The Dalek's Master Plan (The Feast of Steven)

This is a madhouse, it's all full of Arabs.

This episode is weird. I admit that there are aspects of British comedy that I don't get, but this seems bizarre even for me. It doesn't help that the story has a lot of visual action that simply cannot be expressed in the recon form.

Plot Summary

The story, as far as I can tell, is a double dose of meta. The Doctor, Steven, and Sarah land outside a police station in the 1960's. The police are confused and take the Doctor into the station when he emerges from the TARDIS. Inside, he explains that the box is his ship and the police naturally suspect that he has gone mad. Sarah sets about to repair the visual scanner while Steven steals a police jacket and walks into the station. He poses as an officer from another precinct who has been sent to collect the Doctor and take him back to his home.

The TARDIS dematerializes but then reappears in the midst of a 1920's movie studio. The team gets separated while attempting to aid a screaming woman, unaware that it is a movie scene. The story gets even odder and the breaks in between each scene are cut with silent movie cards noting the shift in action. There is a lot of running around but the Doctor and his companions gets back to the TARDIS and disappear.

Analysis

If this episode existed, it might make some sense but as a recon, it's a mad, jumbled mess. There is so much action taking place that is impossible to tell what is going on without a moving picture. There is also a lot of background noise, presumably from the chaos of the set, that makes it nearly impossible to hear the primary dialogue. If you could see the people and focus on them, you might be able to hone on their voices outside of the background, but it's very difficult when all you have audio.

The setting of the first half outside a police station is a level of meta within the context of the show itself. But the second half is another level of meta which culminates in the Doctor breaking the fourth wall to wish the viewers a Happy Christmas. I can understand what Terry Nation was going for in his writing, but I feel like there is a bit too much inside baseball going on in this one for me to appreciate. Or maybe it's my American nature the prevents me from appreciating the comedy of this one.

Overall personal score: 1 out of 5 (The Feast of Steven only)