"
Evolution of the Daleks" is an
episode of the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
science fiction television series
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien time-traveller known as "the Doctor" who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box...
. It was first broadcast on
BBC One
on 28 April 2007, and is the fifth episode of Series 3 of the revived
Doctor Who series. It is the conclusion of the two-part story begun in "
Daleks in Manhattan"Daleks in Manhattan" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 21 April 2007, and is the fourth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It is part one of a two-part story, concluded in "Evolution of the Daleks"...
". According to the
BARBBarb may refer to:* A backward-facing point on a fish hook or similar implement, rendering extraction from the victim's flesh more difficult* wind barbs for each station on a map of reported weather conditions...
figures this episode was seen by 6.97 million viewers and was the seventeenth most popular broadcast on British television in that week.
"
Evolution of the Daleks" is an
episode of the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
science fiction television series
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien time-traveller known as "the Doctor" who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box...
. It was first broadcast on
BBC One
on 28 April 2007, and is the fifth episode of Series 3 of the revived
Doctor Who series. It is the conclusion of the two-part story begun in "
Daleks in Manhattan"Daleks in Manhattan" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 21 April 2007, and is the fourth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It is part one of a two-part story, concluded in "Evolution of the Daleks"...
". According to the
BARBBarb may refer to:* A backward-facing point on a fish hook or similar implement, rendering extraction from the victim's flesh more difficult* wind barbs for each station on a map of reported weather conditions...
figures this episode was seen by 6.97 million viewers and was the seventeenth most popular broadcast on British television in that week. The story is set in New York City in 1930.
Synopsis
The
Cult of SkaroThe Cult of Skaro was an elite order of Daleks from the television series Doctor Who, and the first individual Daleks whose recurring nature has been explicit...
's plan is in full force. Dalek Sec is reborn in a half-human form, and the Pig Slaves launch an enormous assault upon the Central Park
HoovervilleA Hooverville was the popular name for shanty towns built by homeless people during the Great Depression. They were named after the President at the time, Herbert Hoover, because he allegedly let the nation slide into depression. The term was coined by Charles Michelson, publicity chief of the...
along with the remaining pure Daleks.
The DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the fictional character known as the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who replaced Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor in the 2005 series finale, "The Parting of...
,
MarthaDr Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler in the primary companion role...
, Solomon and the others must fight for their lives, while the future of humans and Daleks alike is being decided underneath the
Empire State BuildingThe Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark Art Deco skyscraper in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion...
.
Plot
After the creation of the hybrid Human-Dalek Sec,
The DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the fictional character known as the Doctor seen on screen in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who replaced Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor in the 2005 series finale, "The Parting of...
,
MarthaDr Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler in the primary companion role...
, Frank, Laszlo, and the other human captives manage to escape when the Doctor uses his
sonic screwdriverThe sonic screwdriver is a fictional tool in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Its most common function is to operate virtually any lock, mechanical or electronic. It has also been used for repairing equipment, and as a weapon...
to cause a nearby radio to emit a high-pitched frequency. Daleks Jast and Caan give chase, but confer amongst themselves concern over Sec's plan. The Doctor and Martha meet up later with Tallulah, Laszlo and Frank, and make their way back to
HoovervilleA Hooverville was the popular name for shanty towns built by homeless people during the Great Depression. They were named after the President at the time, Herbert Hoover, because he allegedly let the nation slide into depression. The term was coined by Charles Michelson, publicity chief of the...
. The Doctor warns Solomon about the Daleks and they are seeking out more human subjects, but Solomon believes he can reason with them. As the Daleks and their Pig Slaves attack, Solomon is exterminated by Dalek Caan. The Doctor, angered by Solomon's death, tells Caan to kill him as well, but Sec orders them to bring the Doctor in. Martha tries to go as well, but the Doctor makes her stay behind, giving her his psychic paper as he, along with Laszlo, leaves with the Daleks.
