History Recap / DoctorWhoS1E7TheSensorites

* CharacterDevelopment: The Doctor has an important piece of character development in this serial - halfway through, he has the opportunity to simply leave for the first time, but chooses instead to stay and help the Sensorites.

Written by Peter Newman. This serial first aired June 20, 1964.

* AbsenteeActor: Barbara is absent from Episodes 4 and 5 in order to allow Creator/JacquelineHill a holiday.
* ActorAllusion: Stephen Dartnell previously played a character similar to John in "BBC Sunday Night Theatre".

* AbsenteeActor: Barbara is absent from Episodes 4 and 5 in order to allow Jacqueline Hill a holiday.

* CharacterDevelopment: The Doctor has another important development in this serial - halfway through, he has the opportunity to simply leave for the first time, but chooses instead to stay and help the Sensorites.

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The Sensorites give the Doctor a new cloak when is coat is destroyed in the acqueduct.

* KnightTemplar:The City Administrator,who apparently wants to kill all humans for no other reason than speciesism.

* NeverSplitTheParty: Ian is aware about it at this point, but acknowledges that they have no choice in the matter.
* NightmareFace: The hideous alien face of a Sensorite pressed up against the glass of a spaceship in the first {{Cliffhanger}}.

* WeaksauceWeakness: The Sensorites are terrified of the dark (Due to their eyes working like the OPPOSITE of a cat's eyes). and physically pained by raised human voices.

* WrongGenreSavvy: The City Administrator's final plan to kill the Doctor and his companions was when they went to investigate what was the source of the poisoned water, knowing that there was something down in the caves killing any Sensorites who went down there, makes sure they are given inaccurate maps and their weapons are sabotaged before entering, certain that whatever is down there will kill them. This likely would have worked, except what was hiding down there turned to be humans.

* HypocriticalHumor: This gem makes both Ian and Barbara laugh.

* BeserkButton: It turns out that even implying that he can't steer the TARDIS properly is this for the Doctor. When Ian suggests this, the Doctor throws a strop and threatens to dump Ian and Barbara the next place they land.

* AbsenteeActor: Barbara is absent from episodes 4 and 5 in order to allow Jacqueline Hill a holiday.

* ContinuityNod: One of the first clear signs of continuity in the series is that near the beginning, the Doctor and companions mention nearly all of their previous adventures together and how they've developed during the journey. It makes sense for an episode near the end of the first season.

* DisproportionateRetribution: At the end of the episode, the Doctor throws a huff and decides to dump Ian and Barbara at the next stop after Ian makes a joke about the Doctor's ability to fly the TARDIS.

* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: The Doctor sports both regular glasses and a HighClassGlass throughout this episode.
* TalkingToThemself: What it looks like John is doing in episodes 1 and 2. He's actually communicating with the Sensorites [[MindControl trying to get him to kill Susan and Barbara]].

* Unobtainium: Averted. Molybdenum is, in fact, an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molybdenum actual element]] often used in steel alloys.

* AndYourRewardIsClothes

* AllThereInTheManual: According to the novelisation, the humans are part of an extremist group called INNER.

[[caption-width-right:350:The First Doctor, seen establishing a trend that crops back up later down the road: [[PurelyAestheticGlasses The Brainy Specs]].[[note]]Yes, yes, it's actually a monocle, but... the Brainy Monocle doesn't have as quite a good a ring to it as specs does.[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:The First Doctor, seen establishing a trend that crops back up later down the road: [[PurelyAestheticGlasses The Brainy Specs]].[[note]]Yes, yes, ist's actually a monocle, but...[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:The First Doctor, seen establishing a trend that crops back up later down the road: [[PurelyAestheticGlasses The Brainy Specs]].[[note]]Yes, yes, it's actually a monocle, but...[[/note]]]]

* WaterSourceTampering: The Sensorites are being affected by a disease that the good guys later trace to a human expedition, maddened by the sensosphere, poisoning their water supply.