The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: An Unearthly Child - The Firemaker
Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child (23/11/03)
Well, here we go with the very first episode of a new Science Fiction series: Doctor Who!
It didn't start off very Science Fictiony, with a mystery surrounding the weird behaviour of a schoolgirl (Susan Foreman, the Unearthly Child of the title) and the investigation by her History teacher, Barbara Wright, and her Science teacher, Ian Chesterton. The nosy buggers followed her home after Barbara became concerned about her welfare after finding out Susan's address was a junk yard. It seems she lives there in a Police Box called a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) with her rather grumpy Grandfather who's a doctor (the Doctor of the title). After finding the Police Box and hearing Susan's voice call from inside, Ian and Barbara assumed her grandfather was holding her inside so they forced their way in, only to find out that it's a spaceship that also travels through time! However, Doctor Foreman thinks Ian and Barbara will inform the authorities and has activated the ship. Ian and Barbara have been knocked unconscious and the ship has moved to some desolate wasteland, watched over by a shadowy figure.
A very weird but incredibly promising start! Susan is very interesting and her grandfather is quite scary. Meanwhile, Ian and Barbara are very normal, likeable characters, Barbara in particular quite headstrong and providing the motivation for the episode. I think this is going to be an interesting series!
Doctor Who - The Cave Of Skulls (30/11/03)
It seems they've arrived in the Stone Age. Two Cavemen fight for control over their tribe; local boy Za, who spends all of his time rubbing a bone, shouting at twigs and bemoaning the fact his father never showed him how to make fire, and outsider Kal, who goes out and kills animals for the tribe to eat. He also saw the TARDIS arrive, watched as Doctor Who (no more his name than Doctor Foreman) lit his pipe, koshed him over the head and took him back to the caves because he thinks the Doctor can make fire come from his fingers (and he who makes fire leads the tribe). However, the Doctor has dropped his matches.
The first half of this episode was made up of Ian and Barbara getting their heads round the fact that they're no longer in 1963 - Ian's having a harder time than Barbara who seems more willing to believe her own eyes rather than be ruled by logic. Susan, meanwhile, explained that the TARDIS usually changes shape to blend into its surroundings, but hasn't done so this time. Then, when the Doctor disappeared whilst off taking samples, she panicked, even more so when they found his abandoned equipment and notebook. They arrived at the caves (no doubt having followed a trail through the forest) in time to stop the Doctor being killed for failing to make fire, but were overpowered and thrown into a Cave Of Skulls, where it looks like they'll be clubbed to death in order to appease Orb and bring back the sun. Or something. Meanwhile, an old woman keeps going on about how fire will bring about the end. Or something. Some nice ideas, but too much speech-making and not enough action. Ian and Barbara are great characters, though.
Doctor Who - The Forest Of Fear (07/12/03)
More happened this week. The Doctor hasn't been exactly helpful so far, but while they were trying to free themselves of their bonds in the Cave Of Skulls, the old woman came in through a secret entrance, cut them free and said they weren't to show anyone how to make fire. However, Hur had seen the old woman waken and steal Za's knife, so she woke Za and took him to the cave. They got there just after the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan had pegged it and took chase. Meanwhile, Kal woke, found out what had happened and killed the old woman, framing Za by saying he was responsible for freeing the time travellers so they'd give him fire and that he killed the old woman to stop her talking. In the forest, Barbara had a bit of a breakdown, Za and Hur found them but Za was attacked by an animal. It savaged him but he killed it, then Barbara insisted they help him with antibiotics from the ship. They built a stretcher and Hur led them to the TARDIS, but Kal and the rest of the tribe were waiting.
Much better this week, though Barbara and Susan were a bit feeble. The Doctor was rude, obstinate, argumentative and at one point looked as if he were about to kill the severely injured Za with a rock. It's an interesting dynamic, with Ian clearly playing the hero character this week. Now they've been recaptured, I wonder what next week will bring?
Doctor Who - The Firemaker (14/12/03)
So, the series has got off to an okay start. Kal took the time travellers back to the caves where the Doctor proved Za hadn't killed the old woman by showing the tribe Za's clean flint, then Kal's blood covered flint, then he got all the tribe to throw stones at Kal and drive him out. However, Za put them back in the Cave Of Skulls as he still wanted them to show him fire. Ian set about making a fire in the cave while Za went and got them food, but even when they showed him fire he kept them prisoner. Then Kal showed up for a fight, which he lost (gruesomely - Za slit his throat then crushed his skull with a boulder!). Za took fire out to the tribe, becoming leader, then Susan and Ian came up with the idea of sticking skulls on burning sticks and sneaking away while the tribe cowered in superstitious fear (yeah, not quite sure about that bit). Then, when Za realised they were just scared of skulls stuck on burning sticks, he led the tribe after the time travellers. This time they'd made it to the TARDIS, though, and dematerialised in time.
All said, it wasn't a bad tale. Not a patch on the first episode, but it fleshed out the characters a bit, although the women seemed a bit wet at times. The Doctor is a conniving sod and Barbara shows signs of being very moral and headstrong. I just hope the future gives us some cool Science Fiction stories rather than capers in pre-history. Next week looks promising as they've arrived in a weird, alien forest and haven't noticed that the external radiation count is dangerously high. No doubt the reason why it's called The Dead Planet!
Well, here we go with the very first episode of a new Science Fiction series: Doctor Who!
