Series 1 Episode 4: The Firemaker

Serial: An Unearthly Child

Episode: 4 ("The Firemaker")
Doctor: William Hartnell
Companions: Barbara, Ian, and Susan

Writer: Anthony Coburn
Director: Waris Hussein
Original Air Date: 14/12/1963

WOMEN DON'T GET MARXISM (and other stories)

Well it's been too long and I can no longer tell the difference between Kal and Za, but fortunately they use their names a lot so it all works out eventually.

We begin with a close-up of Ian's sweaty face, which is fitting, as this episode is all about Ian trying to sell socialism to the cave-people.

Meanwhile, some elderly caveman is deriding the recently-mauled Za, saying 'Za is so weak a woman speaks for him'. Hur sticks to her guns and indeed to her story: that it was the Old Woman who let them out of the cave and not Za.

And to answer a question from the last episode, yes, it would appear that the Old Woman is indeed dead. And that dastardly Kal is pinning the murder on Za.

The Doctor fools Kal into revealing that it was in fact he who killed the Old Woman. Kal says the reason Za's knife has no blood on it is because it's a bad knife and does not show what it has done, then falls for the old 'I bet your knife is, like the bee's knees' trick. The Doctor follows this up by telling the tribe that a leader who kills old women is a bad leader and causes Kal to be driven from the tribe.

See you later, agitator.

It is at this point that Ian tells Za that 'Kal is not stronger than the whole tribe'. YES SOCIALISM. Though isn't Ian meant to be the science teacher? Surely this is more Babs's bag: she is meant to be the historian, after all.

Oh but look, now the gang is being herded back into the cave, and Ian has his hand on Babs's shoulder again.

The Ian Chesterton Guide to Comforting a Woman in Distress

Hur thinks Ian's name is 'Friend'. That's cute.

Za has apparently had some sort of Marxist awakening, and explains to a confused Hur that the whole tribe can collect more fruit than one man. Hur is all 'does not compute'. Because even though she has a firmer grasp on cavedweller politics than he does, socialism is too much for her woman's brain.In fact, being mauled by a beast has apparently made Za much cannier: he is now determined to learn how to make fire.

Back in the cave, Susan, the space child from a technologically-advanced civilisation, is finding appropriate fire-making materials for Ian. The Doctor is hanging back, and Babs is doing...not much.

When Za comes in and assumes Ian is the leader, Ian corrects him and says the Doctor is the leader. I'm certainly not a fan of Ian at the moment, but so far, with the exception of the Doctor'a knife trick, he's the only one who's done anything useful this entire episode. So I'd argue he's probably the closest thing they have to a leader, even if it rankles. Having said that, the fact that he's not insisting on being the leader is to his credit.

It's all getting a bit Lord of the Flies.

Babs has a super-useful contribution to make when Za says the tribe believes that when the gang is sacrificed on a big stone, the tribe will have fire: 'THAT'S NOT TRUE!'

Ian is redeeming himself somewhat here. He says everyone should know how to make fire; that the fire-maker is the least important man in the tribe, because they can all make fire. I still wish it weren't Ian with all these lines, though.

Hurrah! Fire! Susan and Babs are told to blow on it because they have no initiative and Ian is above such matters.

And now Kal is back and there's a big caveman fight. It all gets a bit D.H. Lawrence, but with more clothing.

NOW SWEAR BLOOD BROTHERHOOD.

Someone actually shouts 'HAI-YA!'. It is impossible to tell who's winning because they're both beardy and in furs and it's in black-and-white. When Za cuts Kal's throat, Susan screams. When Za smashes Kal's head in with a rock, Babs looks away. The Doctor is inscrutable and apparently more than willing to let this all play out.

Susan hopes the fight will go the way of Women In Love.

Ian gives Za fire. A happy old dude remembers that cooking is a thing.

Za hasn't set them free. Ian is beating himself up about having given up the secret of fire. Babs is pragmatic: 'At least we're still alive.'

Susan is clearly morbid and bored: she sticks a skull on a burning torch and calls gleefully to the Doctor to look.

One can only imagine the dark shit Gallifreyan children call
entertainment. Or else she's really into Lord of the Flies, too.

Ian immediately turns this into His Plan, and when Hur comes in with food, she is horrified by the sight of four flaming skulls. It's all working like a charm until one of them falls over, but by then the gang has escaped.

MORE TRIPPAGE. Babs falls over for no apparent reason and lies there passively until helped up by Ian. The Doctor is bringing up the rear, because the elderly must fend for themselves.

PHEW! Back in the T.A.R.D.I.S.! And Susan is helping to fly it, which is cool. Babs looks like she has had quite enough, thank you very much. The Doctor continues to be shifty as balls when it transpires that the only place he managed to take them was Away.

The Doctor suggests they all change their clothes before they go exploring. Which is sensible.

Susan reports that the radiation levels on the planet are normal, but OH NO, the minute she looks away, the dial goes up to DANGER levels!

Device also doubles as a 'how much of this week's episode was
dominated by Ian?' levels detector.

Next week: SKARO! Now we're talking!

