The Doctor is terrified of a single Dalek... now multiply that by an entire species. That is what the Time War was like.

Aw, be fair to Rose. She wasn't in the room when the Doctor explained everything about the Dalek.

I think this was one of the most effective ways of introducing the Dalek. I think 9 had the perfect personality to really showcase how important the antagonism between the Timelords and the Daleks is to both species. He was still emotionally recovering from the Time War to a much greater extent than 10 or 11 (havent' seen any 12 yet, I'm pretty far behind).

What Eric didn't understand is that watchers of old Doctor Who went 60 years knowing that the Dalek can't go up stairs, then in this episode when the Dalek said "elevate" and indeed floated, all the fear from our childhood's returned...

Just 2 lights in the dark and that voice saying "DOK-TER!" and my flesh began to creep. I was 13 again and no sofa to hide behind. Of course the Doctor was afraid; anybody with history. would be afraid.

The Dalek saw all the memes and wanted to just die

Daleks are the first Doctor Who enemies EVER! A design that has 54 years!

After downloading the entire internet i can see why one would do nothing but yell "EXTERMINATE!" :P

what the dude on the left said about not liking to talk negatively about what he sees, big props to him! more people need to have this attitude.

Note: The Doctor's age has always been something in contention, as he has also stated himself to be 900 in his 6th Regeneration, and 953 in his first appearance as the 7th. The 900 years thing was a creation of Russell T Davies, and in the same way as 10's 'I never would' speech (you'll see in a couple of seasons), it's pretty widely regarded as either non-canon, or simply a case of the Doctor doing what he does best, lying.

you know, saying the doctor would make a good Dalek is probably the biggest compliment they could ever give from their point of view

That line is so impactful...

Aaron, you have a LOT of willpower! There's No Way that I could be around my close friends and not talk about this when they are asking all the classic questions!!!

honestly of new Doctors, I honestly think Nine has the most raw reactions and I love his interaction in this episode, I just love how you can clearly see he is freshly out of a war, I fucking love Nine

Vital to know but avoiding spoilers:

Can't wait for Captain Harkness.

This is 1 of the best episodes of this season. I love the way they showed how dangerous and scary the Daleks are despite their sometimes silly appearance by how scared The Doctor was of it. I love how deep they go into The Doctor's feelings about the Time War and the Daleks. Also the reveal that he was the one who ended the Time War was incredible because of how intense the scene was. This episode does a good job of showing how broken The Doctor is right now because of the War. The way Dalek kills people is horrifying but well done such because it makes it such a good villain. I think the most powerful line in this episode was the Dalek saying "You would make a good Dalek" to The Doctor. Also it was super sad and horrifying when it's revealed the Dalek wants to die because it's changed too much from using Rose to heal itself. It's sad because despite the terrible things it did in the past and present it looks to be in so much pain and horrifying because it shows how messed up the Dalek's viewpoint is especially because it's the same for the entire species. I love this reaction and your analysis was good and interesting. I can't wait for the next reaction. :-) <3

Great reactions and discussion guys! This is an excellent episode and Christopher Eccleston is at his best. I love the genuine fear The Doctor shows when he first sees the Dalek. I did kind of feel a bit like you missed the emotional beat of the Dalek saying to the Doctor "You would make a good Dalek!" - as a long-time fan when I heard that line delivered for the first time (& even now) it just sent chills down my spine - it was such a shocking statement yet it also had a ring of truth to it. It has a codicil in a much later episode in another series of the new series - you'll hopefully remember this episode when you eventually hear it.

Little known fact: The Dalek flies by ejecting a stream of salt and pepper from the bottom. It can also whisk your pancake mixture and unclog your sink if you ask nicely.

So if Rose made the Dalek slightly part human, would that in turn mean that she created a...