WATCH ALONG | CLASSIC DOCTOR WHO | 11x26 | Planet of the Spiders: Part 6
Added 2025-01-08 05:22:31 +0000 UTCI'm going to miss the sassy Doctor. :(
NOTE: Episodes 12x1 - 12x4 have been recorded and will be posted by tomorrow morning.
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A Few Notes:
Please no spoilers beyond episode 12x4 unless you see that later episodes have already been released. In that case, no spoilers beyond those episodes.
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Comments
One of the novels from the 90's adds to this end scene with the Doctor stuck for ten years in the Tardis slowly dying before making it back to UNIT HQ. There is some callback to this last scene in modern Who. The whole 'A tear, where there's life theirs hope' is repeated by Bill in The Doctor Falls. And the Brigidier's line, 'Well here we go again' is repeated by Madam Vastra in Deep Breath.
Jade Ellis
2025-01-08 14:59:34 +0000 UTCPlanet of the Spiders is a good story, but it's far from being one of the best of this era simply because the era is so consistent and there are so many other great, better stories. It also has some pacing issues here and there and doesn't quite build up to a grand climax the way it should. However, with all that being said, as a sendoff for the third Doctor's character it's fantastic. I really like how the Doctor trying and failing to get to Metebellis 3 started off as a silly joke and it evolved into becoming a major reason for his regeneration. It's also really interesting how the Doctor's mistake of taking/stealing the blue crystal is what caused all of this, his "greed for knowledge". This makes a lot of sense, particularly for the third Doctor, who is more prideful and focused on scientific discovery and creating weird and wonderful gadgets than most other Doctors. This is both a strength and a weakness, as it often causes him to become stubborn and clash with others if they don't align with his viewpoints. A great example of this is the Doctor making the rash decision to try and leave with his TARDIS in Inferno, which only ended up landing him in even more trouble. It's really great how we actually see the Doctor afraid and vulnerable, especially as that was so rare for this version of the character, but what was he afraid of exactly and why did he have to "face his fear"? Perhaps the fact that his mistake could've led to untold destruction, or maybe his pride and arrogance were his greatest fears? The way they frame this regeneration as a sort of spiritual cleansing and atoning for his mistakes is fascinating. He dies for his sins and becomes a new man. This is a very bold way to bid farewell to the third Doctor because it deconstructs his character in a way that forces us to confront his flaws head on, but what this allows the character to do is grow and evolve beyond those shortcomings because of the lessons he learns. It's a profoundly Buddhist way of approaching a regeneration, which makes sense considering the incumbent producer, Barry Letts, was actually a Buddhist. I also really like how this story pays off the Doctor mentioning his mentor in that great scene between him and Jo from part 6 of The Time Monster and how the mentor makes him realise his mistake and guides him towards regeneration. It's also clever writing to actually demonstrate what regeneration is with the mentor going through it before the Doctor, especially because it had been so long since the previous one (and we don't even get to see that one on screen!) and a lot of younger viewers probably wouldn't even know what it was. The regeneration scene itself is brilliantly moving and very poignant. Hearing the third Doctor refer to UNIT HQ as "home" at the end is incredibly emotionally satisfying after how frustrated and angry he could get with UNIT (particularly the Brigadier) and people on Earth in general. He was very much unsatisfied with his exile on Earth and tried to escape several times, so the fact that by this point he considers Earth his home over Gallifrey and the TARDIS sensed this and brought him back is the perfect end for the third Doctor's character arc. That whole regeneration scene is just beautiful, Jon Pertwee and Liz Sladen knock it out of the park.
Azmat Mahmood
2025-01-08 08:43:24 +0000 UTC
