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locker_monsterJust finished watching "The Tenth Planet", the last episode of the First Doctor's era. I'm determined to watch every episode of Classic Doctor Who at some point. One classic Doctor down, six to go!
What can I say about One. He was the first, the one who started it all. I liked that he started out all mean and cranky but then he mellowed out more as he travelled with his Companions. You can really see why the Doctor loves Earth so much. His early Companions really helped to shape him as a person and his loyalty to them sort of endeared him to their planet. I kind of find it funny that he spent a lot of his time trying to get some of his Companions back to Earth and the right time and then by his third incarnation, he ends up exiled on Earth. Okay, maybe not funny, but ironic.
It's hard to imagine what it was like, watching the Doctor regenerate for the first time. You get no explanation what so ever. One second, the Doctor is at the console, then the next he collapses, and then the screen whites out and he's got a new face. Seems kind of traumatizing for a young kid watching. Where did my hero go?! The next serial "The Power of the Daleks" is completely lost, so I got to go find a transcript to see how they managed the post-regeneration.
But in the meantime, a First Doctor era round-up:
- Companions: One had eight different (official) Companions over three seasons or so. The only ones that really endeared themselves to me were Barbara, Ian, and Vicki. Susan was all right, but I wasn't devastated to see her go. Steven could be funny at times but he was never "action guy" to me like Ian was. Dodo was barely around long enough for me to care about her and she really got the short end of the stick at the end; she got no good-bye scene at all. And Ben and Polly I haven't seen enough of to form an opinion about them. They strike me as more Companions of Two rather than One. For whatever reason, the combination of Barbara, Ian, and Vicki worked the best. It was an odd mix, I suppose. They weren't really a family unit with the Doctor but they all looked after each other. I'm annoyed Vicki's last serial is also lost; reading a transcript really doesn't do it justice. Okay, yes, One also had Katarina and Sarah Kingdom as Companions, but those two usually aren't included when you're listing Companions.
- Enemies: One had the introduction of two biggies; the Daleks and the Cybermen. I find it amazing that the design of the Daleks barely changed over the years while every time we saw the Cybermen something was different about them. I'm not sure what that says about either of them. Pepper pots are more iconic than robot men? To be fair, elements of the early Cybermen design were carried over, like the handlebars on the side of their heads and the shape of their eyes. But even after watching the Daleks' first serial, I still don't enjoy them. They're used way too much. I can only hope that Ten's last episodes steer clear of them. None of the other villains really stand out in my mind so maybe that's why none of them have been revived.
-Stories: I never would have guessed, going into my Classic Who watching, that I would absolutely love the historical serials. I love sci fi as much as the next geek, but somehow, having a completely historical setting and plot on such a sci fi show like Doctor Who just makes the story even better. When you have no aliens to thwart, the resolution is even more satisfying. The sonic screwdriver, which didn't even exist yet, won't get the Doctor out of a tight scrap if there's no technology around. He and his Companions have to be smart about it. It's sad the historical serials got phased out by the Second Doctor's era, but the alien threat of the week is more engaging I suppose. Though, what I found with most of the serials was the Doctor was constantly losing the TARDIS or breaking it and this only happened to service the story. If it didn't happen, the Doctor and his Companions could just get back into the TARDIS and leave before they ran into trouble. That's the one problem with the TARDIS that I hadn't realized before. It's so powerful, kind of like the sonic screwdriver nowadays, that it can ruin a story. It could easily solve a lot of the problems that came up.
Oh, and one element that completely fell by the wayside by the Third Doctor's era was the Doctor's inability to fly the TARDIS properly. When you got on the TARDIS in the early years, you were there until you found something worth leaving for, you found another time machine to take you home, or the Doctor bumbled into landing the TARDIS in relatively the right time from when you left. The aimless wandering and not knowing what lay beyond the doors kept everything interesting and a little frustrating. Even the Doctor didn't know what was coming. And with the stories leading into one another (for the most part), you never fell into a lull. One story would finish but another would just start right away.
I'm eager to start on the Second Doctor's era, but I'm super annoyed that the majority of his run is lost. I can almost count on one hand the amount of complete serials that exist for Two. So, sooner rather than later I'll be onto the Third Doctor and the colour era!
What can I say about One. He was the first, the one who started it all. I liked that he started out all mean and cranky but then he mellowed out more as he travelled with his Companions. You can really see why the Doctor loves Earth so much. His early Companions really helped to shape him as a person and his loyalty to them sort of endeared him to their planet. I kind of find it funny that he spent a lot of his time trying to get some of his Companions back to Earth and the right time and then by his third incarnation, he ends up exiled on Earth. Okay, maybe not funny, but ironic.
It's hard to imagine what it was like, watching the Doctor regenerate for the first time. You get no explanation what so ever. One second, the Doctor is at the console, then the next he collapses, and then the screen whites out and he's got a new face. Seems kind of traumatizing for a young kid watching. Where did my hero go?! The next serial "The Power of the Daleks" is completely lost, so I got to go find a transcript to see how they managed the post-regeneration.
But in the meantime, a First Doctor era round-up:
- Companions: One had eight different (official) Companions over three seasons or so. The only ones that really endeared themselves to me were Barbara, Ian, and Vicki. Susan was all right, but I wasn't devastated to see her go. Steven could be funny at times but he was never "action guy" to me like Ian was. Dodo was barely around long enough for me to care about her and she really got the short end of the stick at the end; she got no good-bye scene at all. And Ben and Polly I haven't seen enough of to form an opinion about them. They strike me as more Companions of Two rather than One. For whatever reason, the combination of Barbara, Ian, and Vicki worked the best. It was an odd mix, I suppose. They weren't really a family unit with the Doctor but they all looked after each other. I'm annoyed Vicki's last serial is also lost; reading a transcript really doesn't do it justice. Okay, yes, One also had Katarina and Sarah Kingdom as Companions, but those two usually aren't included when you're listing Companions.
