Tag: Susan Foreman

Timestamp #2: The Daleks

Michael Falkner23 Comments

Doctor Who: The Daleks
(7 episodes, s01e05-e11, 1963-1964)

Timestamp 002 The Daleks

The Daleks is vastly better than the first serial. I simply loved how duplicitous the Doctor was with the fluid link, the tiny little piece of the TARDIS that drives the entire serial. This story can be broken down into two distinct parts, the first of which is the introduction of the Daleks and the escape of the TARDIS crew from their imprisonment. The second is the quest to save the Thals from being destroyed by the Daleks. The first is more engaging than the second and lays the groundwork for the Dalek mythology. What’s inside those metal machines? I’m glad they saved part of that mystery and didn’t try to show it with the show’s minimal budget. The second is still a good story with good characterizations, and while it is important to the overall serial, it does drag a little.

 

Rating: 4/5 – “Would you care for a jelly baby?”

 

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction 

 

 

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.

Timestamp #1: An Unearthly Child

Michael Falkner33 Comments

Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child
(4 episodes, s01e01-e04, 1963)

Timestamp 001 An Unearthly Child

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.