And so it begins...
Written by Anthony Coburn
Directed by Waris Hussein
Main Cast:
The Doctor - William Hartnell
Ian Chesterton - William Russell
Barbara Wright - Jacqueline Hill
Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford
Main Guest Stars:
Za - Derek Newark
Kal - Jeremy Young
Hur - Alethea Charlton
Synopsis:
Our story begins by introducing Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, two schoolteachers at Coal Hill School in London and their smart and rather unusual pupil Susan Foreman. Worried about Susan, they follow her home, which turns out to be a junkyard. While there, they (and the audience) end up meeting The Doctor as well as the Tardis for the very first time. The Doctor is rather annoyed by the intrusion, and very argumentative and evasive with Ian and Barbara. After hearing Susan's voice coming from inside the Tardis, Ian and Barbara push their way inside. The Doctor, fearing that Ian and Barbara will talk to others about the Tardis, basically kidnaps Ian and Barbara and our journeys begin.
The Tardis ends up on prehistoric Earth, in the year 100,000 BC. The travelers stumble into a tribe of cavemen where a power struggle is taking place. The conflict revolves around the need of the cavemen to have fire, for the previous leader (who has died) has taken the secret of making fire with him. Two of the cavemen are vying for the leadership position, and have no qualms about using The Doctor and his companions in order to attain the secret of making fire.
Review:
The first episode is a great introduction to the series, and is excellent. The DVD included both versions of the first episode, the unaired pilot along with the broadcast version. I've seen both versions before, but I chose to watch the broadcast version for my marathon view. It still holds up well, and it's well worth watching.
The same can't be said for the rest of the story, however. Taking place on prehistoric Earth, The Doctor and his companions get mixed up in a power struggle within a tribe of cavemen. Two men are vying for leadership of the tribe, with the man who is able to make fire likely to be made leader of the tribe. The Doctor and his companions don't really initiate much of the action, and are more reacting to the events. Indeed the main plan seems to be getting back to the Tardis as quickly as possible and leaving the prehistoric era. It isn't terrible, it's simply average and given how good the first episode of the story was it's a letdown.
Fortunately, better things are coming...
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.