Writer: John Lucarotti
Original Broadcast Date: 23 May 1964 - 13 June 1964
When The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan land amidst an Aztec civilization Barbara is mistaken for the old god, Yetaxa. Hoping to put an end to savage rituals, Barbara plays along, undeterred by the Doctor's warnings:
"You can't rewrite history! Not one line!"
The Aztecs is a masterpiece of television through and through. The plot is fantastic, the direction is wonderful and the acting is some of the best '60s Who has seen. The story offers a lot under the surface as well with recurring themes conveyed throughout such as inability to change history and the morality of just being viewers of the past, standing by whilst death and injustice is served. The story also boasts some fantastic scenes involving the Doctor and Barbara arguing over these dilemmas, with Jacqueline Hill and William Hartnell on top form.
Not just a great story, The Aztecs can also be viewed as a character piece for one of Doctor Who's greatest companions, Barbara, played by the late Jacqueline Hill. The history teacher once again displays her compassion and genuine human morality, adding certain gravity to the story not present in other historicals.
Where the story suffers most is its actions sequences which are a little clumsy but I didn't feel they took away more than they added. Susan is also sidelined slightly, only appearing for a short scene in one of the middle two episodes, but nonetheless conveys a strong feminist message, echoing Barbara's resilience.
Overall The Aztecs is a fantastic story and a great example of what historicals should be, with light humour yet darker undertones.
9.5/10
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