Day of Reckoning

"You are a prisoner of the Mechanoids."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Animation

Broadcast: 10 December 2020

Series: Daleks! 05

Featuring: Dalek Time Squad

Synopsis

The Dalek Emperor and the Dalek Strategist return to Skaro to make a final stand against their enemies. Where do the Strategist's loyalties lie?

Verdict

Day of Reckoning was an excellent series finale of Daleks!. I have really enjoyed this animated series as part of the Time Lord Victorious range of adventures across a number of platforms, and this was a really good way to conclude this portion. I think I mentioned in my blogging of The Archive of Islos that I felt it was important we got some form of visual story for the range and animation was the next best thing with it not being feasible to go for a full on televised episode. It adds so much depth to the Dalek Time Squad and even though I have now encountered different members across a number of different stories now, I feel like I know them a lot better now because I've seen them in action and they were great! Following on from The Deadly Ally here was very good and the imagery of the Daleks fleeing on essentially crash landing on Skaro was excellent because we are just not used to seeing them in that sort of position. It was quite powerful and actually did a very good job in showcasing what the Mechanoids were all about. The Dalek ship was battered and barely got them back to their home planet, but it was still a terrific moment to see the Emperor and Strategist back on Skaro. There's something special about the Dalek planet. I thought the arrival of the Mechanoids was really good and their desire for revenge after being used against the Entity was brilliant. Emotional robots is certainly interesting! They were intent on destroying Skaro and the Daleks with it which created a lot of excitement, but their numbers were matched as the Emperor's deception had counted once again. Of course he and the Strategist weren't the only two Daleks left! The emergence of Daleks in their numbers from the catacombs of Skaro was brilliant and the prospect of a final battle was fitting for the finale. The action scenes were great and I really enjoyed the animation once again. I can imagine this being a big favourite for younger viewers. The Mechanoids targeting the Strategist within Skaro was really good and exploring the relationship shared with the Mechanoid Queen was wonderful. I liked how she tried to use the positioning of the Emperor in Dalek hierarchy against the Strategist, but that worked right into the Dalek's hands. The supposed plan of the Strategist joining forces with the Mechanoids to remove the Emperor from his position and send him into the Entity's dimension was fantastic, but the moment where the Strategist subtly turned and revealed he'd changed the base code to the Mechanoids and saw their entire forces sent through the barrier and into the other dimension was outstanding. A chilling moment of Dalek brilliance that I really appreciated. It was probably my favourite moment of the entire series and saving it for the finale after a lengthy build was definitely a good pay off. I also liked how the series continuity was rounded off from Planet of the Mechanoids with the Dalek Emperor admiring the plan of the Strategist and calling its payoff beautiful. Finally, they had a concept of this word and that related to sending both the Entity and the Mechanoids, two of the Daleks' greatest threats, into another dimension. Skaro was theirs once again, and they were set on their way for adventures we would later see with the Doctor amidst the Time Lord Victorious. Overall, a fantastic finale!

Rating: 9/10