This story is critically lauded, and for good reason. The direction from Christopher Barry, as mentioned before, is fantastic, as is the acting with masterful performances from Tom Baker as the Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane and Philip Madoc as the villainous Doctor Solon. The story is engaging, the design of the serial is beautifully atmospheric, all of this goes towards making one of the absolute highlights of the series.
All of that said, there is a slight issue. The last part has the Doctor engage in a mindbending contest with Morbius. The scene involves images of the Doctor's past incarnations popping up on the screen in reverse order, but we go past William Hartnell to some unfamiliar faces (in reality members of the production team as an in-joke). This implies that Hartnell is not really the first incarnation of the Doctor, and that there were others before him. Of course, this is not the case, as this would require the Doctor to have broken the '12 regenerations' as early as when Peter Davison regenerates, although admittedly this rule has not yet been established. It therefore sits as a blemish, one that is ignored because of other things that came along after it, a moment when the series refuses to follow the rules.
But I like the scene. I like it because it acknowledges time before the series, and gives us brief glimpses at what the Doctor was like before he became William Hartnell. It uses the assumptions that have been made about the series (that Hartnell was the First Doctor) and refutes them, revealing something new, something that will remain untouched but can be quietly speculated about. It also fits in well with one of the themes of the story, being one of learning this unknown history as we discussed yesterday. So whilst some might choose to ignore the scene, I choose to celebrate it as a way to see something truly unknown and for us to enjoy the untold mythology of the series.
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