Yeah, the scene changes and new characters very cleverly keep it fresh, even though it's eight episodes of fairly simple capture, escape and evasion. The escalating situation with the Security Chief, War Lord and War Chief ties everything together.
The Power of the Daleks (animated) I wasn't originally going to watch any of the First or Second Doctor stories because I don't really like black-and-white television, but as I get closer to finishing the abbreviated Classic Who pilgrimage that I started with Spearhead from Space, I started feeling like it wasn't really fair of me to have skipped Seasons 1-6, and so I decided to throw together a small marathon of Hartnell and Troughton serials (in addition to the aforementioned The Power of the Daleks, I've so far watched An Unearthly Child, The Time Meddler, The Ark, and The War Machines, with The Enemy of the World, The Dominators, and The Seeds of Death to follow).
The Invasion of Time. I first watched this as a 10 year old in 1978. Much of the technical aspects went over my head then. They don't now and I always find this a pretty good and involving story. Yes, the interior TARDIS locations are drek (maybe someone could CGI in more interesting interiors?). And, Leela's exit is terrible (Andred SHOULD have been with her for the whole adventure in outer Galifrey). Also, the Time Lord "dropouts" virtually disappear when the Sontarans appear in Ep 5. I wish there would be a follow-up with these interesting folks. That reveal of the Sontarans in the final moments of Ep 4 is one of Who's greater moments. Totally unexpected and even the music is perfect, not often done in this era of Who.
It's so lame. Graham Williams was desperately trying to convince her to stay another year right up until they recorded it, which is why it feels so random and tacked-on. She was such a great character but that ending is unforgivable. Maybe we'll get an alternate ending for her in the Season 15 Blu-ray trailer!
The Talons of Wang Chiang- Baker's only ep without a scarf. Still one of the best eps of Baker's era, though the giant rat really needs CGI replacement. The ep seems more relevant now with the Jack Harkness tie-in of 51st century Time Agents being mentioned, etc. Yes, there is a disclaimer before each part now but I'll take that over having the ep "cancelled" altogether. The Horror of Fang Rock- Hadn't seen this since I was a kid maybe 40 years ago. I didn't remember that the villain was a Rutan. Have we seen them in the modern series? If not, they are due for a retool. A bit depressing that every single person besides the Doc and Leela die at the end.
He doesn’t wear the scarf for most of Planet of Evil either! They did replace the rat on the season 14 Blu-ray set. But I’m not convinced it’s that much better.
No, we haven't, and I agree we should. The Rutans are supposed to be the Sontarans' nemeses and vice-versa, but they've never appeared together onscreen, except in a couple of those unauthorized knockoff videos made in the '90s.
I've known other people who feel similarly; one friend of my sister's seemed to get almost physically uncomfortable watching anything in black and white. For myself, though, I'm very happy to be able to enjoy not just early Doctor Who but the original Twilight Zone and Outer Limits TV series and a lot of my all-time favourite movies. Maybe it was a good thing that my parents were late adopters for colour TV. We didn't get one until I was 13, in 1976.
I think I was also 13 when we first got a color TV in my home, though that was 1981-2. Before then, I only got to see things in color at friends' houses, hospital waiting rooms, or hotels/motels on trips. I was mind-boggled the first time I saw Star Trek: "The Immunity Syndrome" in color on a hotel TV. It was glorious! But things that were made in black-and-white are of no less worth, of course, and I'd rather see them as intended than colorized.
The War Games is the only DW DVD release that I own. I was surprised by its accessibility and that it was basically just a fun romp despite its somewhat austere reputation. Really enjoyed it.
My general disinterest in black-and-white TV stems entirely from a lack of specific interest in old-school comedies from the 50s and 60s, which are the primary things that were broadcast in black-and-white on the television stations I had access to as a kid, but after having seen the First and Second Doctor stories that I have, and having decided to go ahead and watch more next month while I have time off work for the holidays, I've realized that I was being unfair by judging the format based solely on content. Speaking of additional First and Second Doctor stories, I wouldn't say no to recommendations, even though I don't really want to watch telesnap reconstructions unless I absolutely have to.
I would definitely recommend steering clear of recons - even for dedicated Hartnell fans they’re tough going. Recommendations are fairly straightforward. For Hartnell, An Unearthly Child (the first episode, don’t bother with the other three), The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Time Meddler, The War Machines. They are the most accessible stories for beginners. If you get a taste for him and the characters, try some of the historicals. The Aztecs is the best, but also The Romans. The first Dalek story is iconic but you may find it slow. Most of Troughton’s are good. If you can’t face animations go for Tomb of the Cybermen, The Web of Fear (though ep 3 is missing but animated in an eccentric style), The Mind Robber and The Seeds of Death. Enemy of the World, The Invasion and The War Games are all great too. If you try animations, Evil of the Daleks and The Macra Terror are the two best.
Of the stories you mention, I've already seen the bolded. As for the others, Britbox only has the version of The Web of Fear with the telesnap reconstruction of Episode 3, and I'd have to buy both TEotD and TMT digitally and in color in order to watch them. I hadn't thought about watching The Aztecs, The Romans, or The Mind Robber, though. One avenue I'd been considering for a marathon should I not get any recommendations was to watch Companion intros and exits insofar as existing access allows, which would, excluding a repeat of An Unearthly Child, give me The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Rescue, The Chase, The War Games, the telesnap reconstruction of The Wheel in Space, and, were I to choose to purchase them digitally, the in-color animated versions of The Faceless Ones, The Evil of the Daleks, and Fury from the Deep.
Barring more suggestions, I've decided that I'm indeed going to do a First and Second Doctor marathon of The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Rescue, The Chase, The Faceless Ones (in-color animation), The Evil of the Daleks (in-color animation), and Fury from the Deep (in-color animation) using Britbox and a 1-month subscription to AMC+, and might also throw in The Wheel in Space (breaking my self-imposed "no telesnaps" rule) and The War Games as well.