Valentine Dyall had the greatest voice. He played God in Bedazzled and Gargravarr, custodian of the Total Perspective Vortex, in the "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" radio series. His voice can convey absolute menace, even when saying things like: "Operate the blue switches!" Sadly, in his role as the Black Guardian, he's just part of a linking storyline that gets in the way of "Terminus", which is not completed until the next one, "Enlightenment". 

"Terminus" itself has a story about health care at its worst; where commercial profit has made outsiders of disease victims. It's not the most well remembered story'; the subject is grim and there are lots of problems. Fans began to appreciate "Terminus" more after the great Doctor Who drought of stories – that period in the nineties when the series had been cancelled and every previous TV story got reassessed in publications like Doctor Who Magazine and In-Vision. The details behind the scenes of "Terminus" read like a production that was cursed. This had enough equipment failures, strikes, and lack of time to make the difficulties of Project: Greenlight's productions seem really whiny. Speaking of whiny, Roger Limb's music score in this can set your teeth on edge. It's not as good as his stuff for "Caves of Androzani" or "Revelation of the Daleks" and seems made up on the spot whenever someone on screen moves around. It constantly gets in the way. Perhaps Roger wasn't very inspired by this one. 

The Doctor and his companions come to a ship going to Terminus as a result of Turlough's interference. The ship is full of the terminally sick lazars, and Terminus is where they are swept under the rug. Terminus is a kind of space station that is supposed to cure the lazars, but no one's ever come back from it. Turlough is being bullied as a result of his promise to the Black Guardian in "Mawdryn Undead". Turlough is a cowardly twerp, but you can sympathize with the character when he's confronted by the Black Guardian and the suspicious Tegan (even scarier). He gets stuck in the ducting under the floors of the ship with Tegan for the whole story, and they're forced to work together. Even as Turlough is trapped in the ducting with Tegan, he still gets nagged by the Black Guardian's crystal. The Doctor is accompanied for most of the story by the raider pirate Kari, because he needs someone to talk to at all times and, doggone it; he just doesn't have enough companions to talk to. This is, of course, also Nyssa's last story. Nyssa takes off her skirt but it's 'cause she's got fever. For most of the rest of it she's in a potato sack like all the other lazars. She chooses to stay behind and help the lazars, as she's the best person to actually find a cure for lazar's disease. It's kind of a tacked-on leaving scene for a Doctor Who companion, just like when Steven left in the sixties to help the Savages. Fortunately the goodbye is more emotional. 

A scary atmosphere has been constructed in the scripts by Stephen Gallagher, but on screen it can get dull. Art deco skulls and eerie sound effects show the intention, but a lot of the sets have iron stairs or prop lights mixed in with wires and plastic bags. The pirates are done up in an 80's punk style with fuzzy hair and eyeliner, wearing capes and fog-up helmets. Fortunately the armored Vanir, guardians of Terminus, have great costumes. Another creepy voice in the story is the loudspeaker (don't say Tannoy Voice, it's copyrighted) doing the announcements about sterilization of the ship. This and the clinical, surgically implemented robots (there was supposed to be more than one!) continue the relentlessly grim feeling of the first few episodes. 

After the creepy ship is out of the picture, more mystery surrounds Terminus with the suggestion that it is in fact the center of the known universe. This comes in a little late and seems like an afterthought. Meanwhile Nyssa has caught the disease, as she takes off her skirt for what looks like no reason. She was originally meant to be feverish, unbuttoning the brown suit and brooch of her earlier appearances. Since John Nathan-Turner had changed her costume for Season 20, the removal of her clothing doesn't make quite as much sense, but... oh well, more Dads. She is then taken by the gruff slave labor Vanir, who just transport her from place to place like all the rest of the infected. "What is this horrendous place?" Poor victim Nyssa. That's about all her character ever got to be. She's had a tough time on the TARDIS, she'd better get out! Perhaps her choice to leave makes good sense after all. 

The Vanir are unpleasant, although they are shown to be workaday joes who have little choice but to go through the motions of their jobs. There is also infighting amongst their ranks, competition, all that stuff. One of the Vanir named Valgard stands out as being especially unpleasant and sneaky. They don't even get a paycheck, just glow sticks to insert into their chests. What a bunch of sad sacks. 

