Doctor Who: Death to the Daleks

This a pretty good episode of Dr. Who. The Daleks seem to show more initiative than I usually give them credit for. When their standard laser make-you-disappear weapons don't work, they fit themselves out with old-fashioned mechanical guns and even practice on a model TARDIS (which they must carry with them for fun?!).

"Death to the Daleks" originally aired in 1974. Story Synopsis: The TARDIS has (yet another) glitch, goes off course, and ends up on the planet of Exxilon. Something drains the TARDIS' power, and they're stranded. The Doctor and Sarah Jane leave to investigate. The Doctor meets up with a similarly stranded Marine Space Corp patrol. They came to Exxilon to gather the element parrinium, the only known antidote to a massive plague that is sweeping the galaxy.

Sarah Jane is fascinated with a giant white building with a beacon flashing on top. She is captured by a group of native Exxilons, who say she has defiled their city and must die. Unbeknownst to her, the Doctor has joined forces with the Marines and with a group of similarly stranded Daleks - a tentative truce indeed, as the Doctor states, "Inside each of those shells is a living, bubbling lump of hate."

The Doctor stops Sarah's execution, and the two escape through some tunnels. In the tunnels they meet Bellal, one of a group of exiled Exxilon's who do not worship the white City, they are afraid of it. The Doctor realizes that it is the beacon that is draining energy from the TARDIS and other ships, and he and Bellal set out to stop it.

In the meanwhile, the Dalek's have outfitted themselves with mechanical weapons not affected by the power drain - and they want to capture the parrinium. They are the cause of the space plague, their special extermination plan, and don't want the antidote to leave Exxilon.

The July 2012 DVD release will be the first time "Death to the Daleks" is issued on DVD. It will be on one disc, with remastered picture and sound. Extras:

1. Commentary - with actor Julian Fox (who plays Peter Hamilton, Marine Lieutenant), Cy Town (one of the Dalek operators), Michael E Briant (director), Richard Leyland (assistant floor manager), L Rowland Warne (costume designer) and Dick Mills (special sounds maestro). The interview is moderated by Toby Hadoke.
(Added after my DVD was received and watched:) I enjoyed this commentary, but then I usually do enjoy the Dr. Who commentaries. Opinions were divided on Jon Pertwee - he was either difficult to work with, or, as this serial's director thought, the favorite of the Doctor actors. The costumer talked about how he created the Exxilon costumes, which are not made of cloth. The idea was to blend into the background. They worked so well that when two extras fell asleep on the outdoor quarry location (what would Dr. Who have done without quarries in which to shoot?!!), people ran around looking for them and couldn't find them.
2. "Beneath the City of the Exxilons - Making Death to the Daleks" - The cast and crew look back on the making of this story. Participants are Arnold Yarrow (who plays Bellal), Julian Fox (Peter Hamilton), Michael E. Briant (director), Richard Leyland (assistant floor manager), L Rowland Warne (costume designer) and fan and Dalek voice artist Nick Briggs.
(Added after DVD received:) I liked this; the extra is presented as a Dalek documentary. Nick Briggs' is shown with the title, "World's Biggest Death to the Daleks Fan", but he later tells us how he is more than that. He currently voices the Daleks for the new Who's (versus Classic Who's) and he is also Executive Producer of Big Finish, the company who creates the audio Dr. Who serials. He also does the Dalek voice for this extra "documentary". He is fun to listen to, starting when he was a kid and LOVED this episode.
3. Studio Recording - A rare glimpse into the production of a Third Doctor story.
(Added after DVD received:) Dated 12/4/73, this is a day in the life of recording some scenes on the inside sets. The young director tried something different, he filmed the serial by set (all scenes that would take place on that set recorded at one time, then on to the next set), which is how most movies are shot. Most of the TV shows, not just Dr. Who, were shot chronologically, so it was a little confusing for the actors until they got used to it.
4. "On the Set of Dr. Who and the Daleks" - Behind the scenes on the first Dalek film shot in 1965.
(added after DVD received:) This is about the filming of the movie with Peter Cushing. Commentators are Marcus Hearn (film and TV historian), Jason Flemyng (actor), Anthony Waye (first assistant director) and Bryan Hands (Dalek operator).
5. "Doctor Who Stories - Dalek Men". This is an extra I didn't know about until I watched the DVD. This is about the men who operated the Daleks, gleaned from 2003 interviews. Commentators include John Scott Martin and Nicholas Evans.
6. Radio Times listings (DVD-ROM)
7. Program subtitles
8. Production information subtitles
9. Photo gallery
10. Coming Soon trailer
11. Easter Egg

