The Power of the Daleks: Episode Six
- Episode aired Dec 10, 1966
- TV-G
- 24m
With Bragen having taken over, the Daleks trick the rebels into turning them loose and only the Doctor can stop them wiping out the entire colony.With Bragen having taken over, the Daleks trick the rebels into turning them loose and only the Doctor can stop them wiping out the entire colony.With Bragen having taken over, the Daleks trick the rebels into turning them loose and only the Doctor can stop them wiping out the entire colony.
Photos
- Dalek Voice
- (voice)
- Guard
- (uncredited)
- Guard
- (uncredited)
- Colonist with baby
- (uncredited)
- Colonist with baby
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode was wiped by the BBC and no copy of it is known to exist. Short clips of varying quality exist.
- GoofsAt the beginning of the episode, the Daleks are leaving their meeting room but as they go through the door and turn right, their 'plungers' and their weapons are on the wrong side of their shells, suggesting that the scene has been reversed.
- Quotes
Dalek #1: The law of the Daleks is in force.
Dalek #2: Extermination of humans.
Dalek #1: [the First Dalek scans the laboratory, sensing something is wrong] Our cables have been moved.
Lesterson: [the two Daleks notice the new cable threading its way to the workbench. They glide towards the workbench just as Lesterson emerges from the cupboard] And I could tell you who did it!
Dalek #1: What were you doing in there?
Lesterson: I want to help you.
Dalek #1: Why?
Lesterson: [impersonating a Dalek] I am your servant.
Dalek #1: We do not need humans now.
Lesterson: Ah, then, but you wouldn't kill me. I gave you life.
Dalek #1: Yes, you gave us life.
[suddenly the Dalek fires, and Lesterson is struck by the deadly ray. Lesterson collapses to the ground]
- ConnectionsEdited into Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks (2016)
The story is perfect for a fresh start. The drs friends/companions aren't sure of him just like the audience would be and so we feel through them throughout and slowly have to trust him and let him save the day. Have the biggest/most popular monster to get the audience to make sure they don't miss it regardless of who this new guy is, but also make the Dr have to save the day quickly and on such a big scale. Even as an actor, power gives Troughton the ability to show off many different styles/emotions. Comedic, sad, scared, desperate and angry. And having the Daleks be the one to immediately recognise him and not care but just want to kill him helps us warm to him. Plus having some of the most awesome Daleks moments later really helps it.
I adore David Whitakers work for doctor who, especially the Daleks. I love how he makes sure there's an arc for characters and makes every human character reflect the monster too. Something doctor who often doesn't do. David Whitakers Dalek work is something I still admire. In a nutshell he accidentally created a whole new life/other side to them. Yes there creepy but nobody pushed there evil/creepiness like David did. It's almost like he takes the biggest stereotypes with the Daleks and gives it new perspective. Daleks just shoot and kill, well what happens if they lose the power to that gun. How would they invade? Would they try to learn?. Power gives us what I utterly love the most about Daleks. These little sods don't need a gun to kill or crumble you. There clever, patient, learn very quickly and are very minuplutive. And they have a gun too.
This story is about how the Daleks get power but it's also how the colony staff want power too. It's brilliantly written, meaning the boring human stuff becomes really interesting. Everyone here wants some form of power. And some just like the Daleks will wait and be very minuplutive about it. Such as the arc of the Character Bragen who has deliberately fed flase hope of a new world to the reblion and plans to just use them as a political game chip to become governor. He plans to have them help him and once he's in power get rid of them all making the colony trust/praise him. He sets up Quinn for murder making him become senior governor and then has people take over and eventually kill the governor. He even plans to use the Daleks as a form of police.
I really appreciate how this story takes it time to really show you why some of these characters have joined the reblion. Valmar joined and did the dirty work of Janley because he had feelings for her, leading to a sweet moment as he cradles her body and defends her actions. We don't see too much of her good side but she just wants the colony to better and more advanced, but second quesses and people who sit and wonder what if is what she really despises. She sees the Daleks as this get up and do advancement the colony needs. Even characters who don't do too much have great little arcs, such as the governor wanting to use the Daleks to gain hero statues from the colony and Quinn just wants people to be honest and get these peoples who are messing around stopped with all this backstabbing which is why he makes the personal decision to get the Earth examiner involved. Even the characters of the colony we don't see is painted really well by a sign which explains how to get new food/drink tokens and only if it's an emergency you can get more. Subtle way of building up this worlds people/class system. Those who can't the poor, those who have too much the wealthy.
