Doctor Who - The Planet of Spiders "Wakey! Wakey! Rise and shine!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, sorry for the lack of posts on the blog of late but I figured I would do another one since we are at the start of February. So, this post will be another revisitation of a Doctor Who story review and this one will be The Planet of Spiders, which is of course Jon Pertwee's final story.

So, 48 years onward, let's take another look at Pertwee's swansong and see how it fairs...

And the usual warning is coming up...

PLOT SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!!!

STORY

So the story begins with Mike Yates (Richard Franklin) who is now a civilian since he was discharged from UNIT (in the Invasion of the Dinosaurs story) and attends a Tibetan meditation centre in rural England.  Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) pays a visit to the center and along with Mike they uncover some strange things going on there organised by one of the resident's, Lupton (John Death) along some of his fellow residents. 

Meanwhile the Doctor (Pertwee) has developed an interest in psychic ability as he attends a magic show with the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) he later invites one of the show's performers, Professor Clegg (Cyril Shaps) to UNIT where he reveals that Clegg has actual clairvoyant powers.  At the centre Mike and Sarah witness Lupton and the others perform an incantation which conjures up a large spider, which leaps on to Lupton's back and disappears and then it manifests itself in Lupton's head and tells him to seek a blue crystal.  

The blue crystal in question turns out to be in the hands of the Doctor who recieved it back from Jo Grant (his former companion who left UNIT after the events of The Green Death).  However things go badly wrong during the Doctor's experimentation with Clegg who takes a hold of the crystal during Lupton's incantation and he suffers a fatal heart attack after seeing the image of the spiders.

Afterward Sarah returns to UNIT where she tells the Doctor of her findings at the center, however Lupton then sneaks in and steals the blue crystal from the Doctor's lab and a big chase ensues outside where Lupton eventually escapes being teleported by the spider back to the centre.  The spider then tells Lupton that it is from the planet Metebelis 3, which is where the blue crystal originated and the spider intends to plot against some of its sister spiders back there. The Doctor then goes back to the center with Sarah and they meet with the deputy abbot, Cho-Je (Kevin Lindsay) and tell him that something strange is going on.  

Meanwhile the crystal is taken by Tommy (John Kane) who is a simple-minded handyman but his mind is soon improved by the power of the crystal.  Sarah then manages to follow Lupton to Metebelis 3 via teleportation (as she steps on the mandala in the cellar) where she meets with the humans who live who are slaves to the spiders there who rule the planet and she is captured by the spiders.  And from here the Doctor follows Sarah to Metebelis 3 and must try and find a way to rescue her and also help out the human slaves from their fates at the hands of the spiders that rule them...

THOUGHTS

As the swansong to the Pertwee era of the show, Planet of the Spiders is a very entertaining one and overall its an excellent send off for the Third Doctor.  The story is also well noted for introducing the concept of regeneration as up to this point it had not been given a proper name, but here the Doctor explains that "when a Time Lord's body becomes worn out, it can regenerate and become new". 

The story was also known for featuring one of Pertwee's favourite vehicles in the show, the Whomobile, which was essentially a hovercraft and Pertwee was no stranger to having fun with it!  And the story also makes reference to Harry Sullivan, who would of course later become the Fourth Doctor's companion in Tom Baker's debut story "Robot" but at this stage Sullivan's character is merely mentioned and doesn't actually appear in the story.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section contains spoilers!!)

Performance wise the story is pretty good mostly despite maybe one or two exceptions.

To start off there is of course Jon Pertwee who puts in his last regular performance as the 3rd Doctor and he is great here as usual and he has plenty of good scenes in the story.

As a few examples for starters there is the scene where he meets with the clairvoyant, Professor Clegg and reveals to him that "You made a couple of mistakes last night, Professor.  You gave the answer before your assistant had uttered a word".  And he goes to tell the troubled Professor about his ESP skills " Mister Clegg, your powers may seem to be extraordinary, but I assure you that they lie dormant in everyone. They're perfectly natural". Mr Clegg, sounding a bit more hopeful asks "You mean, you can find out why I'm different?" and the Doctor says "Possibly!" and Clegg says "Very well, I'll help you all I can" and the Doctor says "Good!".   