Some people think this is an underrated Dr Who story from the last season of Jon Pertwee's time as the titular character of a time travelling alien with a fondness for earth. I'm in two minds about "Death to the Daleks." The idea of the story is good but there are elements of the execution of it which are just too bad for words.

The idea is the doctor and his companion, journalist Sarah Jane smith land on a mysterious planet and find their ship is completely drained of power. They encounter a group of humans sent to recover a needed mineral from the planet who are likewise stranded and shortly thereafter, a Dalek warship is stuck. Since the locals of the planet are extremely hostile to visitors, the three groups band together when the Daleks find their energy weapons are also drained of power, to try to disable the fabulous but uninhabited city which seems to be the source of the energy drain.

The Daleks soon overcome their weaponless state by replacing their ray guns with machine guns and set about to subjugate everyone they can find. So it becomes even more important for the doctor and humans to find a way to remove the energy drain so they can escape. Unfortunately the city actively tries to kill anyone inside it and the locals outside the city are still pretty well hostile.

This far it works but the Daleks themselves fall down badly and it is the production team that is to blame. When they test fire their new machine guns, they do so by shooting up a toy model of a tardis/police box, one of the silliest and campiest missteps in the near 50 year long history of the program! They just carry one around for fun? Earlier Daleks have seemed highly bullet proof and yet one of these is smashed by a group of savages with clubs. When one realizes it has been tricked by the doctor's companion and so has `failed' it's mission it commits suicide and most critically, no one EVER explains how if the energy drain knocks out the Dalek's weapons, and causes everyone's ship to crash, why they are still able to move about in their machine bodies?

For all these issues though it is still a good adventure from the Jon Pertwee era. Without some bombastic authority figure to annoy he becomes more scholarly and less high handed, befriending the few friendly locals while Sarah Jane shows more independent spirit working with the crashed humans against the Daleks. The extras on the DVD are of the good quality we've come to enjoy but I wish the voice over commentary had included one of the promiant actors and not just the f/x guys. Overall it isn't a great or sadly overlooked adventure, but one of the 'gang' of a very good season.

The 5-Star rating is for the quality and value of the DVD. Superb job as is typical of the Doctor Who restoration team for Classic Era Doctor Who DVD products.

DEATH TO THE DALEKS
Story # 72
Season 11's Third Story
Third Doctor, Jon Perwee Era, final season 1973-74
Third Classic Sarah Jane Smith Story

OVERALL STORY RATING 7/10
In Elisabeth Sladen's opinion, DEATH TO THE DALEKS was always an underrated and overlooked story. I agree totally with her assessment. I was pleasantly surprised to find DEATH TO THE DALEKS a very well-paced and entertaining story, full of interesting and unusual Sci-Fi concepts, as well as being a very unique Dalek story. Other than some very minor acting or special effects bobbles, DEATH TO THE DALEKS is a solid story and production.

It is entirely possible that the main reason DEATH TO THE DALEKS is not well-remembered among WHO fans is because the musical track is unusual in its support or enhancement of the story. The music at times, seems to take the viewer's attention away from the story, rather than enhancing a scene the way a good score can. This is not to say the music score is bad, just that it is unusual, and for that reason may actually distract the viewer at times.

Essential viewing for SARAH JANE ADVENTURES fans, and a very interesting, unusual Dalek story for veteran Whovians. This is also a good story to introduce a novice to WHO, as the interior TARDIS scenes are very educational for someone unfamiliar with WHO.

