"The Waking Ally" - Season 2, Episode 50

Written by Terry Nation | Directed by Richard Martin | Produced by Verity Lambert | Original air date 12/19/64

Alright, this is definitely one of the best Hartnell serials, especially viewed in context with the rest of them. Having seen this serial in order with the rest, and not in isolation as my first taste of a First Doctor story, I can really appreciate what it brings to the table.

First of all, it is daft. Throughout the first season, there was some sort of attempt to make the show educational in some way - not always, and it wasn't the entire point of the show, but it was there. The educational remit rears its head occasionally after this, but I don't even see the point after airing this episode. Aliens invading earth is far-fetched enough - but the reason the Daleks are doing it is to hollow out the Earth and pilot it around the universe. This is the weirdest plot ever - the Daleks already have spaceships! Why make a giant Earth-shaped one? Is it just sheer hubris? The Doctor seems to think so, but how he figured out the Daleks are doing anything of the sort is beyond me (perhaps it's explained in the next episode - kidding, it won't be). Maybe the Doctor is already aware that given the right circumstances, a TARDIS can tow a planet - or twenty-two - through space, like his tenth incarnation will do eventually. Or, Terry Nation is a charmingly lazy writer who doesn't give a flip about scientific accuracy.

There's a lot to talk about in this episode, actually. The Doctor points out how against violence he is again - when David goes to kill one of the Robomen they just overpowered, the Doctor stops him and says "I never take life unless my own is immediately threatened." This... isn't always the case, but the Doctor's morality has evolved since An Unearthly Child (it could be argued that he was going to kill the caveman to save himself, there, but his life was not "immediately threatened," so I don't count it).

Nation continues to sell how bad it is for humans on Earth by having Barbara and Jenny sold out to the Daleks by two women they happen across while looking for shelter for the night. The women take the food from their backpack, sit them down, and one of them goes to get the Daleks. The older woman justifies this by saying they'd have eventually been caught by the Daleks anyway, and turning them in meant the Daleks gave the two women food (in case you're wondering why the Daleks don't take these two women, apparently they make clothes for the men at the mine, and the Daleks find it easier to just give them food then make them Robowomen, I guess).

The men and women working at the mine are hurt, tired, and weak, too, as we see when Ian and Larry watch from a hiding place. They stumble in, many holding each other as they do so, dirty, skinny, and dressed in rags. The Daleks are an awful invader. We get a tragic scene as Larry recognizes his brother Phil who had been turned into a Roboman - and when he tries to snap him out of it, Phil shoots him. As Larry falls on and dies on Phil, the Robomen helmet falls off Phil's head and he recognizes his brother, saying his name, before he, too, dies. It's a quick scene, and it's very well done and sad.

Elsewhere, though, Susan's having a grand old time. David brings a fish in from offscreen and tries to startle Susan with it - she tackles him and they wrestle for a bit, clearly flirting. The actually kiss for a second, too - before the Doctor returns from wherever he was and they break apart, embarrassed. It's unclear if the Doctor saw them kissing, yet.

Barbara is awesome in this serial. She tells the Daleks she has the plans that will be used in a rebellion against the Daleks, and hands them Dortmun's acid bomb plans in the hopes that they'll take her to the Supreme Dalek.

To cap off the episode, we learn about "Project Degravitate," the plan to drive the Earth around like a spaceship I outlined above. Ian, listening in what looks like some weird piece of semi-hollow Dalek furniture, is surprised to learn that he's actually in the capsule that will explode to open the final shaft to the Earth's core. And he got locked inside it! Whoops. It's a bit cheesy and contrived for this to happen, but it's enjoyable enough. Ridiculous as this serial is, I can see why it got made into a movie...

"Doctor Who" puns so far: 2 | Tomorrow: "Flashpoint"