Then there is the scene where the Doctor makes a rare reference to his past and that when he looked into the blue crystal "You know when I was a young man, there was an old hermit who lived half way up a mountain just behind our house.  I spent some of the finest hours of my life with that old man.  And it was from him I first learned how to look into my own mind".  And the Brigadier pushes the Doctor re: the crystal and what he saw and the Doctor says "Well that's just it, Brigadier. When I looked into that crystal, all I could see was the face of my old teacher".

Another good scene comes when the Doctor arrives on Metebelis 3 and he fights with the spider's slave guards and he zapped by a beam from one of the guards, which causes him to fall into an almost coma like state.  And the Doctor later manages to muster enough energy to tell Sarah there is a tool on the TARDIS that can revive him but she is captured by the guards before she can take it to the Doctor.  So one of the human salves, Arak (Gareth Hunt) takes it to the Doctor, who weakly uses it on himself and he then gasps with relief afterward feeling a bit better "Thank you!  Thank you very much!".  And this is nicely followed by the next scene in the morning where a revitalised Doctor awakens and says loudly to Arak, Tuar and Rega "Wakey! Wakey!  Rise and shine!  Shake a leg!  Weather's fine!". 

Another good scene from Pertwee comes when the Doctor is captured by the guards and placed in a spider web cloth covering his body, but he somehow manages to wriggle free from it.  And as one of the captives, Sabor asks "What are you doing??" the Doctor replies "Compress the muscles.  Its a little trick I learned from an old friend of mine.  Harry, er what was his name???  Hopkins.  Er no, that's not right.  Hetherington, not that's not right either.  It wasn't an English name.  Hackenschmidt!  No but I know it began with an H!" and he finally remembers "Houdini!  Yes that was it.  Harry Houdini!" and he finally frees himself and get's up.

Then there is the scene where the Doctor first mentions the term "regeneration" in relation to when a Time Lord changes their appearance, they regenerate their bodies.  So, in the scene Sarah asks what the term means "Regenerate?" and the Doctor tells her "Yes, when a Time Lord's body wears out, he regenerates and becomes new".   

And last of all there is the Doctor's poignant regeneration scene where Sarah asks him "Oh, Doctor, why did you have to go back?!" and he weakly tells Sarah after suffering a heavy dose of radiation on Metebelis 3 that "I had to face my fear, Sarah...I had to face my fear".  And as Sarah sobs and the Doctor gently says his last lines "A tear, Sarah Jane?  Don't cry.  While there's life there's...." before he seems to pass on.

Elisabeth Sladen is great once again in her role as Sarah Jane Smith in her last adventure with Jon Pertwee.  

And Liz's good scenes include the one where Sarah and Mike meet Lupton at the meditation center and Mike is compelled to hurry Sarah away in his car to avoid her asking questions.

So, as they drive off, Sarah annoyed asks Mike "Look, what's this all about?" and Mike tells her "That was Lupton" and Sarah says "Oh, so that's why you pinched me! I'll be bruised for a week". Mike then warns her "You heard what he said, he knew you were coming" and Sarah asks "So?" and Mike says "Well don't you see, he was responsible for that hallucination, he tried to kill us!". Mike stops his car outside the meditation center grounds and Sarah asks "So, why are we running away?" and Mike gets out the car and tells Sarah "We're not. We're letting him think we're running away, now we'll go back on foot". And Sarah then gives a sly almost sexy look and say to Mike "The fiendish cunning of the man!" and she gets out the car.

the Doctor tells her about how he got the crystal in the first place and Sarah stares in disbelief at the Doctor's story.  So, Sarah says to the Doctor "You know, this is barmy. Here am I, calmly discussing fabulous planets with blue moons, giant spiders, magic crystals, as if I was talking about er, pussycats, fish and chips and the Liverpool docks!".  The Doctor then Sarah "Well, they're just as real" and Sarah exclaims "Oh, I know, but that's what get's me!". 

Another good scene is where Sarah tells the Doctor about the spider appearing during the meditation session involving Lupton and that the spider jumped on his back afterward but the Doctor is too distracted as he is analyzing the Metebelis crystal. 

