101. The Daleks’ Master Plan, Part XI: The Abandoned Planet
Nice to have an episode heavy on the weirdos on the Galactic Council. But surprised it was also a Doctor Lite episode. Let’s see how they wrap this all up in Part XII! Grade B-plus
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100. The Daleks’ Master Plan, Part X: Escape Switch
I realize I shouldn’t expect total plot consistency, but it seems like the Daleks let Mavic Chen off the hook an awful lot, even when he messes up, which seems rather un-Dalek-like. As long as I’m pointing out flaws, there is unfortunate makeup on the lead Egyptian. That being said, the plot seems to be finally moving along. GRADE: B
99. The Daleks’ Master Plan, Part IX: Golden Death
After the last two, I was glad to get back to a more traditional setting and storyline for a Doctor Who episode. The setting on this one was interesting. To this point, most of the episodes taking place in Earth history were pure historicals and didn’t also involve aliens. But throwing the Daleks, the Monk, and ancient Egyptians in there made for an interesting change of pace. Loose Cannon does a nice job with the reconstructions, but I am looking forward to seeing a surviving episode for part ten. GRADE: B-Plus
98. The Daleks’ Master Plan, Part VIII: Volcano
This story did not need to be 12 episodes long. I understand “The Feast of Steven” was a Christmas-related aberration, but following it with story is painful. The writers clearly had time to burn, so they stuck in a cricket match and an unrelated volcano planet that had nothing to do with the story. I wasn’t expecting to see the Monk again and was pleasantly surprised, but it wasn’t enough to salvage this episode. GRADE: C
97. The Daleks’ Master Plan, Part VII: The Feast of Steven
From listening to various podcasts, I knew this episode had a reputation of some sort – I assumed for not being good. I didn’t know the details, though, so I decided just to watch it cold without doing any research beforehand. Well, it’s definitely not good, offensive at times, disjointed, and completely irrelevant to the whole Dalek story. But I found myself so confused by what was happening – the lack of surviving video definitely didn’t add clarity, in spite of Loose Cannon’s best efforts at reconstructing it – that I at least wasn’t bored. Not “not bored” enough to give it an A or anything, but at least not looking at my watch or getting an early start at putting together my grocery list. But Terry Nation probably shouldn’t do comedy. Grade: D or B?
96. The Daleks’ Master Plan, Part VI: Coronas of the Sun
If there were either coronas or suns involved in this episode, I missed them. Also, the physics of Steven’s force field seem ... contradictory. It can stop the Daleks’ weapon, but there’s no problem handing objects across it. That being said, I like the Black Dalek’s line “You make your incompetence sound like an achievement,” even though you’d think a Dalek would just exterminate someone rather than issue a sick burn. But at the risk of getting political, that could be a motto for a lot of things in 2025. Grade: B
95. The Daleks’ Master Plan, Part V: Counter Plot
Nice to have a surviving episode, although the dudes working in the lab had horrible haircuts. The molecular dissemination gave me Phantom Zone vibes. Grade: B