reaction

the cave of skulls

‘I’m afraid this yearometer is not calculating properly.’ Doctor. The start of something in the TARDIS not working as originally designed 
‘What concrete evidence would satisfy you, mm?’ Doctor ‘just open the doors Dr. Foreman.’ Ian 
‘Doctor Who?’ Doctor 'what's he talking about?’
‘Grandfather, do you know where we are?’ ‘Yes, we've gone back in time, all right.’ Doctor ‘one or two samples and I should be able to make an estimate.’ so they are not at the eating soil stage yet to tell the time? 
‘But it is ridiculous. Time doesn't go round and round in circles.’ Ian 'You can’t get on and off whenever you like in the past or the future.’ ‘Really? Where does time go then?’ Doctor ‘it doesn't go anywhere.’ Ian
‘Well?’ Susan asks and watches her 2 schoolteachers very careful for their reaction
Susan losing her shit at the Doctor having gone missing is an odd one. Presumably if she's been on adventures before in the TARDIS, then unless they've been incredibly cautious surely they must have gotten split up sometimes? She isn't very street savvy. But she is only 15.
‘How can an old man like me harm any of you?’ Doctor. Bloody hell, the Doctor popped up on his feet again quickly 
They've all turned on Kal now 
And in runs Susan, leaping on someone’s back
‘The stench in here. The stench.’ Doctor. Well, if it's a cave of skulls, perhaps people have been killed in that cave? Or maybe it’s a dig at Chesterton. 
I don't think the Doctor needs to apologise, it wasn't his fault he was kidnapped by a caveman. Although it was his fault his ship transported them to this time and place

the forest of fear

They've all been suitably dirtied up, the cave people
So if they survive the cave of skulls, they now have to survive a forest of fear  
‘It may only be a small opening. Don't count on it.’ Ian ‘well, you obviously are.’ Doctor 
‘Of course I am.’ Ian ‘Any hope is better than none. Don't just lie there criticising us.’ 
‘You’re … you're trying to help me.’ Barbara. Barbara seems so shocked at the very idea of it. ‘Fear, it makes companions of all of us. That's right.’ Doctor ‘I never once thought you were afraid.’ Barbara ‘fear is with all of us and always will be.’ Doctor ‘just like that other sensation that lives with it.’ ‘what's that?’ Barbara ‘your companion referred to it. Hope. Hope, that's right.’ Doctor. Well, at least he’s been humbled a little bit, thanks to a smelly cave. Won't be long and they will all be butting heads again. 
The old woman doesn't like the fire, so she’s setting the ‘strange tribe’ free 
The young woman seems very keen to help the leader. I don't think she wants to be Kal’s partner if he becomes leader instead 
Barbara is spooked now ‘we’ll die in this place!’ 
What a carry on. Barbara has fallen on her face and then screamed her head off at something - a dead animal. 
Well, the cave people will know where they are now 
So the leader got attacked by an animal and Barbara has gone to help, Ian reluctantly following as their chance to get away is blown and Susan tussles with the Doctor as she wants to join them too. Even though the Doctor also saw the opportunity to make a getaway. And he would have left Ian and Barbara there. 
‘Your flat must be littered with stray cats and dogs.’ Ian. I like that line. Barbara is compassionate and tries to help people, whoever they are. ‘These are human beings, Ian.’ Barbara
Ian instructs Susan to find 2 long, straight poles. Where's that then, the BBC prop cupboard? 
‘The old woman won't give us away. She helped.’ Barbara ‘ you think so?’ Doctor ‘These people have logic and reason, have they? Can't you see their minds change as rapidly as night and day?’
Isn't the old woman dead? 
‘He's always like this if he doesn't get his own way.’ Susan dropping her grandfather in it. Must be pretty unbearable at times living with him if he is like this. 
Maybe the Doctor was picking up the rock as a sample? No, more likely he was going to smash the leader over the head with it, for some unearthly reason. 
‘Do you want the women to do the job for you?’ Ian. oh very 1963.

the firemaker

‘This knife has no blood on it.’ Doctor ‘I said, this knife has no blood on it.’
Yeah, if you're going to try to frame someone for murder, try and get the small details correct to make it seem more convincing
Nice bit of cunning from the Doctor 
And they're back in the cave of skulls, as way of thanks
Kal has returned 
A fight to the death for leadership 
Barbara falls on her face again 
This is a jog on the spot and have branches pushed at you job, isn't it?
‘Have you taken us back to our own time?’ Ian ‘You know I can't do that. Please be reasonable.’ Doctor 
‘What?’ Barbara ‘Please, you must take us back. You must.’ 
Oh yeah, didn’t you know the Doctor can't control where his ship goes, so he has literally kidnapped you and isn't able to ever return you to 1963
‘Are you saying you don't know how to work this thing?’ Barbara is so done right now. She wants her bed.  ‘Well, of course I can't. I'm not a miracle worker.’ Doctor

thoughts

Cave people politics aside, which went on a bit in the second episode, I liked how our main characters interacted in this story and the group dynamics developed. I think after that little adventure, Ian and Barbara not unreasonably just want to be taken home. Not a lot to ask, but the Doctor isn’t capable of doing that. Because of missing data. I haven’t heard data being pronounced in the way that William Hartnell did in that scene. An Unearthly Child is entertaining.