The Abominable Snowmen Episode Four

The one where the monks begin to turn on each other...

This is a Yeti-heavy episode, and also boasts oodles of gorgeous location footage (I know we can't see it, but the telesnaps show it's a pretty extravagant amount). What bugs me about these Yeti is they don't make a sound. They don't roar or growl as they do in later appearances, they move about silently, which reduces their scare factor considerably for me. Coupled with their cutesy appearance and their wobbling gait, it's perhaps just as well we can't see how silly they probably looked.

I just find it hard to believe that the Yeti are something to be afraid of. They're big, but that's about it. Apart from the opening seconds of episode 1, we've not seen them kill anybody, although we've been told they've killed several monks (quite why, I'm not sure). Everybody seems afraid of their size and their reputation, with little real evidence. When the Doctor and Jamie approach the dormant Yeti outside the TARDIS, this reduces their threat even further.

It must look good, having Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines on location in North Wales bumping into several Yeti, but I'm just not feeling the vibe I'm meant to. These Yeti simply aren't scary, not without a roar anyway...

My favourite scenes in this episode involved Deborah Watling and David Spenser, a kind of unofficial team-up for this story. Thonmi has so far made a creditable companion figure, being the one the Doctor and friends can trust, and he seems to have sparked with Victoria. I really like how Victoria is written in this story, showing great courage and resourcefulness as all good companions should. The scene where she fakes food poisoning in order to escape her cell is wonderful, and the fact she locks her friend Thonmi in behind her - because he'd stop her if he came with her - is great.

It doesn't take much to write good scenes for companions like this, but too often (especially in the 1960s), the writers just used the female companions as sacrificial victim fodder. Granted, Victoria does an awful lot of screaming, but she's no coward either. Experiencing these stories through again has made me re-evaluate my opinion of Victoria ("She's a devil woman!" insist the monks!), and to a lesser extent, the late Deborah Watling, who I've never rated too highly as an actor.

Padmasambhava's true form is revealed at last for the cliffhanger, but it's interesting that the High Lama is keen for the monks to leave the monastery in safety, rather than be slaughtered as part of whatever the Great Intelligence's plan is. Throughout it all, Padmasambhava has respected the Doctor's past friendship and has maintained his Buddhist beliefs by opting for the preservation of life over the destruction of it. Every now and then the "evil" side of him will try to impose a more unforgiving will, but by and large - at least so far - Padmasambhava has not really done anything wrong to speak of.

Meanwhile, in the foothills of the Himalayas, a glutinous mass oozes out of a glowing triangle at the heart of a pile of silver orbs. What is coming...?

First broadcast: October 21st, 1967

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: Deborah Watling gets some lovely scenes with David Spenser, giving Victoria strength and sass.
The Bad: For all their might and size, the Yeti just don't pose any recognisable threat for me. All they really want is their balls back.
Overall score for episode: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

NEXT TIME: Episode Five...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: Episode One; Episode Two; Episode Three; Episode Five; Episode Six

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-abominable-snowmen.html

The Abominable Snowmen soundtrack is available on BBC CD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Abominable-Snowmen-Collection/dp/056347856X.