Genesis of the Daleks

"Destroy Davros and you destroy the Daleks."

Writer: Terry Nation
Format: TV
Broadcast: 8th March - 12th April 1975
Season: 12.04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis

The Doctor's own people - the Time Lords - have foreseen a time in which the Daleks dominate all other lifeforms in the universe. So disturbing is this possibility, that they break their own Laws of Time in an attempt to change the future. And who better to send on this quest than their own renegade himself - the Doctor.

Unwittingly transporter into the fields and trenches of a battle-exhausted Skaro, the Doctor must face his most dangerous mission ever - to prevent the Daleks from ever being created...

Verdict

Genesis of the Daleks was an excellent serial and there's no surprise that it occupies the esteemed position in Doctor Who history that it does. Now, it's not quite perfect but I think it warrants its reputation and I thought I should finally get around to blogging this adventure after my listening of the I, Davros audio series recently. I think it was of huge benefit to listen to that series before my re-watching here and I loved putting firm visuals to what was heard in that series. I think part one is the best of all six and it's just the perfect setup for what was to come. The Doctor being out on the mission by the Time Lords instantly sold just how deadly the Daleks were, as if that was required, but I was quite surprised with how willing the Doctor was to carry out that mission. The first moments for the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry on Skaro were fantastic and I loved how ravaged and war-torn it was. Getting acquainted with the war between the Kaleds and the Thals was terrific and I loved the Doctor's reaction to hearing the name of the former species. He'd met the latter before but they weren't quite like this. The Doctor meeting and learning about Davros for the first time was a superb moment and I also loved how primitive Davros was. It was clear that he was still in the early days of his vast knowledge and he even admitted how the Doctor was his better when it came to knowing about time and space. Davros wanting to know about all of the Dalek defeats was excellent and I loved how excited he was at receiving this foreknowledge. Nyder was a sublime character and his devotion and loyalty to Davros was an absolute delight to see. The way he lured out the names of all those with doubts towards Davros and the Dalek project was evil brilliance. With the prospect of the Elite putting a stop to the Daleks' creation, Davros went to the Thals and gave them the means of destroying the Kaled protective dome and wiped out the majority of his own species. The Daleks had to prevail. It was an extraordinary depth to reach but it further highlighted how much of a maniac Davros was. The likeness to Nazi Germany and Hitler with the bunker and the dislike for the unlike was incredible and something I wasn't aware of on my first couple of viewings before I learned about that era in history. The ending with the Daleks overpowering their creator and increasing their own production was fantastic and thus the Daleks were born. It was brilliant. The moment at the start of part six where the Doctor contemplates wiping out the entire Dalek mutants was phenomenal and I loved how he couldn't even bring himself to destroying his greatest enemies. Overall, a superb serial!

Rating: 9/10