D'you hear someone singing? 

At this point the story introduces relief in the whimsical but tragic Bor. Bor is another guard of Terminus, but unlike the others he's delirious, singing and mumbling phrases repeatedly. "Short term memory's the first to go", as he says more than once. Yay Bor! Too bad he's got that nasty radiation burn. 

The leaking radiation builds as do other science fiction ideas with the introduction of the ancient dead pilot existing in slow time, the Garm, and the Big Red Switch counting down that moment when "the whole universe will be destroyed!" The Garm was meant to be a pair of eyes in shadows and not a Hanna Barbera character, but since they went and made this whole big costume and someone tall sweated like crazy in it, you might as well just enjoy it. As far as "the whole universe will be destroyed" goes, it might be said that the cliffhangers in this story are some of the worst. Episode one ends as the pirate Olvir almost sings "We're all going to DIIIIIIEEE!" Then episode two has Valgard in his chummy, impulsive way, strangle Kari, then change his mind and lets the Doctor know it's his turn, "Only you I'm going to KILL!" Then you get the Universe stuff. Pretty silly, and not good cases for having Doctor Who stories told in segments. 

On the whole, "Terminus" is not a bad idea. It's just that the execution was let down in parts, and it comes off as forgettable next to other Season 20 stories like "Enlightenment", and the celebration of "The Five Doctors". A few later Colin Baker & McCoy stories make it look like a well-executed classic. Throughout the four episodes "Terminus'" potential is there, and perhaps that's why it's worth looking at again.

'The King's Demons' is one of only a handful of two part Doctor Who stories, but only the second that serves no real purpose. Whereas 'Inside the Spacehip' cemented the relationship of the original TARDIS crew, 'The Rescue' introduced Vicki, and 'Black Orchid' allowed the team of the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Adric to relax and have fun together before Adric's death, 'The King's Demons', like 'The Sontaran Experiment' is pure filler. Whereas 'The Sontaran Experiment' was an interesting diversion however, 'The King's Demons' is a half-hearted waste of two episodes with an ill thought out plot.

My main objection to 'The King's Demons' is the Master. It is my opinion that the Master's motivation has always been reasonably consistent up to this point; during the Pertwee era he was motivated by a desire to humiliate and impress the Doctor, usually whilst gaining power for himself in the process. From 'The Deadly Assassin' onwards, he has also been motivated by survival, having been reduced to the state of an animated cadaver and then forced to survive by stealing a non Time Lord body. And then suddenly, he turns into the Meddling Monk. The Master's plan to prevent the Magna Carta is feeble beyond words; his intention, apparently, is to use Kamelion to muck about with history all over the universe. Suddenly and inexplicably interested in chaos (perhaps he's been working for the Black Guardian?) he intends to emerge as Master of a chaotic universe. Which is just silly, frankly. His insistence back in Season Eight that he wanted to bring order to the universe at least made some sense. Then there's his pointless disguise, which is as pointless as the one he adopted in 'Time-Flight', and as in that story serves only as a cheap plot device to provide a cliffhanger. To make matters worse, it isn't even a very good disguise, Estram being easily recognizable as Anthony Ainley. Furthermore, even though Ranulf sees Estram transform into the Master, they are still astonishingly easily convinced to trust him in Episode Two, with not so much as a question as to how he changed his appearance. 

