleks in this story use deadly poisons that quickly decay the body and zap entire crowds of humans as they tear through the space prison. The Daleks had not looked so deadly since 1976's Genesis of the Daleks.

Introduced in 1963, The Daleks were such a terrific draw to viewers that in time their intention was lost along with their impact. The problem could lay in two factors; one in storytelling and the other in TV production. As a rule, the Daleks are said to be the most dangerous and kill-crazy alien race in the universe. Armed to the teeth and encased in nearly impenetrable armor, nothing can stop them... yet something always does. The first two Dalek stories (The Daleks and Dalek Invasion of Earth) devise ingenious ways of undoing the Daleks' plans, but subsequent TV adventures are a little less impressive. They are seen to be torn to pieces by Frankenstein's Monster, attacked by plants, frozen by jelly, etc. For such an unbeatable foe, there are apparently countless ways to beat them. Likewise they are apparently the most dangerous foes with horrible aim. This is tied to the second factor involving TV production as Doctor Who was viewed as children's program and therefore could not feature lots of death and destruction... but it seemed odd that for a race of killers they didn't really do that much killing. Additionally, the Dalek props were terrible difficult to shoot on film. It was a task and a half to make them looking menacing or powerful, something that directors asked to participate in Doctor Who dreaded. Often a director would state that they were eager to work on Doctor Who but begged, 'don't make me work with Daleks.'

Director Matthew Robinson has a wonderful eye for drama and action (later seen again in the series 23 Doctor Who adventure Attack of the Cybermen) that fits this story perfectly. Everything from the opening shot of the desolate Shad Thames to the explosive raid on the prison ship is done with such precision that a cinematic quality is achieved. On the 2003 DVD extra feature, a more mature but no less dynamic Robinson can be seen framing sequences with is hands along Shad Thames of today, explaining with bated breath each shot's importance.

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Script editor Eric Saward had already shown in his previous scripts (The Visitation and Earthshock) that he not only understood Doctor who storytelling techniques but could modernize them using classic monsters. Resurrection of the Daleks is a science fiction epic of a tale with alien races, galactic warfare and genetically designed weapons... but even so it does have problems. Saward himself states on the DVD that he applauds Robinson's efforts and adds self-consciously adding, 'given what he had to work with.'

While it succeeds in achieving the proper mood and moves at a quick pace, Resurrection of the Daleks has a few problems such as the plot which is rather ropey. At one point the most important thing is a pair of bombs left in a deserted warehouse alongside the Thames in 1984 London, at another point the focus is on Davros and the plots jar with each other so much that the real threat - a plot to replace world leaders with clones and sending a clone of the Doctor and his companions to Gallifrey to assassinate the High Council of Timelords. The last idea is only referenced on screen a couple of times and was so influential that it made an impact on a young writer at the time Russell T Davies, who later remarked that it was the first act of the Time War referenced throughout the 2005 Doctor who series.

Davros and his 'converted' Dalek guard

Davison may shine in Resurrection of the Daleks, but it is Terry Malloy who nearly steals the show as Davros. A part initially planned to be revived by the first actor to play the role, Michael Wisher, it went to Malloy after scheduling conflicts arose. Like the Master, there are many actors to play Davros, but very few of them nailed the part. Following a break-out performance by Wisher in Genesis of the Daleks, Malloy showed that his performance could stand on its own merits and in some cases come out on top. His dialog rises to a declaration of egocentricity seen only in dictators such as Mussolini or Hitler then crawls to a sinister whisper in true Shakespearean style. His performance wavered a bit in later stories, but it is on form here.

Janet Fielding, one of the longest reigning companions on Doctor Who at the time, also has a fair share of screen time and development. The feisty and rambunctious Australian who forced her way into the Doctor's life is seen in this adventure nearly on the point of emotional collapse in the wake of the death and destruction around her. It was a statement of the times as entertainment had turned decidedly more violent and Doctor Who was not immune to the trend. However, unlike many other TV programs Doctor Who used violence to make a statement and Tegan's tearful departure is a clear example. The character was afraid if losing her innocence and her courage in the face of such bloodshed while a mercurial TV character like the Doctor was adapting to meet the changing conditions he found himself. It's a very moving exchange that brings tears to many fans even today. You think Rose's departure was a sorrowful affair? Watch this one and you'll see it's no contest.

Due to the transmission of the 1984 Olympics, this story was shown as two 45 minute-long installments rather than the traditional 22 minute episodes. When it was sold oversees there was an oversight in the audio files causing parts 2 and 4 to have lost all special sound effects and music. I recall watching this on my local PBS station and being terribly confused. It looked just like my friends and I playing Doctor Who with only the pow! sounds missing.

Released in limited edition packaging in 2002, the program was re-edited into 4 parts rather than the 2-part version that was aired in the UK. Next year, both versions will be released as part of the 2nd Re-visitations box set along with Carnival of Monsters and Seeds of Death.

Finally announced in action figure format are several long-awaited Doctor Who characters including the Resurrection-style Dalek and the Supreme Dalek but the most anticipated additions are the series 22 5th Doctor and classic series Davros. Previously the only version of the Doctor in his series 22 costume was the regeneration figure from Caves of Androzani. Likewise, the only version of Davros in the 5 inch Character Options line was from the new Doctor Who. A fan favorite story with many fond memories, this set is sure to fly off the shelves!