The Aztecs
Barbara is challenged by the high priest of sacrifice.
Original Air Date: May 23 – June 13, 1964
Number of Episodes: 4
Rating: 3 of 4 Stars
Plot Summary:
The arrival of the TARDIS in 15th century Mexicoleads the crew to the doomed Aztec people, a mixture of high culture and brutal savagery. Matters are further complicated when Barbara is mistaken for a god and the Doctor becomes engaged to be married.
Doctor Caleb’s Review:
I liked the story because it taught me about the Aztecs who seem very interesting with all their sacrifices and stuff. I also disliked it because the high priest of sacrifice is so annoying. My favorite part was when Ian fought Ixta and Ian pushes on Ixta’s pressure point. My favorite character was Cameca because she is kind and tricky sort of like The Doctor.
Eggstirmen8’s Review:
We are doing these reviews a bit out of sequence despite watching the episodes in the sequence in which they aired. Today we are reviewing another one of the Doctor Who historical episodes. It was one of my personal favorites from the first season of Hartnell. The story is compelling and the characters are very compelling. However, what gets me going back to this episode is the quality of the sets given the budget. That’s pretty strange isn’t it. The forced perspective used at the top of the temple makes the viewer feel that they are actually at the top of an Aztec temple. I also really felt like I learned something about Aztec culture by watching this episode. Having produced content for schools, I definitely appreciated how the early producers were working to build an emotional connection with historic content.
This is one of the easiest episodes to find for viewing from the Hartnell years: not only is it on Netflix streaming, but it is also on Amazon Prime streaming.
Where to Watch:
- Netflix DVD Service & Streaming
- Amazon:
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Doctoring The Tardis 