Series/Season Two Wrap-Up

With the Time Meddler, we've come to the end of the second series/season of Doctor Who.   

Overall, this series/season was a real roller-coaster ride, much more so than the first series/season.  Planet of Giants and the Dalek Invasion of Earth did get things started off on a strong note.  However, things really took a dip with The Rescue, The Romans and The Web Planet.   The Space Museum and The Chase, however highlighted a much stronger second half.   The two stories are simply some of the best from the First Doctor era.

This series/season also see the first cast changes, as the original companions Susan, Barbara and Ian all leave at various times.   Susan leaves at the end of the Dalek Invasion of Earth, and is replaced by the orphan Vicki in the following story The Rescue.   For this first change in companions, they did play things a bit safe, as both Susan and Vicki were young teenage girls.

The writers, however seemed to have had a better handle on writing for Vicki, and overall I found her character to be a breath of fresh air.   Maureen O'brien, who played Vicki, had some great chemistry with William Hartnell and this came across on-screen. 

Ian and Barbara stay through the Chase, and are replaced by Steven Taylor.   Steven is really just learning the ropes in the Time Meddler.  At the beginning of the Time Meddler, Steven doesn't even believe that the Tardis is a time machine or that he and his fellow travelers are now in the year 1066.  This new team of The Doctor, Vicki and Steven wouldn't last too long, however, as further cast changes would be taking place in the next series/season as well.

Rating the stories from Series/Season Two -

1. The Space Museum
2. The Chase
3. The Dalek Invasion of Earth
4. The Crusade
5. The Time Meddler
6. Planet of Giants
7. The Romans
8. The Rescue
9. The Web Planet

This series/season is, by far, the most intact of all the black and white series/seasons.  Only two episodes of the Crusade are missing from the BBC archives, and the audio soundtrack of both episodes are available on the Lost in Time DVD.  Therefore, if you'd like to experience an entire series/season of the early black and white Doctor Who, this is the one to do that with.

For those who rather simply have a sample of this series/season offering, I'd recommend starting with The Dalek Invasion of Earth, jumping ahead to the Space Museum and finishing off with The Chase.  The Crusade (if one can stand listening to the audio soundtracks of the two missing episodes) and The Time Meddler are also quite good, but not quite on the same level.

Up next, I'll be starting my reviews of the stories from series/season three, beginning with a review of Galaxy Four, including the recently found third episode of that particular story Air Lock.