Episode 78 (S1): The Watcher (May's view)

(And eventually, May also decided to do episode reviews! Over to her.)

I have to say I'm slightly daunted by writing this. I feel like I've got a lot to live up to. Particularly with this story actually, considering the monster review that my father has written. Really dad! You could have left at least a few points for your poor children to cover! Most of this will therefore be repeats of what dad's already said, just from the perspective of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Well, let's start at the beginning, with the very first scene. There's some good acting from Maureen O'Brien and William Hartnell. I feel like they got the grandfather/granddaughter dynamic really well (even though Vicki is not Susan, she's slotted into the hole she left quite neatly). There was also a definite air of suppressed sadness from both of them (particularly Vicki, she seemed like she was putting on a brave face for the Doctor), which seemed realistic, given Ian and Barbara's departure.

Then, of course, there's Steven's entrance. Which I think is marvellous. This scene just feels so Hartnell era, Vicki's cry of "oh, do be careful Doctor! It's obviously a dalek!", and their choice of weapons (shoe and coat). It's hard to put it into words, but it just seems like it belongs in that era of Who, and it wouldn't fit anywhere else.

In the next scene, Peter Purves' acting is really very good, he has the right balance of seriousness and comedy that is required for Doctor Who - I especially liked the bit where he calls the Doctor 'Doctor' for the first time (or, as he actually said it, 'Doc...tor!'). And, of course, there's the Doctor's 'chair with a panda on it' speech. Steven and Vicki's little conflab about acronyms is also golden!

The monk is instantly presented as someone we need to watch out for. He observes the TARDIS from the cliff without batting an eyelid, and he does not seem at all unsettled when he listens to the Doctor explaining about the TARDIS. When I first watched this episode, I remember thinking "this guy's not a monk!".

Skipping ahead a bit because, while I adored the scene on the beach, this piece of writing is going be bloody long even if I do cut ruthlessly. The Doctor's first scene with Edith is really quite sweet. Edith is such a kindly character, just a genuinely nice person! Plus, there's the Doctor giving an aside about history, which was the shows purpose, to educate the young viewers. A couple of times Hartnell slips up on his lines, which is quite sad to see.

It's very clear that Steven has kind of forgotten how to interact with people. His first interaction with a Saxon is a very clear contrast to the Doctor's, all the more so when the scenes are placed next to each other. Although the fight was crappily choreographed, it does give us a bit of an insight into how Steven has been affected by his time with the Mechanoids.

In the final scene, all the modern stuff scattered through the episode is made clear by the reveal of the gramophone. The monk is not what he seems! And he has captured the Doctor! Dun, dun, DUH!

Next Time:
The Meddling Monk.