Doctor Who Twitch Watch: recommendations of the day 06/01

William Hartnell as the First Doctor in The Space Museum.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

We’re given several stories today from the middle of Hartnell’s second season. But at this point, are any of them as strong as the show’s earlier stories?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned so far from the first three days of Twitch’s Doctor Who marathon, it’s that there was a lot of both creativity and really strong storytelling from the show’s first two seasons.

Seriously, it’s amazing to think just how many great stories there were. The Daleks, The Aztecs, The Dalek Invasion of Earth. When you watch stories like these, it’s no wonder that the show has had as much longetivity as it has.

However, after such intensive work and over fifty episodes broadcast already, it would make sense that, for a little while, at least, there would be a slight decline in overall quality. And honestly, the stories shown today kind of show that.

(Admittedly The Crusades, originally broadcast between the first two of today’s stories, is a great historical. It’s just a shame it’s not included in today’s broadcast. But with two episodes missing, it’s also understandable.)

The First Doctor encounters the Zarbi in The Web Planet.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

The Web Planet

The Web Planet is a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it story. It’s one of the only stories in the entire series that features no humanoid characters other than the leads.

Instead, it focuses on a battle between two insect like races on the planet Vortis. Specifically, these are the moth-like Menoptera, and the possessed, ant-like Zarbi.

More from Winter is Coming

There is a lot to appreciate with this story. The sets look fantastic, and really convey the illusion of an alien world brilliantly. The costume design for both races is impressive for its time, particularly the Zarbi.

But it also attempts to do far too much. For example, at certain points, the Menoptera are supposed to fly. While this might not be too difficult an effect to achieve now, it certainly would’ve been incredibly difficult at least back in 1965, if not impossible to do convincingly. Writer Bill Strutton really didn’t keep in mind the considerably limited resources that the TV series had back then.

It’s also far too slow paced. Six episodes is far too long for this kind of story. It can be difficult to watch, even when it’s just one episode at a time. All six at once, though? That’s definitely not recommended.

The Web Planet should be respected for how ambitious and different it is. But on television, at least, it isn’t the most essential story to watch.

The First Doctor in a Dalek casing and looking pleased as punch. Perhaps the single best moment from The Space Museum.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

The Space Museum

The first episode of The Space Museum is absolutely brilliant. Beginning with an intriguing mystery and getting stranger from there, it almost feels like a Twilight Zone episode, at times. As a single episode, it’s a brilliant Doctor Who story.

So it’s a shame about the rest of it.

The remaining three episodes just aren’t up to scratch. The villains of the piece, the Moroks (seriously, that’s their actual name) are incredibly bland.

In fact, that’s how the remaining three episodes feel: completely bland. The TARDIS crew encounter an oppressed race (or in this case, teenagers), they encounter enemies to fight, they get captured, they escape etc.

Neither the Moroks nor the Xerons particularly stand out. The story just feels so run of the mill, without anything to give it color or freshness, at least not beyond its opening episode.

It’s a shame too, because the opening episode had so many great ideas. Along with the strange time phenomena the TARDIS crew encounter, the space museum itself could’ve been interesting. Sadly, it’s a story that never really lives up to its potential.

The Daleks pursue the Doctor and his friends across time and space in The Chase.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

The Chase

Once again, the Daleks are back! And once again, their creator Terry Nation has written for them! Surely this story would be as dark, gritty and brilliant as the first two?

If I’m honest, not really. Compared to the pepper pots’s first two stories, The Chase is a bit of a let-down. It’s not exactly bad. But it does have a lot of silliness to it.

There’s a lot of humor played at the expense of the Daleks, which is a shame. They’ve always worked best when taken seriously and given great intelligence. This definitely doesn’t happen with this story.

However, The Chase is admittedly a rather fun watch. It’s great to see our heroes chased across space and time by our favorite monsters. Especially in such a wide variety of settings.

It’s also got some rather awesome moments, too. Particularly during the final episode. Another mechanical race, the appropriately named Mechanoids, also feature, and the whole story ends in a climactic battle between the two.

But it’s also an important story, too. We say goodbye to Ian and Barbara in this one. It really is a huge moment, since when the show started, they were arguably the main characters of the show, not the Doctor. He was more of a mystery, and initially, you weren’t sure whether he was a hero or not.

The departure of Ian and Barbara in this story showed how much Doctor Who had changed. By this point, the Doctor really was the central hero of the series. And it could move on without its two initial leads. It was a bold move for the show to take, but it worked.

It’s also an emotional goodbye, too. Very different to Susan’s in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, but still a beautiful exit.

Overall recommendation: The Chase

I know, I know. Once again, the Daleks get top spot in my recommendations. And I will admit to being a big fan of the monsters.

However, this choice was made less from the quality of the story itself, and more those surrounding it. Compared to the first three days, today’s run of stories doesn’t really stand out.

But as previously mentioned, The Chase is hardly a terrible story. It’s a fun watch, especially when it gets really silly.

(Which is quite often. Particularly the episode The Death of Doctor Who. Despite the super dramatic title, it has one of the most bizarre ideas in the entire series. The execution of which is…interesting, to say the least.)

And of course, the ending is just fantastic. Whether you love or hate the silliness of the rest of the story, the ending at least is unquestionably beautiful and brilliant. The Chase is worth watching for that exit alone.

(Although watching just the first episode of The Space Museum is also strongly recommended.)

Next: River Song: happy tenth anniversary!

Which is your favorite out of these three? Would you agree with my assessment for them, or do you have different views? Let us know in the comments below.

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