doctor who season one
I am a huge nerd, and a Doctor Who fan. I'm also slightly obsessive, and like to do things in order. So I decided to watch all of the Doctor Who episodes, from the very first one onwards. I expect this to take a while, but it seemed like a fun thing to do. So I began with the First Doctor, William Hartnell.
An Unearthly Child
This cluster of four episodes introduces the Doctor and his granddaughter Susan. He acquires two Companions, Barbara and Ian, and they travel to ancient Earth, where they find themselves captured by a tribe of Stone Age people and drawn into their conflict.
I didn't expect early Doctor Who episodes to be brilliant. I expected bad special effects, rubber suits, and cheesy sci-fi tropes. But I hadn't realized how bored I might be by the pacing. 60's tv is radically different than what we're used to now, and these episodes seemed dreadfully slow. They bored me so much that I almost called off the whole endeavor.
I didn't like the characters, either. Susan is painfully annoying, displaying her youth by acting foolishly (going off alone is never a good idea), having hysterical outbursts, screaming in terror at every little thing, and fainting. Barbara isn't bad, but doesn't have much to recommend her. Ian is overbearing, angry (because he resists believing the Doctor and then resents being taken along), and acts like a jerk. The Doctor, too, is not how I expected. The wikipedia article accurately describes him as "abrasive, patronising, and cantankerous towards his human travelling companions." He obviously cares about Susan, but he doesn't trust Ian and Barbara. He seems ruthless, and on more than one occasion he tells a harmful lie.
I reminded myself that it takes a couple of episodes for a series to hit its stride, so I persevered.
The Daleks
My perseverance paid off immediately: I found the Dalek episodes quite good. If I hadn't seen any of the new Doctor Who, I might not have been impressed by the original Daleks. Instead, I found them retroactively scary. These episodes had a good, well-laid plot. They definitely held my interest.
Over the seven episodes of this adventure, the characters had a chance to develop as well. Susan remained hysterical and annoying, but Barbara showed herself to be capable under pressure, and she doesn't easily lose her cool. Ian had a number of opportunities to act the hero, and he jumped right in. Some of the secondary characters were interesting, as well -- the leader of the Thals had some compelling moral arguments. The Doctor, however, continued to be the least sympathetic character. He plays a trick on his passengers which results in them being stranded and endangered, and he never really makes up for it. There's a good deal of tension between him and Ian, too. I felt bad watching Doctor Who and not liking the Doctor!
The Edge of Destruction
These two episodes are a psychological thriller. They take place entirely within the TARDIS. Something mysterious is afoot: both the TARDIS and its inhabitants are acting weird. Susan's crazy behavior actually makes sense in this episode, though she continues to over-act. Ian and the Doctor are at one another's throats, and the Doctor even drugs his Companions because he doesn't trust them! He says some mean things to Barbara, too, and hurts her feelings. The resolution to the problem surprised me, but I despaired that I'd ever like the Doctor. Though he did apologize to Barbara, which gave me hope.
The Keys of Marinus
In this set of six I started to really enjoy myself. These episodes are classic sci-fi at its most delightful cheesiness. The plot involves retrieving some MacGuffins lest the bad guys control the Big Machine. In their search for the Keys of Marinus, our heros encounter: a city brainwashed by BRAINS WITH EYESTALKS in glass jars (these tickled me so much I made my roommates look at pictures); a screaming, man-eating jungle; an icy mountain dungeon-crawl complete with booby traps and an evil hunter; a murder mystery; and the climactic endgame. We see the enemy aliens in a number of these episodes, and they're dudes in wetsuits and helmets. I laughed a lot while watching these.
The characters suddenly become a lot more likeable, too. Not Susan, but Ian started to grow on me. He often acts the hero, and is carefully protective of his companions. He's shaping up to be quite the White Knight type, but not in a sappy way. Barbara saves the day a couple of times, including smashing the jars with brains in them. The Doctor gets to solve the murder mystery with panache, and he seems genuinely concerned when his Companions are in trouble. He still has his cranky moments, but his occasional moments of ill-temper start to seem like the grumbling of a favorite grandparent, and not malicious.
The Aztecs
In this historical adventure, the travelers end up in the time of the Aztecs. The natives mistake Barbara for a reincarnation of one of their gods, and she has to go along with it in order to prevent her companions from being killed. There are some great characters in these episodes: an over-the-top villain, a warrior thug, a retired herbalist, and a wise high priest. This episode had some juicy moral dilemmas, too.
