2. The Daleks

This is obviously another huge episode in the history of Doctor Who. With An Unearthly Child you had the first appearance of the Doctor and the TARDIS - in the very next episode we are introduced to another classic, enduring and very popular element of the show: the Daleks.

As with the previous episode I had mixed feelings about this episode for very similar reasons. My early exposure to the Daleks were from the Pertwee and Tom Baker eras and Genesis of the Daleks would be one of the first I would have saw so much of my understanding of Daleks and their back story comes from that episode. Genesis was my favorite Who story for many years and Davros one of my favorite bad guys. The only Doctor Who toy I ever owned was a Davros toy.

To go back and see the first Daleks and the way their history, the fight with the Thalls, etc... is portrayed is so different than future Daleks it just sort of distracts me. The fact that they need electricity conducted from the floor of their city to move seems like a decidedly poor design plan and one you would think they would try to correct quickly. Ian getting "stunned" was awful. Modern Daleks don't have a stun setting!

The story did do a nice job of showcasing the deviousness of the Daleks we all know today. Planning to steal the anti-radiation meds, then letting them keep the extra kit so they could build enough trust to ambush the Thalls - all very good.

My mixed emotions leads to a mixed review;

Ranking: 6/10 (average)