Today has been a strange, off-kilter day for squeezing in any exercise. We have a house guest who arrived very late last night, and so not only were we awake way past our bed times (we're old!), but in the morning I did not want to disturb anyone by firing up the treadmill. If I had been facing another day with the Tribe of Gum I might have just written off today as a loss. Fortunately, today's episodes were ones that I have really been looking forward to. I started my work day early so that I could take a break later and put in an hour watching the beginning of the first truly amazing Doctor Who story. You know them, you love them, if you are looking for space fascists driving pepper-pot tanks with toilet plungers for arms then you can't go wrong with the Daleks. 

All kidding aside, this is a genuinely great story with well-written characters and a slow-burn kind of pacing that builds a genuine sense of dread and fear. I was totally psyched to watch it (again).

The Dead Planet

One thing I love about Ian Chesterton is that not only is he Man of Action and a Man of Science, he also wouldn't dream of stepping out into the radio-active remains of a petrified forest on the titular dead planet without first cleaning up and changing into a neat and respectable Nehru jacket over a button-down shirt and proper tie. (True story: as I was walking on the treadmill, I paused the video and asked my wife, "What do you call a jacket with no collar or lapel, like a vest but with arms?" To which she replied, "You mean a Nehru jacket? Which was insanely popular in the early 60's, and was worn by the Beatles?"  Seriously folks, my wife is the smart one in the family.)  Later on, in the second episode, you know things have gone badly awry when Ian's tie has come loose and started flapping about.

Another thing I love about Ian is the moment when he is commenting on the complete lack of wind, pointing out how none of the branches in the trees are moving, and while he says this his well-groomed hair is moving about in the wind.

All levity aside, I have to say again that this is a legitimately good story. We are seeing what I would call the Proto-Doctor -- a man who is hundreds of years old, only fairly recently cut off from his home world, and who has been traveling aimlessly with his young granddaughter for many months. He is selfish and manipulative, willing to use obvious deception to compel the others to accede to his will. Although the writers certainly didn't intend it at the time, when contrasted with who the Doctor becomes you can see how his experiences with his first human companions Ian and Barbara slowly change him and lead directly to his eventual admiration of Earth and all its inhabitants.

Ian, Barbara and Susan all have equally strong motivations throughout the episode, drawing out their strengths and weaknesses. The petrified forest is surprisingly spooky, and later when they enter the apparently-abandoned city it is equally scary in a different way as they wander through corridors that are just a little too short to be comfortable. The strange, off-kilter architecture provides a visual imbalance, exactly at the same time the characters are becoming more physically unbalanced by radiation poisoning.

The final sequence has Barbara lost and disoriented, wandering through the maze of corridors, and ultimately coming face to face with the very first on-screen Dalek in the show's history. It is a chilling moment, played perfectly. I just can't stress how much I adore this episode.

The Survivors

In the previous episode we barely got a glimpse of one Dalek sucker arm. With the second episode we finally get to see them in their full glory, and they are truly stunning. The way they look, move, and speak is just so utterly alien that they became instantly iconic in playgrounds all across Great Britain.

And of course, poor Ian gets his legs paralyzed by a Dalek blast. This leads to some of my all-time favorite obvious pratfalls while Ian staggers about. You know he is truly out of sorts, because his tie comes out of his jacket and flops about in a disoriented and forlorn manner. Poor Ian, the Man of Action who is unable to lead the charge against the Daleks. 

With the Doctor at death's door, and Ian and Barbara not far behind, it falls on young Susan to face her fears and set out alone to return to the TARDIS for the medicine that might heal them. Once again the writing and characterizations are all brilliantly effective. Carole Ann Ford particularly shines in her portrayal of Susan and her lonely trek back through the forest, and in her shock and exhaustion at the cliffhanger ending.

This is just great, great stuff. I could easily have stayed right on that treadmill and done a few more miles to keep watching. I can hardly wait for tomorrow's episodes.

STATS:

Doctor(s): First
Companion(s): Ian Chesterton, Susan Foreman, Barbara Wright
Episode(s): The Dead Planet, The Survivors
Obvious Pratfalls: 3
Breezeless Gusts of Wind: 1
Steps Walked: 5,804 today, 23,005 total
Distance Walked: 2.50 miles today, 9.97 miles total
Weight: No idea today, so we'll just pretend and say I am a svelte 220 lbs. Tragically it will all spring back tomorrow.