While the Doctor is imprisoned halfway across the universe for being what she is on Earth the sighting of a Dalek alerts Ryan, Graham and Yaz. And it was a very important alert: the first Dalek shell was supposed to be only a very efficient tool for the terran authorities, when we talk about the Daleks not even a shell emptied of all organic material can’t be something good.
Jack Robertson (Chris Noth) returns only to create other problems (the production of Dalek shells is his project and he lost its control), the captain Jack Harkness returns also to get the Doctor out of prison. Soon the Doctor and her companions find out the number of mutant Daleks is too great to handle by themselves, so she calls for help: Death Squad Daleks arrive to Earth to purge the planet of the impurities that threaten the natives.
It was an episode with action and betrayal, with victories and loses (the departure of good friends). I can’t say it’s a bad episode but I’ve watch better episodes. First, they could have insisted more on Doctor and captain Jack reunion – after a few years of departure (Torchwood ended in 2011) and a confusion in some recent episodes the two of them deserve more attention. Some people say that Torchwood could return because Jack choses to stick around (Terra, current time) for some time – for the moment it’s only a suposition but there are enough people that would be glad to become reality.
Second, the rythm for the entire episode could have been better. Some pauses look artificial, I would have moved that discussions for other moments or I would have made the episode longer (from 70 minutes to 80 or even 90 minutes).
Graham and Ryan left Doctor Who show at the end of this episode but the actors haven’t lost any time since the end of filming (I’ve read that there were cast in other projects). Yasmin (Yaz) continues her adventures with the Doctor and it’s not surprising: she missed the Time Lord the most.
Directed by Lee Haven Jones, written by Chris Chibnall with the Dalek character created by Terry Nation.
Cast: Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor), Bradley Walsh (Graham O’Brien), Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair), Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan), John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Harriet Walter (Jo Patterson), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Leo Rugazzi), Nathan Armarkwei Laryea (Armen), Helen Anderson (Rachel), Nicholas Briggs (Daleks – voice), Chris Noth (Jack Robertson).
The 13th series of new Doctor Who will be brodcast by BBC later this year, toward its end, and the Doctor will have a new companion named Dan (the comediant John Bishop). His interaction with Yaz will be interesting to watch – it’s not easy to accept a new member of the extended family after other 2 members just left.