Synopsis: School teachers Ian Chesterton (Adam West) and Barabra Wright (Grace Kelly) try to investigate the upbringing of student Susan Foreman (Talia Shire), who may not be as American as they believe. Once they meet her grandfather, The Doctor (Burgess Meredith), they begin their adventures through time and space, educating the aliens on the Cold War.
Notes: Broadcasted July 2, 1963. The show was forgotten for a little while because it was overshadowed by the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg the next day, as well as Independence Day the day after.
New York City. A police officer walked into a junkyard containing a sign that read, "I.M. Foreman. Junk Merchant. 1776 First Dr." Within the junkyard, he noticed a white door. He wondered what it was doing in that particular area, amidst garbage, and how it was standing upward on its own. He walked up to it and tried turning the knob, but the door did not open. He walked around to the other side and noticed that there was no additional knob with a locking mechanism. There was not even a hole.
Since he was an American police officer, his attention span lingered away from the door; he left the junkyard.
In the teachers lounge at Coal Mill High School, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, both American, pondered the mystery of a female teenage student who, though American-like, displayed knowledge that seemed to be beyond this planet.
"Barbara, have you noticed anything odd about Susan? Is she like any other American girls?"
"She certainly acts American, though maybe she does not act as proper as I did when I was her age."
"During my science lecture, she called me out by claiming that what I was teaching was wrong."
"What's wrong with science?"
"There is nothing wrong with science, but that is not the point. She believed that what I was saying was wrong."
"What were you saying?"
"I was saying that cubes have a maximum of three dimensions."
"I may be a history teacher, but that sounds right to me. If I recall correctly, the three dimensions are length, width, and height."
"Right!"
"What did she say?"
"She said something about five dimensions."
"Five dimensions? I'm afraid that I am not familiar with the concept."
"I decided to play along with her hypothesis, or educated guess, by saying that maybe the fourth dimension was time."
"And the fifth?"
"She said that it was space."
"Time and space? What did you do?"
"I gave her detention."
"Don't you think that's too harsh?"
"Not at all. As American as she may act, that statement in itself was very un-American."
"Well, you have a point there. I stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, but I do not stand for nonsense."
"I wonder where she gets it from. Maybe her parents?"
"Well, from what I know, she lives with her grandpa."
"That grandpa of hers must be nuts. We should meet with him. If he is sane, then maybe we could just discuss what should be done about Susan's behavior."
"No problem. I will get the address from the records, and we can head over there right now!"
The two teachers headed over to the address. Since it was within reasonable walking distance, they saw no reason to share a car. The sight of the destination surprised them.
"It's a junkyard!" Barbara exclaimed.
"You are sure that this is the right address?" Ian asked.
"Seventeen seventy-six, First Drive is what it said in the records. And it's what the sign there said. This is the end of the street, so it can't be anywhere further. She lives in a junkyard."
"No wonder she's nuts. She lives in a place full of nuts and bolts! Let's go inside."
"But it's so filthy!"
"Come on, Barbara! True Americans can withstand filth!"
"Well, okay."
Barbara relented and followed Ian into the junkyard, which was full of lots of scrap metal. Protruding from the scene like a needle among straws was an open door. But what was remarkable about it was the fact that the space within the doorway revealed a library full of an abundance of books.
"That's impossible!" Ian said.
"But there it is, Ian! A door that is larger on the inside! It's the most un-American thing that I have ever seen!"
"Then Susan must be in there. Come on."
The two of them walked inside, navigating through the library containing a dozen rows of bookshelves divided by an aisle in the center. They could hear footsteps from up ahead, so they turned left and his between two rows of bookcases. The footsteps stopped, but Ian was not sure whether or not it was safe to continue exploring. He tried peaking around the corner, but then Barbara spoke.
"Ian, look!"
"Hush!"
"Sorry. But you have to look at this."
"What is it?"
"This whole section right in front of us. It's Russian literature."
Ian looked at the titles on the spines of the books. They were not written in English.
"Can you make out what they say?"
"How could I? I'm a history teacher, not a citizen of the Soviet Union."
"Well then how can you tell it's Russian if you can't read it?"
"Everyone knows what Russian writing looks like."
"No talking!" a voice echoed, startling them. "This is a library!"
Crouching, Ian peered around the corner of the bookcase. He could see a figure sitting at a brown desk at the end of the aisle.
"He knows we're here. And yet he is not getting up from his desk to come and speak to us."
"What are we going to do?"
"We have no choice but to confront him."
"That's dangerous!"
"He has some explaining to do, and explain he will. How else are we gonna find out anything if you can't read what's around here?"
"Well, you have me there."
"I always have you, Barbara."
"That reminds me..."
"What?"
"When are we going to get married?"
"Now is not the time, Barbara."
"I know that we can't get married now, Ian."
"I meant that now is not the time to discuss it."
"We hardly ever discuss it, and this might be our final chance."
"What do you mean?"
"We don't know what we're getting into."
Ian turned to face Barbara and look into her eyes.