Lesterson has the most enjoyable arc here. He's a simple scientist who wants to improve the colony and has no time for petty politics only advances in the science and life of the colony. So he makes the ridiculous move to be too curious and give the Daleks back power. Which the Daleks only exploit and fill he's ego of bringing them back, they'll save the colony by having them do the cleaning, making advance to machines to predict the weather etc. I utterly love how the Daleks minuplute his sweet nature. We then slowly see his slow and Shakespearean desent into madness as he learns the truth of the Daleks and becomes like a child whos absolutely terrified. Robert James plays it brilliantly and it's truly heartbreaking to watch him crumble and it make these Daleks feel so utterly ruthless. There's some amazing moments as he goes quietly mad at the theory of how man has had it day, it's the Daleks turn now and we should marvel at it. A good actor never over plays the madness in a character and I love this more quiet rational thinking but not rational thinking kind of mind this character has towards the end. Especially as he's speaks as a Dalek before his death, which on paper sounds cringy but it's utterly werid and tragic. But also the humans around him have caused this too, such as Janley who keeps pushing him, making people think he's mad and even blackmailing him about an accidental death. Thankfully the new animation did a far better job at capturing his performance. But I'd love to see it live action. Someday please.
The Daleks here are at there most scariest in the shows history, "Master plan" has some good horror but ultimate makes them too comedic in the next scene/episode or just screaming extreminate alot. Here David Whitaker has completely added a new edge to them, showing them being patient, cunning, saying kind/gentle but of course fake words to gains trust. And when the times right killing everyone. There's so many creepy and great diologue/scenes with them here. Such as when one Dalek stops himself from screaming how much better the Daleks are then humans and then gives them a compliment. Constantly keeping an eye on the Dr and waiting for the perfect time to get him, building to one of my favourite moments as the Dr tries to warn the colony as the Dalek speaks over him and screams "I am your servant!" it's a fantastic cliffhanger. Other scenes such as when the group of Daleks state "we are not yet ready to teach these human beings the law of the Daleks!" and one later being very curious when it's orded to kill another a human. There's really awesome explosions too in the end especially in an horrific but striking image of two Daleks coming towards a family and crying Babie. Nice little nod to the Nazi Germany period there. Or when they push past the many dead bodies.
Without any doubt my absolute favourite moment is when we and lesterson see how the Daleks have used the power and created a whole factory line of new Daleks. It's an incredibly awesome and creepy sequence. Watching the Daleks scoup up a mutant, place it into a shell and then see rows of Daleks come alive. I showed this to my nephew and he was both amazed and little scared. With the music, the sound the excellent production design and Peter Hawkins chilling voices, it's arguably one of the most beautiful pieces of art ever shot. I think it's a testament to how even with not the best budget you can create something like this, and quite telling how newwho with its bigger budget doesn't do it.
I was absolutely amazed learning about this scene as a kid, utterly gutted when I couldn't really see it. But my inner child gets so excited everytime I watch the animated sequence.
The reason I get so angry at the way new who writes the Daleks nowadays is because you watch something like power that show you how they don't need weapons to kill you, just look how mad lesterson got, show you how there very minuplutive and creepy and it gives them great and odd diologue that not only makes it nteresting in hearing how Daleks work but hearing them say human things adds a creep factor. Then we just get shooty bang bang kill kill Daleks on new who, if were even lucky as the Daleks barley kill anyone nowadays. You need the right blend of Daleks doing lots of killing/blowing up and them being minuplutive and cunning. It's seems there are never moments of Daleks showing there personality and how they work. It's just info dump for plots or extreminate. I want Daleks like in Dalek, or a script that shows Daleks acting like actual characters like in "Daleks in Manhattan" when two Daleks secretly talk about how they don't trust sec and check if anyone is looking, or like the Dalek prime strategest from the animation series. Daleks should never be treated as set pieces or cameos or too over mocked like new who does. It really angers me, don't even get me started on how moffat treated them, Thankfully Chibnall gets the mutants of them.
My only issues is Polly does nothing but be tied up and used as bait and as much as I like Ben, I do feel Ben and Polly are the weakest characters here, there not my favourite companions as they sadly never got anything to expand on but thankfully things would change once they left. Jamie, Victoria and Zoey all got great arcs and character moments in there eras more. Patrick Troughton is absolutely brilliant, he manges to have the right balance of comedy and darkness.
Power has such a great legacy today in who history, it's constantly reused and offers a perfect example of how to introduce a new era/Dr. I'll never understand why the Daleks wasn't Jodie Whittakers first either. Its my personal favourite dalek story. It's got some of the best cliffhangers and best Dalek moments. Ever since I was a child I adored this story, from the target book, to the audiobook, to telesnap recon now having 3 different animations.
- mbellfield
- Aug 8, 2021
Details
- Runtime24 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1