Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
(4 episodes, s01e01-e04, 1963)
In short: I’m glad the show got better. The best part for me was the first episode, An Unearthly Child. The rest of the serial with the cavemen just didn’t grab me. There were some nice little character moments between the Doctor and Ian over leadership of the group, but the cavemen seemed very one-dimensional and dragged down the pacing. In particular, I enjoyed watching Ian deciding who should do what, but assuring the Doctor that he was still the leader.
My dislike of this serial is tempered by the leniency I offer to both pilot episodes and Doctor Who regeneration episodes. Pilots are always pretty tough, and regenerations episodes are even more tough because it’s the same show with a different face.
Rating: 3/5 – “Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.”
UP NEXT – Doctor Who: The Daleks
The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.
Creative Criticality 
Most fans agree that the first episode is what does it and then sadly the remaining three falter to varying degrees. But you have a great setup for the next story with the radiation meter blinking in no one seems to pay attention. Did you manage to see the other pilot episode? It really shows a even harsher, alien Doctor.
I do have the unaired pilot episode, but haven’t watched it yet. I’ll have to take a look to see how the evolved the character. Thanks!
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