A great collection of retro concepts, a terrific new Doctor, the DALEKS!...and yet...

BAM BAM BAM BAM Churchill BAM BAM BAM New Daleks BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM! End credits.

I really wanted to love this, I really did. Churchill, WWII, the Daleks... it’s pretty much a recipe for ultimate, beautiful success. But did it really hit the heights? I’m not sure. I’m writing this within minutes of the credits (and indeed, I’m writing and watching Confidential simultaneously) but I’d like to be on more of a high. As it turns out, I’m a bit befuddled.

I probably need to watch Victory of the Daleks again. In fact, I’m almost 100% sure I need to watch it again, at least to give it some sort of objectivity. As it stands, I’m not sure it’s a confused mess or a work of genius. Maybe for us die-hards who’ll watch it relentlessly, it’ll eventually turn out as something very special. But for your Average Joe viewer... Jeez! Did they have a fucking clue what was going on?

So here’s the problem: this episode moved far too quickly. There was so much to exploit here and it moved at such a pace you could barely keep up. There’s so much I want to like. The new Daleks looked great, there was so much to explore... but it all moved so fast it was all left behind. It was like Who on speed, and not (from a reformed speed fanatic) in a good way.

In the fast pace, performances were left behind. Last week, we got a superb Amy/Doctor interaction, but this week that was waylaid in favour of thrusting forward with a rather mad plot. Smith and Gillan were in the background, which is a bit of a shame – the plot was driving forward so quickly they were barely given any time to develop. The same goes for Ian McNeice’s Churchill, who didn’t really have any character progression and, while well played, didn’t do all that much in terms of moving the story forward.

So what are we left with? I get the feeling this was written more to drive the Doctor Who mythos forward, which is awesome... for Who fans. And yes, I need to watch it again, and maybe judge it again, but I’ve got a horrible feeling this might alienate your average Who fan. As far as Smith’s first meeting with the Daleks is concerned, I was hoping so much more.

And sure, I’m looking forward to his next (inevitable) clash with Skaro’s greatest export, but I can’t help but feel this would’ve been better as a two-parter (and I still don’t get how the Spitfires fared in space). Still, I like it just ‘cause it’s Churchill and the Daleks. Whether it’s a good, solid episode of Doctor Who? I’m not sure. Ask me in a couple of weeks.

See also:

Doctor Who: Review supplemental on Victory Of The Daleks

Doctor Who complete reviews: Victory of the Daleks

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