"Know that I may not have a plan. But I promise you that we will get married when we make it out of this.
Barbara smiled. Ian smiled back. But then the smiles faded when they remembered where they were. They stood up, ready to face the person in charge of the door through which they had entered.
They walked up to a button-and-switch-filled desk, which had a large clock framed into the top. They saw an old, white-haired man reading Of Mice and Men. He wore a suit complete with a dark necktie, a white-collar shirt, a gray button-up coat, and gray pants.
"Excuse me,"Ian said. "I demand information!"
The sound of footsteps echoed from behind. Turning around, both Ian and Barbara recognized Susan.
"Mister Chesterton!" Susan said. "Miss Wright! What are you two doing in here?"
The old man put down his book, revealing a mustache and glasses on his face.
"You know these people?" her grandpa asked.
"They are my teachers."
"What is all of this?" Ian asked. "Are you immigrants?"
"Soviets, no doubt," Barbara said. "As a history teacher, I know a lot about this Cold War, and I bet that the Russians have been trying to beat us at this technology race."
"My thoughts exactly. As a man of science and America, I demand that you stop this operation, American Doctor Foreman, if that is who you really are!"
"Eh?" the grandpa said. "Doctor who? What's he talking about?"
"They think our last name is Foreman because that's what I told them," Susan explained.
"Where did you get that name from?"
"So you are aliens!"
"How did you know?" the Doctor asked defensively. "Susan? Explain yourself!"
"I did not tell them anything, Grandpa!"
"Maybe not, but why did you leave the door open! You know that beyond this door is another dimension that these people would not have the imagination to comprehend! At this rate, I will never finish this book! There was time enough at last, and now I have been interrupted by these humans!"
The terminology puzzled Ian, and he could tell from Barbara's gaping eyes that she was confused as well.
"Humans? Do you mean to say that you are not human?"
"Of course not, but I bet that humans like you would not have recognized a higher form of life if it were standing right in front of you. All of you Americans think that if certain people look alike, then they must be the same. Maybe I ought to land somewhere else, like this Russia that you mentioned! Maybe there I will have peace and quiet!"
"You must not be very educated on our history if you are going over there," Barbara said.
"And what are you? A history teacher?"
"Actually," Susan said to her grandpa, "she is. And I don't want to leave. I've learned so much from these Americans."
"Tried refuting what we've been trying to teach you is more like it," Ian said.
"Bad or not," The Doctor began, "we can choose when in time we land in Russia. That is, if your teachers would be willing to give us some directions of where and when."
Ian pondered The Doctor's choice of words, which seemed very unusual.
"Do you mean to say that this is a time machine?"
"Of course!"
"TARDIS," Susan said. "It is called a TARDIS. It is an acronym, which means that each letter stands for a word. So the name is made up with a word beginning with a 'T,' a word beginning with an 'A,' a word beginning with an 'R,' a word beginning with a 'D,' a word beginning with an 'I,' and a word beginning with an 'S.' Those words are, 'Time and Relative Dimension in Space.' Together, the first letter of each word spells 'TARDIS.' That is why this time machine is called the TARDIS."
Ian was in awe at the very concept of acronyms, which, to him, seemed like a product of a futuristic society.
"Now," the Doctor said to the teachers, "either educate us a bit more on the dangerous time periods of Russia, or leave!"
"When exactly are you from?"
"Well," Susan said, "We are from the fortieth century."
"Then neither of you have been born yet?"
"Not technically," The Doctor said, "and yet I am so old that I am color-blind."
"Are the two of you from another world?" Barbara asked.
"Precisely."
"What becomes of America in the future? What becomes of this struggle between capitalists and communists?"
"Sorry. I cannot tell you. Even if I did know the result of this pointless problem you have, I would not be allowed to tell you. You know far too much as it is."
"Not enough is more like it!"
"You've got that right!"
"Wow!" Ian said. "That is just mean!"
"Wait!" Barbara said. "I have an idea. How about we show you around communist history so that we can convince you to stay in America? And then we'll never bother you again."
Susan's face lit up.
"Can they, Grandpa? I'd love to learn more from them! And they can learn more from us!"
Ian wondered what Barbara was up to.
"What are you doing!" he whispered audibly. "It could be a bad idea getting mixed up with these people."
"Not if we show them how great America is. Plus, what if we could make changes in history so that our country has the advantage over the communists?"
Ian wondered whether or not such a thing were possible. Though he was uncertain, he was willing to give it a try.
"Okay. We'll give it a shot."
They noticed that The Doctor was standing closer to them than before. After sighing, he commented on their idea.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt. It's your history, not mine."
"But Grandpa," Susan said, "I thought that history could not be altered."
"If not, then their efforts have always happened and everything that they do will have no consequences and is part of the status quo. But who knows?"
The Doctor smiled and then walked over to the desk. Ian thought about what The Doctor had just said. He was familiar with the concept of paradoxes. But it did not matter in this moment of excitement. He looked at Barbara.