So, as the Doctor is only half listening he tells her "Well go on, I'm listening!" and Sarah feeling a little frustrated by the lack of attention from the Doctor says "So, there they all were in the cellar, chanting away like billy-o. And all of a sudden this giant spider appeared and jumped on Lupton's back!". The Doctor again not really listening to her says "Its coherent thought!" and Sarah annoyed says "Oh, Doctor really!" and the Doctor still not listening says "Scientific pun!". The Doctor then suddenly turns round and with urgency asks Sarah "What did you say?" and Sarah frustrated says "I said really. But you're so interested in that wretched crystal..." and the Doctor interrupts and says "No, no before that. Did you say spider?" and Sarah says "That's right". The Doctor now serious says "Now listen to me, Sarah. This is very important. Tell the whole story, right from the beginning" and Sarah sighs "Oh!".  

Then there is the scene where Sarah has been captured by the spiders (or the eight-legs) and wrapped in the spider webs as well and she sees the Doctor enter the cell and she says with relief "Doctor!  You're alive.  I knew you'd come!" but the Doctor points to the two guards behind him and she sighs saying "Oh, Doctor!".

WARNING: BIG SPOILER RE: THE ENDING!

And last of all is the final scene where Sarah sadly hangs around the Doctor's lab at UNIT in the hope he has turned up and the Brigadier joins her. 

And in the scene, Sarah looks around the Doctor's lab sadly and the Brigadier walks in and says "Morning, Miss Smith" and Sarah tells him "Morning, Brigadier. I just thought I'd pop in and... well I don't know why I popped in really". And the Brigadier sympathetically says "To see if there was any sign of the old fellow?" and Sarah sadly says "Yes. But there can't be now. I mean he's been gone for over three weeks" but the Brigadier tells her "Oh, that's nothing. One time I didn't see him for months and when he did turn up he had a different face". Sarah however sadly says "No, he knew if he went back there he would destroy himself. We will never see him again". 

However at this point, the Doctor turns up in the TARDIS and collapses out of the door on the floor and Brigadier gets a stool cushion and puts it under the Doctor's head. Sarah then asks "Oh, Doctor why did you have to go back?" and the Doctor weakly tells her "I had to face my fear, Sarah. I had to face my fear". Sarah then tearfully tells him "Please, don't die" and the Doctor softly touches her face as she cries and says "A tear, Sarah Jane? Oh, don't cry. While there's life there's..." and he appears to die.

Richard Franklin is also good in his role as Mike Yates, who by this time is no longer an officer with UNIT and he uncovers the strange goings on at the meditation centre.

Franklin also has some good moments and amusing lines such as the scene where Mike and Sarah quietly watch a group in mid-meditation and Sarah asks what are they meditating about and Mike quietly replies "Not about anything.  They're just meditating, watching" and Sarah asks what are they watching and Mike says "They're mentally watching their tummies go up and down as they breathe".

Then there is the scene where Mike and Sarah bump into Lupton at the meditation centre not long after they had their near accident on the road due to an illusion that Lupton and his fellow meditators where able to conjure up to scare them off.  

So, Mike drives Sarah away quickly and Sarah asks "What's it all about?!" and Mike tells her "That was Lupton" and Sarah sighs and says "Oh, that's why you pinched me.  I'll be bruised for a week!".  Mike then says "You heard what he said. He was told you were coming" and Sarah asks "So?" and Mike tells her "Well don't you see? He must have been responsible for that hallucination, that non-existent tractor. He tried to kill us!".  

Sarah then asks Mike "So, why are we running away?" and Mike tells her "We're not running away" and he parks his car in a layby and he looks to Sarah and says "We're not.  We're letting him think we've run away. Now we'll go back on foot!".  Sarah then gives a sly smile and she says "The fiendish cunning of the man!" and they get out the car.

And lastly there is the scene where Mike having been tied up by Lupton's fellow meditation group, he is ungagged by the second in command of the group, Barnes. 

So, in the scene Barnes ungags Mike and asks him "Well?" and Mike asks "What are you going to do?" and Barnes asks "About Lupton! I told you I overheard you talking!" and Barnes says "There's nothing we can do. Just keep you here until he comes back". Mike however reminds Barnes "You said yourself, he might not be able to" and Barnes says "I know. As I said, there's nothing we can do" but Mike insists "Of course there is! Re-establish the link, the contact". Barnes surprised asks "You mean the mandala and the ceremony?" and Mike tells him "He's probably waiting for us to do just that". Barnes however tells Mike "There's only four of us, you need five" and Mike volunteers "I'll help" and Barnes incredulously asks "You? Why should you help?!" and Mike says "Because of Sarah Jane Smith of course! I want her back as much as you want Lupton". Barnes is still unsure and asks Mike "Yes of course, but how do I know this isn't some sort of trick?" and Mike insistently says "Of course its not! Come on, untie me!".

