I think this is going to be a short one. It's late in the day, I need to get to bed, and this is the first chance I have had to write. Having my own treadmill out of commission is proving to be a right pain in the arse. I am also frustrated by my reversal of progress the past few days. But as for The Web Planet? It finished strong.

Let's talk about that.

Invasion / The Centre

Invasion opens with Barbara and her Menoptera force evading the Zarbi by stumbling into a hidden doorway in the mountainside that leads to a Temple of Light. There, they regroup and plan their next step. The Doctor and Vicki escape from the Carsinome, follow the tracks of the Zarbi, and ultimately wind up being reunited with Barbara and her group. As for Ian and his Menoptera companion, they team up with a group of Optera grubs and make their way to the root system that feeds the Carsinome.

The Menoptera spearhead force brought with it a special acid bomb to use against the Animus at the heart of the Carsinome. The decision is made for Barbara to lead the main group of Menoptera in an attack against the south side of the Carsinome to draw the Zarbi forces there while the Doctor and Vicki sneak back in from the north with the acid bomb. Unfortunately, both the Doctor and Vicki are recaptured (but not before Vicki hides the acid bomb near the TARDIS), and they are taken to the titular Centre to finally see the Animus in person.

It turns out that, much like in Stephen King's It, the big bad turns out to be a giant spider. Unfortunately, both Vicki and the Doctor are overwhelmed and hypnotized when they look into Pennywise the Animus' deadlights. Fortunately, Barbara (who, as I may have previously mentioned, is a goddess) managed to find the hidden acid bomb and make her way to the Centre as well. Simultaneously Ian arrives from below, and he distracts Pennywise the Animus while Barbara blows the acid bomb directly into the deadlights. The Animus dies, the evil root system dries up, and clean water flows again on the planet Vortis. The Menoptera and Optera prance together in the sun, while the Doctor and companions depart in the TARDIS.

One random thing to note: I realized today, as I was hanging out with my (autistic) son, that the movements of the Menoptera really remind me of some of his gestures. It's a difficult thing to describe, the halting gait with strange body twists and arm contortions, but it is unmistakable. It is not at all unlikely that, subconsciously, that might be why I wound up liking this story so much.

STATS:

Doctor(s): First
Companion(s): Vicki, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright
Episode(s): Invasion, The Centre
Steps Walked: 6,748 today, 218,278 total
Distance Walked: 3.20 miles today, 98.87 miles total
Weight: 296.18 lbs (five day moving average), net change -11.12 lbs