The First Doctor
Feb. 4th, 2010 07:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellefliesI have just finished watching every single First Doctor episode of Doctor Who I could get my hands on. That would be every single episode, including the lost episodes - or what they've managed to cobble together.
I've basically spent the past week editing photos on the Mac and running the First Doctor on the PC and soaking it all in. Let me tell you, at times it was really hard to keep going. I'm sure whoever made the decision to wipe the Doctor Who episodes from the archives is long gone but I'd love to deliver a posthumous bitch slap.
It would be well deserved.
When I started this I had no idea there were that many First Doctor episodes. For some reason I was under the mistaken impression that he stuck around for the first season and then left. Turns out it was three seasons totaling 29 episodes. The shortest episode being one part and the longest being 12 parts.
By the end of it I was ready to see William Hartnell bow out. His giggle was beginning to annoy me as well as his habit of calling everyone "My Dear Boy", "My Dear Girl" and "My Dear Child".
There were definitely Doctorly traits that stood out - his manipulative nature, intelligence, penchant for young women (especially blondes) and complete love of the universe and adventure. I felt that he picked up quite a bit of what it is to be human, to interact with humans, to love and defend humans from Ian Chesterton. The Doctor definitely did change from The Unearthly Child to The Tenth Planet. He became much more then just a traveler and progressed well into defender category. I think his first human companions really do deserve some credit for that.
The Tardis was even worse when it was younger - there wasn't even an attempt at driving. It basically boils down to we'll appear somewhere, wander around, find trouble and overcome it.The Doctor didn't have the sonic screwdriver, which kind of makes him even more of a badass then his predecessors as he basically just made do with his brains. I'm still waiting for the first mention of the Time Lords. Susan had a moment where she talked of not being from Earth and that where she came from the grass was red and the leaves were silver and there's been plenty of hints that The Doctor is more then he seems but they've never named him or his species as being Time Lords. The Monk was great fun regardless of the show not giving any information as to their background.
I had a great time watching companions come and go. At the end of the Tenth Planet the Doctor had gone through 7 female companions and 3 male. When the Doctor picked up Vicki (female companion number 3) she was young, blonde and they started with the hand holding almost immediately.
Never change Doctor, never change.
Barbara was my favorite companion. She could be FIERCE when she wanted to be and wasn't afraid to face off with the Doctor and force him to face things he didn't quite want to. She had a bit of a habit of wandering off too.
I liked the idea of Susan, I wasn't too big on her execution. She screamed WAY too much. WAAAAAAAAAAY too much. I'm going to have to label Susan and Dodo as tied for least favorite First Doctor companions. Susan because of all the screaming and Dodo for being... hrrm, she was kind of a space cadet. I'm not really sure how to phrase my dislike of her - she just never struck me as all that bright. A bit of a ditz really and had the distinction of going off with the Doctor mainly because she was a supposed descendant of a girl Steven and he had to leave behind. Although I could just be assigning personality traits to her based on her ridiculous name.
When Doctor Who was on, it was ON. My favorite episode was The Chase. I particularly liked the bit with the Tardis crew bopping throughout time pursued by Daleks and encountering and weirding out all kinds of people. Their encounter with the Alabamian man (otherwise known as the Walking Cliche) at the top of the Empire State Building was priceless.
My least favorite... The Unearthly Child. The first part was good: with Barbara and Ian's introduction to the Tardis, but the rest of it - with the cavemen and the cavemen politics and getting captured then escaping and captured again. I thought it was really tedious. Plus, Susan kept SCREAMING. Amazing that a grandchild of his would be such a shrieker.
Seeing the beginnings of the Daleks and the Cybermen was... interesting. The Dalek episodes were some of the best and it was clear that they were Terry Nation's babies. Every time they showed up you could be certain Terry Nation wrote the script. The Cybermen... glad they redesigning those things for the New Series. Although I do like the one Cyberman in the Tenth Planet who didn't quite have the voice down and was practically singing his lines.
All of William Hartnell's absences were irritating as well. I understand it was due to his poor health and that ultimately that was the reason his contract was not reviewed but I have to admit that the character I find the most interesting is the Doctor and when he's not around the episodes seem to drag moreso then usual.
So farewell William Hartnell, I did enjoy your turn as the Doctor even it I was getting annoyed there at the end.
I'd like to welcome Patrick Troughton to my TV and say that I look forward to all the clinging everyone has promised me!
I've basically spent the past week editing photos on the Mac and running the First Doctor on the PC and soaking it all in. Let me tell you, at times it was really hard to keep going. I'm sure whoever made the decision to wipe the Doctor Who episodes from the archives is long gone but I'd love to deliver a posthumous bitch slap.
It would be well deserved.
