Don't get me wrong, Doctor Who certainly has its fair share of gender equality issues, but it also frequently goes well out of its way to portray strong women in leadership roles. In this morning's episodes of The Web of Fear there is a classic example of this. The London Underground is evacuated and under siege, with the military in place to repel the impending disaster and also with two scientific advisors -- an aging Professor Travers (last seen forty years younger in The Abominable Snowmen) and his daughter Anne Travers. At one point, a soldier asks Anne, "What's a girl like you doing in a job like this?" to which she replies, "Well, when I was a little girl I thought I'd like to be a scientist, so... I became a scientist."

Dude, you should try asking her about her feminist agenda...

So yeah, let's talk about that...

The Web of Fear - Episodes 1 & 2

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

The Web of Fear is a direct sequel to The Abominable Snowmen featuring the return of the robot yetis and the Great Intelligence, now invading the London Underground of the early 70's. The story starts directly from the end of The Enemy of the World with Salamander having just been sucked out the TARDIS doors into the time vortex. Once the doors are closed, the TARDIS gets caught in some kind of strange webbing or cocoon before finally breaking free and ending up in an apparently-abandoned tube station beneath the streets of London. Jamie and Victoria wind up being captured by the British military, while the Doctor gets caught up in an explosion and disappears for all of the second episode. Over that time we learn that the yeti have overrun the London Underground, and that there is a strange fungus that is spreading throughout the rail lines and slowly blocking them off. The second episode ends on a cliffhanger with Jamie and a soldier trapped between two approaching walls of fungus, while Victoria is wandering lost in another line searching for the still-missing Doctor.

The first thing I want to say is how impressive the sets are. If I didn't know better, I would have thought they actually filmed in the Underground. As a matter of fact, London Transport itself thought the same thing at the time, and went as far as sending a letter to the BBC complaining that filming had been done on their property without permission. So, good on you, BBC set builders.

Another bit of trivia that I missed in The Abominable Snowmen: the part of Professor Travers is played by Jack Watling, Deborah Watling's father. He reprises the role again her, although aged by another forty years. There's a marvelous scene where Victoria recognizes Professor Travers before Jamie does, and has a warm reunion. That must have been a lot of fun for the father/daughter pair to play.

I like the yeti costumes more this time around. They look less like Grimace from McDonald's and more like proper furry beasts (robots though they may be). The costumes seem to be a little more mobile and maneuverable, which helps with the drama. 

This is the other story that was only recently recovered (or at least mostly so, as episode 3 is still missing), and I do have to say it is not nearly as good as The Enemy of the World. But it's still pretty good, and thoroughly enjoyable from a historical perspective. Mostly, though, for the character who will make his first appearance with tomorrow's viewing.

Stay tuned!

STATS:

Doctor(s): Second
Companion(s): Jamie McCrimmon, Victoria Waterfield
Episode(s): The Web of Fear - Episodes 1 & 2
Steps Walked: 7,049 today, 647,538 total
Distance Walked: 3.66 miles today, 309.41 miles total
Weight: 277.92 lbs (five day moving average), net change -29.38 lbs