Review: Doctor Who "Into the Dalek"

Doctor Who

"Into the Dalek"

The second adventure in season eight deals mostly with the most feared and hated of the Doctor's enemies, the Daleks. It also introduces a new character Danny Pink. But beyond that, it's a critical episode for understanding the new Doctor, who tries to come to terms with who he is - or perhaps who he wants to be.

Meet Rusty, the good Dalek. Or is he? This episode focuses most on the duality of life. Are things inherently evil or inherently good? And if so, can someone change from one to the other. Does being alive automatically subject you to the labels of good and evil? 

The Doctor, after rescuing a soldier from near death, ends up aboard a vessel that has a single Dalek in their care. A Dalek who wants to destroy all Daleks. The Doctor, ever skeptical, retrieves Clara to help him in this scenario. Can a Dalek be good. It turns out that this Dalek is suffering from an internal radiation leak, which in turn is allowing suppressed memories to surface. A particular memory, a star being born, allows Rusty to see that life is eternal and forever, therefore making the prime directive of the Daleks obsolete.

The Doctor and friends shrink and travel inside Rusty to fix this internal hemorrhage of sorts. They battle Dalek antibodies, little floating eyes that destroy whom ever they deem a threat. One of the people they destroy gives her life for the Doctor and ends up in heaven with the mysterious woman from the first episode. The story arc continues.

The Doctor however goes through another test. He attempts to remind Rusty, whom after being fixed returns to its murderous ways, about the star being born and all the beauty in the galaxy by directly linking his own memories with Rusty's. However, this plan doesn't quite work. Rusty sees beauty  in the Doctor's memories, but also hatred. Hatred of the Daleks. A mirror has been put in front of the Doctor and he does not like what he sees. 

Clara in this episode serves an important function. She shows the Doctor what he cannot see. She allows him to discover things about himself by just simply asking a question. In essence, she fulfills the part of the Doctor that appears to be missing. Making him a whole man. 

Final Thoughts:

I think it was a nice idea to allow a Dalek to be the mirror for the Doctor. It allowed him to see what he sometimes overlooks - that through the goodness and the light, there is also dark.