Marco Polo

In the late sixties and early seventies the BBC erased, partially or completely, 108 Doctor Who stories. We all know about it, we hate to think about it. So many great stories are gone, or nearly gone, for good. But what can you do? The question is, what should I do? If you have been a Doctor Who fan you know the BBC has the soundtrack for every episode in their library and that most of these soundtracks have been released on CD. There have also been "reconstructions" where fans take photos or telesnaps and play them over the audio recording of the lost episode. My decision was which way to go? Reconstruction or audio recording? I've decided to go with both. From now on when I encounter a "lost" episode I will listen to the audio recording and attempt to find a reconstruction. If any one has any advice or thoughts on what to do about lost episodes, by all means send me an email or leave a comment. I'm always open for new suggestions.

It is with sadness that I write that the seven part epic (and the first historical DW story) Marco Polo, has no surviving footage. It is still baffling to me that 1, 2, 3 exist in their entirety but 4 has nothing. The fun aspect is the hunt for the episode itself. My first clue was the 40 minute reconstruction on the Edge of Destruction DVD. At the end of that footage was an ad for a CD with the complete story in audio format. I hopped eagerly to Amazon and ebay. Each were charging 30-40 USD, in my opinion to high a price, so I stubbornly pressed on. I saw no hope of victory, when on a whim, I searched the episode title in the iTunes music store. To my surprise, the entire CD was for sale in the audiobook section for only 16 USD! And it was not the only lost audio recording there. If you're a DW fan looking for a lost episode in the audio format, check iTunes. They're a good bet.

Part one, the Roof of the World, begins right where Brink of Disaster leaves off. I'm impressed with the narration (read by William Russel who played Chesterton) for it's hardly noticeable and you forget that you're listening to a lost episode. The characters are on a snowy mountain top and the Doctor has trouble breathing because of the altitude. Ian and Barbera speculate about being on Earth when the Doctor pops back in again stating that a circuit in the ship is damaged and that they have neither food, water or heating. The old man and Susan proceed with repairs while Ian and Barbera search for fuel. There is a brief piece of technobabble as the heroes go their way. Barbera sees a man clad in fur but Ian does not. In a tradition started in the Daleks, no one believes a woman who says she saw someone. They return to the Doctor who says that he'll have to make a new replacement circuit. The fur clad man (naturally) shows up again and all chase after him only to fall into an ambush on a ledge. The man (played by the fantastic Derren Nesbitt) tells his "mongols" (in English, although there is a reason that comes up much later on) that these are evil spirits to be killed. A younger man interupts and rescues the foursome in the name of Kublai Khan. They are taken to a tent where a girl, Ping Cho, is cooking something in a pot. They tend to the Doctor while Barbera gives the audience, I mean er, Susan a brief history lesson as a way to introduce the younger man as Marco Polo. This leads to introductions all around. The fur clad fellow is Tegana, a mongol warlord and the Doctor mispronounces Chesterton's name. There is an establishing scene with Ping Cho (played by Zienia Merton of Space 1999 fame) and Susan where many plot details are set up, including the two characters friendship. Tegana whines about his prey being allowed to live and Nesbitt potrays his character to brooding perfection. The residents of 1289 develop a fascination with the TARDIS "the caravan with no wheels." Polo guesses that they are Buddhist magicians. The Doctor flirts with Ping Cho in order to get a cup of bean sprout soup. She reveals that Tegana is a peace emissary on his way to negotiate with Kublai Khan. Marco won't let them work on the TARDIS until they reach a village further down the road. There is the first of many scenes involving Marco writing in his journal where we learn he has some unrevealed plan. That plan is described by him after they reach the village and the ship is guarded by an armed mongol. Marco intends to use the "caravan" as a bribe in order to be released from the Khan's service to go back to Venice where the Doctor can "make another." No one likes this idea. Not even Tegana. "Grandfather" spends a minute laughing hysterically in despair while Tegana purchases poison and plots to steal the TARDIS in a plot to overthrow the Khan.

