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| The Doctor conducts an autopsy on a Yeti - with surprising results. |
6 episodes. Approx. 142 minutes. Written by: Mervyn Haisman, Henry Lincoln. Directed by: Gerald Blake. Produced by: Innes Lloyd.
THE PLOT
The Doctor is delighted when the TARDIS materializes in 1930s Tibet, near the Detsen Monastery. It's a place he has visited before, and he is certain that he and his companions will receive "the welcome of a lifetime."
What he discovers is anything but. The monastery is under siege by Yeti, timid creatures who have suddenly turned savage. Khrisong (Norman Jones), the warrior monk responsible for defending the monastery, suspects the Doctor is responsible. His suspicions are fueled by an English visitor, Professor Travers (Jack Watling), who worries that the Doctor is a newspaperman out to steal the credit for his discovery of the Yeti.
The Abbott, Songsten (Charles Morgan), appears genial and friendly, but he disappears regularly, in conversation with the ancient Master Padmasambhava (Wolfe Morris). The Master is being sustained by a Great Intelligence, using him and his monks to gain corporeal form. As the Intelligence gains form, it expands - with the potential to wipe out all life on Earth!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: As soon as he comes across the corpse of Travers' assistant, he becomes protective of his companions. He does not tell them about finding the body, and has them wait in the TARDIS while he investigates. He refuses to blame any of the monks for their suspicions, telling Jamie that Khrisong is doing his duty as he sees it, and that Songsten and Padmasambhava are not enemies but victims of the Great Intelligence. He never looks on his old friend Padmasambhava as a villain or monster, and there is genuine sadness in his voice when he bids him farewell after "freeing" him at the end.
Jamie: His pride makes him refuse to change out of his kilt for the weather on the Himalayas, insisting that as a highlander he's immune to the cold. Apparently, the TARDIS' magical properties must include frostbite protection, since his bout of stubbornness should end in amputation. His resourcefulness shows itself when he comes up with a plan to trap one of the Yeti so that the Doctor can study it. The Doctor's nature is rubbing off on him, as well, as shown by his insistence when the monks turn on one of their own that "there's been enough killing!"
Victoria: Is irritated when the Doctor doesn't allow her to accompany him to the monastery. When she and Jamie find their way there anyway, she insists on making her way to Padmasambhava's sanctum, even after the monks repeatedly tell her that it's forbidden. Her willful behavior sees her briefly labeled a "devil woman," with some of the monks deciding she must be responsible for the Yeti attacks! Deborah Watling remains likable, making Victoria's reckless curiosity mostly charming when it might easily have been irritating.
THOUGHTS
Of the 6-part The Abominable Snowmen, only Episode Two remains - Which is a shame, because that episode shows a story directed with real visual style. Sure, the Yeti look a little too much like walking teddy bears to be a convincing threat, but the scenes inside the monastery carry a surprising amount of atmosphere - particularly the scenes involving the Abbott in conversation with Padmasambhava. The 23 minutes of this episode pass in an eyeblink, leaving me actively frustrated at returning to the (excellent) BBC audio release for the rest. The story's good to listen to - But I would love to watch it!
Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln's first script for the series is wonderfully-constructed. The first three episodes are all about raising mysteries, with each discovery opening up more questions for the heroes and the viewers. When the second half begins delivering answers, they are parceled out at a gradual pace, with many of those answers coming with complications of their own.
The reveal of Padmasambhava is masterful. Through the first half of the story, he is just a voice, and the sound of his voice clearly frightens young monk Thonmi (David Spenser) when he hears it. Victoria becomes obsessed with making her way to the old Master's forbidden sanctum, and Thonmi's reaction makes clear that she's breaking a sacred rule. By the time Padmasamhava is revealed visually at the end of Episode Four, he has become such a presence that the mere sight of him makes for the serial's strongest cliffhanger.
Admittedly, there's not much competition for "strongest cliffhanger." The story is excellent, but it appears to have been devised as a single unit. Most of the cliffhangers feel arbitrary, rather than an inherent part of the structure. If this were ever found, it might be the rare Who story to play better in a movie format than episodically.
But that is a minor complaint, and barely detracts from the whole. The Abominable Snowmen is engrossing, atmospheric, and thoroughly enjoyable. A personal favorite of mine since my first listen to the BBC Audio release, revisiting it for these reviews was a pure pleasure.
Overall Rating: 9/10.
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