Revolution Of The Daleks: Ranking - 267

    Revolution Of The Daleks

(New Year's Day Special, Dr 13 with Graham Ryan and Yaz, 1/1/2021, showrunner: Chris Chibnall, writer: Chris Chibnall, director: Lee Haven Jones)  

Rank: 267

'Extermination! Extermination! Extermination! This is the challenge and we intend to meet it' This has been a political speech on behalf of the Skaro Socialist Party. Those on the left vote 'aye'. Those on the right will be exterminated... 

The middle of the three Chibnall new year's Daleks specials both chronologically and ratings wise is, in many ways, 'Resolution' in reverse. For the most part The Daleks are empty casings being built by 3D printers for use as riot control tanks, commissioned by the DW world's equivalent of Donald Trump - now that's my kind of a plot! The idea of the Dalek death-ray and plunger being used to emit smoke and water is a strong idea, with perhaps the greatest alien in all of scifi still delivering surprises after 57 years. There are some really good bits almost casually scattered across the script too, mostly at the beginning (the Dr in a Judoon prison, till she gets out spectacularly easily in something of a cop-out), the middle (the Theresa May clone which makes this story seem much older than just 2 years ago now we're on our 3rd UK pm since then) and the end (with a farewell that's surprisingly moving, given how much I couldn't wait for everyone to leave). There's also John Barrowman's first appearance as Captain Jack for the first time since 2008 back when he was a popular character that hadn't blotted his copybook (well, arguably it was after he blotted his copybook and nobody had called him out fully on it yet but y'know, timey wimey...and blimey this really really does feel older than 2 years ago doesn't it?)The return is less successful than the one in 'Fugitive Of The Judoon' somehow and he just kind of disappears, but his reunion with the Dr is rather sweet and repays a lot of the times she rescued him down the years. It also shows what a useless lot the companions are that they couldn't save her in 6 months with access to a Tardis though. Surely the Dr left a message covering accidental imprisonment too? She covered pretty much anything else. Anyway, it's a good story though the story relies on you having seen previous Dalek stories to be frightened of them as in truth they don't actually do a lot here and 'resolution' actually wrote for them better. Like the previous new year's special it all feels oddly un-special too and though it lasts 20mins longer than a normal episode 'Revolution' wastes a good 15 of those on nothing soap opera scenes that don't really add much to he plot or the characters. Plus minus a quadzillion points for the fact that not only is the Trump character still un-exterminated by the end yet again he's actually given an honorary award! The main plot is tasty though and overcomes many of these problems, if not quite all of them.

Positives + |The Doctor trapped in an un-named prison (Shada?) makes for a great opening, even if it has nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the plot. In many ways it's the most 13th Doctory scene as rather than mope she makes friends with her near-cellmates (a Weeping Angel, a P'ting,a couple of Oods and a Silence ('Oh I forgot about you' is easily the episode's best line) and recites Harry Potter books to herself (man, this really really really was a long time ago wasn't it? No one would go there now given what JK Rowling has been up to the past couple of years). It's a very clever run of scenes that manages to be both dark and funny and tells us more about the 13th Dr than most full stories. One question though. Why don't the Judoon just re-arrest her at a later date? They don't seem seem at all fussed she's absconded. I expected this pot point to come up later in her run, but it never does.

Negatives - The actual leaving scene of Graham and Ryan and the leaving hug is quite sweet and I was surprised how moved I was. The bit before that, though, didn't half lay on the treacle. Talk about 'let's lay off resolving the urgent main plot we've been running around trying to solve while we stop and talk about our feelings, so you'll feel something when these two twits finally leave'. Oh and just to irritate me further the episode is capped by Ryan the dyspraxic trying (and failing) to learn to ride a bike again. Seriously, after all you've been through? Have you learnt nothing about what you can and can't do in 2 years?! Go and change the universe, don't waste time trying to defy a physical ailment that can't be cured by balancing on a piece of metal with wheels! The production team really didn't spend any time around anyone who really had dyspraxia did they?...