Episode two is aptly titled The Singing Sand and briefly recaps events previous, before a second journal scene with Polo. The group eats dinner and Ian plays Polo at chess. Barbera tries to console Susan who is in a bad mood. Suddenly the girl breaks out into a brief philosophical monologue, "One day, we'll know all the mysteries of the skies, and we'll stop our wandering." Who fans have long debated the meaning of this comment. Later Ping Cho and Susan are in their tent examining the desert. Susan uses a lot of sixties slang before noticing Tegana sneaking out across the dunes. The girls decide to follow him. Meanwhile Polo hears that his horses are restless warning him of a (take a guess!) sand storm. Ping Cho is the first to see the storm. They argue about whether to run back or shelter where they are. The adults are enjoying the sounds of the storm as it blows in (which sounds like laughing chipmunks and free style jazz.) Everyone notices that Tegana is gone first, then the girls second. Tegana (in an interesting twist) rescues the couple and Marco is furious about everyone deserting camp without his knowledge. The next night, Tegana confronts Polo about his journal keeping habit in an atempt to get on his nerves before secretly dumping the water supply into the sand, then he suggests it was bandits the next morning. Polo decides to proceed to an oasis and we are offered a typical "wandering through the desert with no water" scene and Tegana goes ahead to bring back water. The episode wraps with the Doctor and Susan being allowed into the TARDIS to recover and a good scene with Tegana revealing at the oasis that he has no intention of bringing back any water by flinging some to the sand. (Come for it!)

Polo wonders in his diary "what has happened to Tegana?" and Ian remarks "nothing but sand." Condensation forms inside the TARDIS and Susan and the Doctor collect it allowing the others to survive even though Marco doesn't understand what condensation is. How condensation could form inside the TARDIS doesn't make sense although it is possible that the ship's insulation has changed over the years. Almost everything else changed. They fast forward to Tegana trying to explain why he didn't return once he reached the oasis. Again bandits are his explanation. The Doctor's company doesn't believe the warlord but Marco is taken in and orders the ship locked. Then all arrive at a city. We hear about the cave of (the episode title) Five Hundred Eyes for the first time and the Doctor plans to sneak aboard his craft to repair it when Ping Cho gathers every one together to tell a story. Afterward Tegana sneaks to the cave and Barbera follows him. The cave turns out to have a secret chamber where enemies of the Khan lurk. That careless school teacher is captured and Marco is furious about her disappearence. Later the Doctor and the girls guess she has gone to the cave of five hundred eyes and go to it and in a chilling climax, Susan sees a pair of the quartz eyes move.

Episode four "The Wall of Lies." Marco learns that the Doctor is at the cave and gives chase. Ian comes along and finds the door, rescueing Barbera who is moaning in a typical fashion. You'd think after all she'd been through she'd be a bit less inclined to panic. Tegana continues whispering arguments against the travellers in Marco's ear, which Barbera counters with the truth. Polo separates the two girls on the way to Shang-tu. The Doctor confides in Ian and Barbera that he is almost finished with repairing the ship and that Ping cho knows about his keys. Tegana plans to attack Polo's group using his bandit associates "with stealth." When asked how he will kill the Doctor, he cleverly states "with a stake through the heart." Tegana catches the Doctor in the TARDIS and Polo is furious. Finally, the night of the attack comes. The travellers have been made prisoners as a result of being caught and are very restless in their guarded tent. Ian escapes using part of a broken plate with the intention of kidnapping Polo in order to obtain the TARDIS key and escape this time frame. When he tackles the guard, he falls away lifelessly. Cue credit music. Who wouldn't tune in next week?


Episode five- Rider from Shang-tu. Cue the gong player. The bandits are waiting in the woods as Ian concludes that it was their type who was responsible for this latest death. The Doctor insists that they steal the key and escape, but Ian objects and goes to warn Marco. They quickly set up a defense. The Doctor is given a sword which he refers to humorously as an "overgrown bread knife." They stack bamboo by the fire in the hope that when it burns it will explode. The bandits attack (contradicting Tegana's orders) and they are defeated by the caravan's members. Tegana kills their leader in the battle, effectively removing blame from himself. Ming Tao, a courier from the khan is introduced and Ping Cho discovers where Polo has hidden the key, but he swears her to secrecy. The message orders the travelers to the palace at Shang-tu. Hard riding is required and the TARDIS and everything else is handled by following trade caravans. They stop at weigh station where a fat innkeeper infuriates the Doctor by insulting his machine. Ping cho and Susan amuse themselves by comparing characters in the story to fish in a pool, which is an odd way to kill time in my opinion. Afterwards, Ping cho steals the key and gives it to her friend. They try to escape that night. Ian fools the guard pretending to be drunk. The others sneak into the police box but Susan fouls everything up and guarantees another three episodes by hurrying back to say good bye to Ping cho. On her way back, Susan is caught screaming by Tegana who never seems to stray far from the TARDIS. Cue the gong...

