Doctor Who 5.3 Victory of the Daleks

     Victory of the Daleks is simply put, a great World War II Doctor Who story wrapped in one piece of outstanding visual design after another.  The weird thrill of seeing an army green Dalek standing next to Winston Churchill is so perfect that it seems a wonder that it's never been done before.  I'm not going to go too far into the story here, because I couldn't stand the idea of ruining even one of the fun plot twists that are going on in this episode.   UK viewers almost certainly had one of the episode's biggest surprises ruined simply due to the promotional campaign, but seeing it here in the US, and not having dug too deep for spoilers, I was taken totally off guard, and was so delighted that I could barely contain myself.  There is a visual callback on display that cuts all the way back the the very dawn of the franchise, and a super techno aesthetic that stands in stark contrast to the grimy WWII look of the rest of the episode.  Not everyone is going to be on board with this one, but I love it.  I would encourage all viewers to check out this episode's Doctor Who Confidential "War Games" if possible.  It has some fascinating tidbits about the real nerve center of British wartime defense and a few about the history of the look of the show. Another top flight episode and a must see.

Continuity Nerd Notes
- The Doctor mentions that his is an old "Type 40" TARDIS.   This is a point that was mentioned repeatedly in the old series, but I think that this is the first time that it's been mentioned in the new show.  The Doctor Who TARDIS Index File (wiki) states that the "Type 40" designation was first used in the Fourth Doctor story "The Ribos Operation."
- This is the second time that the Doctor has taken an assistant into the London Blitz in the current series.  The first time was in first season episode "The Empty Child".
- Those darn cracks keep showing up.  I am used to my season long, bread crumbs being a little more subtle.

KBO!