Oh, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed these older serials, especially the Second Doctor ones. Yes, they move at a snail’s pace, but there’s just a certain amount of fun to these that’s missing from later eras. It’s little things like the Doctor fetching a captured Jamie from a nearby barn. Jamie mentions that the fellow briefly holding him captive seemed to be off his rocker, only for the Doctor to just quietly say he was aware because he was listening in to the conversation before entering. This is not a physically imposing Doctor, and he doesn’t try to be.
Regardless, the outline of the Dalek plan is starting to come to light. The Daleks know that human beings always defeat them in every possible timeline for some unknown reason. Therefore, they reason there must be something about humans that can be distilled and then inserted into the Daleks, making the Daleks a more superior race than they already are, and guaranteeing their eventual victory over humanity.
They seem to think the Doctor is human, too.
OK, granted, much of the lore of what the Doctor actually was and where he came from hasn’t been created yet. The Second Doctor will finally namedrop the Time Lords in his last serial, and the planet they come from won’t be named until well after that. The fact the Doctor has two hearts comes from the Third Doctor’s era. Heck, I think the Third Doctor is also the first to mention “Gallifrey” by name. The First Doctor was acknowledged to be some kind of alien, true, and I think I recall his granddaughter describing their homeworld exactly once, but the Doctor still looks like a human, so why not let the Daleks think he is one? For all I know, the writers on the show still considered him one at this point. He looks human, but he’s just a very eccentric one.
Regardless, the Daleks captured Victoria Waterfield for two reasons:Â to get her father to play along, and to force Jamie to rescue her, knowing that whatever it is that makes human so special and innovative will be on display provided Jamie succeeds in his task.
Also, he’s not allowed to know the Daleks are there. Unfortunately, the Doctor already told him. Fortunately, he feels like he’s been jerked around enough that, since he hasn’t personally seen a Dalek, he thinks even the Doctor might be lying to him.
Does it make sense for Jamie to doubt the Doctor? Eh, not really, but it fills in a plot hole there as Jamie goes off to rescue Victoria without too much prompting by anyone. He just needs to get past that, um, ethnic stereotype who doesn’t talk but is apparently very strong.
Look, I didn’t say I missed everything from this era.
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