Daleks in Manhattan (2904/304)

[Reefgirl]

I also had problems with Black man serving in the army and being the 'leader' of Hooverville, 1930 was only 65 years after the civil war ended and yes I know New York is in the North but attitudes hadn't changed that far that quickly, surely?

[ShadowMaat]

I thought they used the builder guy because he thinks like a Dalek.

Did anyone else pick up on the echo between the Daleks and the Doctor? In the scene where the Dalek's looking out over the city, it makes some complaint about how humanity always survives while the Daleks suffer (or something to that effect.

In a later scene the Doctor vents about how the Daleks always survive while he's left with nothing.

Thought it was interesting how they see things.

[Anubis69]

I think this whole story arc hinges on whatever the fudge the Daleks are doing with The Empire State Building. If it turns out to be some death ray that turns everyone into those really suave pin-stripe suited weirdos then it would be absolutely fabulous! But ridiculous. I hope there's some more depth to it than that.

I agree with whoever said that the Dalek dialogue was lacking. It was just generic bad-guy talk. And not even particularly menacing at that.

(I apologise about the fashion comment(s), but I couldn't resist a couple of those gags. Come on, an alien cyclops... in a suit? Only in Doctor Who.)

Daleks in Manhattan, Evolution of the Daleks... The Daleks Wear Prada?

[Commander Ivanova]

Daleks in Manhattan, Evolution of the Daleks... The Daleks Wear Prada?

Now that WOULD be progress, LOL!

[Jenn Calaelen]

I think part of the problem with the episode was the fact that they put the Daleks in the preview of the episode. It would have been far more interesting to keep them as a suprise as there didn't really seem to be much in the episode that had not been shown in the preview.
It had some good moments, but was the first episode this season that I didn't want to watch again, having seen it for the first time.

[jonno]

Yeah - it was a bit of a disappointment - slightly less than a standard episode, but compounded because it was a dalek ep, which we expect to be the best.

I don't think there was even an 'EX-TER-MIN-ATE' in the entire episode...

[Jenn Calaelen]

I don't think there was even an 'EX-TER-MIN-ATE' in the entire episode...

I'm pretty certain that there wasn't. I hadn't thought of it at the time!

[Pitry]

I thought they used the builder guy because he thinks like a Dalek.

Did anyone else pick up on the echo between the Daleks and the Doctor? In the scene where the Dalek's looking out over the city, it makes some complaint about how humanity always survives while the Daleks suffer (or something to that effect.

In a later scene the Doctor vents about how the Daleks always survive while he's left with nothing.

Thought it was interesting how they see things.

Actually I felt there was a differnet parallel - the Dalek going on about his homeowrld being destroyed in the Time War. Reminds me of someone...

[Commander Ivanova]

I think part of the problem with the episode was the fact that they put the Daleks in the preview of the episode.

The title was a bit of a giveaway too, LOL, does what it says on the tin!

[Willow'sCat]

The title was a bit of a giveaway too, LOL, does what it says on the tin!

LOL! That was my thought.

And back to the guy (the builder guy) being used. I understand the base reason being he has a ruthless streak (and as I said power, greed and all that) but The Doctor said it himself The Daleks are intelligent, they should (if only to make them more menacing) be smart enough to go on more then just a "rant" from a human. It may have been why they used him but it makes The Daleks look stupid and impulsive which I don't think they are.

If they had added a line about needing to do this now, because "such and such" a time was coming (made it super urgent) then I could buy it, but other then the usual urgency of these things it seemed like the same old same old.

*yes I know the tower thing needed to be completed urgently but we get no indication that they both linked*

[Madeleine]

I thought this was a real mix of good and bad. It semed very jumbled. The script and the look of the piece were fine, and the concept of a human-dalek hybrid is a great next step for the pepperpots, but somehow the episode just didn't seem right.

Then I read -

Helen Raynor... was given this shopping list by Davies: "New York 1030s, Pig Men, sewers, showgirls, the empire State Building - and Daleks."

- and all became clear. I'm sorry, I know little about TV scripts so it may be commonplace for the show runner to hand out shopping lists, but it seems to me a naff way to go about things: you start with a bunch of disparate things and have to tie them together in a way that may be contrived or it may be ineffective, but is certainly artificial.

And although this 'evolution' is a good idea for how to use the Daleks, they are definitely getting overused.

[Pitry]

It sounded to me tho as if that's the way RTD dopes with all the writers who aren't him - DW doesn't have a regular writing staff (other than RTD), does it?
I think it's uncommon for television but common for Doctor who.

[Madeleine]

Oh. Maybe other writers are better at it, or maybe other lists are more easy to mesh, or maybe this one just wasn't suited so well to my tastes.

The sproggies loved it, anyway.

[Asthaloth]

My Theory;
Sek activates the Dalekeium enhanced tower, turning several humans into Huleks, and flees into time to be encountered next series.
They always survive afterall, and Three Daleks and a Hulek isn't really going to be doing too much damage by themselves...
Well okay, the Emperor messed thing's up nicely, but Doomsday doesn't count as they had the Prison ship there.

[RDFXapollo]

The americans sounded very funny *giggles* and I think I might be the only on ehow thought it but didn't the human darlek look like davi jones out pirates of the caribeen.
It isn't the best darlek storyline but I have to say it was a very well written episode