Episode #185 : Daleks in Manhatten / Evolution of the Daleks

"Daleks are bad enough at any time, but right now they're vulnerable, and that makes them more dangerous than ever."

Episode #185:  Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks.
Companions:   The 10th Doctor and Martha Jones.
Air Date:          21st to 28th April 2007.

During the building of the Empire State Building in 1930s New York, the Cult of Skaro continues their attempts to destroy humanity and reign supreme.

In this story the Doctor takes Martha to visit New York in the 1930s and finds that the Cult of Skaro having escaped from the Battle of Canary Wharf have travelled back in time to save their race. In this instance by combining human and Dalek DNA, an experiment that serves to split the surviving Daleks.

This is a story that I am never sure whether I actually like it or not. It reminds me a little of the early classic stories that featured historical situations as a learning experience. In this case Hooverville and the great depression. Add that to the Daleks and the typical Doctor Who troupes and you have a good episode. However it still follows the strange elements that haunt modern Who that don't really fit. In this case it is the pig workers primarily. They just don't feel like they belong. Once again it is an element that feels a bit too weird for me. Even so it is an entertaining story.

One of the complaints that started to appear around this time was that the Daleks were appearing too often in the show. The 4th Doctor only encountered them twice in seven years for instance. In the modern show however we need a major recurring villain and it brings the show in line with modern television formats. It is also nice to have a continuing storyline for them as well which continues through the rest of the series.

Episode #180 : Army of Ghosts / Doomsday

Rose (voice-over): Planet Earth. This is where I was born. And this is where I died. The first nineteen years of my life, nothing happened. Nothing at all, not ever. And then I met a man called the Doctor. A man who could change his face. And he took me away from home in his magical machine. He showed me the whole of time and space. I thought it would never end... Well, that's what I thought. But then came the Army of Ghosts. Then came Torchwood and the war. That's when it all ended. This is the story of how I died.

Episode 180:   Army of Ghosts / Doomsday.
Companions:   10th Doctor and Rose Tyler.
Air Date:         1st to 8th July 2006.

Rose and the Tenth Doctor return to modern-day London to find a mysterious epidemic of ghosts all over the world. As the Doctor searches Torchwood Tower to find answers, something sinister lurks in the building. A secret order of Daleks emerge and the Cybermen from Pete's World make their way to Torchwood Tower. As the two deadly forces fight over Earth, the Tenth Doctor realises that in order to stop the threat, sacrifices will be made.

The finale for this season was an excellent two part story that returns the Daleks and the Cybus Cybermen, along with the return briefly of Mickey Smith. The Cybus Cybermen managed to find a way to cross the void between worlds and come through to our world, presumably to escape the hunt for them that is going on in Pete's World. The Cult of Skaro and their Genesis Ark hid in the void to escape the final moments of the Time War. Unfortunately the two forces arrive at the same time in the middle of Torchwood's London headquarters. Not only do we have the explanation as to who and what the Torchwood references were but also battle sequences between the Cybermen and the Daleks. Those sequences are enough to make any Whovian squee with delight!

We finally lose Rose Tyler in this story. I don't want to be harsh towards the character but as fun as she was I am sick and tired of the love story elements between her and the Doctor. It never really felt right. She "dies" because she and her family end up trapped (rescued?) in the Pete's World universe. In ours she was counted among the dead. The final moments are nicely done but its a good riddance to unnecessary romantic baggage.

As for Torchwood as an organisation it feels unnessecary for the Whoniverse. They collect alien things and deal with extraterrestrial threats. However, isn't that the responsibility of UNIT? All this time with the Doctor on Earth and the threats faced, where was Torchwood? Anyhoo, it sets up Torchwood ready for it's own series.

At the end of Doomsday we get a preview of the Christmas special for 2006, when the Doctor finds a mysterious woman in a wedding dress onboard the TARDIS.

Army of Ghosts / Doomsday is an excellent adventure and deserves a high rating. There is a lot going on in this story however and sometimes it feels rushed or forced to cram everything into about 90 minutes of screen time.