Monday, August 15, 2022

Doctor Who (1963) 01.01.02

The Cave of Skulls

The Doctor argues with Ian who insists that what they are seeing on the screen in impossible. Ian thinks they are still in the junk yard. The Doctor opens the door and proves that they are not in the junkyard anymore.

The counter on the TARDIS indicates that they are in the year zero. The Doctor is convinced that it is malfunctioning and goes to look for evidence that will help him pinpoint the year in which they have arrived.

The Doctor disappears but the others find his gear. They go looking for him and find him in a cave that in inhabited by a group of cave people. Kal, one of the cave men, captured the Doctor and took him to the cave. Kal is arguing with Za, another cave man, when Susan, Barbara, and Ian arrive.

Za and Kal both want to lead the tribe but there is only room for one leader. Za claims he can make fire but so far he has yet to prove it. Kal is a great hunter who brings the group dead animals to eat. Kal saw the Doctor make fire with his hands and tries to use a threat of violence to convince the Doctor to make fire.

The Doctor says he will make fire but then realizes that he has misplaced his matches. The Doctor, Susan, Barbara, and Ian are tied up and placed in the Cave of Skulls.

Thoughts

Za is played by Derek Newark. He was also in Inferno in which he played Greg Sutton. These are the only two Doctor Who stories in which he appeared.

Hur, Za's would-be wife, is played by Althea Charlton. She was also in The Time Meddler, in which she played Edith. These are the only two Doctor Who stories in which she appeared.

Kal is played by Jeremy Young. This is the only Doctor Who story in which he appeared. He was married to Kate O'Mara who played the Rani in two Doctor Who stories in the 1980s.

Za's mother is played by Eileen Way. She was also in Creature from the Pit and the film Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.

This is a decent episode but it seems to be mostly setup for what is yet to come in the next couple episodes. It was fun to watch as a museum piece but not great.

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