Planet of the Spiders - Episode 6

So this is it, after 128 Jon Pertwee bows out of the show which very nearly could have ended after his first season. The show has gone under a tremendous transformation over the past four seasons and whilst this season hasn’t been the finest, one thing for sure is that it’s going to end on the sort of high note that Pertwee deserves. I don’t know why but it feels like the cliffhanger goes on for even longer than in previous episodes. The stuff where Lupton’s goons are shooting at Tommy appears at the five minutes mark.

The shot of Sarah Jane shooting the Doctor and him reacting is one of the most played clips from the 3^rd Doctor’s era. Elisabeth Sladen doesn’t really have much of a purpose in this episode and that is because it is all about Jon Pertwee and what involvement she does have in the episode is strong and she has done really well in her first season on the show. Due to the nature of the episode, Lupton doesn’t have quite the impact that he had in previous episodes which is a shame because I really have liked the character.

The fact that the Doctor never really shares a scene with the Great One would normally be one that causes some annoyance to me but I think that due to Pertwee’s performance and the awesome sight of the Great One model, it works really well and is the epic final scene that the story deserved. Had Roger Delgado not being killed then the Master would have featured in this story and I would like to think that there would have been an equally great scene. As it is, the final scene ends with the Great One falling victim to her own plan and it is perhaps the best way for this part of the story to end.

The final scene is lovely and its odd that it starts quite slowly with the Brigadier and Sarah Jane talking about if the Doctor would come back. When the Doctor does return he instantly falls to the floor and utters these words “While there life theres….”. I like this scene not only because it’s so sombre and well acted by everyone but that it involves those that it features the Brigadier who was in Pertwee’s first episode and it does feel like a goodbye between two friends.

This episode marks the final appearance of Mike Yates and I think that he has been really good in this season and in particular ‘Invasion of the Dinosaurs’. This serial was more of a redemption that anything else and it was a good story for him and Richard Franklin has been one of the unsung heroes of the UNIT family and whilst Benton takes a lot of the glory due to his goofyness, Franklin has done some good stuff during his time on the show.

The actual regeneration is rather ordinary and I couldn’t help but notice that when Tom Baker finally makes his appearance, that he looks a lot like Tom Jones. I don’t know who or whether that was what they were intending (doubt that very much) but I think that considering Jon Pertwee’s involvement and contribution to the show seems like a bit of an anti-climax. One thing is for sure, whilst we have been witness to some truly classic moments in Doctor Who we are about to enter a whole load of more iconic moments and this week it was revealed that Tom Baker was voted the favourite Doctor from the first 50 years of Doctor Who and I am about to find out why. As much as I have enjoyed the Pertwee era I must say that I am looking forward to the Tom Baker era.