As you may have noticed, or been repeatedly reminded of if you have been in my vicinity recently, it is the 50th anniversary of the world's longest running science fiction television programme, Doctor Who. On a foggy November evening in 1963, (who am I kidding I've no idea what the weather was like) the world was reeling from JFK's assassination the day before. The BBC premiered their new show, Doctor Who. Prior to last Saturday (05/01/13) I had not seen more than one and a half episodes of "classic" Who (Genesis of the Daleks and The Invasion, with a honourable mention of the TV Movie) and entering a new year I fancied a challenge.
The plan is to watch all 790 episodes of Doctor Who (up to The Snowmen) by 26/11/13, this works out at more than 2 episodes a day! I've notched off 5 so far, so am already behind, but where would we be without a bit of pressure?
I'll be updating my thoughts on each episode as I go through and I am looking forward to seeing how the series unfolds (or should that be unfolded?) My thoughts on the first 5 episodes are below:
An Unearthly Child - A good series opener, cranking up the intrigue with a conversation between Ian & Barbara, making light of their pupil Susan and her mysterious Grandfather. I particularly liked the use of flashbacks to Susan in class and the tease at the end of episode with the shadow of the tribesman is a great hook to entice the viewer to tune in next week.
The Cave of Skulls/The Forest of Fear/The Firemaker - After a superb opening episode, I felt that following 3 episodes slowed the pace and I felt it a struggle to get through The Forest of Fear. The initial "newness" of travelling in time for Ian and Barbara held my attention in The Cave of Skulls and their disbelief at what was plain to see (the tribesmen) was interesting. The Forest of Fear/The Firemaker was entertaining enough, but I felt that the story was done after the TARDIS team (The Doctor, Susan, Barbara & Ian) had escaped the cave and attempted to save the injured tribesman, all they needed was to present the fire that was promised and be on their merry way. Instead, the team were trapped back in the cave and re-escaped, it felt like this story was an episode too long.
The Dead Planet - I really enjoyed this episode. The mischievousness of the Doctor shining through with his deception of needing mercury before the TARDIS could be flown again, there was almost a moment of breaking the fourth wall as the Doctor revelled in the rest of the team surmising that the only option was to go to the city. He is manipulating them even at this early stage, and, as we are only just meeting this character it is good to see lots of elements to the character. The food machine was a nice touch, almost acknowledging to the viewer that we have seen a continuous story and people need to eat. It makes it that much more real, and is added without really holding the story up. The cliffhanger of the, now famous, plunger is our first sight of what would become THE bad guy, although the full reveal is held back, which makes it all the more sinister. And that scream at the end, certainly got me some strange looks on the train!
5 episodes watched in 3 days shows I am on the right track, although not having started on 01/01/13 has put me back a bit. I am looking forward to discovering more of the classic stories and seeing how parts of Who lore that we take for granted now are revealed over many episodes and years.
Next Blog - I tackle the Daleks in "The Survivors"
5 Episodes of 790 watched
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