Ah, William Hartnel. The
First Doctor. THE Doctor. Famous for his crusty, grandfatherly
manner. Even more famous for his repeatedly flubbed lines. Due to an
illness. That was undiagnosed. And probably killed him.
So it's not so funny to
laugh at anymore.
(Due also to the BBC not
having the time or money to do multiple takes, so it was recorded
practically as if it were live.)
He was funny, at times
endearing. He was grumpy, at times block-headed. He had a funny
little cackle, and a very particular pursing of the lips. He was my
Halloween costume last year. He often claimed to be human. He had a
mysterious signature signet ring, along with a monocle- possibly the
most awesome accessories a sonic-screwdriver-less Doctor could have.
He had power over hypnosis and the ability to mimic voices
flawlessly.
He was my favorite.
Don't get me wrong, I
still love David Tennant's Tenth Doctor, and if he hadn't gone
through his manic-depressive-emo phase (I.E. The Gap Year) he might
still retain that spot. But as of now, having viewed the First,
Second, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctors, I think it's safe to call
him my current favorite. That may change, admittedly... but he will
always hold a high ranking in my estimation.
He was the first, without
whom there would be no other Doctors.
He was the original, the
authority, the one that held it all together.
He was the Doctor.
And he will be missed.
My Top 10 Favorite First Doctor Moments
10.
Trouncing an assassin (The Romans):
The
Doctor takes to impersonating a musician that the group finds dead (for his own safety), not realizing that the dead man was the target of
an assassination, and the group he’s fallen in with are determined
to keep trying, believing that their initial attempt failed and the
Doctor is their still-living target. A mute assassin is sent to stab
the Doctor in his sleep as the group stops at a tavern for the night-
and the Doctor handily thrashes him, throwing the man around the room
with an almost carefree and disinterested ease, not even for a moment
concerned for himself. This physical display, and the extreme
confidence accompanying it, suggesting this to be merely the tip of
the iceberg of the feats that the Doctor is physically capable of, is
as surprising to the audience as it is to the assassin, and
Hartnell’s bravado through it all really makes it stick in your
memory.
9.
Resigned Trojan horse proposal (The Myth Makers)
Captured
by the Greek armies and coerced into finding a way to breach the
unbreachable walls of Troy, the Doctor steadfastly refuses to
consider the Trojan Horse as an option, believing it to be a
historical myth- here, he has an opportunity to craft, and discover,
how Troy really fell. After a series of far-fetched proposals, Steven
again suggests the well-known horse, and the Doctor soundly rejects
the notion, instead briefing the commander on his final proposal:
catapult-launched hang-gliders. The skeptical general agrees, but
informs the Doctor that Hartnell will be the one made to test, he
will be the first launched on the ridiculous contraptions. Faced with
the prospect of riding on his own lethally-absurd creation, the
Doctor calls the general back and, ever so reluctantly and with great
resignation, suggests a giant wooden horse instead. Hartnell’s
performance- from stubborn refusal to begrudging acceptance, makes
this one of the most hilarious of Myth Maker’s many laugh-riot
scenes, even through the stills of a reconstruction.
8.
“DO… NOT… KILL!”/The Double Fight (The Dalek Master Plan):
The
strange clearly-not-identical-doppelganger-stunt-double plot comes to
a head in the penultimate chapter of the Dalek Master Plan, as the
Doctor and his double fight- itself a rare and exciting fight-scene
moment for Hartnell, its memorability is enhanced by his unique
solution- another use of his vocal mimicry skills to imitate the
Daleks’ halting speech and order the robot not to kill, causing it
to hesitate long enough to defeat it (admittedly, I find it memorable
especially because I didn’t understand what he was doing, and found
his odd-cadenced yell to be oddly hilarious)- a scene enhanced by
Hartnell’s double-duty roles, and the way that the imposter is
discovered- referring to Vicki as ‘Susan’ (recently departed)
because the robot’s programmed information was out of date.
Definitely one of the Doctor’s most memorable confrontations.
7.
Beating the Toymaker (The Celestial Toymaker):
Coming
at the climax of a serial in which the Doctor is seldom seen, the
titular villainous Toymaker has put the Doctor and his companions
through their paces in his sinister games, and they have triumphed.
There, on the stage of his final defeat, the Toymaker appears and
admits that he is a sore loser- one game has yet to be completed,
until which time the TARDIS crew cannot leave- and making the final
move will instantly destroy the world which they inhabit, leaving
them the choice of eternal imprisonment, or perishing in a pyrrhic
victory. Yet the canny Doctor, who has managed to irritate and
confound the far-more-powerful Toymaker at every turn, has a trick up
his sleeve, turning the Toymaker’s own voice-command system back on
him to complete the final move (after a false-start in which his
first attempt fails, leading the overconfident Toymaker to smirk in
derision) from the safety of the TARDIS, dematerializing it at the
last second. It’s a brilliant and well-written gambit, the solution
of which had been hinted at, like the great murder mysteries, subtly
throughout the serial for those that had been paying attention. It’s
a great use of the First Doctor’s unique voice mimicking
capabilities. It’s a brilliant and very satisfying comeback as the
Doctor utilizes the tool used to intimidate and bully him throughout
the serial to have his cake and eat it, too. And his look of victory
as he begins his escape makes it all the better.
