The Abominable Snowmen

"There's a great deal of difference between the Highlands and the Himalayas..."

Writers: Mervyn Haisman & Henry Lincoln

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 30th September - 4th November 1968

Season: 5.02

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Victoria

Synopsis 

Mysterious forces are at work in 1930s Tibet. The once gentle Yeti have turned savage and besieged a Buddhist monastery. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive expecting a friendly welcome from the abbot, but soon become ensnared in the plans of the extra-dimensional being known as the Great Intelligence.

Verdict 

The Abominable Snowmen was an excellent six part serial to keep up the early standard of the fifth season. It was nicely paced over the six parts and despite there being minimal action, which is something I think is necessary for a story of that length. But here, with the monastery setting and somewhat calm atmosphere, the story was elegantly told. I do like how well the TARDIS trio of the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria are getting along now and it seems that the latter has settled into her new life as a time traveller after arriving on the scene not too long ago in The Evil of the Daleks. The previous story, The Tomb of the Cybermen, was nicely referenced and I think that really bonded our newfound trio very nicely. Victoria seems to be settling into her own and the ice is breaking for her, we're starting to see her come out and express herself a lot more. I liked her eagerness to exit the TARDIS after the Doctor had left and told them to stay inside. She was echoing many companions that would come after her, the Doctor's instructions are rarely adhered to once he's left their presence. I loved the Tibet setting of the Himalayas, even if the production value wasn't all that convincing. But I'm more than willing to let that slide considering this was the 1960s! The effort was there and I could see what was trying to be achieved so that was more than enough for me. I liked the development of the relationship between the Doctor and Travers throughout, that was nice to see. The mystery surrounding the spheres was very good and a highlight of the story. They moved by themselves! But most importantly, they were what animated the Yeti. The idea of robotic Yeti is just excellent! It's audacious but I think it works. People talk of them as an iconic Classic Who villain and despite my liking of them, I'm not convinced I'm inclined to agree. The design is actually pretty comical but they still portray that much needed fear factor in a monster. After returning a trio of Eleventh Doctor episodes, I would say the role of an iconic villain should instead go to the Great Intelligence. A fantastic enemy, one that can't even be seen! It literally is indestructible, and despite its power being thwarted at the climax, it's questionable whether you can kill a mind. I'm not convinced. The cliffhangers were a bit of a mixed bag in this serial I felt. There were some good ones involving the Yeti but others, episode four in particularly, that didn't really fill me with shock. The guest cast were very good and despite some unfavourable names from a blogger's perspective, there were some standout characters. Perhaps most notably was the Abbot, mysteriously in link with the Yeti, or so it seemed. The use of trance during the story was both intriguing and effective, especially when Victoria fell under the spell. Padmasambhava was very enigmatic during the story and I liked how the Intelligence was speaking through him. And it seemed like it'd been doing so ever since the Doctor's previous visit three hundred years ago. I'd love a novel or audio depicting the Doctor's first visit to the monastery of Tibet. I think it'd make a great contrast using the same setting and really help put this story into context. The surprise on many faces when the Doctor brought back the sought after bell was terrific. The one little problem I have with this serial is that it's not made evidently clear what the Great Intelligence actually wants. Though it is perhaps able to be worked out, I'd still like clarification. Thonmi and Songsten were very good characters but I think my favourite guest cast star was Khrisong. I really liked him! The climax was probably the best part of the story with mass action and destruction of the Yeti control units, and then the pyramid that the Great Intelligence garnered its power from. All was well. And at the end, Travers finally found a real Yeti. His expedition was worthwhile. Overall, a terrific serial! 

Rating: 8/10