Doctor Who: The Escape

The story

The Daleks are defeated with mud, the Thalls do lots of talking but not much else and everyone else takes ages to do anything.

Thoughts

I was wrong last episode isn’t slow this one is. It’s starts with Susan exiting the TARDIS and coming face to face with one of the Thalls. At first she’s scared but once she realises he’s not going to hurt her they have a conversation.

This episode of Doctor who makes me understand the whole racism criticism better. Mostly because what Susan says to one of the Thalls. “You’re perfect.” I know the Daleks described them as mutations so she’s probably expecting something horrible but perfect is going a bit far. It’s worse considering he’s a blond haired white man and the actress who plays Susan (Carol Ann Ford) is Jewish.

Turns out that the Thalls didn’t know the Daleks had survived the war that caused the radiation on the planet. He gives her his coat and more medicine to hide in case the Daleks take away the first lot.

Then we’re back with the Daleks who have returned Susan to the cell and have decided to keep the prisoners alive so they can trap the Thalls. Which is why they let her keep the radiation medicine.

We then get expository Susan who gives us Thall back story. They’re basically running out of food.

Then it’s back to the Daleks who are discussing how to defeat the Thalls. So they decide to get Susan to write a letter which means it’s back to the cell again. Where the Dalek accidentally reveals the cell is bugged. I’m sure they could have figured that out without this scene. You can see the camera on the wall.

The Thalls in the jungle have decided to hang out where the TARDIS is parked and discuss how the Daleks used to be teachers and philosophers while the Thalls were warriors. They’re also waiting for a letter signed from Susan so they know it’s from her. That’s genius no one else could possible sign her name.

At least the next scene’s more entertaining with the Daleks dictating a letter for Susan to write. She tells them to wait while she’s writing and says she can only ask not demand. Then laughs at the way they say her name. Somehow she doesn’t get killed.

Then it’s back to the cell where they’ve decided to do something about the bugs and stage a fake fight that the Daleks know is fake to destroy the cameras and the Daleks are too lazy to go in and fix them.

The Doctor figures out the Daleks are powered by static electricity and Ian comes up with a plan. I think it’s funny how they’re trying to make the science be real and they compare the Daleks to bumper cars.

Then it’s back to the Thalls who want to be friends with the Daleks and that’s all the scene is about. The Thalls are just like humans and that makes them boring. They’re society is also sexist. The men wear exactly the same clothes and I’m guessing the women wear the same thing as well but I don’t remember seeing more than one woman.

Then it’s more planning to get out of the cell before they do anything. I think they could have condensed these scenes.

The plan to escape goes well. They jam the door, smear mud on the eye stalk and roll the Dalek over a coat to depower it. It reminds me of Wilf using a paint ball gun so the Dalek can’t see.

They open the casing and Ian orders Susan and Barbara into the corridor so they don’t see the creature inside the Dalek. Probably a good call considering how Barbara reacted to a dead alien and this one’s still alive.

Ian gets inside the Dalek casing but can’t see because they’ve forgot to wipe the mud off. He then speaks in monotone so he sounds like them but can’t move it so they push him.

Brilliant plan the Daleks will only judge you based on your voice. They’ll never notice another Dalek being pushed around by their prisoners. You never know maybe they’d just be too lazy to do anything about it.

This episode went very slowly because on one side of the plot you’ve got the Thalls, who don’t actually do anything, and on the other side you’ve got the doctor and his companions trying to find a way to escape and taking their time about it.

The only thing that saves this episode is the little funny moments. The Daleks having Susan write a letter, the suspicious way they act when planning the escape and a fake fight to destroy a camera. Which as it turns out is the only method of surveillance the Daleks have of the room and once it’s gone they can’t be bothered to move them to a new cell or install a new camera.

The defeat of the Dalek is a little silly but the Daleks have come a long way since then. I’m looking at the Daleks as the Doctor’s greatest enemy not this random alien species the Doctor runs in to.

Also ‘Asylum of the Daleks’ makes more sense to me now. I don’t have to like the decision to make the Daleks forget the doctor but I do see where they’re coming from. The Daleks got stronger in response to the doctor defeating them and this is where they started.

I just hope in the next episode things happen a little quicker and it’s not endless talking.

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