Episode #36 : The Evil of the Daleks

"I am not a student of human nature. I am a professor of a far wider academy of

which human nature is merely a part."

 

 

Episode 36:   The Evil of the Daleks.
Companions: The 2nd Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield.
Air Date:        Seven episodes. 20th May to 1st July 1967.

 

The Daleks draft the Second Doctor into distilling the Human Factor. Once implanted, it will make the Dalek race invincible. Jamie's faith in the Doctor is stretched to the limit as he appears to be collaborating with the Daleks. The Doctor has a few tricks up his sleeve, but then again so might the Daleks.

 

The Evil of the Daleks is another lengthy story which is missing all but two episodes. The story synopses has it as a rather quirky story, especially for one that features the Daleks. It carries on almost immediately from the end of the prior story and then jumps to Victorian London, and then to the Dalek home world of Skaro. The overall plot seems to be that the Daleks desire a human factor in order to conquer the universe and they are trying to distill that and inject it into themselves. The Doctor ends up forced to help them and implants them with child-like mind set, before then blowing them all up.

 

This was supposed to be the final story with the Daleks for the show as their creator, Terry Nation, was attempting to get them their own American TV show which ultimately never happened. It would be some time before the Daleks reappeared in the show.

This story introduces the Dalek Emperor as the overall ruler of their race. It isn't seen again until the 9th Doctor story Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways, but it isn't clear if it is the same Emperor, or a replacement.

 

We pick up a new companion with this story, Victoria Waterfield, a young lady from Victorian London. With her father killed by the Daleks, the Doctor and Jamie take her on board the TARDIS.

 

All in all it seems like an OK story but a bit odd in places. Maybe one day it will get the animated treatment and we can see how it actually plays out.