Before I get to today's viewing, a quick hurrah. This morning I finally broke the 280 barrier, I am now weighing in the 270's for the first time in years. This makes me a very happy boy indeed.

Anyway, The Faceless Ones...  Poor Ben and Polly. It's their last story, and much like Dodo in The War Machines they have been written out. They were both pivotal in the first two episodes, but by the third episode it is just The Doctor and Jamie Show. Presumably they will make another appearance towards the end once the Doctor has rescued them from the evil Chameleons. As for what the Doctor and Jamie have been up to, well...

Let's talk about that.

The Faceless Ones - Episodes 3 & 4

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

Episode two's cliffhanger was rapidly resolved by the Doctor blocking the gas nozzle with a handkerchief and then surprising the Chameleon who tried to imprison him. Meanwhile, Jamie has befriended a young woman whose brother is missing after going on a Chameleon Tour. They have been chatting quite a bit as Jamie watches the Chameleon Tours ticketing desk. At a certain point she makes the decision that she is going to go on one of the flights in order to find her brother, which Jamie immediately tries to talk her out of. When he fails at that, he spontaneously kisses her passionately -- while stealing the plane ticket out of her purse. 

As the Doctor continues his investigations, he finally wins over the Detective Inspector from Scotland Yard. He also figures out that there is something funny going on in the airport's First Aid office (which, unbeknownst to him, is staffed by a Chameleon masquerading as the nurse.)  Back in the control tower, first the Commandant's assistant discovers that none of the Chameleon Tours flights are landing at European locations with any passengers, and then the Commandant himself convinces the RAF to track a Chameleon flight in a fighter jet. It just happens to be the flight upon which Jamie has embarked.

At the climax of the fourth episode, the Chameleon pilot has fired a weapon at the RAF jet, causing it to crash. Jamie has run to the bathroom due to air sickness (eighteenth century Highlanders are not noted for their extensive flying experience), and while he is gone from the cabin the rest of the passengers are disappeared. The last shot has the Doctor in the control tower as the Commandant asserts the plane has crashed due to the fact that its radar point has stopped, meaning it has dropped straight down. But the Doctor correctly deduces that the plane has gone straight up and out of radar range. The Chameleons have some kind of orbiting craft, into which the airplane docks. Roll credits!

I continue to absolutely love this story. There are plenty of creepy moments, and plenty of twists and turns of plot that feel carefully considered and consistent. It's nice to see Jamie finally coming into his own as a companion, even if it is a bummer to have Ben completely disappear from the plot. This is good, good stuff and I am really looking forward to tomorrow's resolution.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Second
Companion(s): Jamie McCrimmon
Episode(s): The Faceless Ones - Episodes 3 & 4
Steps Walked: 6,869 today, 548,278 total
Distance Walked:  3.37 miles today, 260.21 miles total
Weight: 282.24 lbs (five day moving average), net change -25.06 lbs