u/FFJamie

So I finished The first ever season of Doctor Who last night, and here are some thoughts.

**An Untimely Child**
\>The first episode is honestly great, it introduces the Characters really well and sets up the relationships that would be developed throughout the season.

\>Sadly, the rest of the serial is rather dull, focusing on cavemen politics regarding fire. On an education point of view, I can understand why this serial developed like this, but it all breaks apart when you hear the Cavemen speaking unbroken English.

**The Daleks**
\> The first appearance of the Daleks and honestly, this serial is kind of great. The conflict is well developed and it feels like you’re stepping into the middle of a wider Universe.

\>It does become kind of a slog, especially when you have an entire episode in a Cave.

\>The resolution is also kind of silly and really undermines the danger of the Daleks.

**Edge of Destruction**
\> I liked this nice breather two-parter bottle serial. It had a nice amount of tension and had some fun internal conflicts.

\> I do wish it came a bit later in the Season however, it feels a bit too early to have this kind of conflict. This should be closer to the end of the season. But I do understand why it’s here.

**Marco Polo**
\> I had to listen to the audio for this, but this was a fun and well paced story.

\> We’re missing out on some wonderful landscapes however.

**The Keys of Marinus**
\> The sets in this serial are vast and there’s some nice variety between episodes.

\> The main villains are kind of goofy and don’t have the “Dalek Factor”, but they work for the story at hand.

\> The Doctor’s relationships with his companions are starting to become a lot better developed as I enjoy the Doctor’s almost childlike glee at the World around him.

\> The court scene was fine, but it was fun to see the resolution feel different from episode to episode.

**The Aztecs**
\> Now we’ve established the Characters and their relationships, I like the idea of a story about changing history.

\>The costumes here are great and this is a well produced serial.

**The Sensorites**
\> I think the opening few episodes have a rich atmosphore and it sets up a really fun sci-fi adventure.

\> Sadly, the last few episodes are kind of a slog. The promise of the earlier ideas are not paid off well and I wish this was cut down to four episodes

**Reign of Terror**
\>This is honestly my favourite serial of the season, it has humour, suspense and I like the internal politics between Characters.

\> The Doctor really comes into his own in this serial, using his cunning to solve the problem.

\> The animation in the two missing episodes are terrible, there are way too many cuts, the composition is off. It’s a real jarring serial to watch.

**Overall Thoughts**
\> I really enjoyed the interplay between the companions and the Doctor, as their relationships grow, you feel the Doctor change as a Person, going from the grumpy reluctant hermit to the cheerful all knowing adventurer who lives for knowledge.

\> A lot of serials have a great set-up, but have issues sticking the landing. I feel this is an issue with pacing as a lot of the middle episodes just go through the motions. Things that would take a scene or two in modern Doctor Who are padded out to an episode.

\> The cheap budget rarely feels like a hinderance, there’s a certain charm to it and your brain just adjusts to the difference in style and effects.

\> Keeping the same cast throughout is also important as it keeps the season feel pretty easy to understand and get into. The relationships and development aren’t broken and it helps focus on the writing

That’s it for Season One, time to move onto Season Two

So I finished The first ever season of Doctor Who last night, and here are some thoughts.

An Untimely Child
>The first episode is honestly great, it introduces the Characters really well and sets up the relationships that would be developed throughout the season.

>Sadly, the rest of the serial is rather dull, focusing on cavemen politics regarding fire. On an education point of view, I can understand why this serial developed like this, but it all breaks apart when you hear the Cavemen speaking unbroken English.

The Daleks
> The first appearance of the Daleks and honestly, this serial is kind of great. The conflict is well developed and it feels like you’re stepping into the middle of a wider Universe.

>It does become kind of a slog, especially when you have an entire episode in a Cave.

>The resolution is also kind of silly and really undermines the danger of the Daleks.

Edge of Destruction
> I liked this nice breather two-parter bottle serial. It had a nice amount of tension and had some fun internal conflicts.

> I do wish it came a bit later in the Season however, it feels a bit too early to have this kind of conflict. This should be closer to the end of the season. But I do understand why it’s here.

Marco Polo
> I had to listen to the audio for this, but this was a fun and well paced story.

> We’re missing out on some wonderful landscapes however.

The Keys of Marinus
> The sets in this serial are vast and there’s some nice variety between episodes.

> The main villains are kind of goofy and don’t have the “Dalek Factor”, but they work for the story at hand.

> The Doctor’s relationships with his companions are starting to become a lot better developed as I enjoy the Doctor’s almost childlike glee at the World around him.

> The court scene was fine, but it was fun to see the resolution feel different from episode to episode.

The Aztecs
> Now we’ve established the Characters and their relationships, I like the idea of a story about changing history.

>The costumes here are great and this is a well produced serial.

The Sensorites
> I think the opening few episodes have a rich atmosphore and it sets up a really fun sci-fi adventure.

> Sadly, the last few episodes are kind of a slog. The promise of the earlier ideas are not paid off well and I wish this was cut down to four episodes

Reign of Terror
>This is honestly my favourite serial of the season, it has humour, suspense and I like the internal politics between Characters.

> The Doctor really comes into his own in this serial, using his cunning to solve the problem.

> The animation in the two missing episodes are terrible, there are way too many cuts, the composition is off. It’s a real jarring serial to watch.

Overall Thoughts
> I really enjoyed the interplay between the companions and the Doctor, as their relationships grow, you feel the Doctor change as a Person, going from the grumpy reluctant hermit to the cheerful all knowing adventurer who lives for knowledge.

> A lot of serials have a great set-up, but have issues sticking the landing. I feel this is an issue with pacing as a lot of the middle episodes just go through the motions. Things that would take a scene or two in modern Doctor Who are padded out to an episode.

> The cheap budget rarely feels like a hinderance, there’s a certain charm to it and your brain just adjusts to the difference in style and effects.

> Keeping the same cast throughout is also important as it keeps the season feel pretty easy to understand and get into. The relationships and development aren’t broken and it helps focus on the writing

That’s it for Season One, time to move onto Season Two