My Doctor Who rewatch proceeds, if slowly. I’m resisting the urge to write something in depth about every episode, and am instead doing quick rankings and brief thoughts. Season 1 is here, if you want to start at the top!
- The Dalek Invasion of Earth – Everything really is better with Daleks. This one’s an epic and deserves its reputation. With six episodes, all four of our leads get plenty of time to shine.
- The Chase – I’m a sucker for stories with a new sub-adventure every episode (see my unusually high placement for the much disliked The Keys of Marinus last season). The Mechonoids don’t quite work, but the episode in the haunted mansion is delightfully bonkers and Ian and Barbara’s exit is beautifully handled.
- The Time Meddler – We meet another of the Doctor’s people for the first time! (Except for Susan, of course.) And he’s got a TARDIS! This is the first Doctor Who story to blend history with science fiction elements, and since I’m not a big fan of the pure historicals that makes for a welcome change.
- The Web Planet – A lot of people hate this story, and those people are wrong. Okay, it drags a little… Okay, it drags a lot. But it’s just so incredibly weird I can’t help but love it.
- The Rescue – A strong intro for Maureen O’Brien, who’ll go on to be criminally underused as new companion Vicki.
- Planet of Giants – The giant props are great, and Jacqueline Hill acts the hell out of the script whenever she’s trying to hide her poisoning from her friends. The evil scientist scenes are dull, but telephone operator Hilda and her policeman husband Bert steal the show.
- The Space Museum – I’m as surprised as you that I’m not putting this last, but the first episode really is a marvel, and honestly, on rewatch, the rest of the story holds up better than I thought. The main cast snapping at each other constantly does get a bit wearisome.
- The Crusade – I know, it’s beautiful and the guest performers are fantastic. But like I said, I don’t love the pure historicals. Maybe if we found the missing episodes I’d change my tune…
- The Romans – I love Ian and Barbara’s relationship in this; they are absolutely fooling around even if there’s no concrete evidence on camera. Not a bad story, but not a memorable one.
