Scream of the Daleks

Sullivan & Cross: AWOL #2

Released: 8 November 2022

Listened: 1/21/23

The Doctor has promised to take Harry and Naomi back to their own time, but naturally he wants to take a few detours first. The first of those doesn’t take them very far, though, just to Chester, on Halloween 1969, the site of a combination concert and fright-fest. After discovering an “aura of evil,” as the Seventh Doctor often does, he and Naomi take off in the TARDIS to discover where in history it’s coming from, accidentally leaving Harry behind. This gives Naomi more of a chance to establish her character, and she’s pretty clearly Action Girl, familiar with time travel, confident she can hold her own physically, and comfortable with the strange. Lisa McMullin takes the opportunity to show us Halloween throughout the history of England, from ancient Samhain to Roman Feralia to the middle ages, because why not? Except that the cry for help they’re following comes from the Daleks. An early Dalek time-travel experiment got stuck in time, and the Daleks figured that if they caused enough horror and tragedy throughout history, eventually the Doctor (or some other time traveler) would turn up to investigate, which is a very Dalek way of problem-solving, but also fairly accurate. Even though it’s only a short two-parter, the story keeps the Daleks a secret until the episode 1 cliffhanger, despite naming them in the title. Which is traditional, and yet fairly absurd. The Doctor really lets loose with how he feels about the Daleks in this incarnation. “Sgt. Pepperpot’s Angry Hate Club Band” is a personal favorite. Compared to other Dalek stories, the threat is a bit low-key.