At the Dalek lab at the
Empire State BuildingThe Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark Art Deco skyscraper in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. It stood as the world's tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion...
, the Doctor learns that Dalek Sec's plan is to continue the Dalek race by injecting humans of high intelligence with a mix of human and Dalek
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
, allowing their minds to be programmed as Daleks. However, as the task requires more energy than the human technology of 1930 can produce, Dalek Sec plans to use gamma strike from a solar flare that will occur within minutes, and forces the Doctor to help him finalise the energy system. As Sec announces that he plans to rid the intention of Dalek supremacy from these new beings, Jast and Caan believe Sec is a traitor to their race, and stage a mutiny, changing the DNA mix being fed into the humans into that of pure Dalek. The Doctor and Laszlo manage to escape during the chaos, heading for the top floors of the building. They manage to meet Martha, Tallulah, and Frank, who had used the psychic paper to gain entry from the building's human guards. After a brief reunion, they begin to search the blueprints of the building to learn how Sec planned to collect the gamma strike energy. Martha discovers the "Dalekanium" panels on the mast of the Empire State Building, and the Doctor quickly climbs up to dismount them, warning Martha of the Daleks and their Pig Slaves following them. As the Doctor struggles to remove the panels, Martha, with the help of the others, rigs several pieces of metal from the framework of the building into the elevator, acting as a long conductor of electricity when the gamma strike hits. Though Martha is successful and electrocutes the Pig Slaves in the elevator, the Doctor fails to remove the panels in time and instead grips the mast as the strike hits. The energy transfers into the human-Dalek shells and awakens the Dalek's new army.
Martha and the others recover the Doctor, and they flee to Tallulah's theater, with the human Dalek army following them in the sewers. As they are surrounded by the human Dalek army, they find that Dalek Thay and Jast have Sec in chains. As the two prepare to exterminate the Doctor, Sec tries to reason with them and then steps in the way of their blaster fire, sacrificing himself to save the Doctor. The Daleks order their army to kill the Doctor, but find that the humans are resisting; the Doctor, by exposing himself to the gamma strike, caused some of his
Time LordThe Time Lords are a fictional extraterrestrial race and civilization in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' main character, the Doctor, is a member...
DNA to transfer to the human shells and give them freedom from Dalek control. The human Dalek army turn on Thay and Jast, killing them, but Dalek Caan, watching from the Empire State Building, activates a termination sequence and kills the rest of the army. The Doctor returns to the Dalek lab to face Caan, offering mercy and aid, but instead the Dalek escapes via his emergency temporal shift. As the Doctor regroups with the others, Laszlo begins to die, due to his partial transformation as a Pig Slave. The Doctor however, finds a cure to stabilise his condition, although it will not restore his human appearance. Laszlo and Tallulah are reunited, and learn from Frank that the people of Hooverville will take Laszlo in despite his looks. The Doctor and Martha finally return to Liberty Island and the Tardis, where the Doctor muses that there is to be yet another confrontation with the Daleks in their future.
Continuity
- The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver
The sonic screwdriver is a fictional tool in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Its most common function is to operate virtually any lock, mechanical or electronic. It has also been used for repairing equipment, and as a weapon...
in conjunction with a wireless radio to emit a high-pitched shriek that temporarily paralyses the Daleks and the Pig Slaves, facilitating an escape. Previously, in The Runaway Bride"The Runaway Bride" is a special episode of the long running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor...
, he used the screwdriver in conjunction with a wedding DJ's sound system to deactivate the Robot Santas.
- In "Smith and Jones
"Smith and Jones" is the first episode of the third series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 March 2007. It sees the debut of Freema Agyeman as new companion Martha Jones...
", the Doctor referred to his having received an electric shock when helping Benjamin FranklinBenjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, soldier, and diplomat...
fly his kite. In this episode, he again proves resilient to high levels of electrical current. This ability was also demonstrated in Terror of the ZygonsTerror of the Zygons is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 August to 20 September 1975...
, World War Three"World War Three" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on April 23, 2005. It is the second of a two-part story...
