Story 008: The Reign of Terror

Original Brodcast dates August – September 1964.

The Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara wind up tangled up in the French Revolution. We get to meet some famous people, see some famous moments, and watch the Reign of Terror come undone.

I’m so very glad I have these on disc and can binge the whole story. They’re a lot slow by today’s standards, and the acting is highly melodramatic. Considering what comes later, all I can say is that they’re staying true to their roots, I guess.

This story had some attempts to get characters to ask hard questions about the meanings of life and if waht we do really matters. Not sure how successful it was.

The sets were pretty good, although the prison was comically ugly. The costumes were excellent, especially the Doctor’s overblown clothes with the giant feathers in his hat. Hartnell pulled it off with panache and had no trouble with it. Ian’s ankles made an appearance in the period pants.

Next is Season 2! Yay!

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