Watched episode 3.
The first half of the episode was strangely forgettable. I would assume that in a novelization or even a synopsis, the story told would make a better impression. The implementation in the episode just really did not click. Neither positive nor negative. Forgettable.
The second half (around minute 12) starts with really good acting on Carole Ann Ford’s part. The scene: Susan wants to flee and argues with David about it. David is adamant to stay and free his planet. In itself, not bad, but there is a split-second in this scene that’s, in my humble opinion, just brilliant: Susan giving David a look that says, it sparked. I’m quite sure I’ve had this look two or three times in my lifetime and am able to absolutely empathize. Yes, such a split second is absolutely enough to go from not loving a person to being deeply in love. No matter how much time one spends with the person before. At least for people like me and, as it seems, also the character of Susan. The brilliance in Carole Ann’s acting is in conveying this in a split second only through body language and the way she looks. On the same note, the later scene with her grandfather and David, when they decide to go north, is much more hamstrung.
It also gets cinematic again, with Barbara, Jenny, and Dortmun rushing through London. In itself, brilliant but also in too big a contrast to the rest of the episode. It does not quite fit, I feel.
Dortmun’s sacrifice I hesitate to call heroic. On first glance, more a case of “especially intelligent people sometimes do stupid things”. Thinking about it, I assume there was a complex net of reasons at work. Probably things like survivor’s guilt after having sent his people to a slaughter combined with the engineer’s/scientist’s hubris, always thinking one has something nearly figured out (in this case his bomb, if I am not mistaken it did not work?), the thought of releasing Barbara from the responsibility for him, etc. I do not think that complex net was shown in the episode (and understand, that would have been a real masterstroke to do so in the limited time). Maybe I do have to read the novelization. 
All in all, even with the brilliant scenes and moments mentioned, I’d say a very middle-of-the-road episode as a whole.
If it was clearer what was actually happening in the fight scenes with Dortmun’s bombs, I think this story would be basically perfect
Watched episode 4.
An all-around fine, high-quality episode.
Barbara driving through the Dalek blockade did not register as quite as epic for me as it did for others. However, in all her scenes, she gets the opportunity to show what a strong person she is, and Jacqueline Hill portrays that brilliantly.
One scene stood out for me: when Susan, with sparkling eyes, talks about rebuilding a world. At that moment, she probably has an over-romanticized notion of how brilliant that would be. And understandably so, as she is young. I think, combined with her falling in love with David in the episode before, this settles her later decision to stay on Earth
Watched episode 5 & 6
Episode 5 is very similar to Episode 4 in that it is an all-around fine, high-quality episode. After the profiteer from the last episode, we now have two collaborators selling out Barbara and Jenny. The storyline following Barbara and Jenny remains strong and well-executed. Susan’s ‘romance’ gets a little bit of development, but there’s nothing exceptional to say about her and the Doctor’s party. Ian and Larry escape death by a monster only to be tragically confronted by Larry’s brainwashed brother. The tragic fight between the two brothers, presented the way it was, did not really register as tragic as it should have, imho. Still, solid stuff
Episode 6 is the grand finale, featuring the big fight at the end of the story, but it just doesn’t really work for me. Of course, the possibilities for televising the overthrowing of the Daleks were limited back then. However, I also think it’s here where it becomes especially visible that this is a kids’ show. I’m quite sure that as a kid, I would have cheered. Now, as an adult, it just doesn’t quite work. It’s not bad, but also not really good.
But Episode 6 also contains the farewell for Susan. For me, whether the scene registers as good or bad hinges entirely on her having the chance to make her own decision.
Did she make her own decision? Without her telling David how much she loves him and the superb acting on Carole Ann Ford’s part in that moment, I’d say no. Even with that it’s still a little ambiguous if her grandfather decided for her. And what a decision — to leave her on a ruined planet with, the doctors speech notwithstanding, no way to get back to her other than by chance.
What I do like is the closing of the loop to the very first episode of Doctor Who. In one of the versions, the whole adventure starts because the Doctor feared losing Susan. That was the reason for activating the TARDIS and thereby kidnapping Ian and Barbara. Now the character has grown, does not trick Susan into traveling further with him, and accepts her leaving. Good stuff (and as mentioned, it would be even better if Susan had more clearly said that she wants to leave).
Overall, I do think “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” is a really strong story. It’s well worth six episodes, even though there were some slow parts.
However, I got the impression that this was more due to the limited possibilities for showing exciting fights, with the makers of the show nonetheless trying to include such action.
I would imagine a retelling with modern possibilities could easily be a mini-series like “The Flux” (so even slightly longer runtime) without having pacing problems or getting boring.
4/5 for the serial as a whole.
The Story is a tricky one for me. I never really was big on it, but yet the more I think about it, the more I liked. Nation peaked with his early Dalek Stories for me all stellar script, which sadly I can’t say about some certain later scripts for him, but we are far away from those. Honestly, many already pointed some great parts of that Story out, like @sircarolyn did with his Ambition and Bleakness. Like many others, I am not too keen on the romance. In many ways, this is for sure the first definitive Dalek Story, dare I say the definitive for this Doctor. (Not my favorite but definitive one? Yes, big yes.) I’d really love how we see that Hartnells Doctor turns pretty much into a Hero in this Story, sure he had lots of heroic moments in the other serial, but this one is the one that basically makes sure that this path is much more closer. I love the road trip elements of this Serial. Furthermore, I love the remaining Humans being so desperate of survival and some will stand together while others don’t is so lovely. I will say unlike the first Dalek this is pretty much the Dalek Serial for One and Susan, although both Ian and Barbara are stellar. No wonder why this is a classic! Such well-done and love love the Location Filming. Oh and the Robomen are very nice Concept, I’d love them, shame that they didnt appear much again in later Stories, then again the Cybermen feel like a much more polished version of that Concept.
