5th December, 2022: Episode 5.
Right … It’s Monday, again.
As anyone who read today’s Teaser will realise.
They will possibly also realise it’s Little Richard’s birthday.
Which is possibly an excuse for a song … !
I’ve just seen the lyrics, by the way.
I always wondered where William Gibson got the name of the brothel in Burning Chrome.
At any rate … ?
That’s going slightly sideways.
It’s Monday.
And … ?
Dinner’s cooking.
Stew, baked spud … and maybe some vegetables.
Once that’s done?
I’ll be watching episode five of … The Abominable Snowmen.
6th December, 2022.
And shows us Victoria (Deborah Watling) in the Inner Sanctum with Master Padmasambhava (Wolfe Morris), himself.
The Monastery’s venerable Master is keen to help, but seems distracted: admitting to his visitor that he “… must do what I am compelled to do.”
By whom, he does not say.
Although he does show Victoria the chessboard-like board he uses to control something Victoria soon realises are familiar.
The figures on it? Look like miniature versions of the Robot Yeti!
“But,” says Master Padmasambhava, “you haven’t seen them.”
And calmly moves the figures around, after — off screen — hypnotising Victoria.
The scene shifts: showing use the Robot Yetis Padmasambhava has summoned coming into the courtyard of Det-sen Monastery … then show us Jamie and the Doctor (Frazer Hines and Patrick. Troughton) talking over their situation with Thomni (David Spenser): whilst the Doctor treats the semi-conscious Travers (Jack Watling.)
Travers? Travers, it seems, has blacked out, on his way back from the Cave: and can barely remember what has happened what has happened to him.
Beyond knowing there was a bright light … and a feeling of evil …
It’s only then that Rinchen (David Grey*) bursts into the room.
To announce there’s Yeti on the loose: Yeti summoned by the Demon Woman!
~≈🩺≈~
Now … what did I make of episode five?
Was it — as I always ask in these situations — good, bad or indifferent?
Frankly, the arc of the story continues: and see the Doctor finding out Master Padmasambhava has been keep alive by the real villain of the piece.
And — thanks to Travers — finds out exactly where that villain is manifesting itself.
There’s a lot going on: enough to keep me, at least, focused on the episode.
There’s also much I could — or should — be asking.
One thing that’s struck me?
Is the Doctor’s eyes.
This particular reanimation is much like Fury From the Deep: whilst the rest of the animated Troughton stories show the character with blue eyes — indeed, they’re that colour in the colour version of the opening — both Fury From the Deep, and this episode of The Abominable Snowmen, show them as a distinct shade of green.
It’s noticeable in the scene where the Doctor breaks Victoria’s hypnotic conditioning: were have a shot of the Doctor’s face that show his eyes.
As I think I’ve said, when I’ve mentioned this? This seems to be a design choice by the animators: rather than an artefact of the process I use to watch these episodes on an Apple TV 4K†.
Why the animators have done this?
I don’t know.
But I believe that it’s something to do with the overall tonal palette of both stories: there’s a lot of greens and browns in both.
I also feel that — as Troughton’s eye colour in the two stories doesn’t match his eye colour in the opening credits — the producers of this story have used the same stock opening credits as other episodes.
The green colouring isn’t a bad thing, it matches the colour scheme of this reconstruction, and it doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.
It’s just something that’s very noticeable to a picky armchair TV reviewer.
On other fronts?
I’ve, inevitably, done some looking around.
Earlier reviews of this story had me learning Det-sen Monastery was named for a Tibetan king, that a Ghanta — the bell the Doctor is returning to Det-sen — is based on a genuine Eastern religious item.
I found out, last week — and neglected to mention — that Padmasambhava is the name of an Indian Buddhist master, one who built the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet.
Although I doubt the real Padmasambhava ended up as a possessed zombie.
At any rate? And as originally conceived? Doctor Who was supposed to have an educational component: which is why many of the early stories — The Crusade, for example, or The Aztecs — were primarily history based stories.
They were supposed to educate younger viewers about a given historical era.
No: The Abominable Snowmen isn’t a historical story.
But I’m willing to accept the writers were trying to teach us a little about Tibetan Buddhism, and mythological creatures.
Or, maybe, show off.
Frankly, who doesn’t do that, some times?
I doubt that was in the writers minds, though: I’ve been curious enough to look up some of the characters’ names, even if I’m not a school boy.
At any rate … ?
I’ve got this far into The Abominable Snowmen: and have been thoroughly enjoy it.
Both as an entertaining story, and something that’s prompted my curiosity.
I’ll be watching the sixth and last episode‡ on Monday, 12th December, 2022: and have my written and video reviews up on the 13th.
I’d love it if you joined me!
I’ll see you then.
Episode 5.★★★★
* David Grey the actor: rather than David Grey the singer …
† As an afterthought? I’ve been buying the Blu-ray versions of the episode. Then? Copying them to my computer with a piece of software called MakeMKV. That turns the contents of the discs into mkv format video files: and strips the copy protection. I then use HandBrake to turn those MKV files into mp4 files: mp4 files I can drag into the Mac TV.app — or iTunes, on a PC — and stream to my Apple TV.
I should make clear that this is a legally grey area, as it involves copying a disc without the license holders’ permission. But is not something I’ve seen people prosecuted for.
‡ That link — to the review of episode 6 — will go live, late on 13th December, 2022: near midnight. I’ll tweet it, when ready.
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