Summary (as applicable to this episode)

Does it pass the Bechdel test? Yes. Barely.

Is/are the female companion(s) dressed “for the Dads”? No.

Does a woman fall over/twist her ankle (while running from peril)? Yes.

Is/are the female companion(s) captured? No. Well, yes, but they're all captured.

Does the Doctor/a male companion/any other man have to rescue the female companion(s) from peril? No.

Is/are the female companion's/s' first/only reaction(s) to peril gratuitous screaming? Yes.

Does a female companion go into hysterics over something reasonably minor? No.

Does the female companion have to be calmed down by the Doctor/a male companion/a man? No.

Is a man shamed into doing/not doing something because the alternative is a woman doing/not doing something? No.

Does a man come a cropper because of his "manipulative" girlfriend/mother/significant female other? No.

Does the female companion come up with a plan? No.

Does the female companion do something stupid/banal/weird which inspires a man to be a Man with a Plan? Yes.

Is the young, strong, straight, white male lead the person most often in control of the situation? Yes.

Is there past/future/alien sexism? Yes.

Does a "present"-day character call anybody out on past/future/alien sexism? No.

Did a woman write/direct/produce this episode? No/No/Yes.

Verdict

Babs and Susan did virtually nothing this episode. It was mostly all about Ian. Whose protectiveness towards Babs is starting to get on my nerves.

Series 1 Episode 3: The Forest of Fear

Serial: An Unearthly Child
Episode: 3 ("The Forest of Fear") 
Doctor: William Hartnell
Companions: Barbara, Ian, and Susan

Writer: Anthony Coburn
Director: Waris Hussein
Original Air Date: 7/12/1963 

AGEISM V SEXISM

Oh look out, the Old Woman is on the prowl and she's got a sharp stone that she's trying to hold still in shot while the titles go up over it.

Susan's been crawling about for sharp rocks, making herself useful. That's what we like to see.

The Doctor seems to be giving up easily. Ian is proactive, then chides him for sitting there just criticising everyone. Goaded, the Doctor suggest they use fragments of bone, which are sharper, and is pragmatic about the situation, saying they have to untie Ian first, as he's the strongest and may have to defend them. I hate to say it, but, seeing as Ian's reasonably beefy, he's probably right, despite my feelings on the unspoken assumptions as to the relative strengths of men and women. Though at least the Doctor doesn't try to imply that he is in any way stronger than Barbara or Susan because of his also being male, and indeed the latter has to take over from the Doctor on rope-hacking duty because his arms are tired.

Babs's job is to try and remember the way they came. She's surprised that the Doctor wants to help her. Then there's some wonderfully non-gendered discourse on the nature of fear;

DOCTOR: Fear makes companions of us all.
BARBARA: I never once thought you were afraid.
DOCTOR: Fear is with all of us and always will be. Just like that other sensation that lives with it.
BARBARA: What's that?
DOCTOR: Your companion referred to it. Hope. (<---Lovely stuff.)

But oh dear, here's Susan's first big scream of the episode. It's a crone with a stone, Susan, calm the fuck down.

Old Woman seems pretty determined that they not make fire. Reactionary fuddy-duddy is reactionary. More ageist than sexist, tbh.

Hur has apparently seen the crone with the stone sneaking off. Za wonders why Hur didn't stop her, seeing as how she's, like, well old. Hur seems more bothered about why she took his knife, and has figured out that she's going to kill the strangers (and has not gone into the forest as Za seems to think) because she is afraid of fire. Za, your girlfriend is way out of your league in the brain department. Seriously, she has to explain it to you that "the strange tribe" won't be able to show you how to make fire if the crone with the stone bumps them off. You suck at caveman politics, Za. For real.

Aww, isn't that nice. The crone with the stone says she'll set them free if they'll go away. The Doctor seems totally fine with that, and isn't even bothering to try to talk her into accepting progress/new technology. Just happy to get away.

Za shoves his girlfriend aside so he can try to move the great stone to the cave, because it's totally logical that he'll be more successful moving it aside without her help than with it. Dickhead.

Hur tells Za that leaders are strong, so if he's a real leader he's stronger than the beasties out there that snack on cavemen. Definite shades of Lady Macbeth.

Did the Old Woman die, or did she just pass out?

The Doctor needs a breather. Ian offers to carry him. The Doctor tells him he's not senile, he just needs to catch his breath for a moment. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Ian. Also, interesting that at this stage it's old people who are seen to be a hindrance rather than women, and indeed that the script is quicker to call people out on ageism than on sexism.

Babs can't remember the way back and has to cry on Ian for a bit. Ian tells her to remember they're free and shakes her a bit for good measure. Yeah, they're really going to move faster with her clinging to Ian like that.

Susan remembers where they are and is all but dragging the Doctor across the landscape. The Doctor gets shirty with Ian;

IAN: How are you feeling?
DOCTOR: I'm all right. Don't keep looking upon me as the weakest link of the party. (<--- Quite right, too, Doctor. )

Babs is getting hysterical because she saw something moving in the bushes. The Doctor thinks it's nonsense. Ian has to calm her down by grabbing her face and talking at it.

