The Web of Fear - Episode 4

Now that we are back to the proper episode we get to see the exciting cliffhanger from episode three and it was rather good. This is the first time that we get to see Nicholas Courtney walking and talking. There is more stuff to do with the Yeti and their dastardly plans in this episode which is nice. It’s seven minutes before the business of the traitor is mentioned. This week it’s Evans who is treated as te one who might be working against them. They create impression by certain things going on like the web from his tobacco tin disappearing. This is the first time in the story that the Yeti have been active in any proper way. This is the first time that I have really got a good idea as to how mobile they are. They don’t find it too difficult to move and they can be quite aggressive and physical. To add to that their web guns are effective and it shows what a good villain they are.

I like how when the Doctor tells the Colonel about the TARDIS he believes it as fact even though he must have a slight bit of doubt. He has another great moment when he encounters Yeti on the streets of London. Using the Cybermen music for this the effect shows that this is UNIT in all but name. There’s a moment where Lethbridge-Stewart and another soldier are quite clever by hiding on top of some boxes though the soldier does come a cropper but its still a good idea. Patrick Troughton puts in a good performance with similarly good offerings from Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling though I don’t think that they did anything really special in this episode.

I don’t know if this is what everyone thinks but there are moments where Anne Travers (Tina Packer) bears a slight resemblance to Jemma Redgrave’s Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. It seems strange to see her emotional as she’s been very straight face up until this point but its understandable. I quite like the character of Ann and think that both she and Professor Travers are a good addition to this story. The cliffhanger is clearly designed to imply that its Professor Travers that has been working with the Yeti and planted the homing devices. It’s a better episode the number three. I’m liking how they are keeping the suspicion going and mixing it in with the Yeti. But with two more episode yet to see, this is turning out to be another good story and also a better Yeti story than ‘The Abominable Snowmen’.