Watching the First Doctor for the first time, and itâs wild how different he is at the start. Very âwe mustnât interfere, weâre just observers of historyâ energy. All stiff coat, no meddling. But thenâhe fakes a busted fluid link just so they have to explore the city? Heâs not above poking the universe when it suits him.
Heâs curious, definitely. Almost childishly so. But unless it directly involves Susan being in danger, heâs surprisingly hands-off. Cold, even. Itâs like heâs treating the universe as a lab experiment and heâs the guy behind the glass.
Whatâs interesting isâI always assumed, since he and Susan stole the TARDIS and we know he was kind of a disaster at the Academy, that he was just a bad Time Lord. Like, the rebel from the start. But watching him now? Itâs kind of clear he still buys into a lot of their ideals. The whole âwe observe, we donât interfereâ mindset? Thatâs textbook Time Lord. He's not so much a rebel as he is a rule-follower with an itchy curiosity.
And thatâs where Barbara and Ian come in. And by extension, Susanâwho, letâs be real, is clearly picking up her worldview more from them than from her grandfather.
Barbara and Ian donât just observe. They care. They intervene. They ask questions like âWhy is this happening?â and then go do something about it. They push back when the Doctor tries to stay detached. They hold him accountable.
And the more I watch, the more I think they're why the Doctor changes. They donât just travel with himâthey teach him how to be better.
Which is kind of hilarious when you think about it. All it took to corrupt this ancient, immortal time traveler was two schoolteachers and his granddaughter.
