5.5: The Web of Fear
- Doctor: Patrick Troughton
- Companions: Jamie, Victoria
- Creators: Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln (Writers), Douglas Camfield (Director), Peter Bryant (Producer)
- Season 5
What's the rating?
Worth Watching.
What's interesting about it?
It mostly exists! Two Troughton stories in a row recovered some 45 years after being filmed. The third episode is still constructed from telesnaps.
This is a follow-up to a story that is still missing, alas -- The Abominable Snowmen -- and it does seem to assume you've seen the previous outing of the Yeti fuzzballs ("Get out of my way you walking carpet!"), casually dropping bizarre plot points without explanation. Well, what kid doesn't know that the abominable snowman is a robot with a control sphere and some connection to The Intelligence?
The first episode starts the story off in an unusual manner, seemingly dumping us into a 1920s horror film without apology. Unfortunately this includes some serious Jewish stereotyping.
There's a delightfully crusty old scientist -- Travers -- who eschews the usual cautions of the scientist speaking to a journalist and says things like, "It's more than likely we may not be able to defeat this menace and that London, in fact the whole of England, might be completely wiped out. There, did you get that?"
Countering the unfortunate Jewish character (who is only around for a bit of the first episode) is the scientist's daughter, a serious scientist who is played as a human being and not either a cold bitch or a simpering screamer (ah, Victoria, how long before you blissfully get dumped as a companion?)
The first couple of episodes really zoom along, challenging the viewer to keep up with what's going on, as it seems to be assumed we understand how an alien invasion by furry robot Yetis spewing web-stuff as their main attack would proceed when combined with the England Underground system. The actual invasion is skipped and we start with things well in progress; this is an interesting technique that worked excellently in The Dalek Invasion of Earth but ends up adding to the confusion here. About half-way through the story the various elements are finally explained well enough for the story to more or less make sense, at which point it turns into an intriguing and satisfying mystery about who among the humans is a traitor helping out the Yetis.
Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart is introduced in this story, destined to be the longest serving character in all of Doctor Who, perhaps also the only character to receive a military promotion during his tenure.
The Great Intelligence eventually reveals itself by taking over the body of one of the characters and the result is quite creepy. Much scarier than if he'd shown up in a bad monster suit.
A six episode story requires a strong extra plot element to make the final two episodes worth it (as occurred in The Enemy of the World) and we don't get that here. Ultimately there is too much repetitive "running in corridors" (it's the story actually designed around that concept!) for me to consider it a Must See, but it's definitely worth watching. As a four-parter it might have been outstanding.
What do others think?
Seems to be considered one of the best stories in Doctor Who. Perhaps on multiple viewings I'll come around...
How can I see it?
5.4: The Enemy of the World
- Doctor: Patrick Troughton
- Companions: Jamie, Victoria
- Creators: David Whitaker (Writer), Barry Letts (Director), Innes Lloyd (Producer)
- Season 5
What's the rating?
Must See.
What's interesting about it?
It exists!
This was a lost story until just a couple of months ago, when this and the next story were sprung on the world after being re-discovered in Nigeria.
This is the the last story for producer Innes Lloyd and the first for Barry Letts, and he would go on to have quite a run.
The story starts in the best way: Our time travelers land in the middle of a strange situation, events quickly begin to happen one after the other, and we have to piece together the situation as clues are dropped. We're halfway through the episode before we get an explanation. The episode ends with perhaps the first cliffhanger where the villain is on the receiving end.
This is a complicated political story -- worthy of the machinations in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy -- in which Troughton gets to play both The Doctor and the Hitlerish ruler, "Salamander". Kids in England must have been hiding behind the couch in true terror as Salamander described the next five year plan for grain exports. But don't worry, there's also plenty of the normal kind of action.
The story contains a wonderful and unforeseeable twist -- Salamander has found a unique level of evilness that Hitler never even imagined -- that actually justifies having a full six episodes. This is true science fiction, exploring human concepts against a somewhat impossible background.
Here we have one of the best Doctor Who stories ever, lost for decades and just now available. Some of the other reputed best stories remain lost. There are rumors that more stories were found at the same time as these. We can only hope.
What are others saying?
- Wife in Space (score: 6/10, based on the recon)
- Tin Dog podcast #360 (he's got his opinion reversed for this and the next story...)
- Podshock podcast #298
How can I see it?
5.3: The Ice Warriors
- Doctor: Patrick Troughton
- Companions: Jamie, Victoria
- Creators: Brian Hayles (Writers), Derek Martinus (Director), Innes Lloyd (Producer)
- Season 5
What's the rating?
Worth Watching.
What's interesting about it?
The first appearance of the Ice Warriors, and the first story (the only?) where The Doctor encounters a scientist as smart or smarter than himself.
The story begins with things in progress, and with a confident and clever approach. Equipment and costume design are excellent, and rather ahead of their time. The acting by guest actors is unusually good. The story follows the quickly-becoming-standard "remote scientific facility attacked by aliens" motif, popularly known as "base-under-siege".
The Doctor's relationship with computers, and the question of relying on computer versus human analysis, is a major part of the story. Antagonism towards computers is unique to Troughton's Doctor, as William Hartnell never displayed the same disdain.
Two episodes are animated, and while I'm fully in favor of using animation for missing episodes, it's unfortunate that this is a more primitive and less-engaging approach compared than, say, The Reign of Terror. This is bad Saturday morning cartoon stuff.
On the other hand, the live action portion continues the trend -- started in The Tenth Planet -- of excellent blizzard and snow effects, including quite good ice tunnels. These effects are as good or better than those done in many modern TV shows and movies, and stand in stark contrast to the execrable attempt back in The Keys of Marinus.
It's a six episode story, which means about two episodes too long. But the elements combine to make something stronger than the weak story, so it's worth watching, though it does drag in the end.
What are others saying?
Generally seen as a classic, though fans do puzzle over The Doctor's sudden change of heart about computers.
- Wife in Space (score: 7/10)
- The Memory Cheats podcast #111
How can I see it?
5.2: The Abominable Snowmen
What's the rating?
Wiped.