The Doctor, Yaz, and Dan end up getting stuck in a big storage complex while resetting the Tardis and get stuck in a time loop with the building owner, a patron, and a bunch of angry Daleks.
After the bonkers Flux season, “Eve of the Daleks” is such a simple, yet refreshing departure. This is Doctor Who‘s Groundhog Day… a comparison that was actually made by Dan on screen which was cute.
This special is such a stark contrast to Flux. A single location, a small cast, and a simple premise… It seemed like the entire point of the episode was to uncomplicate things and it did that particular job marvelously.
Now, by no means is, “Eve of the Daleks” a groundbreaking or even particularly memorable. I smell covid protocols at work, to be honest, but even if that is the case, it’s an inadvertent and welcome side-effect.
Aisling Bea and Adjani Salmon are delightful and quirky great stars that I really enjoyed watching and the main characters each had their moments in the spotlight. Everything was presented in just the right amounts including the dastardly Daleks who, somehow or another, has retained their scary nature moreso than their other appearances.
Overall, “Eve of the Daleks” is a highly enjoyable time-bending romp that doesn’t try to be anything more than the silly adventure it set out to be.
And that is perfectly fine with me.
Jason Gaston 