John Dearth also puts in a good effort as the story's secondary villain, the greedy and ambitious Lupton who both does the spiders amoral bidding but also tries to use them for his own selfish ends.

Dearth has some good scenes as well such as the scene where Lupton has just stolen the Metebelis crystal and with the help of the spider and after a lengthy chase with the Doctor, Lupton manages to escape back to the meditation centre and he goes back to his room where he meets with Barnes.

So, in the scene, Lupton explains to Barnes why he came to the mediation centre "Barnes, do you know why I came to this place?" and Barnes says "No, not really".  So, Lupton tells him "All right. Potted history coming up. Picture me, bright young salesman. Salesman of the year, Sales Manager, Sales Director. I gave them twenty five years of my life! Are you with me so far?" and Barnes says "Yes, yes".  So, Lupton continues but while he does so, we see Tommy, the center's handyman, sneakily steal the crystal from Lupton's table next to an opening window.  So, Lupton carries on "Then the finance boys moved in. Merger, takeover, golden handshake. Me, out on the streets. I could even have taken that, but when I tried to set up of my own, they deliberately, cold bloodedly broke me!".

Barnes then asks Lupton "So you came here to get peace of mind?" but Lupton scoffs and says "I came here to get power. Do you think I'm going to let go now when it's in sight, when I can see myself taking over that firm, taking over the country, the entire stinking world. I want to see them grovel, I want to see them breaking their hearts, I want to see them eating dirt!". Barnes looks somewhat surprised at Lupton's revelation and says "I just came here to get peace of mind".

Then there is the scene where the spider tries to control Lupton's mind using some mental power to torment him and Lupton gasps saying "What did you do to my mind?!  It felt like red-hot needles!  Was it this that you did?  Or no.  Was it this?!" and he glares at the spider who twists in agony as well pleading to stop.  And spider meekly says "You are cleverer than the two-legs on Metebelis 3" and Lupton arrogantly says "I'm cleverer than most of them on Earth!".

Another good scene is when Lupton is transported to Metebelis 3 and Sarah manages to follow him as she steps on the mandala in the cellar of the meditation centre and it transport her too and she is taken in by the local villagers, who are humans living under the persecution of the spiders.  So, Sarah in an effort to save the Doctor goes into retrieve a piece of equipment that will revive him from the TARDIS but she is caught by Lupton before she can return.  So, Lupton surprises Sarah and says to her "Well, well, well. Our clever young female journalist. You are keen to get your story, aren't you? What a pity it will never be published!".

Gareth Hunt even though his role is nothing great he still fares pretty well in his part of Arak, the leader of the group of human slaves on Metebelis 3 and he is easily the best perfomer out of the lot of them.

And I will mention one of his scenes, which is the one where Arak decides to try and get the Doctor's device that will help save him, which Sarah left outside the TARDIS when she was captured by Lupton. So, in the scene Arak and his brother, Tuar argue over his leadership and also helping the Doctor by retrieving the device.

So, Arak says to Tuar "Let me pass, I say!" and Tuar says "They'll kill you. Would you so betray our father's love? Sabor left you here in trust to lead us in our fight for freedom!".  Arak then says "A fine leader. One by one the eight legs take us. Soon our settlement will be as empty as Skorda!" and Tuar angrily says "The people of Skorda were cowards. They didn't attack the eight legs, they just sat there like sheep in a slaughter pen waiting for death!".  Arak then tells Tuar "But if we attack we are as dead as the people of Skorda! We must think of something else" and he then looks at the Doctor, who is unconscious and he says "Wait. The girl said this man could help us".  Tuar dismissively says "How can a dead man help us?!" and Arak tells him "The machine" and he takes a peek through the door and we see the satchel left by Sarah outside the TARDIS.  So, Arak says "There it is. The bag he spoke of. I'm going to get it. If I don't come back, it's up to you".

However it has to be said that Ralph Arlis is the real weak link in the cast here as his performance as the whiny human slave, Tuar, is pretty naff, and Tuar is always impatient to attack the spiders (or "eight-legs" as the humans call them and the spiders call the humans "two-legs").  And Arliss's worst line comes when Sarah goes to check on the Doctor, not long after he was zapped by one of the spider's guards.  So, Sarah says "He's still alive!" and we hear the Doctor groan slightly and Tuar looks on surprised and says "You're right, he IS alive!".

