Day 197: The Web of Fear Episode 6

So the serial comes to an end and with the end we discover who the Great Intelligence has been possessing. It turns out that it's been possessing the Staff Sergeant, Arnold, who was killed a couple of episodes ago, and has now returned as a zombie possessed by an alien being. Which, while a nice idea, doesn't actually gel well with the story as it has been progressing. The story has been built on a climate of mistrust and fear, and the audience has been guided to believe that it was someone else who was possessed by the Intelligence, namely someone who has been more active throughout the plot. Indeed, I was fairly certain that it was going to be the comedy Welshman, Driver Evans, and whilst a portion of my disappointment with the resolution is with the fact that I was incorrect, there are larger issues that I have with this.

One of these is in the background to Episode 4. Episode 4 is the action based around the Yeti attacking, and it occurs due to small Yeti statues being placed in major characters' pockets, drawing the Yeti towards them. This leads to the assumption that they were planted there by someone not acting on their own will, which leads the audience to suspect other members of the cast of being possessed by the Intelligence. This means that by revealing that the Intelligence came into the story later than expected, a small plot hole has been created which draws to attention the flaws within the script.

But the script is still good though, in particular with how it deals with the Doctor. He uses his brains to defeat the Intelligence, but his plan is foiled when Jamie goes forth and uses a plan of his own, stopping the Doctor from defeating the villain. This draws to attention the way that the Doctor operates, using his mind to defeat evil, whereas those whom he travels with prefer to use their fists, a stance that he is not particularly pleased with, particularly when they aren't as effective as using the mind. But he forgives Jamie, and continues on his travels with him because he recognises that Jamie had the right idea. 

And so the story ends on a high note, with the villain mostly defeated, and everyone free to move on their way. I should also point out at this moment that The Web of Fear was also recently rediscovered, and that I doubt that I would have been as positive about the story had I not been able to admire the strong directorial output from Douglas Camfield. Of all that we've covered so far, this is certainly one of the stories that I'd recommend watching the most, for some wonderful direction and a great story that keeps tension rising in a climate of fear.

Addendum (27/6/2014): I was reading a review of this story when it pointed out that Arnold was actually dead all along, and he was always possessed by the Great Intelligence, meaning that I had catastrophically misread this part of the plot. I apologise for any inconvenience caused, it all makes perfect sense now.