Revolution of the Daleks

"These machines are going to change the world."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: TV

Broadcast: 01 January 2021

Series: New Year's Day Special 2021

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham, Captain Jack

Synopsis

The Doctor is imprisoned halfway across the universe. On Earth, the sighting of a Dalek alerts Ryan, Graham and Yaz. Can the return of Captain Jack Harkness help them stop a deadly Dalek takeover?

Verdict

Revolution of the Daleks was an excellent episode to serve as the festive special and kick off Doctor Who in 2021 in a big way! I thought this was a hugely impressive story that delivered on almost all fronts and it's terrific to see social media giving seemingly unanimous praise to a Thirteenth Doctor story for once! There was so much good continuity and the emotion behind the characters as well following on from where The Timeless Children left off was superb. The prison scenes for the Doctor were fantastic and I loved that we got to take a look at the likes of a Weeping Angel, Silence and even the Pting! The continuity there was just so much fun and it was also clear to see just how long the Doctor had been imprisoned. She was going through her usual routine and then out of nowhere steps Captain Jack to save her which was just excellent. The chemistry between Jack and the Thirteenth Doctor was magnificent right from the off and the humour that came with each of them having work done was a real highlight. The references to the warning of the Lone Cyberman and everything that happened with Ascension of the Cybermen amongst other episodes was outstanding. The scenes in the other TARDIS with Yaz clearly still missing the Doctor and trying to work out if there was a way back to her was really good, but Ryan seemed to have moved on after being back on Earth for ten months. The arrival of the Doctor alongside Jack was marvellous and I liked how much Yaz wanted the Doctor to be there, only to shove her upon her greeting. One thing about the episode that I didn't quite enjoy was how the fam didn't seem to ask the Doctor where she had been or endured in space jail. The Doctor explaining how she was captured by the Judoon was wonderful though. Ryan's conversation with the Doctor in the TARDIS as they headed to Osaka was tremendous though and I liked how she was being pushed to go out and find the truth about who she is after the Master's revelations in the previous finale. It was good for her to confront the issues, even if she had to be pushed. The return of Robertson after an impressive debut in Arachnids in the UK was superb and he fitted in really well with the Prime Minister. The image of the Prime Minister introducing the new security drones outside Number 10 was fantastic and I thought the extermination live on television was quite spectacular! The immediate continuation of events from Resolution was unexpected but most welcomed with the Reconnaissance Dalek remains being harvested and from there we had Leo cloning the minuscule organic DNA that remained within the casing and grew his own Dalek mutant. From there, the design we had of the Robertson Daleks was sleek and really impressive. I thought the concept of them being a security drone was fun, but surely they would be recognisable from the likes of Doomsday or The Stolen Earth? Captain Jack's relationship with Yaz was wonderful and I really liked how he explained that the pain of losing the Doctor was worth the joy of being with her. Jack's love of the Doctor was clear to see. His description of having previous with the Daleks and never forgetting his first death which occurred in The Parting of the Ways was excellent and I also liked how he described his immortality with a Rose reference. Really nice stuff. The scale of the Dalek threat with the amount of drones was sublime and I loved how the Doctor's plan was to bring the Dalek death squad to take out the impure Daleks. The action that stemmed from that was excellent and the scenes on Bristol Suspension Bridge is something I have been longing for as I used to live in the city and walk over the bridge almost daily. I actually lived in Bristol at the time of filming for this episode and deeply regret that I wasn't aware of its occurring! Still, it was an impressive visual. Robertson selling out the Doctor to the Daleks was a lot of fun and I thought the use of the Gallifreyan TARDIS to lure the Daleks in and then have it fold in on itself was outstanding. The Doctor defeated the Daleks once again which was great stuff. The farewell to Jack over the phone and the mention of Gwen was tremendous and I just love that she got a mention and the Doctor's love. The moment of Ryan and Graham's departure was really nicely done with good continuity going back to The Woman Who Fell to Earth and the familial connection between them was lovely. Yap's eagerness to stay with the Doctor was wonderful as well and I look forward to their adventures together, alongside the incoming Dan! Overall, a really impressive episode.

Rating: 9/10