But what really annoys me about 'The King's Demons' is the wasted potential. Terrance Dudley does something right, by showcasing the Doctor/Master rivalry rather well during their scenes together. The swordfight between them is just as gratuitous as the one in 'The Sea Devils', but is once again quite entertaining. And as in that story, the Doctor proves the better swordsman, which must really sting the Master's ego. The Master showing Kamelion off in Episode Two is a pure Dr Evil moment, since he just stands and explains his plan with a smug look, but his showing off does recapture the relationship of old between them. The problem is, the relationship of old is captured to the extent that, even after the Master's destruction of a large portion of the universe in 'Logopolis', the Doctor still pleads for the life of his former friend at the start of Episode Two. His tendency to get a mass murderer get away because they were once friends is intriguing at best, but after 'Logopolis' it makes the Doctor look horribly irresponsible. And there's Anthony Ainley himself; after indulging in a cod French accent as Sir Giles, he varies between restraint and ham from scene to scene. When he's keeping his performance under control, he's great; his battle of wits with the Doctor is an effective focus for their rivalry, and the fact that the Doctor wins must have been another blow to his ego. He also gets a great moment when a guard shoots Geoffrey, as he pats the guard on the shoulder with a smirk and says "excellent shot" as though he's discussing the weather. But he also chuckles too much, and he gets saddled with lines like "medieval misfits!" which virtually nobody could deliver without sounding awful. His final speaking scene shows him triumphantly announcing that the Doctor has not won yet, and with a manic glee on his face heads off to his TARDIS. We don't see him again after his TARDIS dematerializes, the Doctor casually explaining that he used the Tissue Compression Eliminator to sabotage the Master's TARDIS. It all just feels very anticlimactic, even if the Doctor does manage to deprive him of Kamelion and ensure that he can't steer his TARDIS. 

The regulars get very little to do, partly due to time constraints. Davison is as good as ever, and he and Ainley make the swordfight quite impressive and the Doctor's playing up to the ersatz King John gives an impression of his mind furiously trying to find ways to stop the Master. It is also quite interesting to consider that the Doctor's concern for life earns him the enmity of Hugh, who considers himself to have been dishonoured by Estram sparing him; it's an interesting twist on one of the Doctor's common methods of earning people's trust. Tegan and Turlough on the other hand get very little to do; Tegan does little except follow the Doctor around so that he can explain the plot, although the moment when she throws a knife at the Master is a nice touch, serving as a reminder of just how much cause she has to hate him. Turlough spends most of the story locked up, and aside from offering occasional caustic remarks does nothing of any note. 

At the start of this review, I suggested that 'The King's Demons' serves little purpose, but of course it is in fact designed to introduce Kamelion. The problem is, this is something of a non-event; as a plot device, Kamelion is a contrivance; as a new companion, he has potential, but due to the notorious behind the scenes tragedies associated with the prop, this potential was never explored on screen. With Gerald Flood now deceased, it seems unlikely that Big Finish will ever include Kamelion in an audio story, which leaves only Craig Hinton's 'The Crystal Bucephalus' (and to a lesser extent, Christopher Bulis' 'Imperial Moon') the only story that has made anything of him. All in all, this is a shame; a shape-shifting companion has great potential, as fans of comic strip (and occasionally audio) companion Frobisher can attest. Furthermore, I rather like the Kamelion prop, and Gerald Flood's prim and slightly haughty vocal performance works very well. The problem with Kamelion though is that although he has a mind of his own, he doesn't have time to develop a very distinctive personality in this story and he isn't seen again until 'Planet of Fire'; furthermore, the ability of others to bend him to their will means that he seems more like a tool than a person, which means that the overall impression left by 'The King's Demons' is that it is an insubstantial showcase for a mere gimmick. 

There isn't much else to say about 'The King's Demons' really. The guest cast is fine, although Frank Windsor is wasted and Gerald Flood gets a bit hammy as King John. Mind you, considering the stilted period dialogue he's given, this is not surprising. It all looks great too, with nice location work, decent sets and costumes, and it also has a good incidental score from Jonathon Gibbs. But 'The King's Demons' remains both deeply flawed and inconsequential, and is a very lacklustre ending to the generally rather strong Season Twenty.

I'm a relative newcomer to the world of Doctor Who, and unlike many people who saw "The Five Doctors" when it first came around, the episodes that came before it were in my recent memory for the most part. I knew what to expect from Doctors 1-4, and I was in the midst of really enjoying the Peter Davison era. 

The night I watched the episode with a friend, we had just seen "The King's Demons" and I was impressed as always by Anthony Ainley's Master and that delightfully evil badness of his. The Black Guardian Trilogy was also recent on the mind, and it reminded me of what the Doctor Who writing staff at this time was capable of. 

...which is why, when viewed as a high-concept Doctor Who episode, "The Five Doctors" would fail. But, as an anniversary special, it does cram as much into it as possible for your viewing pleasure. 

