It’s a list! Everybody loves a good list, right? There was a thread way back in the day on rec.arts.drwho that asked what the most important Doctor Who episodes were. I don’t remember my answers, but here are ten brand… Read more
Another significant anniversary today: the Daleks are 49 years old. The first Dalek serial, appropriately called The Daleks, premiered on BBCtv on December 21, 1963. Arguably, Doctor Who fans everywhere owe a huge thanks to the Daleks—without them, there’s a good… Read more
Well, that took longer than I thought it would, but we’ve finally made it through season one! I’ve never looked at Doctor Who very critically before starting this blog, but it’s been something of an eye-opener. How do the eight… Read more
If early Doctor Who was conceived as serial drama, designed to draw you back week after week, then the Daleks is a high water mark. Watching again, I am struck by it’s series of pitch perfect cliffhangers, each one making the… Read more
Antodus is nearly frozen with terror at the prospect of jumping the few feet across the chasm in order to join Ian on the other side. Ian senses this, and coaches him calmly, deliberately, firmly. Antodus jumps—he lands on the… Read more
The reality of just how dangerous the Lake of Mutations is soon becomes tragically clear as Elyon the Thal approaches the lake’s edge to replenish the water supply. As he concentrates on his work, the water begins to ripple, bubble,… Read more
It seems as though their adventure is over, and following a pleasant interlude at the Thal encampment, the time travelers are eager to be on their way. As they’re preparing to leave, the Doctor asks Ian to return the fluid… Read more
The shocking truth of the Daleks becomes clear: they are more than just unfeeling machines or robots. There are living, breathing creatures inside the machines, and as the time travelers escape their cell, a gnarled, clawed hand extends from beneath… Read more
Susan runs through the petrified jungle as a storm approaches; lightning illuminates a strange shape hidden among the trees which follows Susan as she makes her way back to the TARDIS, which is familiar, inviting, and, above all, safe compared… Read more
Barbara’s exploration of the city’s long, barren, gleaming, maze-like corridors is accompanied by a growing sense of fear and desperation, and a dawning realization that this city may not be not as abandoned as it seems, that she’s being guided… Read more
After a short time, the pattern begins to match up, the central column stops, and the Ship arrives in a strange, bizarre forest populated by chalky, ghostly trees. Unknown to the time travelers, the radiation meter moves into the danger… Read more