an icepick through the keyhole

I liked "Dalek" the best of the three mentioned. "Empty Child" was basically a zombie story, even if it had a pseudo-scientific explanation, and there are just too many of those these days. "Father's Day" was an inferior remake of "City on the Edge of Forever." But "Dalek" was fascinating in the way it showed the Doctor, who's normally in control in all situations, over the edge.