Episode six is called Mighty Kublai Khan and begins with the usual rehash of what happened at the tale end of the last part. Their exit is again delayed and Ian covers for Ping cho by claiming he stole it, instead of her. A day of hard riding follows. Ian and Marco argue about the ownership rights of the ship and Ian reveals that it is a time machine. Marco is naturally dubious and that night Ping cho "departs." Ian goes to find her while everyone else ride ahead. Meanwhile, the girl is back at the weigh station. A man Tegana hired fleeces her money and steals the TARDIS. Ian arrives later and discovers that the TARDIS has been stolen. Meanwhile, Tegana convinces Marco that he should be allowed to chase after Ian and the wayward Chinese girl. Ian and Ping cho guess at which way the bandits must have gone and pursue them. The others arrive at the palace without Ian or Tegana. A vizier is introduced when he orders the Doctor to kneel when the Khan enters. The Doctor has severe back trouble from the ride and objects vehemently. As they argue, the Khan enters. The Doctor tries to get down as the very old and achy Khan appears with much fanfare. The two are both clearly in great pain, which gives them a common interest. The Doctor is asked about the status of his degree to which he replies that he is "not a doctor of medicine." Tegana's leader Nogai has massed his forces near the border of the Khan's territory and the old man is upset by the warlord's absence. Polo apologizes. The Khan and the Doctor get to know each other in the palace's "healing waters." Ian and Ping cho find the TARDIS with Tegana's man, Qui xu. The man confesses that Tegana hired him. Tegana arrives and challenges Ian to a duel in an atypical DW conclusion.

Assassin at Peking; the final installment. Ling tao interrupts the duel and escorts everyone to Peking where the Doctor is at that moment playing a hilarious game of backgammon with the Khan. The Doctor has won a ridiculous assortment of prizes which he risks on a chance to win the TARDIS back. The Doctor mentions that he's never met Genghis Khan. Polo is informed and he in turn informs Susan and Barbera. It seems as if 6000 guests will be attending the pre-wedding feast for Ping cho. Since everything is hinging on the game of backgammon, the Doctor loses and the story goes on. But the Doctor only laughs at his misfortune. Ping cho will be married the next morning and Ian will be tried for "stealing" the TARDIS. That object is taken into the Khan's court where the Khan discovers that Marco tried to bribe him. At the feast we learn that Ping cho's husband to be has died while drinking a potion of sulphur and quicksilver. She is then given her freedom. Kublai Khan orders Marco to bring the Doctor to him after the meeting with Tegana. The Doctor figures out that Tegana is planning to assassinate the Khan in the other room. They escape by tripping the guard with the Doctor's cane. They warn Marco of Tegana's intentions as Ling tao announces that Peking is under attack from Nogai's armies. The vizier sacrifice's himself to protect the Khan as Polo bursts on the scene. There is an exciting and climatic duel with the ship in the background. Tegana is defeated and then commits suicide on a guard's sword. While the story does not end so well for him, it works out well for the Doctor who takes the keys from Polo and then leaves hastily with his company. Polo reflects; "But what is the truth? I wonder where they are now. The past... or the future."

Marco Polo is an excellent example of a DW historical story with very few science fiction elements. Unfortunately it runs long and often gets stuck in itself. At least an episode or two could have been trimmed with minimal loss to the plot. However it is fairly educational for those unfamiliar with geography of the region and has many fascinating scenes. It does follow a steady stream of thought and is quite worth listening too once you can find a copy of the CD. If you can find a Telesnap reconstruction then it would be even better. An essential for long car trips. By the way, I would just like to apologize for this being nearly a year late. I've had some difficulty with this and the next story but it's all been cleared up. Look for the next entry in about a month or so.

Edge of Destruction

The Daleks was incredible. It was also very long at seven parts and was quite a challenge to review. I (being an American) was reared on Tom Baker broadcasts on PBS, so a Doctor Who story has always been four parts. I'd heard that earlier stories didn't fit that mold and with The Daleks, I discovered what I heard was true. However no one told me that there could be far less then four episodes to a story and so I was surprised on receiving the DVD that only two episodes were listed. I immediately dashed over to the gallifreyone.com episode guide. No mistake. Two part episode. So on that note, I started fresh.