And yes, there are high moments, as "The Five Doctors" really is a story all about moments. Do we really care about our bad guy's scheme? (Name withheld to protect the unspoiled) Do we know that Sarah fell in a small ditch, not a steep canyon? Don't you think those Cybermen are a little slow? Of course we know all of those things, but that's not what makes "The Five Doctors" fun. 

The fun stuff is Patrick Troughton, repeating his line of "I don't like it" when he sees changes made to another former stomping ground of his. It's great to see the Second Doctor again, as it is to see the Brigadier, but even more, I would have loved to have seen Jamie tagging along. The fun stuff includes The Master's big grin as the Time Lords come to him for help. It's fun to see Tegan teaming up with the faux First Doctor, or seeing the Three Doctors team up for their Care Bear Stare or whatever it is that finally breaks Fifth Doctor out of his spell. High concept? No. Fun? Definitely. 

It was sad that William Hartnell didn't live long enough to participate. Richard Hurndall kind of looked the part, but I thought he was lacking some of the best mannerisms of the Hartnell Doctor. I was a bit disappointed with that, but at least we had a First Doctor in it! 

Tom Baker's absence was sorely felt, and one can only imagine how much better the episode would be if he had been there. To many he is The Doctor, and his being there might have afforded Peter Davison more time to interact with the others. 

There also were the remaining questions: If the bad guy wanted the Doctor to get to the tomb of Rassilon, then why did he put the Doctors through so much trouble to get there? Why were the Cybermen, a Dalek, etc. scooped up, and more importantly, what was the purpose in bringing Sarah and Susan there? (The Brig I understand, as he was with Second Doctor at the time) And on that note, why doesn't anyone ask Susan what she's been up to? She's obviously not a teenager anymore, yet no one seems that surprised to see her. Then there were the ghosts that, while it was great to see the cameo appearances, I'd like to think there may have been a better way to incorporate them into the story. 

The other thing that didn't go over too well with me for "The Five Doctors," and then I'll get off my soapbox, is that two of my favorite characters of the series didn't seem to be served very well. I'm referring of course to the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. "Great balls of fire?!?" Right. But more than that, the Third Doctor didn't get much good stuff to do, besides saying "I'll explain later" a lot, and, of course, repeating his "reverse the polarity" line which would have been funny if Peter Davison hadn't said it himself two or three episodes earlier. 

And then there's Sarah. Sarah Jane Smith in the Tom Baker episodes seemed to be having a lot of fun. This Sarah, in "The Five Doctors," was written more like a Jo Grant. Again, a great actress (Lis Sladen) not used to her full potential. 

Still.... if viewed in the way it was intended (as an anniversary story meant just to be fun), "The Five Doctors" is great. But when you consider the potential of a story where you have several Doctors, you'd think that you could do a story with a concept as great as some of the episodes surrounding it in the Davison era.

survival, despite being over-shadowed by some of its season 26 neighbours, is remarkable in many ways. Rona Munro's story is a complex tale, unusual in its tone, and full of unexpected juxtapositions. We see a grandiose, debonair Master plotting first in a dark, fur-lined hut and later in a grotty, mundane high rise flat - his civilised (albeit evil) nature disintegrating in the face of chaos; Perivale, oddly disconcerting in its somnambulant suburban dullness, and the hot, dusty planet of the Cheetah People.

Perhaps the most refreshing contrast, in a story exploring diverse themes and deepening the characterisation of the regulars, is the streak of humour in the script and performances. Although predominately in episode one, the light, naturalistic touch of the comedy resonates through the story, giving a realistic sheen to the tragedy and drama. The Doctor's cat-baiting, while flatly ignoring Ace, is wonderful, as is his shooing off of the lady whose garden he uses as a hiding place; and Hale and Pace, in retrospect, are suitably funny in the context.

Humour aside, Survival is a powerful story about, appropriately, surviving, and surviving in such a way that you don't harm others, or yourself, by losing your humanity. Even the Hale and Pace sequence, with the joke about the two friends and the lion, highlights the dilemma - can the animal instinct within us sit comfortably alongside our human urge (our human need) to help others, to stick by our friends? It could be viewed as a critique of Thatcher's Britain, Midge in episode three, a caricature of the 'successful' individual; the fittest has survived. But it doesn't require a socio-political reading - Survival is effective, thematically, on a more universal level, and the themes serve to make Ace an even more nuanced character than she already, at this point, is.

