Doctor Who (2005)

Evolution of the Daleks (2)

Season 3, Episode 5, Aired 4/28/07

Episode Summary

Location: New York
Date: 1930s
Enemies: Daleks

The newly-created Dalek-human hybrid, and the other three members of the Cult of Skaro launch an attack on Hooverville, along with their Pig Slaves. The Doctor, Martha, and Frank manage to escape, but discover that the Daleks' plan involving the Empire State Building...moreless

7.9

EPISODE RATING: Good

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"Fair"
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"Terrible"
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"Abysmal"

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Cast & Crew

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Freema Agyeman

Martha Jones
David Tennant

The Tenth Doctor
David Hankinson

Dalek Operator

Fan Episode Reviews (24)

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ok I'm kinda sick of all these plot holes already. I mean I was willing to overlook them in season 1 and even season 2 but season 3 is really pushing itmoreless

6.8

"Fair"

By racxiu, Dec 05, 2010 Report Abuse

The doctor got zapped directly by lightning.he got zapped by lightning and he did not die!(last i checked the only thing that made him different from us was having two hearts and being physic and I don't see how thats going to help him survive a lightning strike) those pigmen died didn't they?wwwaaaaattt.

plus those Daleks.Your greatest enemy and you just stand there shouting "ex-ter-mi-nate!"or "he must die!" but never get round to exterminating him until something comes by to save him.*facepalm*If i were a Dalek I would zap him the moment I saw him no questions asked.

Other than that there were the usual minor plot holes here and there

and Doctor!I love you and all but..who are you to tell people not to commit genocide?How many races of people have you wiped out already?and mind you leaving one sole survivor of the species still counts as genocide.Ok i know you do it because you have no choice and its for the greater good but THE WAY you tell the Daleks not to..I mean its not like you haven't done it

Moving on, I found this two-parter quite predictable.Both story wise and dialog wise.Perhaps the writers made the twists too obvious.(example:its called "Daleks in Manhattan"Who would have guessed the Daleks were masterminding everything?) And at some points I would think of someone's response and the next moment, that person would say something along those lines.

mmph I really want to like the show..but episodes like this make me embarrassed to do so.moreless

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4 4
The worst Dalek episode in the show's long history, and by far the worst two episodes of the new series.

1.1

"Abysmal"

By joeytwintail, Jun 28, 2010 Report Abuse

What a waste. I was hoping that maybe (somehow) 'Evolution' would pull together some of the half-assed ideas presented in 'Daleks in Manhattan.' Nope. Everyone, including the Daleks, seem like they're just going through the motions. The pig men are a just plain silly idea done poorly. They aren't scary or pathetic, just laughable. We already had a pig-man in the 1st season too, remember???? The guy turned into a half pig man is even more ludicrous and embarrassing. The New York accents are pathetic. The human-Dalek was a horrible idea with horrible execution and horrible acting. The science is bad even by Doctor Who standards. I'm really sick of the psychic paper as a plot crutch.. And oh wow, a Dalek escapes in the same way a Dalek escaped at the end of the last Dalek two-parter didn't see that coming! Really lazy writing. No sense of menace whatsoever. It wasn't even funny, or thought provoking, or something- just bad. Why would a burst of Gamma radiation from the sun materialize as lightning? How (other than a plot device) is the doctor's DNA transmitted through lightning into the Dalek-men? Why would the Daleks let a half formed pig man run around? Why do the Daleks keep the human-Dalek alive? Why do they keep him chained and pull him around like a puppy on a leash? If the Daleks can destroy their converted Dalek-men why do they wait until AFTER the two Daleks are blown up to do so? Etcetera, etcetera I love Doctor Who, even such unpopular episodes such as 'The Happiness Patrol', but I can't understand this mess of a story. A few more like this and I might just stop watching.moreless

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1 5
What the hell was that???