6.
Accidental engagement (The Aztecs):
The
Doctor has been growing close to the elderly retiree, Cameca- a
closeness that means more to the kind and gentle Aztec woman than it
does to the oblivious Doctor. When she offers him a cup of cocoa and
he accepts- ignorant of its cultural significance and simply finding
the prospect of some Hot Chocolate delightful- he finds a little more
than he bargained for when she exclaims with joy about their new
betrothal. The expression on the Doctor’s face simply has to be
seen to be believed- and the comedy of the scene and wonderful
character created in Cameca makes their eventual parting all the more
tragic.
5.
Farewell speech to Susan (The Dalek Invasion of Earth):
It’s
shown at the beginning of specials for a reason. This was the first
companion departure, a resolute but sad forced-departure of the
Doctor’s own flesh and blood. Hartnell is tender and wistful as he
makes the decision, but puts on a brave face for Susan, urging her to
go forward and claim the life that she deserves. He gives the speech
all the gravitas, regret, tender care, and loving, grandfatherly
wisdom that such a moment deserves, and the result is mesmerizing.
“One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back.
Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go
forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken
in mine. Goodbye, Susan.”
4.
Failed Interrogation (The Space Museum):
The
conquering authorities are trying to sweat the Doctor out in an
interrogation, but he doesn’t seem to be worried in the slightest.
The authorities, greedy for the secret of the TARDIS, haul out their
big guns: a mind-reading device. They hook Hartnell up to it and fire
away their question once again: “How did you get here?” There’s
no way out of it this time! But the Doctor proves that he still
easily has the upper hand, as the screen lights up with a picture of
an old-timey giant-wheeled bike. Then, as the interrogators stare in
shocked disbelief, he cackles with delight; though he’s in
handcuffs, captured, and being interrogated, Hartnell is still firmly
in control.
3.
The Unintentional Hold-up (The Gunfighters):
Seldom
has the Doctor (mistaken for Doc Holliday by vengeful Clantons) been
so out of his element- believed to be a crack-shot (an illusion aided
by an unseen shooter and bolstered by a deceptive saloon girl), the
Doctor ends up in a Stetson, six-shooter in hand, holding up the
three Clantons he’d just been trying to talk down. You can see
written on his face the simultaneous excitement (really getting into
being a cowboy, and loving it), and complete fish-out-of-water
bafflement and fear; now that he’s got ‘em, he has no idea what
to do with ‘em, and has to ask the Saloon girl what’s next. It’s
one of Hartnell’s funniest scenes.
2.
“I am that man!” (Keys of Marinus):
After
a prolonged actor-vacation absence, the Doctor made his entrance into
the courtroom drama of the final Key location just as Ian was
bemoaning the need for a man that could stand with him, against the
potential of sharing his punishment, to defend him at trial. With
this pronouncement, the Doctor made his first truly heroic entrance,
a save-the-day moment for the Doctor like those we’ve come to know
and love, and finally started to demonstrate care and solidarity for
the companions that he had, up until this time, treated more like
unwanted baggage.
1.
Confronting Koquillion (The Rescue):
In
a fantastic moment that (even as of the Fourth Doctor’s second season) has been rarely matched, the Doctor has a true showdown with the
villain of the piece, one-on-one. He confronts Koquillion in a dark,
atmospheric ruined temple, fragmentary remnants of the society upon
which he had committed genocide- keeping his back turned as
Koquillion enters, the Doctor will not even look at him as he spins
the tale he’s managed to work out, reconstructing the events of the
past there in the moody, misty remains of a once-proud civilization.
The resulting fight- with explosions about and dangerous chasm-edge
battles- is cinematic and epic, yet very personal; this is a classic
finale, brilliantly filmed with fantastic cinematography, and feels
worthy of a major motion picture Doctor debut.
(As
a side note, I am so proud of myself- it’s been a year since I’ve
seen this, and I spelled Koquillion right from memory!) :-)
Also,
here are a few honorable mentions that didn’t quite make my top 10
list, but I feel are worthy of notation for their distinctiveness:
The
Backgammon matches from Marco Polo (notably the first time we really
see the Doctor taking center stage and trying to save the day),
outsmarting the chain gang in Reign of Terror (a great comedic
scene), confronting the Monk (I always love seeing those two
together), and the grueling Time Destructor standoff/march (another
of the Doctor’s most memorable confrontations, and an incredibly
powerful finale) in Dalek Master Plan, and facing down the oncoming
War Machine in The War Machines.
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