The women go to sit down, and the men decide on a plan of action. But wait, the Doctor seems to be saying what we're all thinking;

IAN: Susan seems to remember the way better than any of us.
DOCTOR: You seem to have elected yourself leader of this little party.
IAN: There isn't time to vote on it.
DOCTOR: Just as long as you understand I won't follow your orders blindly. (<--- I hope you remember how this feels, Doctor, in situations to come.)

Oh but there're more!

IAN: If there were only two of us, you could find your own way back the ship.
DOCTOR: Aren't you a tiresome young man?
IAN: And you're a stubborn old man. But you will lead. The girls in between and I'll bring up the rear. Because that's the safest way.  (<--- Ian, you are a sexist, ageist prick. Love, TheOtherScarman.)

BARBARA TRIPPED OVER. WE HAVE TRIPPAGE. AND IT'S A DOUBLE WHAMMY BECAUSE SHE'S SCREAMING GRATUITOUSLY AT SOME SORT OF DEAD ANIMAL. Stop sobbing, Babs, it's just a wild boar or summat that's been killed by a larger and potentially more terrifying animal, which is a cause for concern, but really nothing to be howling about.

Susan at least is showing the appropriate level of controlled concern/alarm as she and the Doctor examine the evidence and Ian presumably goes to talk into Babs's face again.

Za stops Hur from going to investigate because there is danger and gets mauled for his trouble. Hur's reaction is to scream and moan, but in fairness I'd probably do that if I were unarmed and someone I cared about were being mangled by a prehistoric beast before my eyes.

Barbara wants to help. Ian is trying to manhandle her out of it, but Barbara breaks away. Susan is unnecessarily hysterical in her determination to help as well. The Doctor is all for leaving everyone in the lurch, and even tries yelling "SILENCE!" into Susan's face, but is deservedly shouted down and abandoned in the bushes.

Hur is very protective of Za, but seems unable to do anything except keen.

Even though it's the women who want to help, it's Ian who wades in to play doctor, and immediately starts ordering the women around and taking the piss out of our Babs on account of her compassion;

IAN: Your flat must be littered with stray cats and dogs.
BARBARA: These are human beings, Ian. (<--- Well, quite.)

Interesting debate between the [not a] Doctor [of medicine] and Ian/Barbara. Barbara tells him that he treats everybody and everything as something less important than himself (go Babs). The Doctor tries to tell her that her judgement is off, and tries to counter her accusation that he's being inhuman with practical observations as to their being too exposed etc.

Kal is a dick to old women. And has almost definitely killed her. For...political reasons? To be honest, the whole caveman politics thing is passing me by on account of its being boring as hell.

Hur is apparently jealous of Susan and thinks of Za as "hers", which makes it a weirdly level playing field. She also says they are like a mother with a child, and doesn't understand their desire to help and heal.

Susan says that the Doctor is "always like this if he doesn't get his own way". I hope she means "sulky", not potentially homicidal. That's a serious-looking stone in your hand, Doctor, and Ian has totally rumbled you.

The Doctor's misplaced chivalry is as un-endearing as Ian's sexism;

DOCTOR: You don't expect me to carry him, do you?
IAN? Do you want the women to do the job for you?
DOCTOR: Oh, very well.

Aaaaaaaaaaand we have a good old scream (though not a gratuitous one) for the appearance of Kal's cavemen who have cut off their route to the Tardis AND BIG CAVEMAN FACE IN THE CREDITS.

OMG THEY'LL BE SLAUGHTERED FOR SURE.

*Eeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaooowwww ooo-EEE-oooooooooo-WOOOOOOOO-oooooooo*

Summary (as applicable to this episode)

Does it pass the Bechdel test? Yes.

Is/are the female companion(s) dressed “for the Dads”? No.

Does a woman fall over/twist her ankle (while running from peril)? Yes.

Is/are the female companion(s) captured? No.

Does the Doctor/a male companion/any other man have to rescue the female companion(s) from peril? Not unless you count Ian saving Babs from having to endure the trauma of tripping over a dead pig.

Is/are the female companion's/s' first/only reaction(s) to peril gratuitous screaming? Yes.

Does a female companion go into hysterics over something reasonably minor? Yes.

Does the female companion have to be calmed down by the Doctor/a male companion/a man? Yes.

Is a man shamed into doing/not doing something because the alternative is a woman doing/not doing something? Yes.

Does a man come a cropper because of his "manipulative" girlfriend/mother/significant female other? Yes.

Is the young, strong, straight, white male lead the person most often in control of the situation? Yes.

Is there past/future/alien sexism? Yes.

Does a "present"-day character call anybody out on past/future/alien sexism? No.

Did a woman write/direct/produce this episode? No/No/Yes.  

Verdict

In some ways better, in many ways worse. Ian as the strong, straight, white, male lead is called out on his assumption that he is the natural leader of the group, but only by the Doctor, and on grounds of ageism rather than sexism. Which is still cool, but not as cool as it could be. The screaming/hysteria/pointless falling over has also been taken up a notch.