These episodes revolve around Barbara, and I came to appreciate her calmness and her compassion. She feels things deeply, but she doesn't make it anyone else's problem (unlike Susan!). Ian also displays a solid courage. No foolish heroics for him, but a matter-of-fact assumption of responsibility for his fate and the fate of his companions. He also tends to take the high ground in any give situation, as a hero should. He and the Doctor seem to bond in these episodes, which pleased me. They make a good team. The Doctor also starts to display some of the benevolence I saw in later Doctors. His care for his Companions becomes apparent. He treats other people well, too: he develops tender feelings towards one of the Aztec women, and I liked their scenes together.
The Sensorites
This set of six twisted around all over the place. I rarely knew where the plot was going, and had a lot of surprises (though once I knew the problem, I could predict how they might solve it.) First the aliens seemed like enemies -- though with their funny scrunchy faces, romper-pajamas, and round feet I had trouble taking them seriously -- and then allies. Some of the humans our heros met are insane, and so ridiculous in their craziness that Celeste and I had a good laugh about the acting. But I enjoyed these episodes more than I thought I would.
Susan actually gets to do something useful: she becomes (temporarily?) telepathic. She doesn't scream hardly at all, and I managed to put up with her throughout. Barbara continues to be rock solid and practical. I began to look forward to Ian's perspective: he says what everyone is thinking but unwilling to speak. He's a realist, and acts accordingly. This endears him to the Doctor, who often expects the worst, and makes a nice contrast with the optimism of the two women. I'm a fan of this Doctor now, and have started to wonder if his curmudgeonly moments mask moments where he feels strongly.
It was here that I found some gems in the archeological dig of old episodes. I don't know if this was the first time Hartnell did it, or just the first time I noticed, but the Doctor put on his glasses to look at something closer. David Tennant's Doctor does that a lot. I don't know if he got it from Hartnell or made it up himself, but it doesn't matter: it's a moment of continuity that I appreciated. In another of those moments, Susan describes Gallifrey (though she does not name it), something echoed in episodes by later writers.
The Reign of Terror
This set of six has some episodes missing, but I didn't mind -- it's another of the historical episodes. The network stopped making them after a while, because people preferred the sci-fi adventures. I think I agree -- The Aztecs had its good points, but the historical episodes haven't been as much fun. This adventure is very grim, with our characters in and out of jail, filthy, hungry and ill, and constantly on the run from French soldiers. The Doctor seemed in a bad mood, and while Ian had a good jailbreak scene, I just didn't find the story very compelling. It was a bit of a dud, a bad ending for the season after a streak of good episodes.
An Unearthly Child
This cluster of four episodes introduces the Doctor and his granddaughter Susan. He acquires two Companions, Barbara and Ian, and they travel to ancient Earth, where they find themselves captured by a tribe of Stone Age people and drawn into their conflict.
I didn't expect early Doctor Who episodes to be brilliant. I expected bad special effects, rubber suits, and cheesy sci-fi tropes. But I hadn't realized how bored I might be by the pacing. 60's tv is radically different than what we're used to now, and these episodes seemed dreadfully slow. They bored me so much that I almost called off the whole endeavor.
I didn't like the characters, either. Susan is painfully annoying, displaying her youth by acting foolishly (going off alone is never a good idea), having hysterical outbursts, screaming in terror at every little thing, and fainting. Barbara isn't bad, but doesn't have much to recommend her. Ian is overbearing, angry (because he resists believing the Doctor and then resents being taken along), and acts like a jerk. The Doctor, too, is not how I expected. The wikipedia article accurately describes him as "abrasive, patronising, and cantankerous towards his human travelling companions." He obviously cares about Susan, but he doesn't trust Ian and Barbara. He seems ruthless, and on more than one occasion he tells a harmful lie.
I reminded myself that it takes a couple of episodes for a series to hit its stride, so I persevered.
The Daleks
My perseverance paid off immediately: I found the Dalek episodes quite good. If I hadn't seen any of the new Doctor Who, I might not have been impressed by the original Daleks. Instead, I found them retroactively scary. These episodes had a good, well-laid plot. They definitely held my interest.
Over the seven episodes of this adventure, the characters had a chance to develop as well. Susan remained hysterical and annoying, but Barbara showed herself to be capable under pressure, and she doesn't easily lose her cool. Ian had a number of opportunities to act the hero, and he jumped right in. Some of the secondary characters were interesting, as well -- the leader of the Thals had some compelling moral arguments. The Doctor, however, continued to be the least sympathetic character. He plays a trick on his passengers which results in them being stranded and endangered, and he never really makes up for it. There's a good deal of tension between him and Ian, too. I felt bad watching Doctor Who and not liking the Doctor!