Just as in Remembrance of the Daleks, Ghostlight, and The Curse of Fenric, the Ace we meet is an immensely strong-willed individual - a survivor. It is inevitable that she (the companion who has always wanted to be 'free' in many senses) falls in love with the experience of running wild. But the presence of the Doctor controls her, keeping her selfish will to survive in check. A classic moment in Survival, easily missed, is the a split-second look on Ace's face - when the Doctor retrieves his hat - that speaks multitudes about the faith Ace has in the Doctor, no matter what happens. And in return, the Doctor has immense faith in her - her wild, aggressiveness will always be there, but while travelling in the TARDIS she is part of a team.

It doesn’t all work. The bike-duel; the scene where Karra and Ace run, in slow motion, across the open plain; and the cats – furry soft-toys or peculiar mechanical moggies – that were never going to convince. But the cast take it in their stride, each character believable and interesting. There are only very, very rare instances of truly bad acting – and the excellent final confrontation, with McCoy screaming out the pained, anguished cry of a century-weary Time Lord, isn’t one of them. Even Anthony Ainley brings a measured reverence to the Master in this atypical appearance. There is no hint of world-domination or crude, hammy megalomania here, it is purely a portrayal of the man, the Doctor’s enemy, who wants to survive.

Survival has both style and substance. It is thematically rich, but comes together, as a cogent, three-part serial, because it has eerie atmosphere, oddly believable. The decision to put the Cheetah People on horse-back; the care taken to make the planet look truly alien; the music – all things that mark Survival out as something worth watching, and something you wouldn’t worry about showing to your friends. And now we know Doctor Who is coming back, the final voice-over is all the more poignant.

Strictly speaking, the term В“B-MovieВ” refers to a film without a very large budget or very big stars. The decade most associated with the В“B-MovieВ” is of course the 1950s--the atomic era. IВ’ve read many reviews of this serial on-line and they all seem to compare The Daleks to one of these films. LetВ’s take a moment or two to examine The Daleks in relation to other В“B-Movies.В” IВ’ve found that The Daleks is murky mix of 1950В’s style SF and a new, more thoughtful 1960В’s moral melodrama. 

The Daleks, of course, is at its crux a parable of the Atomic age. The metaphors are very clear. Daleks are Post-WW III Communists and the Thals post WW III Westerners. Not quite as hamfisted as the Nazi costumes in Genesis of the Daleks but itВ’s close. Aliens are commonly portrayed not as individuals but as a massive organism bent on conquest. Ever since H.G. WellsВ’ War of the Worlds this has been a classic paradigm. During the Cold War this portrayal brought new meaning. Aliens, of course, become analogous to the communist threat. An analogy that was so blatant, many less talented writers could easily use it. These films were a way to tell cheap stories to capitalize on western fears of a communist take over. NationВ’s monsters do, however, differ somewhat from the typical commie/bug eyed monster. The Daleks were not ruthless intergalactic tyrants in this first serial. They are just driven by their hate for the Thals. These Daleks do want a Dalek empire throughout the Universe, they just want every Thal dead. Communism is an internationalist doctrine, yet these Daleks seem happy to rule their ruined little planet. The analogy would actually become more apt with The Dalek Invasion of Earth. The Daleks are close to being textbook 1950s monsters, but the Thals and the TARDIS crew are textbook 1960s heroes.

