Remembrance of the Daleks: Part Two

With a Dalek flying up the stairs and Sylvester McCoy attempts at dramatic acting (not too convincingly.) It is left to Ace and the headmaster to bring some gratuitous violence to the proceedings.

Knees to the goolies all around. Just what the doctor ordered.

The second episode gets to the kernel of the story and so begins the Cartmel Masterplan. The Doctor had unfinished business in 1963. He has returned, with a different appearance and a different voice. It is all to do with the Hand of Omega and to deal with the Daleks once and for all. An early skirmish in the time war with a more sinister version of the Doctor!

Director Andrew Morgan really pumps up the action, this is significant in the episode's climax as Ace tries to evade the Daleks by crashing through a window.

There are also some subtle character moments. Ace's revulsion to realise that Mike's mother who runs a B&B has a no coloured sign. That segues with Ratcliffe's machinations and his pinderings that the wrong side won the second world war.

Contrast that with the Doctor's chat in the cafe with John (Joseph Marcell just before he scores big in Hollywood with The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.) The brooding Doctor considers the ripple effects of his proposed actions. It links to sugar plantations and black slavery. John would had remained in Africa if there was no sugar.

Once again a staggering improvement from what had been served up in the previous few years.

After rescuing the Doctor from the approaching Dalek, the two escape, arm themselves with an Anti Tank rocket and destroy the Dalek before the Military arrive. The Doctor retrieves the Hand of Omega and buries it at a grave yard, but there are two separate groups of Daleks keen to get it. The Doctor, now allied to the Military discovers the Mothership of one set of Daleks directly above their base, he convinces Gilmore not to arm in the area. Ace is annoyed at being left out of the danger so sets off to investigate in the School, landing herself in big trouble.

It's another great episode, I'd argue it's the less good episode in the serial, but it's still very good, the other parts are just better.

My favourite seen in this episode is the Cafe scene between the Doctor and John, it was a lovely warm scene, not hugely vital to the story, but it raised the question about cause and effect, every great decision creates ripples. It was really nicely played, served as a nice change in pace and tone.

There are some interesting elements in this story, Ratcliffe is implied to be a Nazi sympathiser, and the boarding house belonging to Mike's mother is racially prejudiced, tough subjects that both seem brave for Doctor Who. I liked Ace's reaction to the latter, showed us her character having different principles to what was more acceptable in the 60's.

The Daleks look great, the grey Renegades, and more so the white and gold Imperials, they look awesome. I miss them in today's episodes.

Ace showed us in this episode why she's so highly regarded in general by fans, refreshingly feisty and tough, she was a welcome change.

The cliffhanger works well, Ace truly is placed in real danger.

8/10