The Daleks' Master Plan [TV/1965.11.13 ~ 1966.1.29]
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★★★★★
Epic on a scale that really should have been impossible for Dr. Who's budget back in the mid-1960s, The Daleks' Master Plan is a landmark achievement for the show in my eyes. From incredibly bleak and snappy hard sci-fi to wacky black-and-white slapstick comedy of old Hollywood, this serial (possibly more than any other serial of the classic series) proves the versatility of Who. Sure, you can argue that there have been more imaginative and bonkers stories -- installments such as The Mind Robber and It Takes You Away, anyone? -- but off the top of my head, Daleks' Master Plan always comes first when I think of a single story that spans a variety of different genres, locations and characters. The fact that this behemoth of a serial engages in a longform storytelling formula (up unitl the final two episodes when the stakes are raised to the levels of the early few parts again), reminding me most of Flash Gordon serials from the 1930s is something that specifically brings me joy, and it's a miracle that it never loses steam. No, you heard me correctly -- I think The Daleks' Master Plan is consistently exciting throughout. I have read many criticisms over the years about how the middle portion suffers from meandering and a slower pace; I raise the counterargument that while the main focus is sidelined for a giant chase around the universe, the stakes are as high as ever and the production team does everything to make every episode as gripping as the last.
Mind you, if you're not a fan of adventures shifting tones abruptly between parts, then this serial is probably not for you. To go from a political thriller in space with corrupt world leaders, prison planets and a horrific companion death to a psychedelic transmat sequence (which was noticed by Stanley Kubrick out of all people), invisible monsters, volcanoes and cricket matches, plus a detour to ancient Egypt as well as The Feast of Steven (more on that later)... all the way back to bleak sci-fi material leading to another horrific companion death... well, even by Dr. Who standards, it's quite a journey to undertake. Thankfully, thanks to rock-solid direction and production design, as well as writing, Master Plan never comes off as winging any specific episode and is entertaining throughout. It helps that the Daleks are grade-A menacing here, and the villain-of-the-piece Mavic Chen is one of the most theatrical and fascinating of the classic era's foes (brought to life masterfully by Kevin Stoney). William Hartnell and Peter Purves are on top form here, almost as if they knew how special the script given to them was, and Jean Marsh deserves particular acknowledgement for her portrayal of Sara Kingdom. While the writing had no small part in her character's success, it is Marsh's dedication and subtle performance (how she changes from hard-edged SSS operative to compassionate and fun companion) that sealed her fate as sa Big Finish favourite for years to come. Katarina's sacrifice leading her to be a lifeless body floating in space (brought to life by frankly terrifying and poignant computer graphics in the Loose Cannon recon) is a very memorable death, but Sara's slow decaying body turning to dust is nothing short of nightmare-inducing. Dr. Who was something else in the sixties, wasn't it? I absolutely love the ambition and the willingness to try something new. You wouldn't dare guess that a friend of the Doctor's would suffer this kind of fate after having just finished, say, The Chase.
Speaking of trying something new, it's time I addressed the elephant in the room. The Feast of Steven is magnificent. I love it, and it fits perfectly with the rest of The Daleks' Master Plan. It's absolutely mad, full of gags and immersion-breaking lines and jokes, and it's the quintessential Christmas special for me. How can you expect me, a fan of 1920s Hollywood, not to love the Hollywood portion of the episode? From sheiks to slapstick to Chaplin, it's incredibly chaotic and I love it. I also love the Z-Cars crossover that isn't a Z-Cars crossover that comes before, so there really isn't an aspect of The Feast of Steven that doesn't work for me. Little confession here... but I sometimes watch this episode on its own from time to time, when I feel the urge. Call me mental if you like.
That's about as much as I can say for The Daleks' Master Plan, really. It's genuinely flawless stuff, and a pretty big miracle as even the padding (and padding exists aplenty in the latter half -- look no further than episodes 8 to 10) is incredibly entertaining. It's not so much that this twelve-part serial has no filler, but rather that the filler in question doesn't feel like filler. Somehow, the inclusion of the Monk, Chen and the Daleks' detour to Egypt, The Feast of Steven, volcano shenanigans and invisible monsters don't feel out of place in this tense life-or-death thriller. Everything has a natural flow to it, and follows nicely with the backbone of the serial -- the dark and moody world conquest tale of the Daleks manipulating a council of greedy alien politicans (I can't stress enough how much I love the worldbuilding through this council of odd characters, even down to the way they clap), and a group of time-travelling miscreants who steal a dangerous weapon and do everything in their power to stop the evil winning. At the helm of that force for good is the Doctor, the ever-wise and heroic old man played to the hilt by the late great William Hartnell. He may just be my favourite actor to play the Doctor, as well as my favourite Doctor full stop, and I am reminded of that fact whenever I revisit Daleks' Master Plan. He is asked to portray every conceivable emotion under the sun here, and my, does he deliver. Whether he's taking the mickey out of everyone around him (episode 7's police station segment) or furiously trying to save the world the best he can with complete selflessness (the finale of episode 12), Hartnell embodies the role wonderfully. As with every First Doctor serial, he is what makes the entire machinery tick -- and The Daleks' Master Plan is one of his era's, and one of the entire series', highlights.