The opening theme song is still chilling and engrossing no matter how many times I see it. I especially love how other worldly it sounds. The 80s remix and the modern incarnation are identifiable with human instruments but the original is different. It belongs to the cosmos. That tangent aside, the story begins with, well, it sounds like the TARDIS crashing into another TARDIS. The subtle and disturbing score comes in as various creative shots of our heroes unconscious (Ian has conveniently fallen into the only chair) as the opening titles roll. Barbera is the first to wake and she was in the other room when whatever happened happened. Susan soon wakes and both characters show signs of concussion or memory loss of some kind. The Doctor has cut open his head so they bandage it accordingly. Ian wakes up and he too shows signs of memory loss. I am remembering all the bad TV shows I've seen where every character loses their memory and I'm getting a little worried. Things seem to be moving very slowly. In a bit of a contradiction to later episodes, Ian checks the Doctor's pulse and indicates that it is "normal." Whether or not this is a blatant contradiction with future episodes where the Doctor is said to have two hearts depends on whether Ian knew that the Doctor had two hearts before checking his pulse. It also possible that Ian is too "dizzy" to check accurately. The amusing food machine registers empty when it isn't and the TARDIS doors open by themselves. All that is visible outside is a bright white light. Susan is suddenly very panicked and insists on "trying the controls." Barbera looks on as Susan does a horrible electric shock mime. The audience's view of the character's quiet attitudes and the long pauses between dialogue is summed up by Ian's next line. "What's going on here?" The Doctor wakes up and they put on a striped bandage on. Susan's explanation of those stripes is very futuristic although it doesn't make the thing look any less out of place. We see the uncomfortable looking TARDIS sleeping quarters for the first time and Ian discovers that the food machine is malfunctioning. As he returns to give snoozing Susan some water he is greeted by the same standing erect holding a pair of scissors. In the most twisted and psychotic moment ever witnessed by this Who fan, she proceeds to threaten Ian with the scissors before violently stabbing her own bed to pieces, before falling unconscious. This is accompanied by bizarre and psychotic piano music. The Doctor has awakened and they discuss their next moves. Susan is in a dark night gown and is playing with those scissors again. To complicate things, the fault locator is not working as well. Susan theorizes that a creature is lurking inside the ship, hiding inside one of them. On less original shows, this would be the case, however the respective writer, David Whitaker, is far more creative. The Doctor activates the scanner which shows English country side and Susan observes that touching the console is safe suddenly. The next picture that appears on screen is what they call the planet Quinnis in the fourth universe where the Doctor and Susan had nearly lost the ship "four or five journeys ago." There have never been any other references to those events or that planet and I'm glad of it too. Who producers allow that to remain in the imagination. An image of space is shown before it becomes washed out in a flash. The Doctor accuses the school teachers of sabotage and a very dull squabble follows. All the clocks in the ship become mutilated and Barbera has a nervous break down. The Doctor's startling response is serving tea, which he naturally laces with a sleeping potion. After they are unconscious, he begins fiddling with the switches at the nerve center, when someone of camera grabs him by the throat. Suddenly- a fade out.

Part two (The Brink of Disaster) reveals that it was Ian grabbing the Doctor. The science educator acts and looks insane right before screaming and collapsing. Barbera comes out and argues with the Doctor who is being very obstinate. In an attempt to be dramatic, the crew place Susan on the Doctor's side for a few moments but not long after Ian wakes, she crosses the front lines again rendering the attempt futile. The Doctor fully intends to fling the pair outside even though his reason for doing so doesn't make any sense. Their is a fog horn of a danger signal (cloister bell?) and the entire fault locator wall lights up indicating that everything is at fault. The Doctor is very aware of the danger all at once and then under his breath mentions that he has misjudged the two adults right before he reanalyzes the situation using new information. Some terrible force is holding the ship at bay and they will be destroyed soon. Barbera figures that time is running out and they all find that the gigantic source of power (the Heart of the TARDIS) is trying to escape through the central column. The ship is trying to warn them with all the malfunctions it has inflicted and the "terrible force" is actually the TARDIS defense system. The TARDIS can withstand the magnetic forces of up to a solar system. The doors open displaying the bright light outside. Finally they conclude that the ship has traveled back to the beginning of time and that the defense system is keeping them all from being completely destroyed. Then there is a truly awe inspiring soliloquy from William Hartnell about the creation of the universe when it is learned that the Doctor used a "fast return switch" in an attempt to return to Earth in the 20th century. A spring (a spring!) was broken and the replacement of that spring allows everything to return to glorious monotony. The Doctor and Barbera reconcile in a touching scene leading to the unity of the entire group for the first time.

