#26-30

Season 1, episode 1 - 23rd November 1963

[id: image of the First Doctor, saying “But you’ve discovered television, haven’t you?” and Ian Chesterton responds off camera “Yes.” /end id]

Honestly, this show gets off to a fucking banging start with one of the best episodes of the entire first season. The atmosphere is really well-developed from the mysterious opening through to the slightly unnerving close-ups of Susan’s face in the flashbacks. The setup takes its time, starting off with establishing the characters of Ian, Barbara, and Susan, before any of them need to actually do anything, and then slowly ramping up the tension as we learn more about what’s wrong with Susan. Really, it feels like a one-off sci-fi story that might have been part of any horror anthology show if the resolution had been something more horrible at the end rather than “let’s go hang out with some cavemen”

Susan is honestly the stand-out. Carole Ann Ford is so good as this weirdo autistic child who doesn’t quite fit in with our time. She gets across that slightly alien sense that she knows more than Ian and Barbara, even if some of what she says is absolute bollocks (as far as I know the 5th dimension isn’t “space,” that’s what the first three are for). Ian and Barbara are also fantastic from the moment they’re on screen together, and I love the grumpy old grandad vibes that Dr Who has (and yes, I’m gonna call him Dr Who because at this point in the show, that’s his name, fuck you).

Is it an entertaining watch: 5/5, like I said before, it’s just a really engaging little sci-fi mystery story that happens to be the setup for sixty years of tv.

Does the production hold up: 5/5, Waris Hussein’s direction is noticably so much better than a lot of what the show gets later on. There’s so many little tricks throughout this and the following three episodes he directed, like little moments with the rack focus or other film terms I don’t know the names of, which really elevate the script.

Does it use its time well: 5/5, like I said before, this feels like a complete story in itself, and if the ending wasn’t a cliffhanger into the 100,000 BC storyline, it would feel satisfying.

Are the characters consistent and well-used: 5/5, the core Tardis team are established clearly from the beginning, and the main focus of the episode is establishing how their interactions will cause conflict going forwards.

Is there anything actually going on under the surface: 3/5, there’s not the deep thematic exploration of something like Ghost Light, or the political layers of something like Invasion of the Dinosaurs, but it’s not devoid of substance.

Does it avoid being a bit dodge with its politics: 3/5, the doctor makes one kinda pretty really racist comment which has not aged well, but there isn’t anything built into the foundations of the story which is actively regressive or just openly racist or sexist. It will get a lot worse from here.

Some people say that Alexander looks a lot like CHARLES MELTON. His faceclaim is semi-negotiable and he is currently AVAILABLE.

If you heard Alex’s story in passing, you’d think it were fake. Most people recognize the man from having graced the cover pages and centerfolds of almost every credible fashion magazine you could dream up. And for the most part, he likes to keep it that way: living among the elitists of the city without a care in the world. There’s a clear divide in New York City, though, and Alex Taurus has seen it firsthand. He’s not about to forget about it.

Before his career took off, life was rough for Alex’s family. It wasn’t so much that their family were outcasts or no-gooders or anything of the sort; it was a simple case of a series of unfortunate events. As a result of an absent father and his mother’s early passing, Alex became the legal guardian of his three siblings by the time he was nineteen. There’s only so much a teenager can do to keep a family of four afloat.

Grand theft auto, for example? Probably should have been his last bet, sure... But, in a state of panic with a small window of opportunity, Alex found himself grasping at straws.

When he was twenty, Alex spent the whole summer hot-wiring cars. He’d sell parts to to garages, or full vehicles for anyone that wouldn’t bust him. He used this alongside his gas station job to make just enough money to get his family by for nearly two years -- Until he got caught.

He’s surprised he didn’t get caught sooner, really. He stole mostly from the same neighborhoods; sold to the same garages; didn’t realize until later, but was pretty reckless from the get-go. Still, it landed him in jail in the end and, in a lot of ways, he was lucky this was his only charge. At the time he was arrested, he was in another neighborhood - one he’d always felt was too risky (and rightly so). By some fate, they weren’t able to link his previous offences to him,  and he got off with only a hefty fine and a grimy mug-shot, and that’s where it all began.

Posting the picture online could have been a dumb move on his part, but by that point he was at a personal low, and he figured if he couldn’t laugh at the situation, he’d only have to dwell on it. He expected curiosity, maybe some laughs from his friends... He did not expect the phone call he received a little less than a week later. No, Alex definitely did not expect to be scouted by one of New York’s biggest agents.

So, yeah. You might recognize him from a cover or a centre fold now. You might also recognize him picking his youngest sibling up from school on a weekday.