Epic on a scale that really should have been impossible for Dr. Who's budget back in the mid-1960s, The Daleks' Master Plan is a landmark achievement for the show in my eyes. From incredibly bleak and snappy hard sci-fi to wacky black-and-white slapstick comedy of old Hollywood, this serial (possibly more than any other serial of the classic series) proves the versatility of Who. Sure, you can argue that there have been more imaginative and bonkers stories -- installments such as The Mind Robber and It Takes You Away, anyone? -- but off the top of my head, Daleks' Master Plan always comes first when I think of a single story that spans a variety of different genres, locations and characters. The fact that this behemoth of a serial engages in a longform storytelling formula (up unitl the final two episodes when the stakes are raised to the levels of the early few parts again), reminding me most of Flash Gordon serials from the 1930s is something that specifically brings me joy, and it's a miracle that it never loses steam. No, you heard me correctly -- I think The Daleks' Master Plan is consistently exciting throughout. I have read many criticisms over the years about how the middle portion suffers from meandering and a slower pace; I raise the counterargument that while the main focus is sidelined for a giant chase around the universe, the stakes are as high as ever and the production team does everything to make every episode as gripping as the last.
Mind you, if you're not a fan of adventures shifting tones abruptly between parts, then this serial is probably not for you. To go from a political thriller in space with corrupt world leaders, prison planets and a horrific companion death to a psychedelic transmat sequence (which was noticed by Stanley Kubrick out of all people), invisible monsters, volcanoes and cricket matches, plus a detour to ancient Egypt as well as The Feast of Steven (more on that later)... all the way back to bleak sci-fi material leading to another horrific companion death... well, even by Dr. Who standards, it's quite a journey to undertake. Thankfully, thanks to rock-solid direction and production design, as well as writing, Master Plan never comes off as winging any specific episode and is entertaining throughout. It helps that the Daleks are grade-A menacing here, and the villain-of-the-piece Mavic Chen is one of the most theatrical and fascinating of the classic era's foes (brought to life masterfully by Kevin Stoney). William Hartnell and Peter Purves are on top form here, almost as if they knew how special the script given to them was, and Jean Marsh deserves particular acknowledgement for her portrayal of Sara Kingdom. While the writing had no small part in her character's success, it is Marsh's dedication and subtle performance (how she changes from hard-edged SSS operative to compassionate and fun companion) that sealed her fate as sa Big Finish favourite for years to come. Katarina's sacrifice leading her to be a lifeless body floating in space (brought to life by frankly terrifying and poignant computer graphics in the Loose Cannon recon) is a very memorable death, but Sara's slow decaying body turning to dust is nothing short of nightmare-inducing. Dr. Who was something else in the sixties, wasn't it? I absolutely love the ambition and the willingness to try something new. You wouldn't dare guess that a friend of the Doctor's would suffer this kind of fate after having just finished, say, The Chase.
Speaking of trying something new, it's time I addressed the elephant in the room. The Feast of Steven is magnificent. I love it, and it fits perfectly with the rest of The Daleks' Master Plan. It's absolutely mad, full of gags and immersion-breaking lines and jokes, and it's the quintessential Christmas special for me. How can you expect me, a fan of 1920s Hollywood, not to love the Hollywood portion of the episode? From sheiks to slapstick to Chaplin, it's incredibly chaotic and I love it. I also love the Z-Cars crossover that isn't a Z-Cars crossover that comes before, so there really isn't an aspect of The Feast of Steven that doesn't work for me. Little confession here... but I sometimes watch this episode on its own from time to time, when I feel the urge. Call me mental if you like.
That's about as much as I can say for The Daleks' Master Plan, really. It's genuinely flawless stuff, and a pretty big miracle as even the padding (and padding exists aplenty in the latter half -- look no further than episodes 8 to 10) is incredibly entertaining. It's not so much that this twelve-part serial has no filler, but rather that the filler in question doesn't feel like filler. Somehow, the inclusion of the Monk, Chen and the Daleks' detour to Egypt, The Feast of Steven, volcano shenanigans and invisible monsters don't feel out of place in this tense life-or-death thriller. Everything has a natural flow to it, and follows nicely with the backbone of the serial -- the dark and moody world conquest tale of the Daleks manipulating a council of greedy alien politicans (I can't stress enough how much I love the worldbuilding through this council of odd characters, even down to the way they clap), and a group of time-travelling miscreants who steal a dangerous weapon and do everything in their power to stop the evil winning. At the helm of that force for good is the Doctor, the ever-wise and heroic old man played to the hilt by the late great William Hartnell. He may just be my favourite actor to play the Doctor, as well as my favourite Doctor full stop, and I am reminded of that fact whenever I revisit Daleks' Master Plan. He is asked to portray every conceivable emotion under the sun here, and my, does he deliver. Whether he's taking the mickey out of everyone around him (episode 7's police station segment) or furiously trying to save the world the best he can with complete selflessness (the finale of episode 12), Hartnell embodies the role wonderfully. As with every First Doctor serial, he is what makes the entire machinery tick -- and The Daleks' Master Plan is one of his era's, and one of the entire series', highlights.
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