Season 1 in Review

Well with the first season complete I have a few thoughts about it.

First Time Episodes
There were a few episodes in this season that I had never seen before.

• Marco Polo
• The Keys of Marinus
• The Sensorites
• The Reign of Terror

It was good to be able to see most of these stories - as a classic series fan I felt my experience was incomplete. It was almost like getting to see new classic Who because I didn't really know anything about any of these episodes before now. I'll try to go back and watch the full recon of Marco Polo some time soon to round this out but it's more for the sake of completionism than anything else.

Missing Episodes
The missing episodes suck. As I mention above I had to skip over Marco Polo. I am a fan of audio dramas but not on my television - I get easily distracted there. Fortunately this season is mostly intact with only Marco Polo completely missing along with the two missing episodes from Reign of Terror.

Impressions of First Doctor
This Doctor is certainly not what I'm used to seeing. Most people point and the grumpy and gruff nature of the first Doctor but a big item for me (and previously mentioned) was that the Doctor seemed like he tried not to interfere and wasn't looking for trouble whereas some later Doctors revel in interference and searching for adventure. It was also strange how he almost kidnaps his companions and how they want to get away. It isn't until later in the season where it seems that Ian and Barbara even want to stay with the Doctor.

The Companions
I actually like Ian the best of the companions, not sure why. At first I was cool to both Ian and Barbara but I've warmed up to both of them considerably. They have become much more interesting now that they aren't desperate to get away. Susan on the other hand has been the reverse for me. She's supposed to be intelligent yet most of the time she seems to be crying, confused or under some affliction/mind control. I think they could do more with it but I am also looking at it from a 2011 point of view.

Historical Stories
I'm feeling very mixed about these. Doctor Who has always done historical stories pretty well and they do a good job with Reign of Terror. But one of the things that continually bug me about these early examples is the lack of a science fiction element. That is magnified by the early Laws of Time where nothing can really change from history. In other words, in these early historical stories history and time itself isn't at stake -- only the lives of the Doctor and his companions. This is a bit jarring for me as I'm used to history and the Doctor being intertwined closely. Events in Earth's history are often influenced (or caused directly) by the Doctor or by the alien menace that he is battling. In these early historicals there isn't even an alien menace.

The Final Word
Overall I liked the first season. It wasn't great and even had a few duds in the line up. Still a collection of average, watchable stories that can still be enjoyable almost 50 years after they originally transmitted is a feat in itself.