STORY & SCRIPT 8/10
One of Terry Nation's more interesting and unusual Dalek scripts, making for a rare one-of-a-kind Dalek story. As GENESIS OF THE DALEKS is a unique story in that it details the creation of the Daleks, DEATH TO THE DALEKS is likewise a unique Dalek story, albeit a bit less riveting than GENESIS OF THE DALEKS. Only a few stories can be "masterpiece shows" as is GENESIS OF THE DALEKS. But a story can still be excellent, interesting, and unique even if not quite a masterpiece, and that is precisely the story DEATH TO THE DALEKS is. Daleks with disabled energy weapons, forced into an alliance with humans, at least until weapons can be devised that will allow Daleks to overpower all opposition. The planet, city, its inhabitants and energy-parasitic nature are imaginative, creative story concepts. The Doctor forced to outwit the self-learning, self-defending computer that controls the city and enslaves the Exxilons is also a creative, unusual concept.

ACTING 7/10
Jon Pertwee and Elisabeth Sladen are 10/10, shining as the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane, having great rapport, and subtle closeness and affection between them. Sarah is noticeably not quite as independent and self-assured here as in her previous two stories. BUT this is Sarah's first visit to an alien world, and Elisabeth Sladen deserves much credit for realistically giving Sarah less self-assurance and more apprehension in such new circumstances. The guest cast is very good for the most part. Joy Harrison is "acting" as Jill Tarrant, rather than "being" Jill Tarrant, but Duncan Lamont as Galloway is superb and helps balance out that small weakness. The other actors range from "excellent" to "good" for overall respectable performances.

PRODUCTION QUALITY 9/10
Very high production value. The location and studio sets are well shot and create a believable alien atmosphere. The CSO shots all come off very well with few noticeable problems. Most model work is excellent. The Dalek spaceship is likely the weakest model work, and it isn't bad in all honesty. Overall a well produced, well-edited story, with only a tiny weakness or two in model work and acting. The music doesn't really aid the story in the way a good score should, and is the most glaring technical fault. The DVD scenes shot on video are incredibly sharp, clear and colorful, making it hard to believe the scenes were shot back in 1973! The outdoor location scenes, shot on 16mm film as was the custom of 1973 production, are noticeably grainy and less sharp then the video.

SPECIAL EFFECTS 8/10
Special effects are well-done and hold up well even nearly 40 years later. Nothing spectacular, but the Exxilon city is a remarkable bit of model work and the CSO is practically flawless. So special effects are well above average.

STORY IMPORTANCE 6/10
The Daleks disabled and forced into temporary alliance with humans is unusual enough in WHO history to bump this story up in importance to be just a tiny bit above average.

DVD EXTRAS 10/10
Superb across the board, as is wonderfully typical of most Classic Doctor Who DVD releases. Commentary is excellent and very informative, as is the on screen text information by Martin Wiggins, and both are well worth the viewer's attention. BENEATH THE CITY OF THE EXXILONS is an excellent documentary on the making of DEATH TO THE DALEKS, and the documentary helps the viewer see the often maligned story in a more sympathetic light. There is an amazing 23 minute behind-the-scenes clip of some studio recording of DEATH TO THE DALEKS, that looks as if it were shot last week. And do not overlook the wonderful Photo Gallery.

These wonderful DVD extras are what make Classic WHO DVD's such special treats, so DO NOT overlook them as you will be losing a tremendous portion of the enormous value of a Classic WHO DVD!

Commentary Participants
Toby Hadoke (Moderator); Julian Fox (Actor); Richard Leyland (Assistant Floor Manager); Michael Briant (Director);
L Rowland Warne (Costume Designer); Dick Mills (Special Sound Maestro).

BENEATH THE CITY OF THE EXXILONS Participants
Arnold Yarrow, Julian Fox (Actors); Michael E Briant (Director); Richard Leyland (Assistant Floor Manager);
L Rowland Warne(Costume Designer); Nick Briggs(fan and Dalek voice artist).