Last week on Doctor Who, we were reintroduced to the man we know as The Doctor. While his name and mode of transportation are the same, the man behind the moniker is definitely different. How different we don't know, and to a certain extent neither does he. This week, he'll find out a little bit more about himself in the last place you'd expect him to be: inside of a Dalek.
”Clara, be my pal and tell me, am I a good man?”
Three weeks after last week's adventure, The Doctor finally drops back in on Clara with the coffee he was supposed to deliver after last week's episode. While the coffee might be cold, the adventure is definitely heated as ever, as the two of them will be miniaturized and sent into the body of a Dalek. In a grand take off of Fantastic Voyage, their mission is to examine this Dalek's mind, as it is the only Dalek that wants to destroy the Dalek race.
Not only does the life of The Doctor and his team depend on the success of the mission, but so does the fate of a human(oid?) race that is at war with the Dalek Empire. As it would turn out, the only reason the creature is good is because of a radiation leak after the creature witnesses the beauty of a newly born star. While the Daleks are classic characters that have been used quite frequently in the modern run of Doctor Who, this week showed us all of the nuts and bolts within the creatures. We've never seen anything like this, and it's actually pretty exciting.
”Fantastic idea for a movie, terrible idea for a proctologist.”
All throughout this week's episode The Doctor is trying to find redemption through the Dalek they're trying to save. After all, if a Dalek can be good, then why can't The Doctor? We've seen him measured against his archnemesis several times, and the comparison has been made more than once. However, this week is the first time he's ever been called out as being “a good Dalek.” This upsets The Doctor, naturally, but it makes sense. He's a good man, but he does have an undying hatred for the Dalek race, which would make him a “good” Dalek.
Clara, on the other hand, is starting to warm up as a character. In particular, she's developed a crush on a man named Danny Pink. Not only is she flirting with an age appropriate man, she actually slaps The Doctor during this week's adventure. If you were to compare her to past “nu Who” companions, she's starting to fall into the Donna Noble category, and that's a good thing as she looks unafraid to call The Doctor out in moments when he gives up easily.
”You asked me if you were a good man, and the answer is I don't know.”
As if this week's adventure wasn't filled with enough questions and hints, we encounter Missy the gate keeper of Heaven again. Apparently if you die in an adventure with or against The Doctor, you're soon greeted with tea and cakes. If this is the case with all of his foes throughout his history, then Heaven definitely needs to be bigger on the inside. Thankfully, The Doctor and Clara won't be seeing her anytime soon (that we know of) and Clara gets home safely, just in time to go on her big date with the mysterious Mr. Pink.
Next week, The Doctor and Clara will go off to Sherwood Forest to meet Robin Hood! There's just one problem... The Doctor doesn't seem to think that there is a Robin Hood. Find out if this is real or bunk in the next episode, Robot Of Sherwood! And as usual, if you're interested in some more wibbly wobbly timey wimey analysis, you can head on over to page 2 for this week's Doctor's Notes! \
The Doctor's Notes
A couple of recurring themes came up again this week: The Doctor's disdain for soldiers, The Doctor's views on the Dalek empire, and the question of how good of a person The Doctor is. The line about The Doctor being a good Dalek acts as a follow up to the Ninth Doctor episode, Dalek, where another lone Dalek tells the doctor that he would make a great Dalek.
Danny Pink...Joanie Blue...that doesn't mean anything, does it?
A big theory on the identity of Missy has cropped up from this week's episode. It seems that she's collecting people that have died in action with The Doctor. Why would she be doing this? Does she want to use these people against The Doctor, as a reminder of when he fails to save those that decide to side with him? Doesn't this start to sound like the time that an evil incarnation of The Doctor helped put himself on trial on Gallifrey? That's right kids... the time is right, she dresses all in black, and she might be looking to hurt The Doctor. Missy COULD be The Valeyard.
The Doctor continues to adopt some Malcom Tucker-isms, particularly with the line “She's my Carer. She cares so I don't have to.”
