The Dead Planet.

The second serial The Daleks is about discovery; for both the audience and the time travellers aboard the TARDIS. In this episode we get to see more of the TARDIS itself as Ian explores it with The Doctor after landing on the planet Skaro. We learn that there's a computer on board that catalogues and maps out all their adventures where they've been. Though this can't get the school teachers home according to Susan; because The Doctor is forgetful or some silly reason or another. My guess at this point would be he simply doesn't want to and fed his granddaughter some line of bull. ;-)

We also get to see that this amazing ship that can travel through space and time is also filled with the mundane. Every expect to see a coat rack on a space ship? The TARDIS has one. Besides the TARDIS we also get to see several other devices employed by The Doctor. There's a TARDIS food processor which will make a small pill taste like any food you can dream up and The Doctor has a pair of spectacles with binoculars attached to them. There's also one device within the TARDIS which I forgot to mention; which is alright as the crew doesn't pay it much mind either. It only detects radiation levels on the planets they visit. And while Susan does attempt to look at it; that impatient Doctor fellow hurried her out the door before she got to see the dial reveal this planet they're on Skaro; is filled with dangerous levels of radiation. Silly humanoids.

Outside the ship Barbara and Ian assess their situation. They're scared and want to go home. They don't trust this mad Doctor in his ship and with good reason. So far they've been kidnapped with presumably no hope of returning to their own time and have been nearly killed by cavemen. What other wonders can await them? They now find themselves on an apparently dead planet. They're in a petrified jungle with stone trees and stone animal things and stone rocks. Er; scratch that last one. They soon find themselves on a cliff overlooking a city of amazing design and The Doctor curious as ever wants to explore it; but Ian takes control and tells him no. They aren't potentially risking their lives exploring some city unless they have to. This of course frustrates The Doctor who for the first time questions whether kidnapping these people may have been a mistake. Hmm.

The Dalek City
You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Heading back to the ship Susan stops to look at the stone flowers only to get groped in the woods. She screams and runs back to the TARDIS telling them how she felt a hand, a human hand touch her out there. Nobody believes her. And why should they? They just spent a couple hours exploring a mile of this dead planet. There couldn't possibly be life out there. Could there? Back inside the TARDIS Barbara feels sick and Susan makes her some sort of aspirin. She's still upset about how nobody believes her and treats her like a kid. Being she is probably older than both Ian and Barbara; she should. The night inside the TARDIS is rather uneventful other than the knocking outside the door. Probably by those non-existent life forms. Ian and Barbara this time complain to The Doctor that they want to go home. As usual it falls on deaf ears.

The next morning they discover a box full of vials with strange liquid in them. Susan is vindicated. There are people here and they either left this or dropped it the night before. The school teachers want to go home more than ever now and force The Doctor's hand. He'll take them home and starts up the TARDIS; but it malfunctions because that devious Doctor wants to explore the city and doesn't care if it's dangerous. So he claims the fluid link on the TARDIS which he himself has pulled out has run out of mercury. And there's none left on the ship either. Guess they'll have to see if there's any in that city. Hmm?

Both Ian and Barbara suspect that The Doctor is full of it; but nobody calls him on it. Instead they begrudgingly head down to the city where now The Doctor himself feels ill. Everyone else is tired too but they're still unaware of the radiation. They marvel at the city which appears to be empty and decide to split up. Barbara gets to go off on her own for whatever reason. She is soon introduced to the first alien race in Dr. Who: The Daleks.

The Dead Planet Dalek
by Character Options

The Daleks are amazingly unhuman in appearance. They're robots the shape of pepper pots. They have no legs. They have a single eye which protrudes from the top in a stalk and have what appeas to be a plunger for an arm and what we'll soon learn is a gun for the other. Another thing that separates The Daleks from the humans on the show (other than perhaps The Doctor) is their inhuman disregard for the well-being of anything other than themselves. They have no regard for living things and only keep them alive when they're useful to their plans and consider laughter is nothing but noise. They are The Daleks and they are here to exterminate you when the time comes.

While Barbara is off getting captured The Doctor, Suan; and Ian discover a room full of machines and from a geiger counter learn that the reason they're all becoming ill is because of the high radiation levels on Skaro. The Doctor wants to head back to the ship immediately. Without Barbara. Ian and Susan refuse to go back without her and because he won't leave his granddaughter The Doctor gives in. Doesn't matter however because they too are soon taken prisoner by The Daleks. Ian attempts to escape; but is shot by the Daleks who have temporarily paralyzed his legs. Inside their cell they're reunited with Barbara. The Doctor is questioned by The Daleks where he discovers that the dead planet of Skaro was created as a result of a nuclear war between the Daleks and the monstrously mutated Thals.