Edge of Destruction is the perfect transition from the Daleks to Marco Polo. The first part is confusing and weird but the second is a great leap for all the characters and the salvation for part one. Honestly it would have been better if it had replaced the whole caveman story that opened the program but the first part deals it a heavy blow.

Three of out of five TARDIS.

The Daleks

My foremost feeling when beginning this next adventure was exhaustion. I hadn't slept well the night before and I'd had a great deal of difficulty obtaining this story. The excitement was dulled but still present. The Daleks begins immediately right where An Unearthly Child left off. With the radiation danger light flashing. There is a brief pause and then we leap into the story proper. Part one, The Dead Planet. The Doctor begins to take command of the party this time around and all is better off for it. Susan is established as quite cheerful and a bit naive and she continues to grow in leaps and bounds. The world outside, our heroes discover, is as the title would suggest, dead. Trees are brittle and crumble under presure. There is no animal life and the Doctor and Susan run tests. Barbera seems tired and eager to go home. Ian is acting "rough and ready" and is able to deduce that they aren't on Earth. They exchange a few quips about how silly they thnk the "old man" is as Susan finds a flower. Ian crushes accidentily it when they find the series first bug-eyed monster that also is made of metal. Unfortunately it's been killed by whatever killed the forrest. The Doctor guesses a neutron bomb wrecked the world. They discover a deserted looking city that is obviously designed by a sentient race. The Doctor wants to investigate but Ian forces him to return to the ship and on the trip back, Susan is tapped on the shoulder by some unseen man who sends her into a panic. Back at the ship Ian and the Doctor argue and Susan insists she's not (as the old cliche goes) imagining things. And since this is television, she isn't. The Doctor offers his first sign of caring for his companions by offering them food which he cooks using a highly unusual machine that the story labors on, but is still interesting. Someone raps on the outside of the TARDIS and no one is visible on the scanner. Ian tries to force the Doctor to leave, which he pretends to do. But he endearingly and sneakilly breaks the fluid link in order to force the crew to visit the city. Outside they find a metal box containing glass vials that Susan leaves in the TARDIS. The story intensifies as the characters reach the city and begin to feel ill from the radiation that they are still ignorant of. They foolishly split up and (naturally) Barbera is lost in the winding corridors. She is trapped by metal doors that seal her in as the world gets it's first glimpse of a dalek. No one in the world would have delibrately missed the next episode.

Unlike the caveman's shadow, the Dalek teaser does not disappoint in this second part, The Survivors. The director leaves us in suspense as the characters realize that the atmosphere is polluted with radiation. Ian demands they find Barbera and return to the ship saying "the Doctor needs to accept his responsibilities." This characteristic of the Doctor's indicates just how young he really is. The Doctor is yet again forced to agree and in a superb shot, the daleks are revealed. They are a good bit shorter then one would expect and their voices are broken in to a syllable-emphasis robotic style that makes them hard to understand and tell apart. They wave their plunger like hands threateningly and use their weapons to temporarily paralyze Ian, a function not used in later stories. The prisoners are all placed together and they understand they are dying. The very original looking daleks are monitoring the Doctor from their less then original control room. They question the Doctor in a good interogation scene where we learn the name of these machines and the name of the people who live on the surface via anti-radiation drugs. Thals. The Doctor requests that one of his party return to get the glass vials when he learns the daleks are trapped inside their city due to the fact that they rely on their mechanical bodies for radiation protection. There was a war 500 years previous that they say mutated the thals and forced the daleks into their housings. We learn the TARDIS has a complex locking system and that Ian cannot walk. Since Barbera and the Doctor are not well, Susan is forced by the Daleks to go and get the medicine herself. The daleks decide to allow the prisoners to die and use the drug for themselves in order to destroy the thals once and for all. Susan is given a briliant sequence where she races through the dangerous forrest in order to get the drugs. The episode closes with the poor cliffhanger of her facing the TARDIS doorway before her return. However it still runs briliantly into part three, The Escape.

