New Year’s Day 2021 means that the Doctor Who holiday special “Revolution of the Daleks” has aired around the world. We have been waiting for a long time to find out how our beloved Doctor (played by Jodie Whittaker) was going to get back to her fam. Also, we knew from the BBC that we would get to see Captain Jack Harkness (played by John Barrowman) for a much longer period of time in this episode than when we got to see in “Fugitive of the Judoon.” It’s always exciting to see the return of such a loved character.

This post contains spoilers for the holiday special. Do not read any further if you have yet to see the episode.

Opening “Revolution of the Daleks” with a recap

The beginning of “Revolution of the Daleks” took us back to the 2019 New Year’s episode titled, “Resolution.” In this episode, the Doctor and her fam learn that there is an alien presence on Earth. As it turns out, this alien is a Dalek without its casing, and it has begun to control a human being. We find out that this is a reconnaissance Dalek, and the Doctor and her fam end up destroying it. Or, at least they believed it was destroyed. Then, “Revolution of the Daleks” picks up where that left off. Many hours later, the melted shell of the Dalek is being taken to what is probably disposed of. However, it ends up in the wrong hands.

Jack Robertson (played by Chris Noth) is back. The last time we saw him, he was dumping industrial waste into abandoned tunnels consequently breeding giant arachnids. Now, he has his eyes set on new technology he was able to swipe from the melted reconnaissance Dalek shell. Leo Rugazzi (played by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) is the brains behind the building of these drones. Of course, he has no idea that he is playing with fire.

Robertson along with aspiring Prime Minister Jo Patterson (played by Harriet Walter) plan to use this new technology to create security drones. A test of these “drones” shows that they are all machine, no living organism on the inside…

In the meantime, Yaz (played by Mandip Gill) has been working hard on trying to figure out where the Doctor has gone. Ryan (played by Tosin Cole) and Graham (played by Bradley Walsh) try to get her to go back to her day to day life, but Yaz is determined to find the Doctor. Graham found a leaked video of Robertson’s “drones” and suggests they see what they can learn about what Daleks are doing back. Only, the problem is, there is no Dalek creature…yet.

The Doctor is freed from prison

The Doctor has been locked away in a very secure prison for a few decades. We see that every day is the same for her as she tries to stay strong and positive. There are some familiar alien faces in this space jail that the Doctor has apparently named. We see a Weeping Angel, the Pting, and an Ood. Then, on a different day while the Doctor is in jail, she notices The Silence and looks over to see Captain Jack Harkness!

Captain Jack ends up breaking her out of jail. He said he had to commit a lot of crimes in order to be in the cell next to her. They exchange a hug, which is what we were all hoping for, and are on their way! Once they get to her TARDIS, the Doctor sets it to re-join her fam. The goal was to end up back on Earth, just a few minutes behind them. However, in true TARDIS fashion, she is late. She has been gone from their lives for 10 months. Yaz, Ryan, and Graham are all relived she is safe. Yaz, though, is angry at her for not coming back sooner. The fam tells the Doctor they believe that Daleks are back. So, they go off to investigate.

Creation of new Daleks

Now that Robertson has 3-D printed a fleet of “drones,” Leo admits that he has found organic DNA inside of the metal shell. Leo is a clever guy, so naturally he experiments. He ends up cloning the DNA and creating a living creature. This living creature, which we know to be a now (impure) Dalek, takes over Leo’s body. Leo is used by the Dalek to clone thousands of new Daleks.

Yaz and Captain Jack investigate a lab in Japan where the new Daleks are being kept. They have a special heart to heart about what the Doctor means to them. Jack knows what it is like to be concerned about whether or not the Doctor is okay. Then, the Doctor, Ryan, and Graham pick up Robertson to show him what is going on with his next big thing. When they meet up in Japan, Leo, being controlled by the Dalek, is able to teleport all of the Dalek creatures into the “drones.” The Dalek kills Leo simply because it can, proving the hate and fury behind the nature of the Daleks. Now that the shells are filled with living Daleks, they begin to exterminate everyone in their path. Now what? The Doctor and her friends need to come up with a plan quickly.

Because these new Daleks are not full of “pure” Dalek DNA, the Doctor knew that true Daleks would not be okay with their existence. She sends out a signal through time and space to a Dalek ship. These “pure” Daleks take the bait, not knowing the Doctor sent the transmission. They come to Earth and begin to exterminate the impure Dalek creations.

Getting rid of more Daleks

Next, the Doctor needs to figure out how to now get the other Daleks off of the planet. Captain Jack suggests blowing up their ship, which the Doctor agrees to doing. He goes and takes Ryan and Graham. Meanwhile, Robertson, being the power-hungry man he is, betrays the Doctor. He goes to the leader of the Daleks and tells them the Doctor was the one who sent the transmission. He ends up taken to the Dalek ship and gives them the location of the Doctor. Ryan, Graham, and Jack place detonators all over the Dalek ship and will cue Yaz to blow the ship as they use his vortex manipulator to travel back to the TARDIS.

Upon placing the detonators, they find Robertson. They manage to find it in themselves to save him. Thankfully, they are successful. The Dalek ship is destroyed, and now it’s the Doctor’s turn. She lures the Daleks to her TARDIS by calling them her “pets,” and they chase her inside. Little do they know, this is a trap. The Doctor had a spare TARDIS that she camouflaged to look like hers. Once the Daleks were inside, she had the TARDIS collapse in on itself and fly back into the void. Will this be the last time we see the Daleks?

A wonderful ending to a lovely episode

Throughout the episode, we get the feeling that Ryan has had enough. Being home for ten months reminded him that he missed it. With the fam back together, the Doctor is ready for their next adventure. When she suggests a place to go, Yaz is all in. Graham is hesitant, but he is in. However, Ryan says no. He feels like he needs to be home. To keep an eye on Earth, so to speak. The Doctor understands and asks everyone else how they feel. Yaz seconds her wanting to stay, which makes the Doctor quite happy. As Ryan leaves, she tells him she has two hearts: one happy, one sad. They hug, but as Ryan is about to leave, Graham changes his mind. Graham does not want to miss out on Ryan’s life. Ryan is his family. The fam gives a bug group hug, and Ryan and Graham head out.

Yaz reminds the Doctor that it’s okay to be sad. From previous incarnations of the Doctor, we know she does not like endings. Saying goodbye is not easy for her. We can feel that from her here at the end. The Doctor gives Ryan and Graham copies of some psychic paper, just in case. The episode ends with Graham teaching Ryan to ride his bike. They reminisce about their adventures with the Doctor. Seeing them happy in the end was a refreshing way for companions to leave.

“Revolution of the Daleks” was an exciting, heart-warming, gorgeous episode. We are looking forward to what series 13 will bring!

“Doctor Who” welcomes a new member to the TARDIS Team: John Bishop