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.

Day 196: The Web of Fear Episode 5

Rather annoyingly, my plans for today's entry have been scuppered. The plot hasn't advanced as quickly as I thought it would and my research into both the new producer (Peter Bryant) and new script editor (Derrick Sherwin) has brought up nothing much in terms of a distinct manifesto of concepts that they wish to bring to the series, beyond telling some fun science fiction stories, and that they're going to keep the show afloat for the next little while. (If anyone has anything that actually links towards one of them actively wanting to introduce something to the series beyond what their predecessors have done, please let me know, I would quite like something to fill the space here on slow episode days).

All of this is building up to the fact that I'm going to discuss the sets of The Web of Fear (I know, you're excited!). The episode takes place in the London Underground, and the sets are amazingly realistic (realistic enough that they fooled the actual London Underground into thinking that there had been some secret filming happening without their knowledge). It lends to the realism of the story, by having a recognisable location as the backdrop for all of the action that is occurring. Also, the lighting of the sets is wonderful, bringing out the intense shadows that exist throughout the piece and lending the serial a darkness that hasn't been seen for a while. Again, this comes back to the director, Douglas Camfield, whose ability to create atmosphere and tension makes him ome of the best directors working on the series at the moment, and someone who we will definitely admire for several more serials to come.

Day 195: The Web of Fear Episode 4

I suppose that I should probably mention the monsters for this serial. It's the Yeti again, and they make a good impression. Part of this is due to being directed by Douglas Camfield, who has a good eye for action and making sure that what appears on screen is both axciting and tense. But it's also due to their location as well. Jon Pertwee once famously said that the scariest thing about Doctor Who is that it happened in the real world, not on some distant alien planet. The exact phrase that he used was a "Yeti on the loo in Tooting Bec". This is because we're able to see the unfamiliar in the familiar, and there is a strong air of terror to be found in watching the army fight hordes of monsters through the streets of London, as we realise that this is a threat that could happen in our backyard, not something that's removed from the real world by virtue of being set on some distant alien planet.

But a really interesting thing about the Yeti is their weaponry. Previously, they worked with just mauling people to death, but now they've taken to firing Web guns at the hapless soldiers. Because the Yeti and webs have a long connection through history, as every little child knows. Future showrunner, Russell T Davies, stated in an interview that this is the sort of thing that would never get past a modern meeting, because it doesn't actually make any sense. But it's a testament to the production of the episode that it doesn't have to make sense, because so much else is happening that we don't necessarily care that the Yeti have web guns.

Day 194: The Web of Fear Episode 3

One of the best aspects of this story is the constant climate of fear that surrounds it. Each character is not to be trusted, as we continue to suspect that people may have been taken over by the Great Intelligence. This is in stark contrast to The Abominable Snowmen, where the identity of the Great Intelligence was pretty much known from the start, and everything pretty much proceeded from there. But by having the villain be not only a faceless entity, but also an unknown character within the story, then this allows for the piece to take on a more claustrophobic mood, and improve the tone of the story.

But this is ruined because of one key thing, one of the characters whom we are meant to expect as the Great Intelligence clearly isn't. It's Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, soon to become the Brigadier, an ally of the Doctor for decades to come. Because we already know the character, it removes the sense of mistrust that makes the story so tense, because we know that he's one of the good guys. It's a depressing fact of the story that it's been ruined by an unavoidable spoiler. But that's OK, because it's still quite good

Day 193: The Web of Fear Episode 2

As a sequel to The Abominable Snowmen, this story feels the need to include recurring elements from the previous story. Here, we're going to discuss one major element, being Professor Travers. In this story's predecessor, he came across as a fairly one note character, a man driven to find the Yeti, and who was at first against the Doctor, but then grew to admire him as an ally. But here, fighting the Yeti again, he's a far more interesting character. he's older for a start, meaning that we get to see the effects of time travel on people who aren't in the TARDIS (something not often discussed in the early years of the show). But also, by being older he's been able to develop off screen. Were it not for the fact that they were played by the same actor, it would be impossible to tell that the two characters were the same, that's how different they are. And whilst the older version of the character is good, and brings another strong element to this story, it's also noteworthy that he exists as a 'second try' at his younger version, one that is better characterised and comes across as a more well rounded character.

And all of that seems to me, as I write it, as somewhat negative, so I'll redress the balance by saying that him discovering Jamie and Victoria is one of the loveliest scenes that we've had so far in the series, and it's a pleasure that we're able to see it today.

Day 192: The Web of Fear Episode 1

A sequel story has begun to The Abominable Snowmen, a story that I was rather lukewarm about when we covered it. Fortunately, however, things have changed such that it becomes somewhat more bearable. For a start it's directed by Douglas Camfield, one of, if not the, best director that the series has had so far. But also, new characters have been introduced which spice up the return of the Yeti.

One of these is Anne Travers, who is now one of my favourite characters in the entire Doctor Who universe, for one particular scene. A soldier is asking her how she got caught up in the work that's being done with regards to the invasion of London which is taking place, to which she responds that when she was a little girl, she wanted to become a scientist. So she became one. It's wonderfully simple, and gives a fantastic message to all the young little girls out there that science isn't just a boy thing, and that there are other career oppurtunities besides screaming at Yeti. I should perhaps state my bias towards this character, due to the fact that I'm currently Training Manager for a group called Robogals, which goes out and inspires young girls, just like Anne does, by showing them that science and engineering are achievable career options, rather than just being a secretary or an artist, they can want to be scientists when they grow up. And then become one.

Day 191: The Enemy of the World Episode 6

And as this serial comes to an end, the Doctor and Salamander finally come face to face. It's an encounter that takes place in the TARDIS, something which feels inherently wrong as, and I'm fairly sure that I'm right about this, no other character that wasn't either the Doctor or a companion has fully entered the TARDIS before (although a Zarbi did walk through the doors, it was forced out again rather quickly). This is able to show just how serious things have become with this villain, that they have been placed in a position that only the good guys have previously had, being in control of the TARDIS.

It doesn't last long though, as there's a brief punch-up between the Doctor and Salamander culmunitating in Salamander being thrown out of the TARDIS doors whilst the ship is in flight. A lesser director would have handled this badly, but Barry Letts has an eye for action, using some impressive quick cuts to keep things pacy and ensure that it feels like no other episode before it. Letts is a name that we will definitely return to in the future, and it's wonderful to see that his first impact on Doctor Who came off so well, being a wonderfully directed action thriller that clearly shows him as a name to keep an eye on.

And someone making their last impact on Doctor Who is the producer of this serial, Innes Lloyd. He brought with him a serious science fiction style to the series, moving it away from the fantastical adventures that the Doctor would have into the enthralling and slightly more realistic adventures that he encounters. As well as that, he cast Patrick Troughton, who has quickly made the role his own, to such an extent that it's hard to imagine anyone else being the Doctor besides him. Lloyd also had a good eye for finding things that people would be interested in, bringing us terrifying monsters such as Cybermen and Ice Warriors to frighten small children so that people had a reason to watch the program beyond it being a nice little story, it was also a nice little story that would send you running behind the sofa. When he came into the series, I will admit that I was skeptical of his work, because I had quite enjoyed the fantasy that had been brought by his predecessors in the role, but he proved me wrong by showing that serious science fiction can be just as enthralling, and although some lightness of touch was required to make everything bearable, it still comes across as a wonderful piece of work that is definitely worth checking out. So this blog says thank you to Innes Lloyd for giving us so much to the history of Doctor Who.