On to The Edge of Destruction the first bottle episode of Doctor who on tv and timeline code s1.3. This story is very interesting behind the scenes, with it being only made because Marco Polo ate up the budget.

Anyway into part one The Edge of Destruction. The episode starting where we left off, the Tardis seeming to crash and everyone being knocked out. Slowly the crew start to wake up and instantly the vibe is all off, everyone’s memories are fuzzy and OMG the music. This early hum being used though out the beginning. Soon Susan wakes up and goes to get a bandage for the Doctor who’s cut his head, Barbara being the one we follow for most of this story is then startled by Ian. William Russell plays Ian wonderfully here very unnerving. We get a moment where the Doctor rambles while he’s asleep about leaving with Susan. I love how through out this timeline marathon, this episode kind of gives me vindication as it references quite a bit of S0a n S0b. Anyway Susan comes back with the bandages and is terrified, the doors are open we learn the Tardis can’t crash too. Ian tries to get close to the open doors but they close suddenly, and as he walks away they open. Susan then suddenly faints and as that happens, Ian suddenly starts to act normally taking her to the infirmary. The food machine also starts to act weird, saying empty before dispensing water. When Ian comes back Susan is holding scissors unaware who Ian is, fun fact bout this scene it caused quite a ruckus in the 60s and people where worried kids would copy Susan with the scissors n stab things. With everyone up they start to discuss there predicament, Barbara suggesting something might have got into the ship. I adore Barbara in this story I’d say so far Ian and the Doctor have the Daleks to flesh out, Susan has An Unearthly Child, this is Barbara’s character piece. The story is heavily focused on character moments and trying to merge the team into one unity. Anyway the Doctor blows off Barbara’s theory, and the Doctor n Ian go to work on the console. As that happens Susan grabs the scissors again and walks back into the infirmary. Barbara goes to check on her, Carol Ann Ford really stretches her acting mussels in this scene. It leads to an argument between the two, Susan has a moment trying to stop herself suggesting to Barbara maybe the intruder is in one of them. It seems the way I interpret this is Susan has the Tardis using her body as a vessel to communicate. Anyway Susan hears Ian talk about the scanner and she runs into the control room, to stop the Doctor using it. Susan now being in control of her Brady the Doctor and her having a pain at the back of there neck. The Scanner turns on revealing earth and the doors open, having to close them suddenly. Then Quinnis is shown again another fun timeline marathon moment. The scanner then shows them a planet getting further away until a white flash. Anyway the Doctor starts to make a in his mind logical deduction, blaming Ian and Barbara for this, the two denying it. His reasoning being to blackmail him to take the two back to earth. Barbara snaps and gets an amazing snap in at the doctor, commenting on how he would have died if it wasn’t for them both in the caves and on Skaro. I love Barbara so much she’s such a good moral compass. She turns and screams seeing a clock, now this clock is an effect thag clearly isn’t clear, but having watched the making of I now know it’s melting the numbers n hands, to take away time for the group. The effect is bad but again Marco Polo ate the money so I’ll let it slide. The crew gather to see Barbara taking off her watch and throwing it in distress. The Doctor decides a cool off is in order and gives everyone a drink, to relax and sleep. Barbara still in distress walks out the room, Susan follows, leaving Ian to say he should apologise to Barbara. The Doctor says there is no time for manners, something I love about the Doctor in these early episodes. The Doctor says to Ian to sleep on it, Susan also apologises to Barbara for the Doctor an amazing moment for the pair. With the crew asleep the Doctor runs some checks on the Tardis but someone grabs his neck. Boom cliffhanger.

Part 1 is such a good atmospheric insight to all 4 characters head spaces at the moment in time. Barbara is given her moment to shine, I feel she is like a said a moral compass for the group, but also a very good audience surrogate for this episode.

On ti part 2 now Blink of Destruction, big reveal Ian is the person who grabbed the Doctor. This further pushes the Doctors narrative, he pushes Ian off him as Barbara walks in. Barbara and the Doctor argue as Susan walks in, saying she agrees with the Doctor, desperately Barbara tries to wake Ian up. Jacquline Hill plays Barbara amazingly in this scene, trying to get Susan to also remember what happened too. The Doctor thinking she’s trying to divide and conquer, this leads to the Doctor wanting to push the two off the ship. If you really think about it the Doctor is the villain in this story and it’s such a weird feeling seeing him in this light, but it works. Anyway Susan tries to convince the Doctor he’s wrong, but then a movie is heard, a warning from the fault locator warning that everything is wrong. Ian then grabs Barbara’s neck saying the controls are alive. The Doctor is now terrified as the ship is on the verge of disintegration. The Doctor now realising he was in the wrong sheepishly dances round Ian and Barbara till all 4 work together to work out what’s wrong with the ship. Barbara realised that time was taken away from them then given back because it’s running out, she is such a good character in this story I will keep praising her. Then the ship shakes, the Doctor mentioning the heart of the Tardis, as the colon moves showing some energy is escaping. The Doctor realised they have 10 minuets left to live, but Barbara the little Sherlock Holmes, she realised they have been given clues throughout the story to help with the issue, the food machines, the clock, she also is the first to realise the Tardis is alive. Can I just say I love how in a 1960s show a woman is shown to be more aware and quicker to the problem solving then the men it’s iconic. The crew discuss more, revealing the power escaping has been using the 4 as a defence mechanism. The Doctor sends Susan and Barbara to watch the doors and then tells Ian he doesn’t know what to do. The doors open and Susan realised there’s nothing there, the doctor starts to realises the scanner was also a clue telling them what happened. Then oh oh then we get the best William Hartnell moment so far this monologue is so good, especially since though out the story Hartnell does stubble on his lines a little so doing this monologue all in one take, brilliant honestly brilliant. The Doctor and Ian realise the fast return switch is stuck, honestly I love how this story is all because of a stuck button. They fix it and the Tardis becomes fully operational. Barbara still remembering that the Doctor was going to throw her and Ian out, especially since the cause was a stick spring when the Doctor goes up to her and says they owe her there lives, she walks away. The Doctor saying he’s underestimated her to Ian, this is what I call character development, and when the two meet up once they land the two have a heart to heart and I love this scene, it’s not the Doctor talking down to her it’s not the Doctor talking up to her it’s him seeing her as an equal, and honestly an underrated moment of the first Doctors era. Susan comes in and throws some snow on the crew, Ian and the doctor talk then Susan calls to the Doctor finding a massive footprint in the snow, an alright cliffhanger to leave this story on.

This story as a whole is bloody brilliant, honestly so underrated cause it’s a 2 parter in between two good 7 parters. I highly recommend this story as anyone’s first, first doctor story. I know some people don’t like the button being the cause, but I love it the fact it’s so mundane and small makes the doctors actions so much more hurtful. It makes you sympathise with Barbara more who is my fav character of the group after this story.