What a way for the Daleks to return and kick us into Dalekmania!
I really enjoy this one. It’s a strong story in a season with other strong serials.
This really feels like an epic. We have different groups having their own adventures that all give you a combined sense of what the world has become. They each have their own fleshed out story that works for me. The writing is solid, which is rare for me to say about Terry Nation.
The Susan exist is a bit abrupt, but when you think back it has been seeded in the later half of the serial. It doesn’t feel cheap.
I give this a 4.5/5 and a ‘Favourite’.
I feel that I really need to rewatch this story, when I watched it the first time I was unimpressed, however it was also the second First Doctor story I had seen fully (I had bought the Season 2 Collection set so I allowed myself to go out of order some) so I feel like I hadn’t adjusted myself to the pacing of 1’s stories yet.
Just for good measure - watched Dalek’s Invasion Earth 2150.
In my opinion, the movie is a lesser version of the story in nearly all aspects.
One thing I found especially astonishing is that the implementation of the Robomen idea is actually worse than in the original. In the original, the headdresses were really flimsy, making it hard to believe the slow, zombie-like Robomen were a threat. However, they did contribute to the bleak, desperate atmosphere of the setting.
In the movie, they are just men with biker helmets with integrated radios. Well, they aren’t, but they feel like it. Of all the things, I did not expect to appreciate the original Robomen more after watching the movie.
PS: Some very cool visuals in the movie.
It’s also seeded a bit in The Sensorites where it’s acknowleged that Susan is growing up and gaining independence from the Doctor (so it’s a shame Dennis Spooner decides to write her as a simpering wreck in The Reign of Terror).
You are spot on. There’s a flashy superficiality to the movie that just doesn’t bear scrutiny like the superior serial. It’s fun but ultimately unsatisfying. The TV episodes come across as so much richer, deeper and more atmospheric to me.
This was definitely the bleakest story yet. Plus I’m afraid for me it has dated really badly - I just found it impossible to believe that this was meant to be set in London in the late 22nd century.
There was no attempt at depicting futuristic skylines at all - of course they could not know in the 1960’s that Battersea Power Station’s days were numbered, but it really jarred to see it here - but this was very much 1960’s London just laid to waste, instead of the remains of a futuristic city like you’d expect.
IMO it would have worked better if they’d set it in the near future, such as the 1990’s.
On the plus side, there were some great cliffhangers, although the resolution to the one with Ian in the bomb shaft did stretch credulity to breaking point - especially the way he seemed to take it all in his stride!|
I didn’t have a problem with the Susan-David romance - it was & still is legal in England for a girl to get married at 16 with the consent of the parent or guardian, which she clearly had, & if she really was 15 in Marco Polo she could well have turned 16 by now, or be about to. Also, in the 1960’s age-gap romances like this would have been perfectly socially acceptable.
This very much felt like one of the possible inspirations for Survivors a decade later.
Meant to watch this for EDA s4 context. Finished episode 1 and got distracted by a youtube notification. Meant to go back and watch the rest, haven’t yet. Oh 60’s Who.
Actually went and rewatched this since at this point it feels like some doctor who just blurs together in my brain.
I think it’s a really great story, though far from perfect. One thing that struck me was all the different characters! There are so many in here and they have such distinct characters that it really feels like a whole world.
I loved Barbara here, especially when she’s using all her history knowledge. Ian’s parts I liked less, they were boring or overly complicated I found.
Susan’s goodbye is beautiful and really portrays the way she and the doctor feel about it quite well I think. Susan is obviously conflicted, not surprising considering the situation, it sort reminds me how I felt with leaving to uni and finishing school. The doctor at the same time seems to rather suddenly accept the reality of it that’s been coming for a while, and deals with it rather extremely though very much in character. It’s tragic how he seems to be unable to let Susan go slowly or even say goodbye to her face (or at least leave her with two shoes).
Watched this as part of my rewatch! I really like this story. I think that the setting is amazing and it is the perfect sequel to Dalek. It just feels bigger and better. I also love how they manage time in this story. It really feels like a long adventure.
In a better world I think Susan would have made her own choice to leave but I think that this ending to her arc works. It is just crazy that no showrunner has brought her back in a real way. Well maybe next year!
Just finished this for the first time as I’m going through classic who. Not a bad serial but I’m not a huge fan honestly. I feel like the first three episodes started off very strongly, the daleks felt scary and the rebel team were engaging side characters. But unfortunately I feel like the story slowed right down during episodes 4 and 5 for the characters to split up and head to the mines, and so the payoff in episode 6 felt slightly cheap in comparison to the drama in the first 3 episodes.
And I can’t enjoy the manner in which Susan was left behind. For me it came so suddenly, it didn’t seem justified for the doctor to think it was somehow the best thing for Susan, and simply cold hearted to not even say goodbye to her face and take the choice away from her.
It was wonderful to see more filming on location rather than everything being on sets in this serial, and to hear the daleks say exterminate for the first time. It has some brilliant moments but ultimately falls slightly flat for me.
I think people have said this before, and I’ve probably defended it before, but it isn’t cold-hearted at all. If anything, the Doctor is sacrificing his own feelings for Susan. He knows that she’d never choose to leave him even for the best of reasons. He has seen her affection for David grow over the story and realises this is an opportunity for Susan to take a chance at a ‘normal’ life. (Forget about the differences between human and Time Lord genetics because, god knows, the production team and script writers definitely forgot Susan wasn’t a teenage girl…)
He also remembers how happy Susan was in London, 1963 so knows that, ultimately, she does was to settle in one place and one time. He has to make the choice for her because otherwise she’d just carry on travelling with him to the detriment of her own life and feelings.