Then there is also another naff scene where Arak sneaks out to try and get the Doctor's equipment that will revive him and one of the other slaves, Rega (Joanna Munro) says to him "Arak is not a coward" and Tuar smiles and says "No, he's not".

Nicholas Courtney also appears somewhat a bit more briefly in this story and as ever is fine as the Brigadier and he also has some good moments such as the scene near the start where the Doctor and the Brig attend the magic show.  And the Brigadier watches a female dancer and later applauds enthusiastically after she has finished and he says to the Doctor "Extraordinary muscular control.  Very fit that girl!  I must adapt some of those movements as exercises for the men!" and the Doctor quietly says to him "They would take some adapting!". 

Another good scene is when Professor Clegg is invited to the Doctor's lab at UNIT and he experiments with Clegg's ESP powers.  And in the scene the Doctor says to Clegg "You see I'm doing a little research into ESP" and the Brigadier butts in and says "That's Extra Sensory Perception, you know!".  And Clegg says "Yes, I did infact know that" and the Brigadier says "Oh really? I didn't until the Doctor explained it to me".

Later on there is also the scene where the Doctor tests out Professor's Clegg's skills as he asks the Brigadier to give him his watch to see if he can find out where he got it from.  So, in the scene, Clegg holds the watch and he says " This watch was given to you eleven years ago. You received it in a hotel. A hotel by the sea. Brighton, was it? From a young lady called Doris. She said it was to mark her gratitude to you...".  So, the Brigadier interrupts quickly and says "All true, absolutely spot on!" and he grabs back his watch and he looks embarrassed and says to the Doctor "Surely you've got enough, Doctor?" and the Doctor grins and says "A little too much, eh, perhaps, Alistair?!".    

And lastly there is the final scene of the story where Sarah turns up at the Doctor's lab in hope that he will come back and the Brigadier enters.  So, the Brigadier says to Sarah "Hello, Miss Smith" and Sarah says "Oh, hello, Brigadier. I just thought I'd pop in and. Well, to tell you the truth, I don't quite know why I did pop in, actually".  The Brigadier then asks "To see if there was any sign of the old fella?" and Sarah says "Yes, but there can't be can there?  I mean he 's been gone for over three weeks now".  The Brigadier then tells Sarah "Oh, that's nothing. One time I didn't see him for months. And what's more, when he did turn up, he had a new face. Could have been a completely different man!". 

And after the Doctor rematerialises in the TARDIS and he comes out and collapses on the floor and appears to die, Cho-Je suddenly appears out of thin air.  So, the Brig asks Sarah "Won't you introduce me to your friend, Miss Smith?" and a distraught Sarah says "Oh, er, yes. This is the Abbot of. No, it's Cho-Je. I mean, it looks like Cho-Je but it is really K'Anpo Rinpoche. I think!" and the Brigadier, baffled says "Thank you.  That makes everything quite clear!".  And after Cho-Je explains what has happened to the Doctor and he helps the Doctor start the regeneration process and disappears, Sarah suddenly sees the Doctor begin to change.  So, Sarah says "Look, Brigadier!  I think its started!" and the Brigadier says the final line of the Pertwee era "Well, here we go again!". 

And lastly in this paragraph there are Ysanne Churchman, Kismet Delgado (the wife of the late Roger Delgado who played the Master) and Maureen Morris who are pretty good in their voice over roles as the spiders from Metebelis 3.  Kismet Delgado plays the voice of the spider, who jumps on Lupton's back where as Ysanne Churchman does some of the other spider voices and Maureen Morris is the voice of the Great One, a giant spider that rules over all the others on Metebelis 3.  And just to save time I won't mention any of their scenes but its safe to say that they all do a good here.

Kevin Lindsay also provides a nice performance as the deputy abot at the centre, Cho-Je who has some good moments in the story as well such as the scene where Tommy who's mind is cleared and improved by the crystal and he tells the Cho-Je about what has happened with Lupton and his men.  So, Cho-Je says "Tommy, you go and get this crystal, and I will go down to the cellar and see what these naughty chaps are about. Now off you go now".  So, Tommy says "Yes, Cho-Je" but before he goes he asks him "Cho-Je?  You don't seem very surprised to find me changed?" and Cho-Je smiles saying "When everything is new, can anything be a surprise?".