Relationships:

Jenny Bennett - Alex swears by Jenny. He refuses to let anybody else touch his hair and, since she began to work with him, the two have formed a really sweet bond, although they never seem to see each other outside of working hours.

Zoey’s name and FC are negotiable. Her skeleton is AVAILABLE.

If you asked her daytime coworkers, Zoey lives an incredibly boring life. She works in admissions at the local hospital, floating from department to department to check patients in and out of their appointments and procedures. Her demeanor is calm, kind, and reassuring; there’s nothing that can rattle her. It’s perfect for working in a hospital - and for talking with ghosts. For as long as she can remember, Zoey’s been able to communicate with the dead. It’s never been scary or disconcerting to her, but rather it’s a nice tool to use to connect with new people. At night, she moonlights as a psychic medium. Her claim to fortune telling isn’t quite so genuine, but if it helps her to get a little extra traction on what she does best, she’s not against the little white lie.

Missing pieces:

Faceclaim suggestions: Danielle Campbell, Lucy Hale, Katie McGrath up to player

Surname suggestions: Cox, Hughes, Morgans, up to player

Relationships:

Some people say that Alice looks a lot like DEMI LOVATO. Their faceclaim is negotiable and they are currently AVAILABLE.

Alice has always seemed more intimidating than they really are. Maybe it was the crowds they hung out with in high school, or the stick ‘n’ pokes they’d collected over the years... The truth though, is that Alice Monroe is probably one of the kindest, gentlest people you’ll ever meet. Most people learn that within the first five minutes of knowing them -- which makes their assault charge so difficult to believe.

They would never lie to you and say the drink was to blame because, sure, they had been drinking at a bar that night, but Alice can admit that it was pure rage that drove them to do what they did. It was meant to be the best night of their little sister’s young life: just turned 21 and excited for her first night out. It was not supposed to be a night spent shoving some creepy, handsy guy away on the dance floor.

It wasn’t until Alice actually confronted the guy that things started to really go south. Curses and slurred insults were thrown towards their sister; an ugly prude, he’d called her, amongst other horrid, disgusting things that their rage still doesn’t allow them to relive. It was enough to leave their sister in tears, begging to just leave the place and go home, all the while that slimy motherfucker smiled as if he’d really come out on top.

They weren’t gonna let him get away with it. Alice had never been the kind of person to solve problems with violence, but Goddammit, it felt good to wipe that look off his face. They hadn’t met the man before that night - actually, They didn’t even know his name until he pressed charges.

What kind of person deserved a sucker punch courtesy of Alice Monroe? The same kind of person who calls the police over a black eye.

You’ve got to believe that when Alice says it was a one-time thing, it really was. There are very few things that push Alice over the edge, and they swear that they’ll never let it happen again... Unless the asshole really deserves it.

Relationships:

Some people say that Jessica looks a lot like ZOEY DEUTCH. Her faceclaim is negotiable and she is currently AVAILABLE.

Growing up in New Jersey, caught up in the grunge scene since the age of fifteen, Jessica always had a hard time taking things seriously. School was just a way to see her friends, with classes being a place to mooch around and waste time making snide remarks and cheap one-liners. She was never a cruel person, by any means, and you’d never find her making a joke at the expense of another’s feelings, but Jess couldn’t go more than a few hours without a little self-made entertainment.

You’d usually find her at the back corner of the class, chewing gum and flicking paper, - your typical ‘too cool for school, too scared to drop out’ girl – and her personality never changed, even after finishing school and later moving on to work at a club in town. There, she’d spend most of her time drinking on the job and dancing during shifts, never once getting called out for her lack of professionalism.

She moved East Harlem at the age of nineteen when she came out as bisexual to her parents and her relationship with them became a little strained, but she had plenty of friends to fall back on. Jess would always make friends with all the right people, making connections where she needed them in order to remain stable with her hotel bartending job, her landlord (whom she rarely paid on time) and her friends, who never seemed to get tired of her antics.

Jess has always been bold and likeable, even when she was dragging on jokes for too long or turning serious situations into a laughing matter. She had a way of making people frustrated, then charming them into forgetting all about it. Her friends would stand by her willingly, whilst somehow also knowing that if they were to ever wrong her, she’d be sure to have the last laugh.

Relationships

Ex-employee at Othello - Her employment at Othello didn't end on bad terms, but Jessica found that working most evenings when she could be out drinking with friends simply didn't fit with her lifestyle. It just wasn't as much fun behind the bar, but she and Jack are still on great terms and she often gets a drink or two on the house when she visits the club.