Back in the cell the four travellers get sicker. They don't spend their time idly however and together figure out that The Daleks cannot leave the city. That they must move along the metallic floors using static electricity like a bumper car at a carnival. Barbara is the real brains of this outfit and wonders if there's something living inside of The Daleks. Are they really just robots? The Doctor manages to persuade The Daleks to allow one of them to go back to the TARDIS to find radiation gloves... drugs; without which they'll die. Tha Daleks want these drugs. They assume that The Thals have survived outside of the city with them and want to use them for themselves. The Doctor and Barbara are too sick to go and Ian is still recovering from his paralysis; so Susan is elected even though she is "just a child." But is she really? Susan hurries back to the TARDIS where she runs smack into a monstrously hideous Thal.



Alydon
played by
John Lee

But he isn't hideous. He's perfectly human in appearance. And the Thals are the ones who left the vials for the travellers. They're anti-radiation drugs. D'oh. The Thal's name is Alydon and he doesn't trust The Daleks. He gives Susan a second set of vials to hide on herself figuring that The Daleks only want the drugs for themselves. An interesting thing of note. At this point the Thals and Daleks haven't seen one another in years and don't even know what one another look like. Their mistrust of one another is entirely based on the unknown. Though the Thals have every reason to be wary.

Susan heads back with the drugs and of course The Daleks take them from her. (good thing she has more of them. though where she hid that giant box is anyone's guess.) Secretly recovered the time travellers hatch a plan to escape. Using a cloak Alydon gave to Susan they overtake their Dalek guard and cut off his connection with the static electrified floor which renders The Dalek completely immobile. Together with The Doctor, Ian opens the Dalek up and in a brilliant move we, the audience don't see the creautre inside of The Dalek. Instead we just see Ian and The Doctor's look of disgust. They tell the girls to go keep look out while they wrap it in the cloak (because they don't even want to touch it) and chuck the creature on the floor where we get our only glimpse of the monstrosity inside them. From beneath the cloak hangs a limp deformed clawed hand.

Ian is really an amazing goof here. Because he actually gets inside of the Dalek shell. It's a wonder anyone found them scary after that. Inside he mimics The Dalek "voice;" actually sounding more the way modern fans are used to them sounding than they do in this episode. They attempt to fool The Daleks by having Ian Dalek lead the way as if he's escorting The Doctor, Ian; and Barbara as prisoners. The plan simply doesn't work. The Daleks aren't fools and the first one they come across spots the imposter immediately; warning upper management who set off an alarm. Did I mention Ian inside the Dalek was silly? Well now he finds himself stuck inside it. Cue laugh track. The others have managed to break one of the doors so the Daleks can't get through; but those pesky Daleks are on top of it. They're cutting through the door with a welder arm attachment. Though they're reluctant to leave him there; except The Doctor of course; Ian persuades the others to escape into a nearby elevator. We're then witness to the biggest waste of a cliffhanger ending in the show's history when The Daleks enter and blast Ian's Dalek!

But that oddly isn't the end of the episode. The death of Ian isn't as gripping as Susan opening the TARDIS doors apparently. We learn almost immediately Ian has made it out and into the elevator. (though we'll never learn how he did it I guess) He soon rejoins his friends inside a small room that looks like an observation tower. There's a strange statue in the room. Odd that The Daleks would appreciate art however ugly this thing is. At this point I wonder if a Dalek can fit inside an elevator. But they can. One at a time. Dalek design flaw if you ask me. Build bigger elevators damn it! So the first Dalek is soon sent after the escaped prisoners. The time travellers can't seem to get the doors in the observation room open and can't escape; so they chuck that weird sculpture down the elevator shaft. Score! And this is the reason we'll probably never see a Dalek owning a statue again.

Back-tracking a bit; at some point during all of this The Daleks hatched a plan to lure the Thals into their city to kill them. The naive Susan believed that The Daleks were sincere in wanting to live in harmony with butterflies and rainbows amongst The Thals and wrote them a letter signed Susan; which is what she agreed with The Thals she would sign if The Daleks wanted to live in peace. The Daleks don't seem to understand Susan is a name; because the members of Project Dalek don't have names. The Thals don't really have that much of a real reason to mistrust of Daleks (other than that whole war thing but that was a long time ago) and accept The Daleks offer to come get food and supplies. While The Doctor and the rest of the gang are throwing ugly statues down Dalek elevator shafts; the Thals have arrived in the name of peace. Susan sees them coming out the window and is horrified now knowing that it's a trap!



And winner of the award
for most awkward looking death
goes to...

 The door finally opens and Ian argues with the others to head back to The TARDIS while he runs off to warn The Thals. Need it be said The Doctor thoroughly backs this plan? We're then taken to where The Thals are to pick up their food. It's a huge banquet hall with a table with a feast laid out. The leader of the Thals Temmosus is thrilled by this; but Susan's friend Alydon is still not so sure. Ian arrives on the scene and sees The Daleks lying in wait while the Thals look at this amazing all you can eat buffet. You'd think Ian would pop out and warn them right? Well he doesn't. Damn it Chatterton! Instead he holds back until almost the last second and by then it's too late. A bunch of Thals including their leader Temmosus are killed.

