Muito interessante ver conceitos chave da serie sendo introduzidos pela primeira vez ao publico. O primeiro episodio construindo o misterio por traz da perssonagem titulo deste arco, fechando com a introdução do ilustre Medico Quem, um velho ranzinza de um outro planeta com um complexo de superioridade e uma afinidade ao ato de sequestro. Na Fandom essa é vista como "a parte boa" desse arco e que os 3 outros episodios são muito chatos. Mas eu acredito que a trama com os homens da caverna é tão importante para o arco quanto o primeiro episodio. Vejamos bem, nos somos introduzidos ao mundo do Doutor atravez dos olhos de Ian e Barbara, um mundo futurista, mais avançado que o nosso, logo a primeira aventura desse time da TARDIS é de trazer essa perspectiva para os proprios companions. Ian e Barbara botados em uma posição onde eles são da "civilisação superior". Deste ponto vem a caracterisação de cada perssonagem a partir de como cada um reage com essa posição. O Doutor menospresa os homens da caverna da mesma maneira que ele faz os dois professores, enquanto os proprios agem com empatia vistos a crise. E isso é carregado com peso pelas otimas performances de Willian Hartnell e Willian Russel.

As the first ever serial, it's pretty decent, the very episode is spectacular and offers an amazing introduction into Doctor Who. Unfortunately, the rest of the episodes in the serial aren't nearly as good, and can drag at times. However, the premise and acting are good enough to keep interest.

I was... bored?
The episode is long ! (All 4 episodes, then...)
The first one is really good. We discover the universe in the skin of the 2 "protagonists", namely the two teachers of the Coal Hill school, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton, whose actor William RUSSEL is now deceased.
But the rest is passable, even downright bad!
The whole story about "yes blah blah blah fire is so good" well it could have been resolved in 2 seconds !
Spoiler: the Doctor makes fire, Barbara and Ian realize that it's true, that they are traveling in time for real, and BAM! End of the story. In short, if you want a quality episode of DW, don't start with this one. Rating of 4/10 so 2/5.

An Unearthly Child - ★★★½☆

"Have you ever thought what it's like to be wanderers in the fourth dimension?"

The first episode is a character masterpiece. Susan's introduction is eerie and haunting, there is something in her eyes and demeanor that let you know, far beyond her words, that's she is otherworldly. Ian and Barbara are charismatic from the get go, and I think it was a smart decision to tell this story from their perspective. It sets a tone about the role of a companion throughout the series that is true to this day. And of course there is the Doctor, which is truly the antagonist at the beginning. It sets up character development that we will see flourish in The Daleks and The Edge of Destructions; but also brings up some beats that go on long game.

There is a longing in his words as he tells Ian and Barbara that he and Susan are exiles from their home that is not usually associated with the character. He is not yet the adventurer he's bound to become, and it's impossible to negate Ian and Barbara's role in it. And of course, we'd see more direct consequences of running way later in the series. Susan doesn't want to leave London 1963, says that the last six months have been the best of her life. It's a glimpse about the kind of life she longs for herself and the stability she can't have with her grandfather. Susan is almost never, in TV, as opinated as when she tries to tell the Doctor that if he leaves he'll do so without her. Of course, it doesn't work in her favor. Ian at one point claims the TARDIS is alive, which will be relevant soon enough.

This is not an amicable version of our longterm protagonist. Not yet. He is arrogant, dismissive, selfish. He makes choices for his own amusement that put the others in the danger, including the granddaughter he swears he is trying to take care of. He is cold and he can't admit when he is wrong. And that's the side of him that shows itself the most in An Unearthly Child. He is also the first character in-universe (by release date) to say "Doctor Who?". It's not what's implied, but I think I prefer to have Ian and Barbara unintentionally giving him his name than some of the alternatives.

We do see a glimpse of another side of him, though, in parts two and three. He is sincerely sorry for getting them captured by the tribe and putting everyone in danger; and while he is still arrogant and unhelpful at times he does recognize Ian's value and tries to help Barbara calm down. It's not enough to change his demeanor towards them, not yet, and him trying to kill Kal only to be stopped by Ian is a step back. But there are other nice moments for the TARDIS team, as when the Doctor proves that Za killed the old woman or when Ian recognizes the Doctor as the leader of their tribe.

Parts two to four are a letdown from part one though. I have watched An Unearthly Child many times by now; the tribe's politics was not an aspect that grabbed me the first few rounds but that have grown on me as a pretty decent plot. So what's the problem, then? For me it's the acting. It's not bad by any means, but most of the characters that are not our regulars, if not all of them, are highly unlikable and a very cartoonish take on "caveman". All the maneirisms in the dialogue are honestly tiring at times.

There is also some signs of the screamonger Susan will become. It's somewhat justified, but it'll become irritating fast. In contrast, Barbara also have two dispairing moments in this story, but it feels truer to her character because of three reasons; one, it's her first trip in the TARDIS; two, it doesn't become a staple of her character and three, it's followed by her deciding they must help Kal, acting for the first time as a moral compass for the characters.

I don't love the caveman part of An Unearthly Child, but it's a really good pilot for a series I love that already shows many reasons why I love it; one of its strongest traits being a fantastic cast of recurring characters. It's ★★★½☆ for me.

This story absolutely deserves all the praise it gets and then some.

An Unearthly Child
If I could rank this separately it would be an easy 10/10. Ian and Barbara are instantly compelling and likeable, and the mystery of what's going on with Susan does a brilliant job of grabbing the viewer.

The story is also remarkably paced considering other stories of the era, I was especially surprised at the flashes to Susan in class when Ian and Barbara, knowing how stories at the time were filmed I just didn't expect those quicker cutaways but they're there and work brilliantly at adding to the mystery.

The atmosphere from when Ian and Barbara are waiting at the junkyard is spectacular, the black and white colouring and darker lighting adding to the sense of mystery, and generally everything in that scene building and building to that moment when they enter the Tardis is incredibly done. The contrast between the dark and dingy junkyard and the prim and pristine Tardis interior is marvelous.

Then that final shot, the Tardis in a mysterious new place with a humanoid shadow looming into view, it's great.

100,000 BC
While definitely the weaker of the two parts of the story, 100,000 BC is still really good, and holds up impressively well all this time later.

I've seen a lot of people complain about the caveman politics, but honestly I think it's really compelling. Our characters are thrown into the middle of a conflict, taken away from the Tardis, and need to figure out what side to assist in order to get back (setting the groundwork for plenty of stories to come, though it surprised me with its visceral brutality.).

What works especially well for me here is the unique position our core cast find themselves in here, being from the future and having the ability to create fire they have an advantage, but being disconnected from the goings on, distrusted by the tribe, they also have their own unique problems.

I live how Ian takes the lead, One trying to do so but not quite being trusted by Ian and Barbara yet. I like how when asked who their leader is though towards the end, Ian then points to One. I also really like the bit about how in their 'tribe' everyone can make fire.

Overall, An Unearthly Child is a brilliant story that perfectly brings people into the world of Doctor Who, shows what the rest of the show will be like and about, and perfectly utilises the show's time travel aspect, showing just how far we have (and haven't) come as people today.