And last of all there is the moment where Cho-Je having now taken over as being K'anpo in a newly regenerated form appears just after the Doctor appears to have died on returning from Metebelis 3 in the TARDIS to Earth back in his lab at UNIT. 

So, Cho-Je suddenly appears out of a thin air, hovering in the air, cross-legged, he tells Sarah "Its alright. He isn't dead.  The Doctor is alive".  Sarah however, upset, says "No you're wrong, he's dead!" but Cho-Je tells her "All the cells of his body have been devastated by the Metebelis crystals, but you forget, he is a Time Lord. I will give the process a little push and the cells will regenerate. He will become a new man!".  The Brigadier then asks "Literally?" and Cho-Je says "Of course, he will look quite different" and the Brigadier says "Not again!" and Cho-Je says "And it will shake up the brain cells a little. You may find his behaviour somewhat erratic".  Sarah, baffled, then asks "When will all this happen?" and Cho-je smiles and tells her "Well, there's not time like the present is there?" and he aims his hands at the Doctor and says "Goodbye.  Look after him!". 

Then there is George Cormack who is very good as the abott K'anpo who turns out to be the Doctor's old teacher.

And I will mention only one of Cormack's scenes and its the one where the Doctor realises who K'anpo is.  And in the scene K'anpo says to Sarah "We are all apt to surrender ourselves to domination.  Even the strongest of us." and the Doctor turns surprised saying to K'anpo "Do you mean me?" and K'anpo replies "Not all spiders sit on the back" and the Doctor explains to Sarah "He's talking about my greed. My greed for knowledge, for information. He's saying that all this is basically my fault. If I hadn't taken the crystal in the first place".  The Doctor then has a dawning realisation and says to K'anpo "I know who you are now!" and K'anpo smiles and says "You always were a little slow on the uptake, my boy!".
    
The Doctor then shakes K'anpo's hand and says "Its been a long time" and Sarah asks "You know each other?" and the Doctor says "Oh, yes. He was my teacher. My guru, if you like.  In another time, another place" and K'anpo says "Another life!".  Sarah then says "Oh, no!  Don't tell me you're a Time Lord, too?" and K'anpo says "I am.  But the discipline they serve was not for me" and the Doctor says "Nor for me".  K'anpo then says "I wouldn't have chosen your alternative. To borrow a Tardis was a little naughty, to say the least!" and Sarah grins.  Sarah then asks "Well about Cho-Je?  Is he a Time Lord too?" and K'anpo says "In a sense.  In another sense, he doesn't exist" and Sarah laughs and says "You've lost me!" and even the Doctor says "Me too, I'm afraid".  So, K'anpo explains "Cho-Je is a projection of my own self!" and he laughs softly. 

Then there is John Kane who provides probably the best performance of the supporting cast as the simple-minded and well meaning Tommy, who's mind is improved by the power of the crystal. 

And I will mention a few of his scenes starting with his best one when the crystal clears Tommy's mind as he initially struggles to read from a children's nursery book.  So, in the scene Tommy at first reads a rhyme slowly "We give the flowers..some...water" and he looks at the crystal and then back to his book and he reads "We say our...".  However then the crystal begins to glow an intense light, which has Tommy's transfixed and as the glow increases, Tommy's looks panicked and he soon passes out.

And when Tommy's come around again he looks at his book again and he says slowly at first "We say our prayers" but then his reading becomes more fluent and confident sounding.  So, Tommy continues "Then we write our news" and he starts to flick through the pages excitedly reading them perfectly "We read in the book corner. We measure and we weigh. We buy things at the shop. We have our milk. We play in the playing ground. We dance and..." and the scene cuts away to the next one.

Then there is the scene where Tommy goes to the library and reads from a book, a section of William Blake's poem "The Tyger".  So, Tommy reads the opening line of the poem "Tiger, tiger, burning bright, in the forests of the night. What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?".  And he says to himself in his old voice "That's pretty!" but then he says in his more intelligent voice "No, that's beautiful" and he starts to pick books off the shelf.  

And lastly there is the scene where Tommy helps the Doctor and Sarah escape Lupton's men, who have been taken over by the spiders.  So, Tommy shouts to the Doctor "Quickly, Doctor!  This way!" and he leads them out.  So, as they leave, Tommy says to them "We better get out of here" but Sarah sees that Tommy's mind has been improved by the crystal and she says "But Tommy, you're normal! You're just like everyone else!" and Tommy says "I sincerely hope not!".

