Whosday: The Daleks' Master Plan

The Daleks have been very disppointed this Christmas, because they didn't get what they wanted.  After seeing Invader Zim and the Powerpuff Girls, the Daleks concluded that humanity is not worth totally eliminating, and instead only wanted only wanted to do serious harm to people who hurt children, people who don't flush in public restrooms, and DMVs.

In other words, a good Christmas list.

It's a shame that Christmas is a season of love, charity, peace, and goodwill toward all.

So like all with impossible Christmas lists, the Daleks only got sweaters, shirts, and underwear for Christmas.  All of which are things the Daleks have no use for.

To cheer the Daleks up, and because it's almost the New Year,  we'll skip discussion of The Chase, one of the weaker Dalek outings, and instead discuss The Daleks' Masterplan, one of the stronger Dalek stories.

Here is a story where the overall characterization of the Daleks starts resembling the depiction we know today: The Daleks now, just as they do in the Revived Series, want to take over the solar system and wipe out all life that is not Dalek while they are doing it, much like in the Revived Series.

In the way of this scheme is none other than the Doctor and his companion Steven, played by Peter Purves, whose goal is to warn others of the plots of the Daleks.  Aiding the Daleks is Mavic Chen, played by Kevin Stoney, who, despite awkward makeup, does a standup job!

Keep in mind that, getting into this, this is one of the single darkest First Doctor stories, featuring as many as two companion deaths, a record that no serial has surpassed.

Sadly, this can't be watched by simply getting Britbox or getting it on DVD, but while the video for this was largely missing, the audio was all preserved, and it is available on iTunes, with Peter Purves narrating the story.  It's great to listen to while managing social media for others or writing blog articles.