Day 58: The Web Planet - The Web Planet

The Web Planet is a story that has never been in my top 100 because I have felt that it was dull and just a six part story with giant bees and ants. Watching it a day at a time is hopefully going to make me reappraise it. The opening scene set in the TARDIS is a strange one because its been so long since anything more than a brief moment has taken place in the console room that when you first see what is now in the console room which kind of distracts you from the story.

It’s not long before the Zarbi are introduced and my attempt to have any goodwill towards the story is already tested. Thankfully their involvement is kept to a minimum and instead we have another episode where its just the companion. There’s a lovely moment when the Doctor points out to Ian that the ring he wears isn’t just a decorative item. Was that the same ring he gave away in ‘The Reign of Terror’? Oh how the story would have been different if he didn’t have the ring.

It was good how they managed to maintain the interest between both plot strands. The stuff between the Doctor and Ian was good because they are investigating the mystery of what caused the interference to the TARDIS. The stuff between Vicki and Barbara was also well done but that was down to Maureen O’Brien and Jacqueline Hill who work well together. The scene where Barbara and Vicki are talking is an interesting one. Barbara has had to put up with ideas of her generation been seen as primitive and backwards and its nice that she defends her generation. It’s during this scene that Barbara finally informs Vicki that she and Ian both met Nero which Vicki finds hard to believe. It’s nice how Vicki has kept some of her character even after ‘The Rescue’ ended.

There are some interesting things that happen in this episode. Effects wise there is definetly a different feel to it with the stuff outside of the TARDIS having this sort of smudge effect around the characters. It’s most noticeable on the Doctor and Ian with their white jackets and does go a bit over the top during the scene where they hear Vicki calling Barbara. Another thing I like is the spinning console. It does seem like something that was a spur of the moment thing which isn’t a bad thing cause it looks rather cool.

The cliffhanger is a great one because it sees Vicki somehow operating the TARDIS and it spears that the TARDIS has moved much to the dismay of the Doctor. It’s a great question that must have run in the minds of the viewers which would have festered for seven days. Where has the TARDIS gone? It’s one of the better endings to an episode for some time. I’m not quite sure whether my opinion of this story will change as my reaction when I saw the Zarbi was the same as its always been. Time will only tell…