And finally the last four members I will mention are firstly Christopher Burgess as Barnes, Lupton's right hand man at the meditation centre, who is actually quite a sympathetic character really, who is really just at the meditation centre to get "some peace of mind" and simply follows Lupton's lead.  Then there are Lupton's other meditation fellows played by Carl Forgione, Andrew Staines and Terence Lodge, who all do well enough in their brief respective roles as Land, Keaver and Moss.

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC 
 
Direction wise, Barry Letts does a good job with the story as it was one of the handful of stories he directed for the show during the Pertwee era and he paces the story not too badly and allows for the usual mix of fun, action and drama.  Letts had also produced almost the entire Pertwee era but this wouldn't be his last story on Doctor Who, as he went on to be the producer of Tom Baker's debut story "Robot" and also he would later direct his finale story "The Android Invasion" also during Baker's era as the Fourth Doctor. Letts however was both the director and producer for this serial, so I believe he would only be given one credit due to one person only being eligible for one credit onscreen at that time.

The story also features a pretty good score by its regular composer, Dudley Simpson, who by this time had started to move away from his more electronic compositions and now onto using more traditional orchestral instruments for his scores.  And this is a marked improvement over the former sound of the earlier Pertwee stories from Simpson's scores, which were just a bit too overly reliant on synthesizers.    
FLAWS (Warning: this section may contain spoilers!)

As for flaws..... well Planet of the Spiders sure isn't the perfect Doctor Who story as for starters it suffers that problem that a lot of six part stories did in the show in that it is just a bit too long and it feels pretty padded out in certain scenes and again it would have benefited more from being a four parter than six. 

The sub-plot involving the humans as slaves on Metebelis 3 is also pretty tedious overall and the characters are pretty dull and who would have thought that humans would have been upstaged by arachnids!  And while Lupton makes for a pretty good character it has to be said that his subordinates let the side down as all they do mostly is stand around arguing with one another most of the time, which again drags the story down during their scenes.

And further to my point about the story being padded out it has to be said that most of episode two is a case in point where the Doctor engages in a very lengthy chase going after Lupton by different methods of travel such as car, boat, gyrocopter and the Whomobile, which overall is pretty tedious and could easily have been trimmed. 

And it has to be said in regards to that whole sequence that at the end of it Lupton ends up being teleported away by the spider back to the centre and that begs the question: why didn't the spider and Lupton do that in the first place????!!!  And if they did it would have made the story that bit tauter and we wouldn't needed to have bothered with all that pointless chasing about!  However I think that was in part due to the fact that Pertwee loved using the show's different transport gadgets, especially the Whomobile so they obviously must have worked all that in just so he could use it.

I also thought it was a bit daft of Lupton, as clever as he thinks he is, to actually go back to his room after he retrieved the blue crystal and evaded the Doctor in a big chase, and leave his bedroom window wide open just conveniently enough for Tommy sneak by and steal the crystal from right under his nose!  To be fair though, they do convey that Lupton was feeling a bit hot and sweaty, so he opened the window to get some air and he didn't see Tommy steal the crystal.  However when he was chatting to the spider after, its surprising to see how long it took him to notice that the crystal was even gone! 

Anyway, that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP
 
So, to sum up, "Planet of the Spiders" remains an excellent story and a very fine send-off for Jon Pertwee as the Doctor and he even gets a touching final scene, which is nicely underplayed unlike the new Doctor Who series where the program makers demand that you cry buckets of tears and jack the emotions up to 11! The story also has a very good script by Robert Sloman and the performances, especially from Jon Pertwee, Elisabeth Sladen, John Kane, John Dearth and Kismet Delgado are very good.

The story is however just a bit too long given that it is a six parter and it could easily have done without the whole subplot of the humans on Metebelis 3, which remains the story's main weakness.  However despite all this it doesn't take away from what a very enjoyable and fitting send-off for Jon Pertwee as the 3rd Doctor, who's portrayal was one of the most popular and well loved overall from the series and he's my personal second favourite (with Tom Baker at the top of the list for me). 

So, I will give The Planet of Spiders:

9 out of 10 

And that's it for this one and I will be back soon with yet another post. 

Till then its bye for now!