"Even if it is scientifically impossible to change history – and that could be a possibility – then maybe we can get him to like our nation. Then maybe he will teach us more about this technology so that we could get ahead of the Soviet Union! We will win not only the Space Race, but also the Time race!"
"I like your enthusiasm," The Doctor said. "So, where to, now. And, just as importantly, when to now?"
"I have so many ideas," Barbara said.
"I think that we should do a test run before we go anywhere," Ian said.
"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked. "I have piloted this spaceship long enough to know that it is capable of traveling through time and space."
"Okay. Then, prove to us that it is capable of all of that. Take us to yesterday."
"Yesterday? What happened yesterday that was so important?"
"Nothing, but I just want to be safe so that we don't end up getting stranded who knows where."
"Very well. Yesterday it is."
The TARDIS landed in the middle of a green field, bringing with it the noise of a ticking clock. The Doctor, Susan, Ian, and Barbara stepped outward through the door.
"Where are we?" Barbara asked.
"We are standing in the middle of a field in England," The Doctor explained. "Yesterday, just as you requested."
"What are we doing in England?" Ian asked. "This is nowhere near New York! I can't see anyone for miles."
"You did not say you wanted to land in New York."
"But of course we did! How else would we have known that it worked other than seeing ourselves?"
"For a science teacher, you seem to know very little about logic. Do you remember meeting yourself? Probably not. Therefore, it did not happen. Even if it can be changed, it is too risky to meet yourself in the past."
"I wasn't actually going to talk to myself, just look at myself from afar to see that you are telling the truth."
"Then what do you call all of this? Is this fake? Do you not believe?"
"The outside is different, so you have proven that the TARDIS can travel distances. But I cannot see for sure that we have traveled through time."
"Well, look at the horizon, where you will see twilight on the time zone east of your west."
Ian did as The Doctor had instructed. It did seem as though it were dusk.
"Beautiful," Barbara said. "I've never really seen a sunset like this. It's really quite beautiful, here in England."
"It does look like a lovely place," Susan added.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Ian said. "The whole point of this is to show how great America is. We don't need to show how great Great Britain is. It's in the name; it goes without saying!"
"Then are you convinced?" The Doctor asked.
"For all I know, this could be sunset the day we met you or sunrise the day after. If that were so, then you have proven that we can go to the future. But what I really need to know is whether or not we can travel to the past."
"What evidence would make you happy?"
Ian took a moment to think this over.
"Maybe a date on a newspaper."
"Fine. We will get a newspaper in the city. The date should be proof enough for you."
"It would. But make it New York. I promise I won't go looking for myself."
"Fine. But this is very ridiculous if you ask me."
The four of them walked back into the TARDIS, with Susan shutting the door behind them.
"Glad to see that you have learned from your mistake," The Doctor told his granddaughter. "Too bad we can't go back in time to teach it to you."
"Grandpa!"
"Why don't we?" Barbara asked.
"Too risky," The Doctor said as he walked over to the desk, pressing buttons and pulling a switch that triggered the noise of the engines.
When the TARDIS reappeared, it was in an alley between two buildings. The four travelers exited the TARDIS, The Doctor using his key to lock it behind them.
"The newspaper stand should be right over here," Ian explained.
Making their way out of the alley, they turned right.
"Wait a minute," Barbara said, pointing in the direction opposite of the stand. "Is that you over there, Ian?"
Ian looked at where she was pointing. There was a man walking in their direction, and Ian recognized it as himself, walking and keeping his gaze on the sidewalk.
"Oh no!" Ian said. "What time is it? It must be the time that I picked up the newspaper yesterday!"
"Into the TARDIS!" Susan said.
"There's no time!" The Doctor said. "He's getting closer. Cross the street so he doesn't see us!"
The ran across the street, nearly getting hit by a car in the process. The car honked.
"Don't look at yourself," The Doctor told Ian. "He may be drawn to the sound, but he will not recognize us if our backs are turned to him."
"You must know a lot about Americans after all," Barbara commented.
The Doctor led them in the direction of the junkyard.
"Grandpa, I thought we couldn't run into ourselves."
"I'm inside reading; I won't notice a thing."
Just then, they noticed Susan from yesterday walking by. Her eyes gaped, but then she smiled.
"Time travel?"
"Time travel," the future Susan confirmed.
The Doctor took past Susan aside, but Ian and the rest could hear.
"Listen to me, Susan. Tomorrow, do not leave the door open, or else we'll be stuck time traveling with your teachers. Do you understand?"
"I understand," she said with a nod.
"Good. Now, the rest of us ought to be in the clear, now."
"What was that all about?" Ian asked as they walked away from past Susan.
"It's not working. Why aren't you two disappearing?"
"It's like you said, Grandpa," their Susan said. "Everything that time travelers do has always happened. I remember this happening, and I left the door open so that this could happen and stay consistent. Now we can keep going on adventures with my teachers!"
The Doctor sighed in frustration.
"Status quo, indeed."