One of the "mutations" finds Susan and there is a remarkable tension between her and the thal who tries to help her by showing her how to use the drugs. When she returns, the daleks conveniently let their prisoners survive to learn more information which they get from Susan by monitoring the cell. It is clear the daleks want the thals dead for no obvious reason and they force the Doctor's granddaughter to right a letter proposing peace in order to lure the race into an ambush. Meanwhile the thals discover the daleks and a shining moment in the history of the whoniverse is shown. It is the first time we see totally useless and completely stupid looking alien costumes. Yes indeed the thals are horrible fashion victims and that removes great chunks of believeability monumental performances. The prisoners get their act together and destroy the security camera. Then they deduce their adversaries are powered by static electricity run through the floor. They execute a clever plan and capture their guard. Removing the shell's occupant they discover the daleks are the mutants. Ian climbs into the machine and pretends to be the dalek. The closing scene allows us are only look at the dalek's mutated body.

Part four (the ambush) begins with the enthralling narrative of the Doctor's plan in motion. A great escape sequence with effects that rival those of today is displayed. The thals come to meet with the daleks and Ian makes his best attempt to warn them while the Doctor takes the women to regroup with the thals. In a suspense filled scene, the daleks murder the thals who can't escape. The Doctor reads through the history of the planet known as Skaro and Ian argues with the leader of the thals that they must battle the daleks. The thals are hopeless pacifists because of the war but out of necessity for the story must eventually overcome this. The Doctor thinks they should leave immediately but in a truly horrifying moment, they realize the daleks have the fluid link.

Without this additional boost the story would have ended there and would have worked well although many things are not resolved. In part five (the expedition) there is a great deal of argueing as Ian tries to convince the thals to abandon pacifism in order to defeat the daleks. This is where the engrossing story grows thin. We wander through arguements upon arguements as the daleks realize that the anti radiation drug is deadly to their mutated forms. As they peice that puzzle together, the thals decide to attack from behind through a dangerous swamp while the Doctor distracts the daleks from the front. The swamp is a wonderfully alien enviroment filled with gorgeous aliens and bubbling, smoking lakes. Their voyage is absolutely enchanting. A splended ending involves a thal being sucked into a whirlpool. This part is decidedly weaker the the first four but returns to full steam by it's end.

The group finds a trail of pipes leading through a system of caves. That group wanders through the caves as the doctor sabotauges the dalek power system. Unfortunately he and Susan are caught and a large stone blocks the cave's entrance so that Ian, Barbera and thals can't go back. Surely Terry Nation could have come up with something more clever then that. There is another too long sequence as they press on and try to cross a pit in their path. The last thal falls in and is about to pull Ian with him as another chapter closes. Episode six, The Ordeal, IS an ordeal.

The climactic seventh part begins with the honorable thal sacrificing himself to save Ian because Ian is a series regular. The Doctor learns that the daleks plan to unleash all the radiation from their nuclear reactors across the surface so that the planet will be uninnhabitable by all but daleks. In a desperate attempt to stop them, the Doctor informs them that he would be willing to sacrifice his ship in order to save the thals. This is important for two reasons. The first is that it is the dalek's first time realizing that they deserve to galactic conquerors. The second is that it is the first time the Doctor has ever tried to become involved with a people group he has visited in time. Compassion has finally seeped into his rebelious heart. Ian and company break in and just moments before the daleks unleash unlimited radiation on their world, the thals attack. Their is a great battle and the commanding dalek has a perfect death scene. The Doctor decides to move on and not stay as always. He is asked where he comes from but brushes neatly over the question and leaves them, encourageing them to search for truth. Barbera has a brief farewell scene with a thal she has become attatched to and we see the TARDIS dematerialize. A neat resolution. Suddenly the ship begins to malfunction and the Daleks comes to an end.

This serial is a spectacular improvement on An Unearthly Child and the characters are perfectly solid. The villans are timeless and the thals had horrible costumes. All in all a great story.

Four out of five TARDIS.