, Genesis of the DaleksGenesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from March 8 to April 12, 1975...
and the audio stories Spare Parts.Spare Parts is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.Spare Parts was partially adapted into the television episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel" although, in actuality, the two stories bear little...
and Blood of the DaleksBlood of the Daleks is an audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was produced by Big Finish Productions; the first of two 50-minute parts was broadcast on BBC 7 on 31 December 2006, and the second was aired on 7 January 2007...
.
- When hurrying to the vaudeville theatre, The Doctor says "Allons-y"; the second time he uses the catchphrase after Army of Ghosts
"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was first broadcast on 1 July 2006...
.
- The idea of humans being the "great survivors" re-surfaced in "Utopia
"Utopia" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 16 June 2007 and is the eleventh episode of series three of the revived Doctor Who series...
".
Daleks
- This is the first episode to use the familiar "_____ of the Daleks" titling scheme since 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 5 to October 26, 1988...
. The scheme was started on screen with The Power of the DaleksThe Power of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 5 November to 10 December 1966...
in 1966, although the earlier The Dalek Invasion of EarthThe Dalek Invasion of Earth is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from November 21 to December 26, 1964....
(which had no onscreen title) had The Return of the Daleks as a working title.
- The Daleks measure time in rels, the Dalek unit of time, about equal to one second. The measurement was first introduced in the non-canonical movie Dr. Who and the Daleks
Dr. Who and the Daleks was the first of two Doctor Who films made in the 1960s. It was followed by Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D..The film features Peter Cushing as Dr...
(1965), then introduced to the TV continuity in "Doomsday"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" (2006).
- Several other Doctor Who stories have featured Daleks and human beings being combined in different ways. These include:
- The Evil of the Daleks
The Evil of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in seven weekly parts from May 20 to July 1, 1967. This serial marked the debut of Deborah Watling as the Doctor's new companion, Victoria Waterfield.Evil was initially intended to...
: humans are infused with the "Dalek Factor", and Daleks infused with the "Human Factor"
- Revelation of the Daleks
Revelation of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on March 23 and March 30 1985...
: human beings kept in suspended animationSuspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
, pending the discovery of disease cures, are instead converted into Daleks
- "Dalek
"Dalek" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 30 April 2005. It should not be confused with the first Dalek serial, The Daleks...
": a Dalek extracts human DNA to regenerate itself, and is altered in the process
- "The Parting of the Ways
"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It is the second of a two-part story. The first part, "Bad Wolf", was broadcast on 11 June...
": the Daleks in this story are all created from humans by the Dalek Emperor
- The Doctor Who Quick Reads book I am a Dalek
I am a Dalek is a BBC Books original novella written by Gareth Roberts and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Tenth Doctor and Rose. This paperback is part of the Quick Reads Initiative sponsored by the UK government, to encourage literacy...
: The Dalek Factor is added to humans in the Roman era
- At the climax of this story, the Daleks are defeated when the human/Dalek hybrids turn on them. The Daleks are similarly overthrown by their creations in The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from November 21 to December 26, 1964....
, in which the Doctor's companions turn the Robomen, humans conditioned to serve the Daleks, against their masters.
- The Daleks once again show a weakness to their own weapons, as previously seen in The Evil of the Daleks
The Evil of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in seven weekly parts from May 20 to July 1, 1967. This serial marked the debut of Deborah Watling as the Doctor's new companion, Victoria Waterfield.Evil was initially intended to...
, Planet of the DaleksPlanet of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from April 7 to May 12, 1973.-Synopsis:...
and The Five DoctorsThe Five Doctors is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, produced in celebration of the programme's twentieth anniversary...
. Daleks Thay and Jast are destroyed by a constant barrage of fire from the variant Dalek energy weapons wielded by the hybrids.
- The Daleks' creator (Davros
Davros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is responsible for the creation of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
) is mentioned for the second time since the show's return in 2005 (the first having been in "Dalek").
