An Unearthly Child

There is little that can be said about An Unearthly Child that hasn't been said before. Nevertheless, I'll mention a few things - it's a great episode, atmospheric, intriguing and well acted. Ian and Barbara are immediately engaging, Ian cheerfully admitting that he's curious about Susan, Barbara claiming that she is genuinely worried about the girl. The Doctor is, from the start, a fascinating character whose rather patronizing and high-handed attitude towards his two stowaways is fascinating - I know of course how he mellows towards the two teachers over time, especially after Inside the Spaceship, but it will still be interesting to see it unfold in order, for the first time for me. Despite knowing what it looks like, the first shot inside the TARDIS still impressed me and it must have been amazing in 1963 - the direction is superb. The fact that Ian and Barbara pass out on take-off is weird though. The only weak point really, is Susan (more on that later), who provides the only embarrassing bit in the episode with her weird hand dancing to John Smith and the Common Men. 

Anyway, I could go on about An Unearthly Child, but I'd rather move on to The Cave of Skulls, The Forest of Fear, and The Firemaker. I haven't seen these episodes for ages and I'd decided that they are dull. Having watched them again however, I've had to reassess them. The Cavemen are basically dirtied actors in rugs, but they all act with such conviction that I found them thoroughly believable. Their desperate desire to survive and their brutality were superbly conveyed - Za and Kal in particular, both ultimately brutal and stupid no matter how cunning they try to be, are played well. Their final fight in the cave is particularly well done, actually resembling a violent, desperate fight to the death. Za's brutal slaying of Kal contrasts nicely with his struggle to understand the new ideas offered by Ian - friendship, and strength in the unity of the tribe. And the cave set looks brilliant.

The TARDIS crew continues to shine - Ian and Barbara's struggle to understand what has happened is well done, and their eventual success contrasts with Za's failure to rise above a savage despite Ian's best efforts. Barbara's hysteria in the forest is convincing and makes sense; Ian's strained pragmatism contrasts, but also works, as he tries to keep control as much for Barbara's sake as for his own. Their insistence on helping Za, however ultimately foolish, again shows the contrast between them and the savages. The Doctor is fascinating here, concerned primarily with his own survival and that of his granddaughter - his frustration at Ian and Barbara's helping of Za and brief attempt to kill the caveman suggest what he later states in The Dalek Invasion of Earth - he is prepared to kill in self-defense. But at the same time, he seems to be watching his companions intently, and is perhaps shamed by their compassion. Certainly, by the time Ian and Barbara leave him in The Chase, he is much mellowed. That said, he is not the anti-hero claimed by some - he offers Barbara comfort in the Cave, and admits that he is scared. It is this fear I think that fuels his desperation to return to the TARDIS. He is also quick-thinking and resourceful, swiftly assessing the situation on regaining consciousness and offering to make fire almost as soon as his eyes open; later, he easily manipulates (the admittedly stupid) Kal into confessing his part in Old Mother's death. 

The only thing that grated for me was Susan's reaction to the Doctor's wandering off - at this point, she had no idea that he had been kidnapped and no reason to. Yet immediately on seeing that he is out of view, she screams hysterically and falls apart. Panicking under stress is one thing, and given later hints of prior adventures I'd have thought she'd have learnt to control it to some extent anyway, but her hysteria in this case is ridiculous. 

So all-in-all, a much better start to the series than I remembered, and one worthy of re-assessment. And it even has an anti-smoking message.