Probably because it slows the story down and if you watch it with modern eyes the story is slow to start with. I think that a lot of people see this as their second classic story and I think it benefits from getting to know the format of classic Who.
8 Likes
No. The cave bits are still as boring as ever, even after I’ve seen the rest of Classic. And I’ve watched The Daleks three times!
9 Likes
Slows the story down!!! But it’s hugely vital to that section. Antodus doesn’t want to go on the trek but is more or less forced into it by Ganatus who, let’s face it, is just trying to show off to Barbara. Antodus’s fear throughout is palpable and then for him to sacrifice himself to save Ian, someone who he barely knows and was instrumental in forcing the Thals to help the regulars fight the Daleks. It’s terrible (in a good way). These Thals die because the Doctor was a selfish git in the first episode. There may be a bit of padding but the cut down colour version lost all the nuance of the Thal characters and was the poorer for it.
10 Likes
Honestly think The Daleks is quite the underrated story. I really don’t think it drags other than episodes 5 and 6, which perhaps could have been condensed to make it a solid 6-parter instead of a 7. It’s certainly not cut 4 out of 7 parts worth slow (I pretty much refuse to watch TDIC mostly for that reason). But the atmosphere is great early on, the Daleks are cold and ruthless and fit nicely in that era of Daleks where they were more threatening because of their intelligence and planning than because they slide around shooting lasers at people (why I like the Daleks most in the 60s). I like the characters like Alydon and Ganatus. I think @deltaandthebannermen makes a good point about Antodus’s death, even if I’m not a huge fan of the cave portion of the story. Honestly, Terry Nation doesn’t even really get to his overly repetitive self until the Pertwee years, I think Daleks, Invasion, Chase, Mission, and Master Plan are all reasonably unique and distinct from each other, though a reused trope here and there is definitely present. I don’t get where people act like this is the first major hurdle to get over if watching Doctor Who in order, it’s honestly quite good imo.
11 Likes
Ben Cook certainly made me appreciate the original version of The Daleks more.
4 Likes
Oh that “escape montage” was baaaad 
4 Likes
Sometimes I just put that part of the soundtrack on and it cheers me up no matter what. It’s like parody.
4 Likes
2 Likes
The Daleks - 8/10
And here’s where it really all began, Doctor Who’s first aliens, the first alien world, the introduction of the iconic villians.
Overall, I think it’s… yeah no, I think it’s good!
I think there’s some really great stuff here. First off, as someone who’s never really cared to learn anything about the Thals, I found myself surprised by how much I enjoyed them here, their presence really humanises what could otherwise be a very alien story. I think Barbara’s growing fondness with one is a highlight of the story too. It’s also pretty interesting to compare them with the cavemen of the previous story, both more ‘primitive’ peoples, one lusting for the power of fire, one where having it all brought them to ruin. One generally acting violently and confrontationally with the TARDIS team, the other trying to help them, before even having met them.
My favourite part of this story however is the start, the building of the atmosphere and dread, landing on a dead planet, finding out that something horrific has clearly happened here and learning more as the group explore, then seeing the magnificent city in the distance. How different the city is and how empty it is at first, with that magnificant cliffhanger, Barbara through the Dalek’s eyes. It really is incredible.
Unfortunately, the rest of the serial suffers from the same problem I have with a lot of Classic Who, the story seems to drag a bit for me, and it gets a little repetitive with the TARDIS Team once again being captured multiple times in a single story. I also dont’ think this story really needed to be Seven parts (though admittedly, my ADHD doesn’t help with that).
It definitely helped that I didn’t watch this story all at once for me, and in writing this review, I think I’ve realised that I like it a lot more reflecting on the whole than I did watching any individual part.
If nothing else, it’s a piece of Doctor Who History, and it’ll always have a place for being that, the fact it holds up as an solidly entertaining story sixty years on just makes that even more deserved.
5 Likes
Will say, I think if we were rating individual parts, The Dead Planet is a solid 9 or 10/10 for me, the rest of it then brings it down somewhat after that, it’s still good don’t get me wrong, but that setup is incredible
7 Likes
I thought The Daleks was a solid serial, if a bit long. It’s the introduction of Doctor Who’s quintessential villain and I had to remind myself that this was the first time Daleks had ever appeared, so every other Dalek story grows from what is established here. The Doctor is once again a mischievous old man which I find fun to watch, because of course he would lie about the TARDIS not working just so he could look at something that intrigued him. I thought the world building of Skaro was quite neat, but too much time was spent with the Thal reiterating the same story beats over and over. Regardless, definitely formative to the show as a whole.
7 Likes
Just rewatched this a couple of weeks or so ago, and I think it holds up, albeit with some serious padding. The first half to me is excellent, but things start to go astray once they leave the city, with episodes five and six a definite dip in quality. At some point I hope to catch the colour version, but for now I’ll give this iconic story a 9/10, mainly for the incredible first four parts.
8 Likes
Liked this one way more on rewatch than I was expecting. The political commentary on post-WWII Britain still holds up, Ian and Barbara are amazing throughout, and I liked how the Thals needing to take action applied just as much to the First Doctor; this feels like a big early step towards the more heroic figure he’d become in later incarnations.
7 Likes
Now hear me out what if they where the daleks but in colour … CALL THE BBC I HAVE AN IDEA … what do you mean it’s been done
For reals tho I think this as a first outing for the daleks in general is just a little slow the daleks changing there plans every 5 mins is kinda annoying but shows there commitment to killing everything that isn’t daleks
2 Likes
I forgot about that 
3 Likes
So a few days ago, I finished reading Doctor Who and the Daleks, and I think I actually enjoy it slightly more than the televised version.
6 Likes