Maybe I’m being charitable or naive but I like to think Barbara isn’t being asked that because she’s a woman but because they just lost their previous cook in a Dalek attack and are looking to fill the vacancy.
At the end of the day, someone has got to make the food and we don’t know that things aren’t done on a rota and they need to know if Barbara can be added to it. Add to that the fact that they must have limited rations so two more mouths to feed are going to be an issue so they need to earn their keep somehow.
Too often, I think, we’re too quick to look down on the past because we think of ourselves as enlightened (and this is not directed at anyone here - just a personal bugbear).
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No that’s definitely how I read it too, I think you could easily write a very compelling argument for this being quite a feminist episode (regardless of whether that was the writer intention or not). I think it would be very easy to examine this episode with a feminist lens and come to the conclusion that the women aren’t just being sidelined as little housewives
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The two men (Ian and the Doctor at that moment not with the group) where valued because they needed fighters. Barbara is asked, if she’s able to cook. And Susan may have had a witty quip but the reaction of the man who asked her was dismissive. At once she had no further value for him and he moved on. Given the circumstances maybe understandable. And not necessarily bad to write the story in this way, but also very clearly showing what gender roles this society in 2164 (and probably the society in which this episode was produced) had.
As I mentioned: still brilliant episode and later on this may very well be used in the story to show: there’s more a woman is able to do. Imho, in the first episode it is, what it is. But film is art and all art is subjective. More power to everyone seeing it in a more positive light.
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And we shouldn’t forget the progressive nature of the beginnings of Doctor Who either in this equation. Verity Lambert was the first woman producer in the BBC, and the producer of this very serial 
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I watched the second episode. It had a bit of a weak start, I think. The Doctor’s speech to the Dalek made me wonder, ‘Is he that arrogant, or is he just foolish?’ Overall, it felt more like a TV episode than the first one. It wasn’t bad, just lacking in comparison.
That said, the episode quickly captivated me. The acting was great all around. I got a real feel for the story through the conversations between the characters. It was very well done.
To address the minor irk I had with episode 1 - it seems that handing out food (different to getting it from dangerous warehouses) is still something men are not able to do 
But it also becomes clear that women have equal status to the men in the group. This was best demonstrated in the scene where Barbara had the idea for the disguise and everyone just listened. She was an equal among equals, even as a relative stranger.
All in all, because of the weak start, I thought this would become a negative review for episode 2. But then the story taught me better. Respect.
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I can acknowledge that about Ian but is the Doctor, a outwardly very old man, being looked on as a fighter by the resistance? They value his intelligence - but even that’s only once Dortmun is gone. He spends an awful lot of time having a lie down
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Yeah, not a big fan of The Dalek Invasion of Earth personally.
Terry Nation just rewrites The Daleks, but with a less interesting setting and more wasted time. A really damn good first part and a great companion exit really don’t make the rest of the story any less painfully boring.
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I once decided I much preferred the film version of this but I’m not sure how true that is any more. I do find elements of it very well done but I also find some of it very clunky.
The location work is brilliant though and really sells the invasion. London on a Sunday being practically deserted is something today’s society probably couldn’t even begin to fathom but those scenes are eerie.
The desperation of the resistance is sold well too and then are some genuinely heartbreaking bits like Larry and his brother Phil and the women in the forest - but then things like the Slyther, or the stock footage of baby crocodiles or the weird bit where Ian is inside the bomb detract from it a little.
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Unsurprisingly, this story spawned a fair few stories set during and after the events depicted:
Most notably Masters of Earth and The Mutant Phase have sections set during the invasion itself and After the Daleks and Legacy of the Daleks examine life post Dalek defeat.
Is this a world ripe for further exploration?
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Maybe. But I think it’s already been done well enough. Too much and it’ll either get stale (like the Time War) or such a continuity mess that will also become a turn off.
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Yes, I think it comes across better in the novelisation where, as I recall, she was described as being ‘defiant’ in that scene. And later on Dortmun is quite impressed by how she stands up to him.
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After the success of their first appearance I think it was a really clever idea to bring the Daleks to Earth. It must have been so thrilling to see them in London when this was broadcast. The way a lot of it is filmed & the military percussive elements on the score give it the feel of a WW2 thriller - the resistance against an occupying force, the slave labour, black marketeers & collaborators. Not forgetting Barbara running over Daleks. All very atmospheric even if it does drag a bit with 6 episodes.
& that ending, the first & one of the best companion departures ever. I always feel that Doctor Who had to say goodbye from inside the TARDIS because he wouldn’t have had the courage to do it face to face. He would have taken Susan with him even though he knew it was probably not the best thing for her. The show was emotional in the early days. Hartnell is bloody brilliant in that scene as well as Carole of course - her reaction to the TARDIS dematerialising, knowing it will never come back.
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I know what you mean. I think there’s a superficial ‘gloss’ about the Cushing movie that is quite attractive, but there’s just so much more (lashings more) atmosphere and richness in the televised story.
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I enjoyed this serial. What struck me about it in particular was not necessarily the overall plot, but the individual scenes that were memorable and gave the serial depth. For example, the scene where the man sacrifices himself to test his bombs, as well as the scene where the women betray Barbara and her friend for food stick out in my mind as particularly effective.
I was also interested in the Robomen. They seem to serve as proto-Cybermen, which is interesting. I found the cliffhanger where the Doctor has to escape from being turned into a Roboman to be frightening. However, I do feel like something could have been done to make the Robomen a little bit more formidable–they seemed to be fairly easy to overcome for our heroes, as the Robomen are not particularly smart or fast. What do you think of the Robomen?
I thought Susan’s departure was sad. I hope that she was able to make it work with David.
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Barbara driving the bus reminds me of this music video:
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I like many elements of this story and wish I liked it more, but it just doesn’t linger in my memory or stick out as enjoyable. Susan’s departure is excellent and iconic of course, the first episode has a lovely air of mystery and build up to the Dalek reveal, and there is some lovely Dalek scenes and imagery from this story. And Susan’s ‘I eat’ line is also amazing. But most of the rest of it is a blur for me and I’d say it’s my least favourite First Doctor Dalek story.
I have the Target novelisation so may give that a read soon to see if it improves my opinion of this story at all.
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I’ve always enjoyed the incidental music of this story particularly the drum beat.
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I’ll be watching this video from the excellent Dalek 63-88 later:
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And this one - an interview with director Richard Martin and Slyther himself Nick Evans:
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The use of drums in the story was excellent. Actually, you are very right about the music generally. Some superb stuff that really accentuated the bleak atmosphere at times!
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