Story by Story Episode 2 (or the Daleks)

[drwhofan1]

That was quite a response to the first post, so until I'm told otherwise here is my take on the next story. The one that got the whole show off the ground.

The Daleks (or the Mutants)

This was a story that of course is of great importance. The introduction of the Daleks. Now to me the story seemed a little long & felt like it would never end. It was great in the sense that this was the start of a recurring villain that would appear several times over the course of the First Doctor, but it just seemed to drag on.

I can't say that I liked one episode over another or that one was better than another, they were alright. I wondered what the British thought about this episode when it first aired back in 1963. Is there anyone out there that remembers it? Just curious.

What are your thoughts?

[tractator]

I suppose in this age of VHS and DVD, there is a tendency to sit and watch the the whole serial from start to finish (in which case I suppose it might seem to drag after a while).

However, back then viewers had no choice but to watch it in seven weekly instalments: considering the stir that the Daleks caused from the offset (and the fact that no one knew at that point if the Daleks would ever return), I suspect that for them seven episodes was barely enough.

Personally I like the story a lot. Despite the bizarre 60s fashions of the Thals I find it very easy to suspend disbelief with this story, and although it has its slow moments, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The novelisation, too, is a great read. I like the fact that its written from the perspective of one of the companions (Ian), although it deviates quite a lot from the televised version, which is a little disturbing to begin with.

As an aside, one thing that occurs to me over and over again with the Hartnell stories is that despite The Doctor being the lead character of the series, it often seems it is Ian who is the man of action, the one who influences events or saves the day. Maybe its just my perception. Or perhaps its simply because any show such as this needs an action figure and the first Doctor, being an elderly man, wasn't suited to that role.

Any thoughts on this?

[tractator]

PS...

Forgot to say:

I would give this one 9 out of 10. ;D

[The Thinker]

One of the things about 'The Daleks' is that during the seventies it was scheduled for wiping but one man who worked in the archives discovered it and smuggled out a master copy whilst all the other tapes were tragic victims of :dramatic chords here: RECORDING OVER. It's also one of those situations wher you want the baddies to win. Hmm, methinks the Thals were a bit pathetic.

[Dominic Smith]

It's an enjoyable story, especially for the first few episodes and the cliffhanger for episode one is a classic. It does tend to drag for a while, but I find only if you sit and watch it all at once.

[The Thinker]

The first time I saw this story I found quite interesting. However after the first four episodes it began to drag on a bit. The next time I watch it it'll be one episode a day for a week.