First things first, if you want to watch along, the episode I’m reviewing is available from Amazon. Additionally, a lot of these old Doctor Who episodes are available on YouTube or on services such as Netflix. I encourage you to watch along with me and leave your thoughts in the comments!
Secondly, a big spoiler warning for anything I say after this sentence. I’m not sure if it’s still common courtesy to put spoiler warnings on content that is almost 50 years old, but I’m going to air on the side of caution.
Disclaimers out of the way, lets watch some Who!
Serial 2: The Daleks
Part 2: The Survivors (1963)
Starring: Doctor 1 – William Hartnell
Quick recap: Doctor Who and his granddaughter Susan accidentally kidnap two of her teachers, Ian and Barbara, and take them on a trip through time. Intent on investigating an abandoned city, the Doctor sabotages the ship, stating that the ship’s mercury fuel could be found in the city. While searching the city, they split up, and Barbara is attacked by a plunger.
While looking for Barbara, the gang find a room with a bunch of monitoring equipment, including a radiation-meter that, like the one on the ship, is reading “über-death”.
The doctor then reasons that they probably shouldn’t be out in the incredibly toxic planet and decides to head back to the ship and travel to a time that has medicine for radiation. At this point, Ian reminds him that the ship is busted. Then the doctor admits that the TARDIS is fine, he was just lying and throwing a tantrum to get his way. To prove this, he hands Ian the perfectly functional fluid core.
Last episode I thought he had actually damaged the ship, but it turns out he only pretend damaged it. This makes much more sense.
The doctor then continues his “I’m going to do whatever I want” attitude by saying that he and Susan are going to leave the planet. He then gives Ian the choice of coming with them in the TARDIS to get medicine or staying on the radioactive planet forever. Ian, however, is concerned with someone other than just himself and refuses to leave without Barbara, and points out that he is in possession of the fluid core that powers the ship.
The doctor’s pleas of “Gimme that so I can strand you here forever!” don’t have an effect, so they all leave in search of Barbara.
Or rather, they would have searched for Barbara, but the moment they open the door, they are ambushed by Daleks. Doctor Who and Susan are terrified by the plunger appendages and immediately surrender, but Ian attempts to run away. Unfortunately for him, the non-plunger arm is a paralyzing ray.
All the companions are held in the same room. And this time there isn’t an old crazy caveman lady to free them, although the room is less skully this time.
The Daleks summon the doctor so they can give him some backstory. Apparently the Daleks are at war with a species called the Thals, who look human enough that the Daleks assumed that the companions are Thals. However, the Thals are immune to radiation and the companions are not, and this is becoming fairly obvious, as everyone has suddenly started to look pretty sick. The doctor then remembers the medicine that was left outside their ship and convinces the Daleks to let one of the group go to get it. The ship has safeguards against anyone but Susan or Dr. Who, and the doctor pretends to be asleep so Susan has to go.
The Daleks have an impromptu evil mastermind meeting where they reveal that they have no intention of actually letting the group USE the medicine, they just want them all to have false hope before they die.
Susan runs back to the ship, and there’s about two minutes of footage just of her running, which is pretty hilarious, because she’s TERRIBLE at it. Girl could not run in a straight line to save her life. Eventually, she makes it to the ship, finds the medicine. Then, in a cliffhanger ending, she leaves the ship normally.
That’s it for Serial 2, Episode 2! Check back soon for more Who!
Miss one? Check out our previous episodes below:
Serial 2 – The Daleks; Part 1 – The Dead Planet
Serial 1 – An Unearthly Child; Part 4 – The Firemaker
Serial 1 – An Unearthly Child; Part 3 – The Forest of Fear
Serial 1 – An Unearthly Child; Part 2 – The Cave of Skulls
Serial 1 – An Unearthly Child; Part 1 – An Unearthly Child
Introduction
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