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Crossposted.
The Doctor: Just having early Hartnell in the Recently Viewed column (The Aztecs, An Unearthly Child/The Daleks/ Edge of Destruction), this was bracing. While probably somewhat ill, this is a man that is firstly enjoying his work and secondly has figured out exactly what he thinks his character needs. Rather than the aloof and slightly xenophobic Doctor of the earlier programs, this Doctor is more or less what we've seen for over 50 years: Pacificstic, prone to talking his way out of trouble, and definitely the Prime Mover of the story.
The Companions. I'll be as diplomatic and kind as possible; neither Steven nor Dodo are successful Companions. Maybe from poor writing, but you don't have the impression that they are much more than plot devices for the Doctor to regularly solve. I may be spoiled from the Ian/Susan/Barbara team and all the later Companions, but from what I can see two random residents of Tombstone could just as effectively served as fillin Companions here.
The Story. It's been said that the British entertainment industry doesn't do westerns well, and this is good evidence of that astute observation. Taken as a B-grade Saturday morning Western from the Depression era played at a down-at-the-heels movie theater, this isn't too bad. But as a Doctor Who story, it's not quite as unsatisfying and painful as Time and the Rani which is thus far the single worst DW story I have yet subjected myself to. And at least we have William Hartnell at the very top of his game, almost carrying a story singlehanded. Doc Holliday and Marshal Earp are almost plausibly British impersonations of Americans, but the rest of the cast ranges from terrible to inept.
Summation: If you want to see why people like the First Doctor, there are worse entry points than this. It's not as terrible as I had been led to expect, and I may watch it again.
The Doctor: Just having early Hartnell in the Recently Viewed column (The Aztecs, An Unearthly Child/The Daleks/ Edge of Destruction), this was bracing. While probably somewhat ill, this is a man that is firstly enjoying his work and secondly has figured out exactly what he thinks his character needs. Rather than the aloof and slightly xenophobic Doctor of the earlier programs, this Doctor is more or less what we've seen for over 50 years: Pacificstic, prone to talking his way out of trouble, and definitely the Prime Mover of the story.
The Companions. I'll be as diplomatic and kind as possible; neither Steven nor Dodo are successful Companions. Maybe from poor writing, but you don't have the impression that they are much more than plot devices for the Doctor to regularly solve. I may be spoiled from the Ian/Susan/Barbara team and all the later Companions, but from what I can see two random residents of Tombstone could just as effectively served as fillin Companions here.
The Story. It's been said that the British entertainment industry doesn't do westerns well, and this is good evidence of that astute observation. Taken as a B-grade Saturday morning Western from the Depression era played at a down-at-the-heels movie theater, this isn't too bad. But as a Doctor Who story, it's not quite as unsatisfying and painful as Time and the Rani which is thus far the single worst DW story I have yet subjected myself to. And at least we have William Hartnell at the very top of his game, almost carrying a story singlehanded. Doc Holliday and Marshal Earp are almost plausibly British impersonations of Americans, but the rest of the cast ranges from terrible to inept.
Summation: If you want to see why people like the First Doctor, there are worse entry points than this. It's not as terrible as I had been led to expect, and I may watch it again.