‘Doctor Who’ Recap: ‘Eve of the Daleks’

Written by Shae Rufe

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the 2022 ‘Doctor Who’ Holiday Special.

Happy New Year’s and welcome to 2022. Does it still feel like we’re all processing 2020, still? Or is that just me? It’s strange how things can catch up to you without your knowing. Kind of like how the Dalek’s have caught up with the Doctor and sort of blame her for killing millions of Daleks during the Flux. Right, so about that. Listen, sometimes you need to kill your enemy and well, the opportunity was there, and the Doctor saved earth; all should really be forgiven, then? Not quite. It’s a peaceful, quiet, New Year’s Eve when a storage facility owner is working against her will. A member comes in and the exchange is forced and it’s all on the awkward side, but we learn that Nick has something to drop off in his unit and Sarah is not happy to be working on New Year’s Eve. It all goes to hell quick when a Dalek shows up and exterminates them both. Why would a Dalek even be there? Well, for one, the TARDIS is there.

The Doctor had promised they’d be on a beach and having drinks with the fish, instead they’re in a storage facility and having to face Daleks. All while the TARDIS is getting reset from the inside out. Apparently, having more than one door is a bit of a problem, so it’s time for a remodel. Realistically it’s not technically the Doctor’s fault that she’s Dalek Public Enemy Number One, but now people are dying because of it. Including herself. The Doctor does indeed get exterminated by a Dalek. Realistically, we should worry, but the Doctor is back. Well, more specifically, Sarah and Nick are back, and they remember doing this once before. So do the Doctor and Dan and Yaz. They’re caught in a Time Loop, which wouldn’t be so bad, if the Time Loop wasn’t winding down. They have one less minute than last time to figure out what’s really going on.
 
Not to mention, they don’t know for sure if the Time Loop ends at midnight or not, they’re actually just guessing. It’s an educated guess at this junction, and really, it’s the best they’ve got. The only problem is, they all keep dying. Each plan is ending in failure, but each cycle brings Nick and Sarah closer and closer. He sacrifices himself for her at least a few times before he finally confesses that he really likes her. It’s an adorable and endearing moment that is shortly ruined by his death. A second Dalek appearing has Dan playing distraction, which gains the girls some time to figure out a better plan of escape before he too is murdered.

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The plan is simple, be predictable while being unpredictable. The Doctor’s plan will require Sarah’s mom to call at a specific time, and then she can use that signal as a decoy to get the Daleks to that location, and then they’ll escape the building and blow it up with the Daleks still inside. The Dalek’s are out to kill the Doctor once and for all. They traced the TARDIS signal to them and refuse to leave until the Doctor is dead. They always discount the Doctor’s cleverness. The Daleks are clever too, however, and they’re not going to go down easy. With just two minutes and two possible Time Loop loops left, it’s going to be a close call for everyone to make it out alive. Yaz is also getting really tired of the Doctor’s constant snapping and distance. Dan finally decides to confront Yaz about it. He knows she loves the Doctor as more than just a friend. He spent four years traveling with her after all. He pushes her to tell the Doctor, which she should once they’re safe. Dan even tells the Doctor that Yaz likes her a lot. Mostly because he can’t take much more of them dancing around each other.

The plan goes off with a lot of hitches and Sarah and Nick even make it out alive. The Doctor defeats the Daleks and blows up Sarah’s storage building and all seems to be happily ever after, right? Sarah and Nick end up together and even travel! As for Yaz and the Doctor? It’s just business as usual, for now. The Doctor knows about Yaz’s feelings and doesn’t seem to be in a rush to do anything about it. It never ends well for companions that fall in love with the Doctor, does it? Yaz’s days are now numbered, and the clock is ticking down.
 
She will either meet a sad fate that will tear her and the Doctor apart… or the Doctor will simply abandon her. It’s hard to tell, but there is no happy ending in sight for these two, and we don’t know if the Doctor even feels the same about Yaz. Although with how protective she is over her companion, maybe, just maybe, those feelings are returned. It would be a first for Doctor Who, to have the Doctor involved in a same sex union. Not quite unheard of though, as Doctor Who is often breaking down those heteronormative barriers. How lovely would that be to have? For now, we wait and see.

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