Well, here we are. After more than four months, four hundred miles, and well over 800,000 steps on the treadmill, I have arrived at the final story of what I would consider the first major era of Doctor Who. It's the last monochrome story, the last story of the 1960's, and the last season in which the episodes ran essentially non-stop year-round. It is also notable for quite a few firsts, but those won't come until later in the story. What I watched this morning appeared to be a First World War story set in the year 1917, with a few bits of science-fictional weirdness, right up until the last shot.

Let's talk about that.

The War Games - Episodes 1 & 2

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

In the first episode, the TARDIS materializes in the No Man's Land of the Great War, just as an artillery attack begins. They are rescued by a British nurse driving an ambulance, who is then promptly ambushed by some German soldiers, who are then promptly ambushed again by British soldiers. It is a whirlwind of peril that lands the Doctor and companions first in a fortified trench, and then later shipped of to HQ behind the battle lines. There they encounter General Smythe, who is notable for a few things: First, he clearly wants the Doctor executed, and railroads a mockery of a trial to get his desired sentence. Second, he has a mysterious pair of eyeglasses that, when he wears them, can apparently hypnotize anyone into believing whatever he tells them. Third, he has an advanced video communication device hidden in his office. So, right off the bat it is clear that something strange is afoot.

The first episode ends in a climax with the Doctor tied to a post in front of a firing squad, with a tight shot on his face as the first shot rights out. Oh no!

Fortunately, it turns out that first shot was actually a sniper attacking the firing squad, and in the confusion of the ensuing battle the Doctor is rescued by Zoe and they both escape. The second episode mostly involves Jamie being held in prison, his subsequent rescue by the Doctor and Zoe, and the recruiting of the nurse from the beginning of the story plus another soldier, who have both commented about having gaps in their memories. At one point we also see that General Smythe has what appears to be a TARDIS in his office. By the end of the second episode, all of our heroes have escaped in the ambulance and have driven through a strange fog, coming out in an area that is completely absent of any signs of battle. Unfortunately, they are rapidly surrounded by a squad of Roman soldiers complete with chariot, and it becomes clear that something larger and more timey-wimey is going on.

The War Games gets a lot of grief for being so long, and sure maybe it has more padding that is really justified, but I still love this story. It's very length ensures that it has a slow-burn reveal as to what is really going on, and what the stakes truly are. It is truly a Terrance Dicks-ian story, and I mean that as a genuine compliment. Each of the secondary characters are fully drawn and well acted, and includes some lovely bits of detail. I was particularly charmed by the scene in which the nurse is trying to stall for time and does so by engaging Major Barrington in a conversation about how difficult and interesting it must be to manage all of the supplies for the regiment. It is a lovely moment in which a man with a mind-numbingly boring job actually gets to wax poetic about his own expertise, and sincerely so. His disappointment later, when he realizes the nurse was just playing him, is nearly soul-crushing.

I am really hoping my enjoyment of the story holds up. I know that things don't really get cooking until the last three episodes, so the next two days might be a bit of a slog.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Second
Companion(s): Jamie McCrimmon, Zoe Heriot
Episode(s): The War Games - Episodes 1 & 2
Steps Walked: 6,736 today, 833,812 total
Distance Walked: 3.37 miles today, 403.86 miles total
Weight: 272.03 lbs (five day moving average), net change -35.27 lbs