The Edge of Destruction
These two episodes are a psychological thriller. They take place entirely within the TARDIS. Something mysterious is afoot: both the TARDIS and its inhabitants are acting weird. Susan's crazy behavior actually makes sense in this episode, though she continues to over-act. Ian and the Doctor are at one another's throats, and the Doctor even drugs his Companions because he doesn't trust them! He says some mean things to Barbara, too, and hurts her feelings. The resolution to the problem surprised me, but I despaired that I'd ever like the Doctor. Though he did apologize to Barbara, which gave me hope.
The Keys of Marinus
In this set of six I started to really enjoy myself. These episodes are classic sci-fi at its most delightful cheesiness. The plot involves retrieving some MacGuffins lest the bad guys control the Big Machine. In their search for the Keys of Marinus, our heros encounter: a city brainwashed by BRAINS WITH EYESTALKS in glass jars (these tickled me so much I made my roommates look at pictures); a screaming, man-eating jungle; an icy mountain dungeon-crawl complete with booby traps and an evil hunter; a murder mystery; and the climactic endgame. We see the enemy aliens in a number of these episodes, and they're dudes in wetsuits and helmets. I laughed a lot while watching these.
The characters suddenly become a lot more likeable, too. Not Susan, but Ian started to grow on me. He often acts the hero, and is carefully protective of his companions. He's shaping up to be quite the White Knight type, but not in a sappy way. Barbara saves the day a couple of times, including smashing the jars with brains in them. The Doctor gets to solve the murder mystery with panache, and he seems genuinely concerned when his Companions are in trouble. He still has his cranky moments, but his occasional moments of ill-temper start to seem like the grumbling of a favorite grandparent, and not malicious.
The Aztecs
In this historical adventure, the travelers end up in the time of the Aztecs. The natives mistake Barbara for a reincarnation of one of their gods, and she has to go along with it in order to prevent her companions from being killed. There are some great characters in these episodes: an over-the-top villain, a warrior thug, a retired herbalist, and a wise high priest. This episode had some juicy moral dilemmas, too.
These episodes revolve around Barbara, and I came to appreciate her calmness and her compassion. She feels things deeply, but she doesn't make it anyone else's problem (unlike Susan!). Ian also displays a solid courage. No foolish heroics for him, but a matter-of-fact assumption of responsibility for his fate and the fate of his companions. He also tends to take the high ground in any give situation, as a hero should. He and the Doctor seem to bond in these episodes, which pleased me. They make a good team. The Doctor also starts to display some of the benevolence I saw in later Doctors. His care for his Companions becomes apparent. He treats other people well, too: he develops tender feelings towards one of the Aztec women, and I liked their scenes together.
The Sensorites
This set of six twisted around all over the place. I rarely knew where the plot was going, and had a lot of surprises (though once I knew the problem, I could predict how they might solve it.) First the aliens seemed like enemies -- though with their funny scrunchy faces, romper-pajamas, and round feet I had trouble taking them seriously -- and then allies. Some of the humans our heros met are insane, and so ridiculous in their craziness that Celeste and I had a good laugh about the acting. But I enjoyed these episodes more than I thought I would.
Susan actually gets to do something useful: she becomes (temporarily?) telepathic. She doesn't scream hardly at all, and I managed to put up with her throughout. Barbara continues to be rock solid and practical. I began to look forward to Ian's perspective: he says what everyone is thinking but unwilling to speak. He's a realist, and acts accordingly. This endears him to the Doctor, who often expects the worst, and makes a nice contrast with the optimism of the two women. I'm a fan of this Doctor now, and have started to wonder if his curmudgeonly moments mask moments where he feels strongly.
It was here that I found some gems in the archeological dig of old episodes. I don't know if this was the first time Hartnell did it, or just the first time I noticed, but the Doctor put on his glasses to look at something closer. David Tennant's Doctor does that a lot. I don't know if he got it from Hartnell or made it up himself, but it doesn't matter: it's a moment of continuity that I appreciated. In another of those moments, Susan describes Gallifrey (though she does not name it), something echoed in episodes by later writers.
The Reign of Terror
This set of six has some episodes missing, but I didn't mind -- it's another of the historical episodes. The network stopped making them after a while, because people preferred the sci-fi adventures. I think I agree -- The Aztecs had its good points, but the historical episodes haven't been as much fun. This adventure is very grim, with our characters in and out of jail, filthy, hungry and ill, and constantly on the run from French soldiers. The Doctor seemed in a bad mood, and while Ian had a good jailbreak scene, I just didn't find the story very compelling. It was a bit of a dud, a bad ending for the season after a streak of good episodes.