After a controversial season finale, you can always rely on the Daleks, the Doctor’s oldest foe, to give the audience a wonderful festive special. Chibnall just *understands* the angry pepperpots, from their fanatical devotion to their ideology and the ruthless aggression of the Dalek war force. This New Year’s, there’s only three of them, in a bottle episode, with only five characters, in a time loop, that’s also a rom-com, that’s also a sequel to Flux without being bogged down in all the baggage.
Phew. That’s a lot to cover, and Eve of the Daleks… actually accomplishes that goal very well. It’s a fun, very well paced and energetic hour of television.
The main selling point here is the time loop aspect, a common trope in science fiction but never really explored in Doctor Who before, at least not in a full story capacity. This aspect of the episode is wonderful, as every loop sees a minute be lost, so the characters have to work quickly every time, but the Daleks are also aware of the loop and changing their strategies. It’s great stuff, and director Annetta Laufer does some truly brilliant transitions between the cycles – one time has the Daleks exterminate everyone then Sarah appears for the start of the next loop – SEAMLESSLY. Brilliant filmmaking. The switch in genres is also really impressive – one sequence sees the Daleks turn off all the power so everything’s in the dark and turns into a slasher film, whilst other loops are played more for laughs. BUT, the Daleks themselves are never making jokes. They’re made fun of, their serious demeanour is used for brilliant dry humour (I AM NOT NICK!) but they’re still a threat. It’s a tough balancing act but it’s done very well, and unlike in Flux where I sometimes feel like the plot was overexplained, Eve of the Daleks assumes you’ve all seen Groundhog Day and just goes with the time loop aspect, forgoing exposition in favour of the actual story. Great stuff.
The fact that the premise does not need explaining means the story and characters can be the focus, and it’s here where Eve of the Daleks shines. Unquestionably the MVP of this episode is Aisling Bea’s Sarah, absolutely one of the best guest stars of Chibnall’s run. When she was cast in the new Home Alone reboot and she had an English accent everyone *freaked* so let me assure the people of Ireland that she has her accent this time. Don’t worry. Sarah is a fully complex three dimensional character allowed to have flaws and a personality who really carries the heart of the episode’s themes, about making mistakes, trying again, learning. Nick is also really endearing – the “I keep my ex’s stuff with me” stuff is *really weird*, but he’s an honest enough character who is very charming for the most part, apart from all that stuff about the ex-girlfriends that’s one re-write away from being an American Psycho remake. Although it does lead to a great punchline.
One common criticism of Flux – that I do agree with, to an extent – is that the nature of the storytelling prevented the three main characters from truly interacting. Dan in particular barely had any time with Thirteen! This is another issue Eve of the Daleks fixes – because we’re only in one location, there’s no subplots or extraneous material, it’s just the characters reacting to the situation and the dynamics develop from there. Dan’s decision to sacrifice himself in one loop in order for Yaz and the Doctor to escape is brilliant, as is his confrontation with the Dalek where his self-confidence comes into play. I genuinely feel like all of Chibnall’s companions have excelled at being grounded humans, and that’s been a true highlight of his run. I did think in the first half he wasn’t doing a lot but he came into his own as the narrative advanced. Yaz’s feelings for the Doctor… Well, anyone could see it coming and whilst I have complicated thoughts on the revival’s tendency to focus on relationships between the Doctor and their companions going all the way back to Rose in Series 2, let’s see it play out. It’s clear that the Doctor has deep emotional connections to their companions, and that’s led to brilliant drama in the past such as School Reunion. Chibnall’s strength is long term storytelling after all, told across multiple years.
Thirteen in this episode is in absolutely top form. Her speech about trying and failing feels so genuine because it’s not forced, and with only two episodes left we’re starting to see the character become self-reflective and acknowledging mistakes made. Thirteen is the first Doctor in a while to treat mistakes as a learning tool, not overreacting like Eleven or over-compensating like Twelve. She accepts that the situation has changed, then tries again. A great lesson to kickstart the new year. I feel like Thirteen is at her best in the smaller, character driven episodes that focus on one story, one threat and how she deals with it – which is why War of the Sontarans and Village of the Angels were the best episodes of Flux. The winning formula of this era has been “legacy monster, small cast, base under siege” or a historical, or both! Which is why the next episode looks so promising.
Sea Devils? Chinese pirates? Set in the early 19th century? You had me at “Chinese pirates” but throw in the Sea Devils, returning after 38 years, and I’m all in. If the next two specials can keep up the pace then Jodie Whittaker will have some truly excellent episodes to end on. Although all three seasons have had faults, I have enjoyed this era on the whole, and it’s the era of the revival that fits closest to how I would approach the show if I ever became showrunner, with its emphasis on huge space opera vibes, ensembles, historicals *about* history, reinforced serialisation and a slower pace. Honestly? I’m gonna miss it, because I never knew what it would throw at me.
Ben Williams' World 