1.5

"Abysmal"

By gideon9595, Jun 28, 2010 Report Abuse

My fingers are hovering above my keyboard unsure how to find the words I need to use to describe my dissapointment at the worst peices of Doctor Who writing I have ever seen.
The human/Dalek (which even sounds stupid and unimaginative) had a terrible mask, the acting was possibly the worst I had ever seen. The 'Dalek/Humans' accent was grating and seemed so melodramatic...like something from a bad vampire movie in the 1940s.
The psychic paper popped up once again?? But it served no real purpose...it was frustrating to see precious Doctor Who TV minutes be wasted on non vital plot points that held no plot and made no point!
Heres a spolier, but it won't spoil much...after creating a new hybrid Dalek/Human that could have unleashed the BBC from Terry Nations DALEK licencing grip....they promptly kill off the character, and then let the only surviving DALEK in the universe (oh, haven't they done that already?) escape via an emergency temporal shift (oh...yeah, they did that already too).
I think I know why Russell T. Davies has been talking about leaving the show.moreless

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1 6
Really really painful to watch

2.0

"Terrible"

By october2004, Jun 28, 2010 Report Abuse

The story wasnt all that bad. What did it in for me was the acting, especailly the 1930s "New Yorkers", mainly the guy playing the human/Dalek hybrid Dalek Sect guy. Was it just me or did it seem like David Tennet wasnt really that into the episode, it seem like he didnt want to be there. Without his energy there is no Dr Who.

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1 5
The show writers leave the breadcrumbs there for future episodes. While not the best show they have done, it was nicely done in period and felt like it.

9.0

"Superb"

By QuakertownBob, Aug 10, 2007 Report Abuse

I am still at a loss to decide who I like better Rose or Martha, but she is growing on me. This two parter let Martha grow and that is good. One thing that seemed to go unnoticed is Martha was wearing jeans and of course her color. In the 1930's women seldom if ever worse pants, and no woman of color would have been accepted as an equal, including by members of her own race.
But those two minor plot glitches it was an entertaining journey into the past, with Frankenstein overtones and I was waiting for King Kong to show up. Was it a bit campy, you bet, but like all the others this episode will live on in history.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- When Tallulah looks out over the New York skyline from the top of the Empire State Building, the brightly lit crown of Chrysler Building is visible. The building was completed in May 1930, just weeks before the episode takes place. However, the lights on the spire were not added until 1981. Edit
- Toward the end, as the Doctor holds his sonic screwdriver aloft in the theatre, his body position, hand position and held light source all mirror the Statue of Liberty. Edit
- In the final scene in the episode the Statue of Liberty is shown with the all gold-leaf surface torch that was put in place in 1984. In 1930, the torch was made of glass panes mounted on a copper frame. Edit
Notes
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- International Air Dates: Australia: 28 July 2007 Canada: 15 July 2007 New Zealand: 23 September 2007 on Prime United States: 3 August 2007 Turkey: 28 November, 2010 on CNBC-e Edit
- Overnight viewing figures for this episode were 6.5 million, with a final viewing figure of 6.97 million. Edit
- This episode is in many ways a wonderful parallel to Frankenstein (1931). The episode has: The lightning giving life (a theme seen before in Doctor Who). The atmospheric lab, with bubbling chemicals and flames and an albeit more modern take on electrical arcs (the screens). The creator (in this case the Daleks) fall foul of their own creations. The music - a lot of it is reminiscent of the era, and of the old Flash Gordon style serials. The "townspeople" making a stand. The assistant being deformed (pig slaves, as opposed to a hunchback). Edit
Quotes
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- Martha: Meant to say, I'm sorry. The Doctor: What for? Martha: Just… cos that Dalek got away. I know what that means to you. Do you think you'll ever see it again? The Doctor: Oh, yes. One day. Edit
- The Doctor: (enraged at the Daleks' murder of Solomon) Daleks... ALRIGHT SO IT'S MY TURN!! THEN KILL ME!! KILL ME!! If it'll stop you attacking these people! Dalek: I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemy! The Doctor: Then do it! DO IT!! JUST DO IT!! DO IT!! Edit
- Frank: They'll give you a home, Laszlo. I mean, uh… don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. And I can't promise you'll be at peace. But, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for: people who ain't got nowhere else. Edit
Allusions
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- Martha: The pig and the showgirl! This may be a reference to the 1957 film, 'The Prince and the Showgirl' staring Marilyn Munroe as a ditzy blonde singer and Lawrence Olivier as a thoughtful but lonely Prince. Edit
- The Doctor: Allons-y The French phrase means 'let's go'. The Doctor last used this saying in 'Army of Ghosts', and in that episode mused that he should say it more often, especially if he met someone called Allonzo. Edit
- Martha: and I am telling you I'm not going. This is the title of the signature song from the play, and hit 2006 movie, Dreamgirls. The lyrics are both strongly devoted and defiant, a refusal on the part of the female lead to abandon her mentor and manager. Edit