S01E01.3: The Forest of Fear (1963)

Written by Anthony Coburn
Directed by Waris Hussein
First Doctor, William Hartnell
Companions: Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright
Drinking game tally: 6

After reminding you how much danger the Doctor and gang are in (see Cave of Skulls), the episode begins with a panning shot of a post-orgy group of cavemen, asleep.

Ol’ Witch-face from the previous episode wakes up and sneakily takes a smooth stone from another sleeping caveman, conveniently holding it still in the camera frame for a full sixty-two seconds while the title credits roll.

Back in the Cave of Skulls, the Doctor and his companions are unsuccessfully trying to cut the ropes binding their wrists on rocks. The Doctor comes up with the “brilliant” but sinister idea of using the bones instead, and they decide to cut Ian free first so he can defend them if need be.

Cut back to the cavemen, Za’s trophy wife-to-be “Hur” wakes him up, informing him that ol’ Witch-face took his rock (“knife”) and he runs out of the cave after her. As ol’ Witch-face enters the cave, Susan cries out dramatically [a companion screams—drink!]. “You will not make fire!” she says, consistent with her earlier, hyper-conservative stance.

Za and Hur deduce that ol’ Witch-face has gone to kill their prisoners to keep them from making fire, so Za decides to save them, believing that in their gratitude they will give fire to him instead of Kal. Alternatively, ol’ Witch-face shows them a back passage out of the cave, commanding they leave and never come back. Unfortunately for her, Za manages to push the rock blocking the main entrance away just as she sees them off.

After administering a beat-down, Za and Hur discuss what they should do. She wants him to go into the forest after them, saying that if he’s the leader, he should be strong enough to fight the beasts that reside there.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. This episode is called ‘Forest of Fear.’”
“Don’t be a pussy.”

The Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara are running through the forest but soon have to slow to a walk because the First Doctor is old.

Also they keep hearing terrifying bird noises.

Ian and the Doctor get into squabble after squabble. It’s all just one big power-play, old guy versus young guy.

"You're old and stupid!"
"You're young and stupid!"

The danger of the forest tends to halt their fighting and make everyone work together.

Eep! That bush wiggled!

Barbara, the weak, frail woman that she is, trips and falls onto the corpse of a wild boar and scream-wails [a companion screams—drink!].  Her cries get the attention of Za and Hur, who have been tracking them. Fearful of both the cave people and the beast that killed the boar, the group climbs behind a tree.

As Za and his cavewoman enter the clearing, Za is mauled by the never-shown creature that killed the boar. He manages to kill it but gets pretty shredded up, and Barbara and Susan run over to help him, forcing Ian and the Doctor to follow.

Ian and Barbara clean the caveman’s wounds, but all the while the Doctor insists that they leave him, concerned that more of the tribe will descend upon them. Agreeing that it’s too dangerous to stay where they are, Ian decides they will bring Za back to the TARDIS despite protests from the Doctor. Hur freaks out and pushes Susan away, who screams [a companion screams—drink!].

Ian pulls a classic old-timey condescending pity-epiphany: “How can we explain to her? She doesn’t understand kindness, friendship.” After even more painful, broken dialogue, Hur agrees to lead them back to the TARDIS.

In a surprising moment of aggression, the Doctor almost hits Za’s head with a rock before Ian stops him, and he only agrees to help carry the make-shift stretcher when Ian reminds him that if he didn’t, then a woman would have to. A woman.

Back at the cave, Kal, Za’s rival, discovers the old woman in the open Cave of Skulls and the prisoners gone. After questioning her, he kills her [someone dies—drink!] and wakes the rest of the cave people.  He frames Za and Hur for his murder of the old woman and gains support as the new leader from the people.

When the group finally make it back to the TARDIS, they are ambushed by Kal and his followers, causing Susan to scream [a companion screams—drink!] and the episode ends [episode ends in a cliffhanger—drink!].