Death to the Daleks
Story: Death to the Daleks – Season 11, Story 72
Year: 1974
Written by: Terry Nation
Directed by: Michael E. Briant
Synopsis: The Doctor and Sarah, on their way to Florana, end up stranded on Exxilon when a mysterious phenomenon drains the energy from the TARDIS. When they venture outside they are separated – the Doctor meets a group of human miners searching for Parrinium, which they desperately need to cure a plague, while Sarah is captured by Exxilons.
A group of Daleks also become stranded, and because of the power drain their weapons will not work, and so they agree to work with the Doctor to solve the problem. Soon they are all captured by Exxilons, and taken to the caves, where Sarah is about to be sacrificed – the Doctor interrupts the ceremony and is sentenced to death himself.
After escaping execution, Sarah and the Doctor meet a friendly Exxilon, Bellal, and together they realise that a beacon in the abandoned Exxilon city is causing the power drain. The Doctor decides to go to the city and deactivate it, and takes Bellal with him, leaving Sarah to ensure that, once the power drain stops, the miners will be ready to escape with the Parrinium.
However, the Daleks have their own plans for the Parrinium – they have enslaved the humans and a group of Exxilons to mine it for them, and plan to keep it all for themselves and launch a plague missile at Exxilon as soon as they leave.
When the Doctor manages to destroy the city and restore the power, the Daleks take off – unaware that Sarah has replaced their Parrinium with bags of sand, and that one of the miners has hidden on their ship with a bomb. The Dalek ship is destroyed, and the Parrinium is safe.
Sarah Moments:
• She packs for a holiday on Florana
• She gets scared by a big rock
• She finds the Doctor’s abandoned oil lamp covered in blood!
• She uses the door crank to beat up an Exxilon who’s sneaked into the TARDIS
• Sneaking about, she comes across the City of the Exxilons
• She waits in a creepy tunnel for the Doctor, and one of the good Exxilons, Bellal, finds her and befriends her
• She and the good Exxilons hide from some Daleks
• The Doctor sends her to deal with the Daleks while he goes into the city, and they say an adorable goodbye!
• She sneaks into the Daleks’ camp and, with Jill’s help, replaces all the bags of life-saving parrinium with bags of sand
Capture, Rescue and Mortal Peril:
• While pondering the City, she’s captured by an Exxilon!
• She’s tied up, and then made to inhale weird incense that knocks her out in preparation for being sacrificed!
• The Doctor tries to rescue her and they both end up in a cell, along with the miners and the Daleks
• The Exxilons are about to sacrifice Sarah and the Doctor, but in the commotion caused by the Daleks’ treachery, they escape! ... Right down into the sacrificial monster pit...
• She tries to rescue the Doctor from the Dalek, but Bellal won’t let her
Quotes:
• ‘Sunglasses, sun lotion, water wings...’ ‘Well, you won’t need those for a start.’ ‘Aren’t we going swimming? You said...’ ‘You can’t sink on Florana!’ ‘I can sink anywhere!’ ‘The water is effervescent; the bubbles support you.’ ‘Like swimming in a glass of bath salts?’ - Sarah and the Doctor
• ‘Ah, don’t tell me – you’re going to rub it and produce a genie!’ - Sarah, when the Doctor gets out an oil lamp
• ‘It’s cold!’ ‘Well, this is no ordinary fog...’ ‘You mean this isn’t the “air that’s like a magic potion”?’ - Sarah's still bitter that they didn't make it to Florana...