- Dalek Sec refers to the "emergency temporal shift" that it activated in "Doomsday", explaining that all of the Cult of Skaro escaped being sucked into the Void by this method. Dalek Caan also initiates a similar shift at the end of this episode.
- Dalekanium, referenced in this episode and "Daleks in Manhattan", was first referred to in The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from November 21 to December 26, 1964....
.
- Once again, the Daleks use a 'battle computer' to direct mass operations on Earth, as in Remembrance of the Daleks. On that occasion, it was controlled by an altered human girl; here, it is operated by a direct link to Dalek Caan.
- The Daleks state that they first attempted to reproduce themselves in New York by creating Dalek "embryos". Dalek embryo technology and an "embryo room" were previously seen in Genesis of the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from March 8 to April 12, 1975...
. The idea of Daleks being genetically replicated was previously seen in Power of the Daleks.
Production
- Some second unit
In film, the second unit is a team that shoots footage which is of lesser importance for the final motion picture, as opposed to the first unit, which shoots all scenes involving actors, or at least the stars of the film...
filming for this story was done in New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. It primarily consisted of static shots of landmarks and landscape views, many of which were digitally altered to remove architecture created since the story's setting. This constitutes the second time any filming for Doctor Who has been conducted in America. (The 1996 TV movie, although produced in Vancouver, Canada, included establishing shots of San Francisco filmed by a second unit; an earlier story, The Two DoctorsThe Two Doctors is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in three weekly parts from February 16 to March 2, 1985. It featured Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines returning to the role of the Second Doctor and Jamie, alongside Colin Baker and...
, was originally to have been filmed in New Orleans, but the budget of the time would not allow it.)
- The presence of the Daleks in this story was reported by the News of the World
The News of the World is a British tabloid newspaper published every Sunday. It is published by News Group Newspapers of News International, itself a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, and can be considered the Sunday sister paper of The Sun. The newspaper concentrates on...
on 12 November 2006, and confirmed by the BBC in late December.
Outside references
- "Happy Days Are Here Again
"Happy Days Are Here Again" is a song copyrighted in 1929 by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen and published by EMI Robbins Catalog, Inc./Advanced Music Corp...
" by Milton AgerMilton Ager was an American composer.Ager was born in Chicago, Illinois, the sixth of nine children. Leaving school with only three years of formal high-school education, he taught himself to play the piano and embarked on a career as a musician. After spending time as an accompanist to silent...
and Jack YellenJack Selig Yellen was a Jewish-American lyricist and screenwriter.Born in Poland, Yellen emigrated with his family to the United States when he was five years old. He grew up in Buffalo, New York and began writing songs in high school...
is heard on the radio.
- Martha makes a reference to the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl
The Prince and the Showgirl is a 1957 film produced at Pinewood Studios starring Marilyn Monroe and co-starring Laurence Olivier who also directed and produced it. The film was released on 13 June 1957....
starring Marilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe , born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer and model....
and Laurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century, along with his contemporaries John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson...
, adapting it to Laszlo and Tallulah's situation as "The pig and showgirl".
- When the Doctor and Martha first go to Hooverville, "Puttin' on the Ritz
"Puttin' on the Ritz" is a pop song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film Puttin' on the Ritz . The title derives from the slang expression "putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably. The expression was inspired by the...
" by Benny GoodmanBenjamin David Goodman was an American jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman"....
can be heard in the background.
- When the Doctor arrives in the lift, he says "First Floor, Perfumery", in the manner of a department store lift attendant
An elevator operator is a person specifically employed to operate a manually operated elevator...
. This method of announcing both floor and departments found thereon is also used as the basis of the theme music to the BBC situation comedyA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served? was a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the men's and women's departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John Chapman...
. Since Britons typically use the phrase "ground floor" to describe what Americans would call "the first floor", the line is an ostensible Americanisation of the Are You Being Served? theme's first verse, which begins with the words, "Ground Floor, Perfumery".
External links