The Web Planet

Aug 02, 2010 19:39


Previous: The Romans

The Web Planet

For a DVD of a show from the mid-sixties, this is actually pretty decent quality.

Also I'm watching this with friends in the background and it's suddenly making me a lot more conscious of just how old-school everything is.

Not that that's a problem, just something I noticed (which is weird, because it didn't happen when mom watched Warriors' Gate with me).

Huh, the pattern on Vicki's collar kinda reminds me of Ainley!Master's collar. It's got the same white zigzag.

Oh wow. Oh WOW. Those giant ants. I can't even describe...

Okay guys, I think that bug beeping has been going on long enough.

Oh so NOW it finally comes out that Barbara and Ian were in Rome last story.

That is the most wonderfully strange echo effect I think I've ever heard.

Barbara Wright: Butterfly Duster Extraordinaire.

But something says "NO, BARBARA YOU SHALL NOT DUST. WE'RE IN UR TARDIS, CONTROLLIN UR ARMZ."

The way the shadows are playing in this scene, it almost looks like Ian and One are melting into the base of the pyramid.

"Look at that!"
"Yes, I DO see it! You've ruined it! That was my Coal Hill School tie!"
Well Ian, you WERE wearing it as a belt...

And One appears to be wearing a cloth chef's hat. There's a lot of crimes against fashion being committed by the men in this serial.

(Which of course begs the question of why I'm even noticing this, being fashion-inept myself and being mostly fine with Six's coat.)

There's that beeping again and OH GOD WAIT HOW IS THE TARDIS CONSOLE SPINNING.

Uh oh. Vicki, Companion Rule #39: Pressing random buttons on the TARDIS console is NEVER a good idea.

Hmm...maybe one of these days I should make up an actual list of Companion Rules.

Ian's suddenly collapsed? Did I miss something last episode? It's only been 2 days since I saw it...

Oh that's right! Now I remember: he and One got webb'd at the end of last episode.

WOAH HOLY JESUS WHAT IS THAT THING. One of the Zarbi? This certainly seems like a behind-the-sofa moment.

"They're useless after an hour." Umm...you're using them to BREATHE properly and you neglected to mention this?

"It's the TARDIS being dragged away...dragged away!"
*shows the TARDIS being dragged away*
...THE TARDIS IS BEING DRAGGED AWAY.

GIANT BEE-PEOPLE! I'm assuming these are the Zarbi?

Ian accidentally stepped in a giant bug carcass-thing. Why am I reminded of Peri stepping in the spetrox in Caves of Androzani?

Then again, I doubt Ian's going to get deathly poisoned from this. He and One seem to be breathing perfectly normally now.

"The Zarbi will treat them as enemies." Oh. So I guess these bee-people AREN'T the Zarbi (but the ant-people probably are).

Great, Barbara. I know that was an act of self-defense, but now they're going to have even MORE reason not to trust you.

"'History' doesn't mean anything when you travel through space and time." ...Really, Doctor?

Zarbi does not approve of TARDIS! Well, at least One, Ian, and Vicki are back together.

You know, I have to wonder: the TARDIS translates languages like French, Thal, and Aztec, but not Zarbi?

The way the Menoptra are moving their arms, they almost look like live-action versions of video game avatars.

"Invasion force"? Now I'm really not sure who the antagonists are supposed to be.

Now the Zarbi seem to have some sort of collar around Barbara. Almost looks like a giant tuning fork.

So apparently the Zarbi can control people through gold. That would explain how they were able to catch Barbara through her bracelet.

For some reason, I love how One's attempt to communicate through pantomime is failing horribly.

Oh, so NOW they bring out a communication-dome-cylinder-thing.

So it seems like pressing random buttons on the TARDIS frequently results in miracles anyway. Wow.

Oh wow. Rarely is there an illusion-shattering moment quite like that Zarbi very visibly knocking into the camera.

Wait...Ian, would you care to elaborate on that ants-eating-through-a-whole-house anecdote?

Young companion worried about older companion seconds after they leave? Chocolate. It solves EVERYTHING.

Uh oh, now they've got the gold collar on Vicki.

And now they've taken it off. I wonder if that was just to keep her from escaping while One talked to the Zarbi.

That looks like a burying-level amount of dirt that just got dropped on Ian...

That was weird. I could've sworn I heard somebody laughing in the background while Ian got buried...

Looks like we've got a third giant alien bug species to deal with now.

Awwww, giant foam slug people.

So now they've got the gold collars on both Vicki AND One. Which begs the question, does one of them have the now-defunct collar?

I can't quite put my finger on why, but the Menoptra wings seem to have a strange sort of impressiveness in the context of the story.

The Menoptra spearhead has finally arrived! And they bring really weird music with them.

BIG BUG BATTLE. BIG BUG BATTLE.

Looks like Vicki was the one with the sabotaged collar, and she made pretty quick work of One's.

Oh hai. Im the Doktor an this be mah giant bug-slave.

Looks like we've got yet another case of a non-warlike species being forced to take up arms in desperate times.

Vicki, you really like befriending and naming giant monsters, don't you? First Sandy, now Zombo.

Wow Barbara. I thought you were a history teacher, not a military strategist. *remembers her ploy from Dalek Invasion of Earth* Oh wait...

One, Vicki, and Barbara, together again at last.

Looks like One's ring is about to come into play again. Let's see what magic it works this time.

I think that's the first direct down-shot I've seen in the Classic series. Works well with Ian's "we go up."

One and Vicki, clutching each other, and completely silent and immobilized by a web. That's actually quite a haunting image to end on.

Ah yes, I was wondering when they were going to address the fact that Vicki wouldn't have anywhere to hide it since her dress is pocketless.

The Menoptra seem to be channeling the Spanish bullfighters the way they're waving their arms and screaming at the Zarbi like that.

The Animus kinda reminds me of a cluster of spongey pool noodles. Also, there's no way that light is ACTUALLY blinding One and Vicki.

There we go, Barbara found the Isoptope. I like where this thread is going.

"Liiiiight...liiiiight...LIIIIGHT!" Like Menoptra to a flame, apparently.

And up comes Ian from the tangled floor...

...and down goes the Animus! And while Barbara carried the victorious Ball of Awesome, the Doctor lay unconscious on the floor. Wow.

So they've defeated the main bad guy, but there's still a good 7 minutes left. I wonder what's going to happen next. Oh hello, water.

And One has his ring back. I guess it wasn't going to do anything after all.

Hah, and Ian's still bitter about the Doctor ruining his tie.

And off they go into time and space once more, while the insects prepare to sing their praises forever and live in harmony...

Next: The Crusade

space, future, vicki, ian, first doctor, other worlds, barbara

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