WRITER: Helen Raynor DIRECTOR: James Strong
CAST: David Tennant (The Doctor), Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones), Miranda Raison (Tallulah), Laszlo (Ryan Carnes), Hugh Quarshie (Solomon), Andrew Garfield (Frank), Flik Swan (Myma), Alexis Caley (Lois), Earl Perkins (Man #1), Peter Brooke (Man #2), Ian Porter (Hybrid), Nicholas Briggs (Dalek Voices), Barnaby Edwards (Dalek Operator #1), Nicholas Pegg (Dalek Operator #2), Anthony Spargo (Dalek Operator #3), David Hankinson (Dalek Operator #4) & Paul Kasey (Hero Pig)
With Dalek Sec reborn in half-human form, the Cult Of Skaro's plan to rebuild the Dalek race begins...After last week's exposition, Helen Raynor's script now shifts into top gear and essentially becomes an extended pay-off, crammed with excitement and that easygoing flavour of adventure. The Daleks are always an enjoyable presence in the show and Evolution Of The Daleks manages to improve on the preceding episode in most respects, although it occasionally slips into melodramatics, convenient plotting and some cheesy lines.
Ian Porter does well as Dalek Sec, particularly in the staggered phrasing of his dialogue and a tendency to sound like Kif from Futurama, but he never really transcends the make-up. Likewise the silly pig men seem to be the stuff of 70s-era Doctor Who, particularly when compared to the wonderful cat make-up in Gridlock a few weeks back.
As with last week, the rest of the cast are a mix of faces there to make up the numbers. The few characters designed to resonate with viewers fail spectacularly (such as pig-faced Laszlo and shrill Tallulah) while the only successful character (Andrew Garfield's Frank) is killed off just to make a point.
David Tennant remains beyond reproach these days, beautifully balancing manic energy with stern gravitas. He even makes exclamations like "the doctor is in!" work somehow. Freema Agyeman gets a late moment of invention involving electrocuting enemies with scaffolding during a lightning storm (something you expect Rose would have needed explaining to her) but she otherwise takes a backseat.
Once again the production design and effects work are superb, save for some silly Daleks swooping about in mid-air over Hooverville. I particularly liked the sense of scope when The Doctor is shown hundreds of victims strung up the rafters of the Daleks' stronghold.
Helen Raynor's script is full of silly pseudo-science you expect from Who, particularly regarding creating Daleks inside "human shells" and the effects of a solar flare on the Empire State Building, but then again who watches Doctor Who for a science lesson?
Ultimately, this is a stronger episode than Daleks In Manhattan, primarily because all the exposition is done and everyone can just enjoy another round of The Doctor versus The Daleks. The whole Dalek-Human aspect to the story keeps your interest whenever the action becomes slightly predictable or anti-climactic (shoot-out in a theatre?), but Evolution Of The Daleks never quite reaches the heights of Doomsday or The Parting Of The Ways.
Here's hoping The Doctor's greatest enemy will return, just not for awhile yet...
