As previously stated on this blog, I became a fan of Doctor Who somewhat recently. I wish I could say that I grew up watching it on the BBC in my younger years, but time and space deposited me incorrectly for that. It was the 2005 series, introducing Christopher Eccleston, that really introduced me to The Doctor and his adventures. Now, as I wait impatiently for the new season (Series 7, Matt Smith), I find myself wanting more of The Doctor and running low on options. After reading an informative post on Reddit, I've decided that I'm going to watch ALL the old Doctor Who episodes. All the ones that are still in existence, that is.
So here begins the grand project. Pull up a comfy chair and pour yourself a bowl of Cookie Crisp. We're about to go old school up in this bitch.
Episode 1 - An Unearthly Child
A disclaimer first: These episodes were broadcast individually, and with separate titles, but many belong to a batch of story arcs. This is the first episode of the first arc, and premiered in November 1963. The Doctor was first portrayed by William Hartnell. He's the oldest looking incarnation, but the youngest from The Doctor's chronology. I know, time travel, it gets better.
Curious about one of their students, two teachers, Barbara and Ian, follow her home. This girl was weird, you see. She knew way too much about certain topics, like chemistry and history, but next to nothing about common sense modern things, such as how many shillings to a pound. It really got Barbara curious, and after doing a little recon, she discovers that Susan, the young girl, seems to have no real physical address. It's just an old, run-down warehouse. Fearing for the girl's safety, Barbara and Ian make with the breaking and entering after following Susan home.
Inside the warehouse, the only thing of note is a large police box, a sort of telephone booth for back-in-the-day when you needed to call the coppers. Enter Susan's grandfather. He's a saucy old curmudgeon that basically tells them both to beat it. They suspect he's keeping Susan locked in the police box, and demand he open it. Barbara and Ian eventually push their way inside to discover a large, indescribable room inside the relatively small box. Susan and her grandfather explain that the police box is a ship called the TARDIS, and they are from another time and planet. Obviously, this goes over like crap to the two schoolteachers. They demand to be let out, but Susan's grandfather doesn't want them to blab their secret all over the place. After an argument about whether the teachers are trustworthy enough, Gramps is all like, "Sure, I'll let 'em leave... BAZINGA!" He throws the switch, activating the machine and induces a trippy sequence of lights and swirlies.
When the acid finally wears off, Ian and Barbara are out cold on the floor and the TARDIS has materialized somewhere else. Somewhere barren. And then...a shadow! CREDITS!
Despite the culture shock of watching something in black and white from the early sixties, this still comes off well. But then again, I'm the kind of person who can watch old Twilight Zone episodes like crazy. As a fan of "Modern Who," I still don't feel out of place. The theme song is basically the same, the TARDIS makes the same noises, and The Doctor is eccentric and aloof as he should be. I like it, and fans like me owe it to themselves to see how everything started. Since this is a review as well, I guess I should come up with some arbitrary ratings system. It's not to tell you which ones to watch, but to keep them ranked in my head in order of awesomeness. For simplicity's sake, let's do a five-point scale and some Pros and Cons.
Episode 1: An Unearthly Child - 4 out of 5
Pros:
William Hartnell is an awesome grump.
TARDIS is still familiar.
Cons:
Crappy quality (It's old...)
Good bit of exposition (but understandable).
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