- Enemies: One had the introduction of two biggies; the Daleks and the Cybermen. I find it amazing that the design of the Daleks barely changed over the years while every time we saw the Cybermen something was different about them. I'm not sure what that says about either of them. Pepper pots are more iconic than robot men? To be fair, elements of the early Cybermen design were carried over, like the handlebars on the side of their heads and the shape of their eyes. But even after watching the Daleks' first serial, I still don't enjoy them. They're used way too much. I can only hope that Ten's last episodes steer clear of them. None of the other villains really stand out in my mind so maybe that's why none of them have been revived.
-Stories: I never would have guessed, going into my Classic Who watching, that I would absolutely love the historical serials. I love sci fi as much as the next geek, but somehow, having a completely historical setting and plot on such a sci fi show like Doctor Who just makes the story even better. When you have no aliens to thwart, the resolution is even more satisfying. The sonic screwdriver, which didn't even exist yet, won't get the Doctor out of a tight scrap if there's no technology around. He and his Companions have to be smart about it. It's sad the historical serials got phased out by the Second Doctor's era, but the alien threat of the week is more engaging I suppose. Though, what I found with most of the serials was the Doctor was constantly losing the TARDIS or breaking it and this only happened to service the story. If it didn't happen, the Doctor and his Companions could just get back into the TARDIS and leave before they ran into trouble. That's the one problem with the TARDIS that I hadn't realized before. It's so powerful, kind of like the sonic screwdriver nowadays, that it can ruin a story. It could easily solve a lot of the problems that came up.
Oh, and one element that completely fell by the wayside by the Third Doctor's era was the Doctor's inability to fly the TARDIS properly. When you got on the TARDIS in the early years, you were there until you found something worth leaving for, you found another time machine to take you home, or the Doctor bumbled into landing the TARDIS in relatively the right time from when you left. The aimless wandering and not knowing what lay beyond the doors kept everything interesting and a little frustrating. Even the Doctor didn't know what was coming. And with the stories leading into one another (for the most part), you never fell into a lull. One story would finish but another would just start right away.
I'm eager to start on the Second Doctor's era, but I'm super annoyed that the majority of his run is lost. I can almost count on one hand the amount of complete serials that exist for Two. So, sooner rather than later I'll be onto the Third Doctor and the colour era!
Tags:
- doctor who,
- one,
- tv
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 05:32 am (UTC)As for villains, most viewers seem to love the Daleks. I'm kind of relieved to find someone else who isn't wild about them. My main issue with them I think is that they have no specific, interesting personality. In contrast, the Master also appears a lot down the road, yet I love him!
I'll be watching reconstructions of the destroyed Second Doctor serials. I did that with some First Doctor material as well, of course. It's a bit of a slog to watch/listen to recons, but I'll get through them. I'm currently halfway into the Power of the Daleks recon.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 03:58 pm (UTC)I think the problem I have with Dodo, and it's not a negative one, but she was only around for like four serials and that's really not enough time to develop a character. I like Barbara and Ian so much because you do spend so much time with them, getting to know their quirks and personalities. I would also probably need to see more of Ben and Polly to gain a better opinion on them. I've only seen two of their serials so far.
I tolerate the Daleks. They're an iconic part of Doctor Who so it's not like they're going away any time soon. It's funny you should say they have no personalities. The one time they tried to give them personalities, in "The Chase", it totally didn't work. A stuttering Dalek who can't do math? Huh?
I think I'll watch the Second Doctor serials that are complete or mostly complete and then get back to the lost and incomplete serials at a later date. I appreciate the effort that goes into a reconstruction, but my attention tends to wander when I'm watching one. I find it easier to read a transcript somehow.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 11:20 am (UTC)It's worth checking out some of the recons if you can get your hands on them. I watched the entirety of the One era and going through Two this way. Some of them are badly done, but others are done quite well.
As for me, I always consider Sara Kingdom as a Companion, for no other reason than she was completely cool. She was awesome. Katarina is an "If it suits the purpose of the moment" type Companion. She either was or wasn't depending on the situation or who you ask.
Other than that, I loved One. He did a lot of growing up for someone who looks old.
Currently, I'm halfway through watching The Enemy of the World recon. I am completely loving Two, Jamie and Victoria.
Also, I completely agree with the overuse of the Daleks.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-19 04:11 pm (UTC)I haven't watched "The Daleks' Master Plan" mainly because most of is missing, so Sarah Kingdom is still a mysterious figure to me. Though Jean Marsh was pretty awesome in "The Crusade" as Joanna.
He did a lot of growing up for someone who looks old.
Oh man, that sums up One so nicely. That's the contradiction that is the Doctor. He can look old but really, he's young. And when he looks young, he's actually nine hundred.
I'm reading a transcript of "The Power of the Daleks" while trying to find more of Two's serials. I've seen "Tomb of the Cybermen" but that's the extent of my Two, Jamie, and Victoria watching. I hear they're an awesome team, even when Victoria was screaming her head off. ;-)
The Daleks should take a season off. There's only so many times you can try to destroy the universe before it becomes slightly redundant.