• ‘A statue?’ ‘Some sort of life form that has become petrified, I should think.’ ‘I was close to becoming petrified myself!’ - Sarah and the Doctor, on the scary rock
• ‘They move by psychokinetic power.’ ‘I see.’ ‘Do you?’ ‘No!’ - The Doctor and Sarah, on the Daleks
• ‘Doctor... We were just playing the main part in a sacrificial ceremony, weren’t we?’ ‘Well, that seemed to be the general idea, yes.’ ‘Well, how were they going to sacrifice us – just by dumping us down here.’ ‘I knew that thought would occur to you sooner or later.’ ‘You’ve got an idea, haven’t you?’ ‘Yes… and it’s not one of my favourites. In fact I don’t care for it at all.’ ‘Well you might as well share it!’ ‘Oh, very well – I think they expect that sacrifice to be completed by something else. Something that lives down this tunnel.’ ‘Next time you get an idea, keep it to yourself, will you?’ - Sarah and the Doctor
• ‘That sounded awfully close...’ ‘Some sort of subterranean wind effect, I should think.’ ‘Who are you kidding?’ - Sarah and the Doctor, on the scary noises in the tunnel
• ‘I just heard your “wind effect” gnashing its teeth...’ - Sarah, on the scary noises
• ‘With you here on watch you can give me a warning!’ ‘Well, who’s going to warn me?’ - The Doctor and Sarah
From the Target Novelisation:
Novelised by Terrance Dicks
• 'I can sink anywhere,' said Sarah pessimistically. 'I need a life jacket in my bath.' - In the episode, Sarah only says the first half of this line, not pessimistically, but almost gleefully...
• Sarah felt contrite. It seemed unfair to be suspicious when the Doctor was in such a holiday mood. But somehow she just couldn't help wondering if the Doctor's lavish promises about their destination were really going to be fulfilled. - She's right...
• Trousers, a heavy sweater, some comfortable walking shoes and a nice warm jacket - This is definitely not what she wears in the episode!
• Somewhat to her own astonishment, Sarah was still alive - Probably a feeling she gets quite often
• She had been sprinkled with strange fluids, menaced with various weapons, endlessly harangued by the priests. […] It was a funny thing to say about your own sacrifice, thought Sarah, but she was beginning to get rather bored with it all.' - Bwahaha...
• Sarah thought it was bad enough being on this planet, without having to listen to a lecture on its politics. - That's probably what the audience thought too
• Sarah thought that it looked like some elaborate ice-cream sculpture, left exposed to the blazing heat of the sun - On the melting city.
Wardrobe Appreciation
Sarah wears a swimsuit!!! Check it out!!!
Isn't it snazzy? Let's have bit of a closer look...
The shoes look to be blue clogs
To the disappointment of all, she soon puts on some proper clothes, in the form of this all-in-one cullotes style thing.
But, she puts in on over the swimming costume, so you can still see a bit of it, which looks rather nice.
And the boots are marvellous! Just look at them!
The Panel Said...
Style Watch:
paranoidangel: I do like that bikini, although it doesn't look terribly practical for swimming in. The brown thing is actually quite tasteful. 9/10
Llin: It looks lovely, especially the boots. 8/10
Sarah_JaneSmith: Lovin the Bikini! we should have seen more of her in Bikini's! not to sure about thebrown thing though, i think it makes her look like a boy scout. 8/10
Sarah Watch:
paranoidangel: I don't really remember in that much detail but I think Sarah doesn't do that much, but isn't that wet. So a middling 5/10
Llin: She totally beats up a bad guy. I know violence isn't cool, but nevertheless... 7/10
Sarah_JaneSmith: I dont think she contributes much to this story apart from whimpering, being almost sacrificed and running around. 5/10
Story Watch:
paranoidangel: I think this story bored me as I can't remember much of it. I think none of it quite made sense. 3/10
Llin: Not bad, not wonderful. 6/10
Sarah_JaneSmith: : I really hate this episode, it's too complicated and frankly a bit slow. 5/10
Bonus Pictures
Isn't she cute?
Some felt that the Dalek Barbecue was taking the merchandising thing a bit too far...
Sarah runs
The Doctor and Bellal
Even the Daleks have a Mini Tardis Playset
The city melts
Aaww!!
Take the Quiz for this episode, now you've finished reading about it!
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