Blogger Who: An Unearthly Child, Part Three

[were_lemur]

The Forest of Fear (dun dun dun!)

Spoilers! This episode might better be called "the forest of sexism" or maybe "the forest of Susan and Barbara freaking out about random shit." And yes, I know I'm watching things from forty-nine years on, but I can't help being annoyed at things.

Anyway. Our Heroes are trying to free themselves, while the Clan of the Cave Soap Opera is huddling for warmth (but not in the fun way). Cavegran wakes up and takes a flint-knapped "knife" that looks like the equivalent of child-safe scissors and heads out, waking Cave Chick on the way out.

Team TARDIS continues their less-than-effective attempts to free themselves, focusing on Ian since he's "the strongest" and might have to defend them, which is another WTF moment, because of what I know from later in the series; as a Time Lady, Susan would be stronger, have faster reflexes, and be generally tougher than either of the humans. "You've been in a fight before" might be reasonable, though he wasn't a particularly effective combatant in part one.

Of course, it's canon that "the Doctor lies," so maybe he just didn't want to explain how alien he and Susan are, or shake Susan's confidence by saying that he thought she'd crack in a fight. Which is a lot more reasonable explanation for why he wouldn't want her as their defender, given her behavior later in the episode.

Or maybe I'm overthinking something that was written in the sixties, when men were men and women were screamers.

Cavegran shows up with Baby's First Flint Knife. Cue screaming.

Cave Chick wakes up one of the men (Emo? Angry? I've gotten them mixed up) to tell him that Cavegran has taken his knife. He asks her why she didn't stop Cavegran and she gives him a non-answer, and they follow her. Cavegran tells Team TARDIS that she'll let them go if they go, which they're happy to do. So they head out into the Forest of Fear (dun dun dun). Meanwhile, Whichever Caveman and Cave Chick open the rock and argue with Cavegran. They push her and she falls, and they take off after Team TARDIS, who are busy freaking out over Every. Single. Thing. in the forest. Leaf moves? Scream. Dead pig head? Hysterics. Hear a woman screaming? RUSH TOWARD THE SOUND WTF!?

Cave Chick is leaning over Cave Man, who's been attacked by something. Instead of getting him out and back to the TARDIS, they go for water and make a stretcher and other time-wastey stuff. (Have these people never heard of "you get his hands, I'll get his feet, we'll all get the hell out of here as quickly as possible"?) The Doctor isn't happy about any of this, because what if Cavegran tells someone she's let them go?

Cavegran wakes up, talks to Another Cave Dude, she's hurt, she tells him. He tells everyone that Cave Chick and First Cave Dude killed Cavegran. Cue pitchforks and torches, except without pointy bits and flamey things. And because Ian was too busy finding (unsanitized) water and making a stretcher, rather than I DUNNO, GETTING THE INJURED DUDE BACK TO THE TARDIS the stick-wielding mob gets there first, and also catches up before they can retreat.

DUN DUN DUN!

Comments

[fannishliss.livejournal.com]

My son and I watched the Unearthly Child all the way through and it was coyote bad. We basically got through it just by laughing at the cavemen and their constant grunting about FIRE!!!

It's pretty amazing to think that a show that had this for its first storyline is still going fifty years later with a worldwide fanbase.

It really makes me wonder how long the CW can keep going with Supernatural. Jared and Jensen have this vision of themselves limping around on walkers, still fighting bad guys. :P

Right now we are watching "Planet of the Daleks" with Three and Jo. There are still some risible things about it, but we are enjoying it!