True to 1950s stylistic convention, the westerners are cast as the heroes. The similarity ends there. The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Susan, and the Thals are far from the В“Man in the Grey Flannel SuitВ” heroes of such films as The Deadly Mantis and Tarantula. The Doctor and the Thals are both dressed in an odd and archaic manner. Even in this second Doctor Who story it is established that the Doctor is a perennial individual. The Doctor does, however, play into SF convention when he removes the fluid link. His scientific curiosity puts his life and his companions at risk (i.e. Fiend Without a Face and The Fly). The Thals have given up on the post-war decadeВ’s religion of industry and trade--they have reverted to a totally agrarian lifestyle. Susan, the В“Unearthly Child,В” is also a unique character. Young people are usually portrayed as wide-eyed observers (Invaders from Mars) or victims of their own foolishness and predatory elders (I was a Teenage Werewolf). In The Daleks, Susan is an active participant in the action--not just an appendage. Barbara and Ian are the most formulaic of the TARDIS crew. Ian was very stalwart and Babs was a screamer, yet even they differ from most B-Movie heroes/heroines. They are not romantically involved with each other--Barbara falls for an alien something a good B-movie female should never do unless under some sort of alien mind control. Ian, for the most part, plays the В“square.В” But heВ’s extremely irritable and hostile, qualities not usually found in a good BEM fighting leading man. While The Daleks may differ from the 1950s B-movie with its heroes, some of the serialВ’s morals are much more similar.

The serial condemns the Daleks for being aggressive but it also condemns the Thals for being complacent--a very bare bones version of Cold War era morals. The condemnation of both the Daleks and the Thals is the thematic centerpiece of the serial therefore the serial has the mentality of a B-movie. But what about the theme of the armageddon? The first episode of this serial is entitled В“The Dead Planet.В” In fact that other theme, the theme of destruction-through-violence, casts some doubt as to how The Daleks stands on the Thals. Is battle that necessary? Is it right for the Thals have to fight the Daleks and restart the cycle that nearly destroyed eons? This brings up another key difference to the Daleks in relation to B-movies--a ethical haziness. In Them!, War of the Worlds, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, and The Thing there is no question on whether the aliens needed to be wiped out. Consequences for mankindВ’s actions were never shown. The aliens were evil and needed to be killed. The Doctor triumphantly watch as the last DalekВ’s eyestalk shoots upward as it dies. Yet, killing has only brought Skaro misery. This conflict is interesting for sure, but not intentional. Terry Nation started to write a serial showcasing the foolishness of prolonged conflict and then began writing a serial that denounced pacifism. Its rare to find coexisting at the same time in popular culture, however, it was probably just Terry NationВ’s lazy plotting and not a social comment. 

The Daleks is first and foremost family adventure entertainment. It is quite like a B-movie. It has many of the same generic trademarks of the genre but I have found out that once you start to look at those similarities you find many differences as well. Now that have blabbed on about how The Daleks relates to movies of a similar ilk--I will turn my attention to reviewing it as a Doctor Who story. 

We first meet our heroes covered in Cro Magnon dung after just having their first adventure with a bunch of Cavemen. One thing that struck me, was how puffy BillВ’s wig is. His hair is nearly as big as BabsВ’. The TARDIS crew is the strongest point of The Daleks. These early stories show that three companions can be successful. The Doctor may be the title character but he is no more important than any of the other TARDIS team. This is what went wrong with Season 19. The Doctor was the star and the rest were just satellites, banging around in unstable orbits. The Daleks has some really great bits of Doctor/companion action (shut up) like when The Doctor reveals having trouble relating to Susan. Ian and the DoctorВ’s confrontation. All great stuff--still impressive nearly forty years later. 

The Daleks and the Thals have the distinction of being Doctor WhoВ’s first aliens--not counting the Doctor and Susan. The Daleks look excellent in their first outing. They are constantly twitching and scheming. These Daleks are new and shiny, they havenВ’t been used and re-used yet. The Thals seem sort of wooden and are much less interesting than the Daleks. Which is odd because theyВ’re supposed to be the free spirited individuals. Plus, they wear possibly the worst pants in WhoВ’s history. 

The direction is top notch. This serial begins as one of the best directed stories of Doctor Who. The cheap sets are filmed so that the make atmosphere. SusanВ’s run the jungle is especially well filmed. This suspenseful direction goes bye-bye after the first four episodes. Starting with В“The ExpeditionВ” the serial becomes a play-by-play on walking traveling through Skaro. Painfully padded and plodding, episodes five & six make you not even care about the ending. What really sucks about this is that the first four episodes were so good! Terry Nation sets up a dangerous precedent with The Daleks.

