#12 (5.23 - 5.28): The Web of Fear.

The Yeti invade the London Underground!

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 148 minutes. Written by: Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln. Directed by: Douglas Camfield. Produced by: Peter Bryant.


THE PLOT:

Professor Travers (Jack Watling) fears that he's brought on the end of the world.

It's been 40 years since his expedition to Tibet, and he has spent much of that time studying the control sphere he brought back with him. Now he has reactivated the sphere - only for it to reanimate a Yeti in a private collection in London! The city is evacuated as a web-like fungus spreads through the London Underground. Travers and his scientist daughter, Anne (Tina Packer), consult with the military to try to defeat the Yeti and their fungus, but the situation looks increasingly grim.

The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria materialize in the Underground. They are brought to the military command, in a World War II shelter, even as it is taken over by a new CO, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). As the Doctor studies the fungus and works with the control sphere, Lethbridge-Stewart plans a risky retrieval of the TARDIS, which has been trapped behind the web.

But as their every move is anticipated and countered, they realize there is only one explanation: One among their number must be working with the Great Intelligence!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: Remains calm, but his accustomed joviality is largely absent. He knows right away how serious this situation is, and he focuses all his efforts on solving it. He establishes a particularly strong rapport with Anne Travers, who in some respects acts more as his companion in this story than Jamie and Victoria do, assisting him with work on the control sphere even as time runs out.

Jamie: His protectiveness of Victoria and the Doctor is on full display. He spends much of the story's first half searching for the Doctor, after he and Victoria get separated from him early on. When he meets up with the cowardly Evans (Derek Pollitt), Jamie firmly takes charge as they evade the spreading foam. He may not understand the modern world (a well-scripted bit has him potentially electrocuting himself on the Underground rails, simply because he isn't aware of the danger), but he recalls the events in Tibet and is prepared to smash the Intelligence's control pyramid on sight.

Victoria: When Jamie is in the tunnels, Victoria's concern for Jamie is every bit as strong as his usually is for her. That worry leads her to unwisely let the existence of the TARDIS slip to annoying journalist Chorley (Jon Rollason) - who is among the Doctor's prime suspects for being the Intelligence's accomplice. Even so, she remains more resourceful than her reputation. When she is (inevitably) captured late in the story, she drops her handkerchief so that the others will be able to follow her trail.

Professor Travers/Anne: Jack Watling returns as Professor Travers, now an old man. Watling is amusing as the elderly Travers, who is snappish and brusque with everybody except his daughter, though the character gets less of interest to do here than in his first appearance. Anne is a welcome addition. She is genuinely useful while assisting the Doctor, and she shares her father's impatience with those she deems fools. She memorably shuts down a soldier's leering comment about a pretty young woman in her profession: "When I was a little girl, I thought I'd like to be a scientist. So I became a scientist.". She is even more acerbic with Chorley, whom she dubs a member of "the gutter press... a sensationalizer." Tina Packer is terrific in the role, registering strongly even when she's reduced to a more or less generic assistant in the later episodes.

Col. Lethbridge-Stewart: Is introduced in (the still-missing) Episode Three, and is initially framed as a figure of suspicion. As he himself observes when taking command from the beleaguered Captain Knight (Ralph Watson), the other soldiers actually know more about the Doctor at this point than they do about him. Nevertheless, he instantly sets to work organizing his new command, arranging for briefings to get both himself and the Doctor up to speed while engaging in some judicious flattery to keep Chorley out of the way. His unflappability is put to the test in the latter half of the story, as he leads a direct engagement with the Yeti. Courtney plays the aftermath particularly well, as a visibly shaken Lethbridge-Stewart repeats, "Can't fight them" multiple times even as he tries to regain his former poise.


THOUGHTS:

Recovered (save for Episode Three) alongside The Enemy of the World in 2013, The Web of Fear has long been hailed as one of the best Troughton stories. Certainly, it ticks a lot of boxes: The return of the Yeti, upgraded to a less cuddly design; production values that are well above the series' standard, so convincingly recreating the London Underground that the BBC had to fend off accusations that they had shot there illegally; and the introduction of fan favorite Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.

For all of that, I have to confess that I don't enjoy it as much as the Yetis' introductory story. The pace lags in the middle episodes. For all that many fans are upset that the Doctor's first meeting with Lethbridge-Stewart remains missing... If I had to pick an episode to be gone, I would actually select that one, as you could just about summarize it in a single sentence: "Col. Lethbridge-Stewart arrives."  For that matter, the story could be tightened by simply eliminating the Capt. Knight character and putting Lethbridge-Stewart in charge from the start; it wouldn't make any particular difference story-wise.

Still, divorcing this story from its reputation and simply looking at it as another serial, it is definitely a good one.  Douglas Camfield directs with his usual precision, and the recreation of the London Underground is strikingly well done, particularly in the first two episodes. Performances are good across the board, with most of the characters having distinct personalities. Much of the dialogue is sharp, particularly the scenes involving either Anne or Evans. Nicholas Courtney's Lethbridge-Stewart makes an immediate impression, and Episode Four gets a boost from a genuinely well-shot and sharply-edited set piece that sees his soldiers ambushed by the Yeti.

Finally, I quite like the ending, in which the Doctor's hope to permanently defeat the Great Intelligence is thwarted by... His own allies, who aren't in on the plan and so act according to what they know. Nor can they be blamed - If they stand around and do nothing, so far as they know, the Great Intelligence will take over the world.

Ultimately, The Web of Fear is extremely well-made with a good guest cast, and the introduction of Lethbridge-Stewart makes it a critical piece of the series' history. It will never rank among my favorites... But I'd still give it high marks overall.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Story: The Enemy of the World
Next Story: Fury from the Deep



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#9 (5.5 - 5.10): The Abominable Snowmen.

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.

Previous Story: The Tomb of the Cybermen
Next Story: The Ice Warriors


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