Let's make no bones about it- this was series "one"'s Dalek for the Twelfth Doctor.
That said, Into the Dalek is done from a different perspective. And I mean that literally, as the Doctor, Clara and the soldiers who have recruited them to heal the Dalek are all shrunk Innerspace style to fix it.
The Twelfth Doctor's first episode was hit-and-miss for me, whereas this was very much a return to form, with some great lines from the man himself. I like Capaldi's darker Doctor (though it's nice to see that his search for good in people- even his enemies, is still going strong), and I suspect he will grow on me even more as I become more used to his new quirks.
But this episode highlights the ongoing problem for me. Clara.
In fairness she fills more of a gap with this episode (a Donna shaped one surprisingly) by pointing out to the curmudgeonly Time Lord, when the Dalek reverts to it's natural tendencies, that doing so isn't the only thing a Dalek can do. Under the right circumstances they can appreciate beauty and a (sort of) respect for the universe at large.
So what's this got to do with my problem with Clara? Well to my mind, doing what she did in this episode, pushing the Doctor to see a different point of view, to learn something and not take the situation as read, is what the companion has always needed to do. With Clara and Amy the storylines tended to focus on some weird "unrequited love" or they themselves being "the most important girl in the universe". But they aren't supposed to be. They are the audiences guide through a journey with a being who has seen and done almost everything in the history of everything. They are there to enforce a sense of humanity on someone who may come across as cold or uncaring in certain situations.
Take for example The Fires of Pompeii (I know ;D) and Donna's push for the Doctor to save someone, anyone even just one from the disaster happening at that moment. He does of course, and becomes less cold and cynical and more human in doing so.
The problem with Clara, for me, is that she started out more than a little in love with the Doctor, and that's just something that was old when Russell T Davis introduced Martha. It was done with Rose, and it was a novelty. But we've now had Martha, Amy and Clara in that position, and it's really not unique anymore and it's kind of tainted Clara for me a bit, they wrote her that way right off the back of Amy and the Doctor's relationship and have about-faced her for Capaldi's Doctor.
I guess the point I'm very messily trying to make is STOP MAKING THE WOMEN FALL IN LOVE WITH THE DOCTOR.
Anyway back to Into the Dalek (and if you've read this far without burning an effigy of me, or just falling asleep congrats!).
The pacing of this episode seemed better. There was a definite threat with a deadline, there was consistency- the solution to the problem was introduced early and it made sense to return to it for the resolution. The daleks confrontation of the Doctor, what was inside of him highlighted the inner struggle the Doctor has faced for sometime, further cementing him as the Doctor without beating me as the audience around the head with it. The visuals were stunning. The space battle and the interior of the dalek were very well realised, while at the same time not losing the retro feel of a show made in the UK on a bit of a budget (something I like quite a bit).
We were introduced to former soldier (and future companion) Danny Pink, Clara's fellow teacher at Coal Hill, and Journey Blue, an excellent potential companion, cruelly dismissed by the Doctor for fighting for what she believed in, others. I can't wait to see what Danny will bring to the show, a nice comparison with the Doctor- a guilty conscience trying to do right in the world.
All in all I enjoyed Into the Dalek much more than the premiere. Though the theme tune could do with a little more oomph.
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