As I write this review, I realize that there are perhaps many things that have already been said regarding the classic 4-part story that began the longest and greatest sci-fi phenomenon in television history. But so what?

With that out of the way, let's get down to business. I have always found this first adventure to be among my favorites, probably because it is the adventure that started it all. 

Anyway, let's start with Ian Chesterton & Barbara Wright, the two school teachers whose seemingly harmless curiosity regarding the enigmatic Susan Foreman, leads them to become unintentional travellers in time. Both are very likeable and prove a very down-to-earth sense of incredulity, at least upon first meeting Susan's grandfather (The Doctor) and stumbling into the TARDIS for the first time. They provide a link with the rest of us regular Earthlings, for we as observers feel what they feel (not just in this adventure, but int the stories to follow as well). Whether it's the general sense of awe and wonder at finding themselves in unfamiliar territory, or the sense of dread at the prospect of never being able to return home. 

The Doctor's behavior is shown to be very patronizing towards strangers, a natural distrust of strangers, selfish, authoritative when the need arises, pessimistic or realistic (especially regarding the natural ignorance humans display, when they are unable to rationalize things they could never hope to understand) But he also demonstrates a very keen mind, a sharp intellect, an enigmatic aloofness, and an almost malicious glee in his arrogant air of superiority. That is not to say he isn't likeable, we can see how much he loves Susan and wants to protect her and himself from danger, or simply from becoming a public spectacle. 

Now on to Susan. I know there are those that don't like the character, I'm not one of them. She's very caring, compassionate, openminded, kind, and sweet, and very bright as well. Although it's been hinted that she's traveled quite a bit with her grandfather prior to meeting Ian and Barbara, she's still quite young and has a great deal to learn and experience as well. Her reaction to the Doctor's disappearance, while a tad OTT, is still understandable. Her reaction is no different than how we would react if a beloved family member, especially an elderly family member, were no where to be found. 

Now, onto the cave dwellers. The main characters of any significance being Za, Kal, Hur, and the Old Woman. One can easily forgive the fact that these people have a spoken (if not written) language, even though it is through a limited Tarzanlike grasp of human speech. The writers have done this as a necessary plot device in order to understand the motives and thoughts expressed by these primitive people. 

The leader Za is interesting, you can see that he cares for the lives of his people, and will do anything to maintain his position as leader, desperately hoping to create fire to keep his tribe from freezing to death. In addition, although he is a primitive, he does hold a degree of honor and truth, when it comes to helping and providing for his people, as any great leader would. 

Kal is a scheming, deceitful individual, the sole survivor of a tribe who died out because they did not possess the ability to make fire. for that, he feels resentful for being in Za's tribe and displayed that he would do whatever was necessary to remove Za from power, and be leader. for even he has a primitive understanding of something that is true even now as it was thousands of years ago, that one who can provide something essential to the continuation of life, has power over people, and can become a leader. 

Hur is also a truly intriguing character, for she admires, respects, and loves Za a great deal, and although she may be a woman, she is not with a modicum of intelligence. she understands that being with Za has many rewards not just for herself, but for her family. it is a wonderful display of something that is always true, behind every great man is a woman.

The Old Woman represents one who has seen a great deal of hardship fall upon people because of something essential to their way of life. She represents the world weary, pessimistic demeanor many of us take when we know of the hardships and despair caused by those who desire power and are corrupt enough to use that essential commodity to keep others subjected. 

The differing character dynamics is very solid as the varying viewpoints clash on various occasions through the four parts. One immediate example that springs to mind is when the four of them have escaped into the forest, and Za is injured battling a ferocious beast, and the Doctor is ready and willing to finish him off while Ian and Barbara are willing to save his life. 

But, it is also in this adventure that they show that they are willing to work together for a common goal, that goal being to get back to the TARDIS and hopefully back to Earth in the 1960's. It demonstrates a great deal of resourcefulness on the parts of the TARDIS crew, especially on the part of Susan who develops the idea of creating a frightening illusion involving torches and skulls, scaring the tribe long enough for them to make their escape. 

This is definitely an excellent start to an extremely wonderful series, and its popularity would be solidified with the introduction of a menacingly disturb alien race that will come in the next adventure. But that, my friends, is another review for another time.