Classic Doctor Who: Aztecs Parts 1-4
The Aztecs is the sixth serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 23 May to 13 June 1964. It was written by John Lucarotti and directed by John Crockett.
The serial sees the mysterious time traveller the Doctor (William Hartnell), his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford), and teachers Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill) arrive in Mexico during the Aztec empire. Barbara becomes mistaken for the goddess Yetaxa, and accepts the identity in hope of persuading the Aztecs to give up human sacrifice. The Doctor warns her about changing history. – Wikipedia: Dr. Who – The Aztecs
The 4-part episode opens with Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, and Barbara, his granddaughter’s teacher, leaving the TARDIS and entering an Aztec temple. Barbara puts on a snake bracelet she lifts from a skeleton. Barbara gets caught by the Aztecs. Susan runs to fetch help in the guise of The Doctor and Ian, her other teacher. They are soon caught and brought to the temple center to stand justice under the judgement of the Goddess Yetaxa.
They are brought to Yetaxa and see she is none other than the captured Barbara who has convinced the High Priest she is a Goddess. The prat in charge of sacrificing people doesn’t believe she is a Goddess after she stops one of his sacrifices from happening. He begins a campaign to prove she is a false Goddess and wheels of deception and betrayal are set in motion.
An attempt on the High Priest’s life by the Sacrificer’s warrior Ixta is blamed on Ian. Susan is set up to refuse a marriage from the next Sacrifice (punishable by torture). Both are imprisoned and sentenced to die. With the help of Cameca, a woman the Doctor accidentally promises to marry, Ian and Susan are freed and all escape in the TARDIS.
After watching this, my first full episodes of Doctor Who, I came to two conclusions:
1. The Road to El Dorado ripped a lot of their plot from Doctor Who.
2. I need to watch more Doctor Who.
For a show all in black and white, the plot was pretty cute. It had intrigue, suspense, danger, action sequences, and showed women as strong and intelligent. Not bad for a show made in the late 60’s.
(Watched on Netflix)