When I started this I had no idea there were that many First Doctor episodes. For some reason I was under the mistaken impression that he stuck around for the first season and then left. Turns out it was three seasons totaling 29 episodes. The shortest episode being one part and the longest being 12 parts.
By the end of it I was ready to see William Hartnell bow out. His giggle was beginning to annoy me as well as his habit of calling everyone "My Dear Boy", "My Dear Girl" and "My Dear Child".
There were definitely Doctorly traits that stood out - his manipulative nature, intelligence, penchant for young women (especially blondes) and complete love of the universe and adventure. I felt that he picked up quite a bit of what it is to be human, to interact with humans, to love and defend humans from Ian Chesterton. The Doctor definitely did change from The Unearthly Child to The Tenth Planet. He became much more then just a traveler and progressed well into defender category. I think his first human companions really do deserve some credit for that.
The Tardis was even worse when it was younger - there wasn't even an attempt at driving. It basically boils down to we'll appear somewhere, wander around, find trouble and overcome it.The Doctor didn't have the sonic screwdriver, which kind of makes him even more of a badass then his predecessors as he basically just made do with his brains. I'm still waiting for the first mention of the Time Lords. Susan had a moment where she talked of not being from Earth and that where she came from the grass was red and the leaves were silver and there's been plenty of hints that The Doctor is more then he seems but they've never named him or his species as being Time Lords. The Monk was great fun regardless of the show not giving any information as to their background.
I had a great time watching companions come and go. At the end of the Tenth Planet the Doctor had gone through 7 female companions and 3 male. When the Doctor picked up Vicki (female companion number 3) she was young, blonde and they started with the hand holding almost immediately.
Never change Doctor, never change.
Barbara was my favorite companion. She could be FIERCE when she wanted to be and wasn't afraid to face off with the Doctor and force him to face things he didn't quite want to. She had a bit of a habit of wandering off too.
I liked the idea of Susan, I wasn't too big on her execution. She screamed WAY too much. WAAAAAAAAAAY too much. I'm going to have to label Susan and Dodo as tied for least favorite First Doctor companions. Susan because of all the screaming and Dodo for being... hrrm, she was kind of a space cadet. I'm not really sure how to phrase my dislike of her - she just never struck me as all that bright. A bit of a ditz really and had the distinction of going off with the Doctor mainly because she was a supposed descendant of a girl Steven and he had to leave behind. Although I could just be assigning personality traits to her based on her ridiculous name.
When Doctor Who was on, it was ON. My favorite episode was The Chase. I particularly liked the bit with the Tardis crew bopping throughout time pursued by Daleks and encountering and weirding out all kinds of people. Their encounter with the Alabamian man (otherwise known as the Walking Cliche) at the top of the Empire State Building was priceless.
My least favorite... The Unearthly Child. The first part was good: with Barbara and Ian's introduction to the Tardis, but the rest of it - with the cavemen and the cavemen politics and getting captured then escaping and captured again. I thought it was really tedious. Plus, Susan kept SCREAMING. Amazing that a grandchild of his would be such a shrieker.
Seeing the beginnings of the Daleks and the Cybermen was... interesting. The Dalek episodes were some of the best and it was clear that they were Terry Nation's babies. Every time they showed up you could be certain Terry Nation wrote the script. The Cybermen... glad they redesigning those things for the New Series. Although I do like the one Cyberman in the Tenth Planet who didn't quite have the voice down and was practically singing his lines.
All of William Hartnell's absences were irritating as well. I understand it was due to his poor health and that ultimately that was the reason his contract was not reviewed but I have to admit that the character I find the most interesting is the Doctor and when he's not around the episodes seem to drag moreso then usual.
So farewell William Hartnell, I did enjoy your turn as the Doctor even it I was getting annoyed there at the end.
I'd like to welcome Patrick Troughton to my TV and say that I look forward to all the clinging everyone has promised me!
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-05 02:42 am (UTC)Never change Doctor, never change.
LOLOLOL!!!
Well put, I couldn't stop laughing at that!
no subject
Date: 2010-02-05 02:53 am (UTC)Vickie was the one companion I think he was most physical with. I was iming people throughout the First Doctor Marathon and when she showed up it was very OMG WHAT IS GOING ON YOU HAVE NOT CHANGED YOU PLAYBOY!
no subject
Date: 2010-02-05 07:06 pm (UTC)The Time Lords aren't seen until Patrick Troughton's era, though I believe they aren't given a name at that time. I could be wrong about that.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-10 02:44 am (UTC)I think you're right about the Time Lords. I've been going through the Second Doctor eps (almost halfway through!) and he's a bit more open about who he is - as in not human and from another planet. But he's still cagey about his background.