Ian heads back to the Thal village along with Alydon where they find The Doctor, Barbara; and Susan already there lounging about. The Doctor is having a ball learning about Thal history where we learn about the war between the (at the time) warrior race of The Thals and the scientifically minded Dals. We get to see the Thal ancestors; but in another deft move; the viewer doesn't get a glimpse of the forebearers to the Daleks. The Thals as a race have evolved into a bunch of pacifist Jesus types. If the Daleks exterminate us; we shall turn the other cheek. This annoys Ian but The Doctor says that's their choice. Leave them to their fate. That is until of course Ian informs The Doctor that in all the madness of the Dalek City; the fluid link was taken from him by The Daleks. But then why is he checking his pockets to begin with? Silly Mr. Chemberton.

The Doctor now wants the Thals to fight back against The Daleks. He doesn't care if they're killed. He needs that damned fluid link. Ian as the moral center of the show flatly disagrees. He'll have none of the Thals' deaths on his conscious. Barbara however soon sides with The Doctor. She wants the hell off this planet and she's ready to use the Thals to do it if that's what it takes. Ian is disgusted by the two of them but reasons maybe he can get the Thals to want to fight for their own reasons after some guilt-tripping from the tag-team of The Doctor and Barbara.

Ian spends some time trying to rally the troops. Will they fight for their own lives? Survey says no. Alydon would rather die the better man. Will they fight for a tin can then? A can full of the history of the Thal people? Again no. They don't believe Ian will give the can to The Daleks but if he does they'll let him. Damned tree huggers. Fine then. Will the Thals stand up if Ian takes their women and gives them to The Daleks? Bingo. Suddenly Alydon grows a pair and knocked Ian upside his head. Suddenly the Thals realize there is something worth fighting for. Each other. So they hatch a plan to attack the Dalek city on two fronts. One team will hang out at the front gate while the other team will head through deadly marsh lands and caves filled to the brim with mutants and dangers unknown.

Ganatus
played by
Philip Bond

If I were Ian;
I would've cut the rope.

The Doctor brave as ever decides to wait at the gate while Ian and Barbara head around back. Barbara seems smitten by one of the Thals Ganatus who apparently gave her a pair of his pants. Smooth operator that one. From here the story follows the team actually doing something and several Thals are killed. One is sucked into a whirlpool and Ganatus' whiny, annoying brother sacrifices himself when he falls into a precipice within the cave and nearly drags Ian down into the hole with him. He cuts the rope saving Ian and in turn us from having to watch him. Through it all they soldier on eventually finding their way into the Dalek city.

While the Thals have been hard at work getting into their city; The Daleks being no dummies have already figured out they'll soon be attacked. They however make the mistake of taking the anti-radiation drug which kills not only the Daleks who take it but seems to have gone airborne and kills many more of them putting the entire city into a state of chaos. This works well for our heroes who now no longer have hundreds of Daleks to worry about. This however has brought the surviving Daleks to the conclusion that they need the radiation to survive and have decided to drop another neutron bomb to ensure their survival.

The Doctor however hasn't been idle. Together with the Thals he's taken out the Dalek's communication systems. Afterward he and Susan sneak into the Dalek city to destroy The Daleks static electrictity control box. While they're somewhat successful they also alert The Daleks to the fact that they're in the city and are taken prisoner. While in captivity The Doctor learns that The Daleks have changed their plan and decided that being building a neutron bomb takes too long; they will instead blow up some of their nuclear reactors to ensure their way of life. Growing desperate The Doctor offers to help them build and use a TARDIS. The Daleks are interested in the idea of his ship; but reason that after they irradiate the planet they can learn about the TARDIS at their leisure without The Doctor's help.

Luckily both teams of Thals soon storm the city and overpower the remainder of the Daleks. Together they storm the Dalek control room with Ian and Barbara and free Susan and The Doctor while they destroy The Dalek equipment. Several Thals are killed in the battle but once the Dalek control room is overtaken they are rendered immobile and they beg The Doctor to fix their equipment otherwise they will die. He refuses and allows The Dalek race to perish. He then concentrates on repairing his ships while the victorious Thals lament the fact things couldn't have ended without all this death and destruction.

We're soon taken back to the TARDIS where the Thals ask The Doctor to stay but he refuses telling them he never gives advice. Certainly there's never any meddling from him. He then shakes and with Alydon and boards the ship. Ganatus obviously doesn't want Barbara to leave and there's a touching scene where they say thier goodbyes and she kisses him. Good thing Ian didn't see that one. Back inside the TARDIS The Doctor takes off but soon the ship is wracked by an explosion and we learn that the time tavellers are most certainly headed toward...