Today marks the one-month anniversary of the start of this project. In that month I have lost more than 10 1/2 lbs, walked more than eighty miles, and watched ten complete stories spread across fifty one individual episodes. How's that for a successful venture? I am really quite pleased.

Also, today marked the end of The Dalek invasion of Earth, as well as the first departure of a companion as well as perhaps the single most defining monolog of William Hartnel's time as the Doctor.

Let's talk about that.

The Waking Ally

Ian and Larry, as expected, escape the Slyther by tricking it into falling down a mine shaft. Then they themselves descend into the mine, in a somewhat more controlled fashion. Meanwhile, Barbara and Jenny find shelter with a pair of women who proceed to betray them to the Daleks. Finally, the Doctor, along with Susan and David plus another fighter named Tyler, make their way out of London and journey up to the Dalek mines in Bedfordshire.  During the trek there is a lovely scene between Susan and David in which he sneaks up on her and torments her with a fish he just caught for supper. The two wind up laughing and rolling around together on the ground before they unexpectedly have their first kiss. It really is a sweet moment.

At the climax of the episode, the Daleks reveal their true plan: They are drilling deep into the Earth in order to penetrate the crust and then remove the core and replace it with a power system that will turn the entire planet into a vehicle that the Daleks can use to pilot anywhere in the universe. All of humanity will be (are you ready for this?)  EXTERMINATED!! Finally, the Daleks' iconic phrase is used, and it is like the last piece of a puzzle clicking into place.

During the closing moments, Ian discovers that his chosen hiding place has turned out to be the shell of the penetration explosive being used to break through the last bit of the Earth's crush. As the shell is lowered into the mine shaft, Ian is surely doomed to a fiery death.

Flashpoint

Thinking quickly, Ian sabotages the wiring of the shell to prevent the explosion. Noting the error, the Daleks re-raise the shell in order to effect repairs. Meanwhile, Barbara has bluffed her way (along with Jenny) into the Daleks' main control room. It is there that Barbara Wright, History Teacher and Goddess, proceeds dissemble gloriously about the human rebellion that is about to be launched on a global scale while referencing things like the Boston Tea Party, Robert E. Lee, and Hannibal. She succeeds in putting the Daleks into a brief panic, before she and Jenny are ultimately imprisoned in the room with magnetic collars while the Daleks decide to evacuate while the newly-repaired penetration explosive is dropped back down the shaft.

Fortunately, Ian has managed to block the shaft and hang up the explosive well away from its intended depth. In rapid sequence the Doctor arrives to rescue Barbara and Jenny while Susan and David work on gumming up the Daleks' machinery. My favorite Goddess Barbara isn't done yet, she proceeds to send a commend to all of the Robo-Men to rise up against the Daleks, which leads to a mass revolution and a mass escape from the mines of all of the human slaves. The bomb goes off, and destroys the mine and all of the Daleks. Earth is saved!

The denouement of the story has the TARDIS dug out from the rubble that buried it in the first episode, and everyone making their goodbyes. There is a beautifully awkward scene between Susan and the Doctor in which he very clearly knows that she has fallen in love with David but is too afraid to admit it. Similarly, Barbara can see what is going on, although Ian is a bit clueless and needs to be dragged off by Barbara to give the kids some space to talk. David pleads with Susan to stay, while she is conflicted by the decision before ultimately and tearfully confessing her love. By then, the Doctor, along with Ian and Barbara, are on board the TARDIS. The Doctor closes and locks the door, opens up the monitor screen, and then makes his final farewell to Susan in what is surely the most memorable and moving scene of William Hartnell's time on the show. Rather than describe it, just do yourself a favor and take ninety seconds to watch this. You won't regret it.

I, of course, am a manly man so of course I did not tear up during that scene. It is certainly true, though, that at fifty minutes into my workout I was drenched in sweat, and there may possibly have been a little extra sweat around my ocular region.

STATS:

Doctor(s): First
Companion(s): Ian Chesterton, Susan Foreman, Barbara Wright
Episode(s): The Waking Ally, Flashpoint
Steps Walked: 6,536 today, 179,169 total
Distance Walked: 3.05 miles today, 80.35 miles total
Weight: 296.66 lbs (five day moving average), net change -10.64 lbs