An Unearthly Child

I was excited as I sat down to watch the first ever Doctor Who story created. I had just finished the pilot and could not wait to begin a fresh journey into the beginnings of canon Who. The first few seconds left me with a feeling of deja vu, but as soon as the camera reaches the slightly revised TARDIS, I'm aware of how different this tale will be. At various points I noticed things that have been improved and periodically the things that have become worse. The character of Susan, who was merely bizarre in the opening, is now a genuine character. The school teacher's motivations make a bit more sense. The Doctor is a bit more likable and most importantly, this story has a much faster plot.

The first half of the pilot has become the first quarter of episode one. Mysterious scenes at the school are shortened and most of the episode takes place in the TARDIS and the junkyard it is located in. We are greeted by a marvelously designed console room that carries the dialogue well. The scene does not fall into total chaos nearly as quickly as it did in the pilot and the dematerialization sequence is lengthened and the famous sound effect is now in the foreground. Interestingly, you can see that the Doctor is younger at this point. He still clings to the time lord concept of noninterference and thus justifies kidnapping the history and science teachers. The shadow falling across the sand leaves everyone on the edge of their seat, dying to see what sort of monster is on this strange planet the Doctor has taken the group to. The credits roll and I am still hooked.

The disappointment comes in when it turns out that in fact that the "monster" is merely a caveman. Or possibly a hippie in need of a shower. The opening scene in the TARDIS reveals that the representatives of the education system have been knocked unconscious somehow but Susan and the Doctor (presumably adjusted to time travel) are standing, but look slightly stunned. (They haven't been anywhere in five months.) The Doctor argues with Ian about whether or not it's all a trick and it feels forced and over extended. The point is proven when they find themselves outside presumably on Earth (no one actually says that they are on Earth) a million years B.C. The caveman attacks and kidnaps the Doctor and Susan immediately goes into a frenzy. Unfortunately from this point on, and through out the serial's remaining episodes, the Doctor becomes a background character. Helpful and with plenty of good scenes but the driving force becomes the younger folks attempt to return to the ship and go home. Unfortunately, even that plot is swallowed by the dull story of a power struggle between the two cavemen Za and Kal. The macguffin to that story is fire. Fire that the leader of the tribe must create in order for the other cavemen to survive.

There is a variety of well executed chase scenes and not so well executed dramatic scenes that make up the majority of the following two episodes. It feels like the characters are stuck in a loop. Escape, get caught, escape, get caught. Until finally they do escape at which point the Doctor again becomes the story's central figure. He resumes his firm position about letting our "heroes" go back to their own time and a debate begins but before this action can finish they arrive somewhere else and they go to rest and clean up. Susan checks the radiation meter which reads all clear until she walks away. Then it begins to detect enormously high levels and flash "DANGER." And so the curtain falls on the final installment of the first complete Doctor Who serial.

One is left fascinated by the first episode, confused and disappointed by the second and third and impatient for the following broadcast. All in all "An Unearthly Child" is an wobbly start for so fascinating a series. The first episode has the air of a thriller and could be called what science fiction would look like if Hitchcock were to approach the genre. The story of the cavemen feels like a truly awful Twilight Zone story but without the Rod Serling twist that program was so famous for. However, dull as it was, it has left me eager for it's sequel. And that is on it's way...

3 out of 5 TARDIS.

For more information visit http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/An_Unearthly_Child

NON-CANON: The Pilot Episode

This is how it all began....

A simple pilot episode. Never broadcast. Darkly mysterious, it had anything but solid story and characterization. Nevertheless the genesis is all there. The Doctor is an old and cranky man and the TARDIS is a police box. He has a granddaughter, who was born in another century. She is the primary subject of the story along with two nosy school teachers forcing their way into things.

The episode feels stretched and over acted. As if it is foreshadowing future events. A strange scene involving a peice of paper and smeared ink is inserted for no reason, other then to attempt and increase the mystery. On a positive note, it leaves you eager for the next story, which never came.

1 out of 5 TARDIS.

The pilot episode is non-canon and was remade into the first serial story, An Unearthly Child. For more information visit

ANNOUNCEMENT: Dematerialization...

And so begins the grand voyage. Expect the first episode review soon. Every episode will also feature a screenshot. This will be my first time viewing most of the episodes. The episodes I have seen are few and far between and the doctor I am most familiar with is Tom Baker.

NOTE: BLOG POST UPDATES ARE OCCASIONALLY MADE