The start of the ninth season of Doctor Who gave me conflicting feelings as I watched it. On one hand, it was the return of the Daleks; I don't know all the detail but their absence had been noted for the last few years as the 'owner' was in some sort of rights dispute, so their return to the show was quite a big deal, which I guess is why they were the big opener for the new season. However, at the same time, they are really not particularly connected to the best aspects of the serial, which are the ideas and the delivery of those.
The plot sees a group coming back in time to commit an assassination of some sort, although their motives at first are not totally clear. While such time-jumping shenanigans are fairly common-place today whether it be in blockbuster films or TV shows, this show long pre-dates Terminator. Whether it is familiar or not, the idea as the basis of this serial is a good foundation and I enjoyed the way that the plot changed the viewer's understanding of certain groups as the story went on. I also enjoyed the discussions of playing with time, changing it and so on – okay to my modern ears it is nothing new, but it is still interesting.
The presence of the Daleks sort of take-away from this, and it is odd that this happens. Considering how high-profile these creatures are (even at this point), one has to wonder why they are stuck on the edges of their own story. The human villains in the future are much more menacing and interesting (specifically The Controller) and yet here they are. The Daleks finally get a bit of a run-out in the later episodes, where they invade earth; but even this is an odd set of events. We have a handful of Daleks starting their global invasion on the tow-path by the side of a canal; to be truly authentic all that was really needed to add were some discarded empty cans of larger and an old bloke walking his dog giving them a tut of disapproval (lot of canals near where I live). I'm not saying the serial should have gone 'spectacle crazy' about the Daleks like the new Doctor Who does, but it is odd to see them on the edges of the serial and then when they get their spotlight, it is hardly that memorable.
However, the serial still works very well because it is the dialogue, the human performances, and the ideas that drive it. Pertwee is good as always, and he has a good foil in Woods' Controller; the latter being menacing but yet flexible in his performance. The rest of the supporting cast is decent enough, and the Orgons make good soldiers if not particularly good characters. The production looks good, with nice locations – but as I say, it is the writing that made me enjoy this one; just a shame the Daleks are minor players on their own stage.