It didn't start off very Science Fictiony, with a mystery surrounding the weird behaviour of a schoolgirl (Susan Foreman, the Unearthly Child of the title) and the investigation by her History teacher, Barbara Wright, and her Science teacher, Ian Chesterton. The nosy buggers followed her home after Barbara became concerned about her welfare after finding out Susan's address was a junk yard. It seems she lives there in a Police Box called a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) with her rather grumpy Grandfather who's a doctor (the Doctor of the title). After finding the Police Box and hearing Susan's voice call from inside, Ian and Barbara assumed her grandfather was holding her inside so they forced their way in, only to find out that it's a spaceship that also travels through time! However, Doctor Foreman thinks Ian and Barbara will inform the authorities and has activated the ship. Ian and Barbara have been knocked unconscious and the ship has moved to some desolate wasteland, watched over by a shadowy figure.
A very weird but incredibly promising start! Susan is very interesting and her grandfather is quite scary. Meanwhile, Ian and Barbara are very normal, likeable characters, Barbara in particular quite headstrong and providing the motivation for the episode. I think this is going to be an interesting series!
Doctor Who - The Cave Of Skulls (30/11/03)
It seems they've arrived in the Stone Age. Two Cavemen fight for control over their tribe; local boy Za, who spends all of his time rubbing a bone, shouting at twigs and bemoaning the fact his father never showed him how to make fire, and outsider Kal, who goes out and kills animals for the tribe to eat. He also saw the TARDIS arrive, watched as Doctor Who (no more his name than Doctor Foreman) lit his pipe, koshed him over the head and took him back to the caves because he thinks the Doctor can make fire come from his fingers (and he who makes fire leads the tribe). However, the Doctor has dropped his matches.
The first half of this episode was made up of Ian and Barbara getting their heads round the fact that they're no longer in 1963 - Ian's having a harder time than Barbara who seems more willing to believe her own eyes rather than be ruled by logic. Susan, meanwhile, explained that the TARDIS usually changes shape to blend into its surroundings, but hasn't done so this time. Then, when the Doctor disappeared whilst off taking samples, she panicked, even more so when they found his abandoned equipment and notebook. They arrived at the caves (no doubt having followed a trail through the forest) in time to stop the Doctor being killed for failing to make fire, but were overpowered and thrown into a Cave Of Skulls, where it looks like they'll be clubbed to death in order to appease Orb and bring back the sun. Or something. Meanwhile, an old woman keeps going on about how fire will bring about the end. Or something. Some nice ideas, but too much speech-making and not enough action. Ian and Barbara are great characters, though.
Doctor Who - The Forest Of Fear (07/12/03)
More happened this week. The Doctor hasn't been exactly helpful so far, but while they were trying to free themselves of their bonds in the Cave Of Skulls, the old woman came in through a secret entrance, cut them free and said they weren't to show anyone how to make fire. However, Hur had seen the old woman waken and steal Za's knife, so she woke Za and took him to the cave. They got there just after the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan had pegged it and took chase. Meanwhile, Kal woke, found out what had happened and killed the old woman, framing Za by saying he was responsible for freeing the time travellers so they'd give him fire and that he killed the old woman to stop her talking. In the forest, Barbara had a bit of a breakdown, Za and Hur found them but Za was attacked by an animal. It savaged him but he killed it, then Barbara insisted they help him with antibiotics from the ship. They built a stretcher and Hur led them to the TARDIS, but Kal and the rest of the tribe were waiting.
Much better this week, though Barbara and Susan were a bit feeble. The Doctor was rude, obstinate, argumentative and at one point looked as if he were about to kill the severely injured Za with a rock. It's an interesting dynamic, with Ian clearly playing the hero character this week. Now they've been recaptured, I wonder what next week will bring?
Doctor Who - The Firemaker (14/12/03)
So, the series has got off to an okay start. Kal took the time travellers back to the caves where the Doctor proved Za hadn't killed the old woman by showing the tribe Za's clean flint, then Kal's blood covered flint, then he got all the tribe to throw stones at Kal and drive him out. However, Za put them back in the Cave Of Skulls as he still wanted them to show him fire. Ian set about making a fire in the cave while Za went and got them food, but even when they showed him fire he kept them prisoner. Then Kal showed up for a fight, which he lost (gruesomely - Za slit his throat then crushed his skull with a boulder!). Za took fire out to the tribe, becoming leader, then Susan and Ian came up with the idea of sticking skulls on burning sticks and sneaking away while the tribe cowered in superstitious fear (yeah, not quite sure about that bit). Then, when Za realised they were just scared of skulls stuck on burning sticks, he led the tribe after the time travellers. This time they'd made it to the TARDIS, though, and dematerialised in time.
All said, it wasn't a bad tale. Not a patch on the first episode, but it fleshed out the characters a bit, although the women seemed a bit wet at times. The Doctor is a conniving sod and Barbara shows signs of being very moral and headstrong. I just hope the future gives us some cool Science Fiction stories rather than capers in pre-history. Next week looks promising as they've arrived in a weird, alien forest and haven't noticed that the external radiation count is dangerously high. No doubt the reason why it's called The Dead Planet!
It doesn't last long, but the initial fudging of the Doctor's morals is fascinating to revisit. I can't imagine the series would have lasted had the Doctor not been 'toned down' (or William Hartnell and/or his condition made the character more doddery and affable) but it certainly renders the character even more intriguing at the outset. Then again, everyone's most intriguing at the outset, even if they do consistently (or at least later) get good character development.
ReplyDeleteI love that the Doctor was initially a dubious character and the focus was very much on Ian and Barbara. The Doctor would go on to mellow throughout the first series with the odd call back to his unpredictability, but I've always thought that's what made the character interesting. He's very alien and unpredictable from the offset, and it's something they'd keep coming back to with the character over the years.
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