This one also has its ups and downs. We say farewell to Ian and Barbara, and are introduced to Steven! Although I feel he was just kinda shoved in to bridge the gap. But the departure was really sweet and I will miss them dearly. And the pain on the doctors face after is just </3 they humanised him and made him better.
I just don’t find daleks all that intimidating and there’s only a few stories that make me like them as villains but this wasn’t it.
So yeah it’s just kinda there. Not bad, not great. Just good
This was a really fun story who doesn’t love Frankenstein’s monster picking up and throwing a Dalek. I love the first parts with the actual Chase sequence and the different settings but weirdly it kind of slows down for me and I lose a bit of interest once it gets to mechanus
I’ve just finished my rewatch of The Chase, and I have thoughts. First, the ratings:
The Chase - 8.5/10 Doctor Who: The Chase - 8.75/10
The Daleks (Mini Album) - 6/10
Those who’ve been following along at home may have noticed I score this as highly as I do The Daleks TV story, though for vastly different reasons. The Daleks is the iconic introduction of our little pepperpots, but it drags to the point of being an episode to an episode-and-a-half too long, keeping an otherwise very good story from rating higher. This one, on the other hand, is just total fun, which elevates what is a rather flawed story to this level.
As for the novelisation, I find it interesting that Peel based it on the original scripts and that it’s my favourite of the three versions I experienced this time around. I’ve read the comments in this thread, some of which make me wonder how the TV version would be received had it adhered more closely to said scripts, and whether the decision to not do so was one of Verity’s few missteps as producer. In any event, there’s a lot to like in the novel.
As for the mini album, while it’s interesting and a decent enough listen, I found myself wishing for one of two things: that one of the regulars had narrated it (not that David Graham does a poor job or anything - it’s just that after listening to the audios of Marco Polo and The Crusade narrated by William Russell, and The Reign of Terror narrated by Carole Ann Ford, one wonders how this one would’ve sounded if, say, Maureen O’Brien had narrated it); or that they had chosen to adapt one or more of the actual TV Century 21 Dalek comic strips rather than an episode of the show.
I’m sure I have more thoughts, but that’s enough to be getting on with, I believe.
Revisiting this for Spooktober. Its a curious serial. On a scripting level I think it has a decent amount going for it. A nice mix of settings and the idea of a chase through time and space is a fun one. I think the problem is the direction. Martin did a very good job with Dalek Invasion of Earth but this feels surprisingly flat in spots.
I do love that Ian and Barbara get a proper, joyous sendoff though. Would that more companions got to go off that way!
