The Web of Fear Part 6
With London overrun by the Great Intelligence's Yeti army and a deadly fungus, the Doctor must outwit the possessed Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart and sever the Intelligence's link to Earth before it can enslave humanity, risking his own mind in the process.
As the episode opens, the tunnels beneath London are in chaos. Evans and Arnold, soldiers tasked with maintaining order, clash over duty and self-preservation as the city falls prey to a mysterious fungus and hordes of Yeti. The Doctor, accompanied by Anne, Jamie, and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart, navigates the treacherous tunnels in an attempt to regain control of his Yeti forces and uncover the mastermind behind the invasion.
Suspicions arise as the Doctor realizes that someone within their ranks is working for the Intelligence. He instructs Anne to feign loyalty to mislead the enemy, while he, Jamie, and the Colonel venture deeper underground. They encounter Arnold, who reports the devastating news that HQ has been overrun by the fungus. However, Anne finds it suspicious since Evans reported Arnold dead.
The scene shifts to Victoria and Professor Travers, held captive by the Intelligence in the Piccadilly ticket hall. They are confronted with a strange pyramid-like machine, essential to the Intelligence's plans. The Intelligence warns them against interference, threatening them with the Yeti.
Meanwhile, the Doctor, Jamie, Anne, and the Colonel are cornered by Yeti, but Arnold's timely distraction allows the group to escape. He claims escape will offer the opportunity to subvert the Yeti's will. The Doctor is able to continue the search for the Intelligence with his surviving companions.
As the captives await their fate, the Intelligence reveals its plan to subjugate the Doctor, using his knowledge to control Earth's future. Chorley, who is working with Arnold and the Yeti, brings Jamie into the ticket hall, under Yeti guard. With all the players gathered, the true identity of the Intelligence is revealed: Arnold has been possessed as an instrument of its will.
The Doctor is forced to enter the pyramid-like machine, where the Intelligence intends to absorb his mind. However, defiant as ever, the Doctor has sabotaged the device so the Intelligence may be destroyed instead. Aided by his companions, who pull him from the machine, the Doctor thwarts the Intelligence's immediate plan but discovers that its essence remains in space ready to return someday, as his team have merely lost the contact, not defeated the Intelligence.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The episode opens with the immediate, visceral threat of the fungus and the Yeti, as soldiers Evans and Arnold clash over duty and self-preservation in the chaotic tunnels beneath London. Evans' desertion underscores the breakdown of order and the human cost of the invasion. Simultaneously, the Doctor, demonstrating his strategic foresight, instructs Anne to feign loyalty to the Great Intelligence, revealing his early suspicion of an internal traitor within their ranks. This manipulation of Anne and his own controlled Yeti establishes the Doctor's proactive approach to the unfolding crisis. The narrative then brings the Doctor, Jamie, Anne, and Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart together, where they receive the grim news that HQ has been overrun. A critical moment arises when the Colonel reports encountering Arnold, who claims to have seen Victoria and Professor Travers. This account immediately raises Anne's suspicions, as Evans had previously reported Arnold dead, creating a significant narrative inconsistency and deepening the mystery surrounding Arnold's true allegiance. The act culminates with Arnold's highly suspicious actions during a Yeti encounter, where he creates a diversion and then "escapes" in the confusion, further solidifying the Doctor's growing conviction that Arnold is connected to the Intelligence. This initial act effectively sets the stage, introducing the core threats, the Doctor's cunning, and the central enigma of the traitor, propelling the group towards a direct confrontation.
In Tunnel 3, Jamie reunites with the Doctor and Anne, confirming Victoria and Travers are safe at Piccadilly Station, providing brief relief amid the invasion. The Doctor presses the Colonel …
The group reunites in Tunnel 3, confirming Victoria and Travers are safe at Piccadilly Station based on the Colonel's encounter with Arnold, who mysteriously survived the fungus despite reports of …
With the initial suspicions firmly established, the narrative intensifies as Victoria and Professor Travers are revealed to be captives in the Piccadilly Ticket Hall. Here, the Great Intelligence unveils its formidable pyramid-like machine and explicitly states its chilling plan: to absorb the Doctor's mind, using his vast knowledge to subjugate Earth. This declaration significantly raises the stakes, transforming the struggle from mere survival into a battle for intellectual control. The Doctor and his remaining companions are subsequently captured by the Yeti, placing them directly in the Intelligence's grasp. During this period of captivity, the Colonel, under duress, suggests the Doctor surrender to secure the release of Victoria and Travers, presenting a moral dilemma. However, the Doctor, ever resourceful, secretly prepares a counter-move. While being escorted, he subtly uses his control box to momentarily disable a Yeti and tamper with the helmet device he is forced to wear, signaling his defiance and hidden strategy. The act reaches its dramatic peak with the shocking revelation of the Intelligence's true identity: Chorley, under duress, points to Arnold, who then drops his facade, confirming he is merely a lifeless vessel for the Great Intelligence. With all key players now assembled and the Intelligence's control seemingly absolute, it threatens Jamie's life, leaving the Doctor with no apparent choice but to seemingly comply and enter the mind-absorbing machine, setting the stage for the ultimate confrontation.
In Piccadilly Ticket Hall, Victoria questions their destination, prompting Travers to identify a throne-like seat connected to a novel pyramid machine as the Intelligence's tool for the Doctor. Spotting a …
Victoria and Travers spot the Great Intelligence's pyramid machine in Piccadilly Ticket Hall and detect a shadowy presence, heightening their dread. They agree the Doctor will surrender to protect them …
In the Piccadilly ticket hall, Victoria and Travers observe a unique pyramid machine linked to a throne, speculating it is the Intelligence's device for the Doctor. They notice a shadow …
The climax unfolds as the Doctor steps into the pyramid machine, seemingly submitting to the Great Intelligence's plan to absorb his mind. The Intelligence, speaking through Arnold's possessed body, gloats about its impending victory and the Doctor's knowledge shaping Earth's future. However, this apparent submission is a calculated deception; the Doctor has secretly sabotaged the device, intending to reverse the process and drain the Intelligence instead. The pre-arranged counter-attack is initiated by Jamie, who commands the tame Yeti to turn on the other hostile Yeti, creating a crucial diversion. In the ensuing chaos, the Colonel and Evans, misinterpreting the Doctor's struggle as resistance to the Intelligence, forcibly pull him from the machine. Jamie, seizing the moment, throws the now-tampered headset into the pyramid, triggering an explosion that causes all the Yeti to collapse. The immediate threat is neutralized, and Arnold's body lies charred and lifeless. However, the Doctor is furious, revealing the tragic irony: their well-intentioned intervention, by prematurely pulling him out, prevented his true plan from succeeding. Instead of utterly destroying the Intelligence, they merely severed its contact with Earth, leaving its essence "out there in space somewhere," a lingering, unresolved threat. Despite the companions' celebration of a perceived victory, the Doctor views it as a profound failure. He swiftly departs with Jamie and Victoria, evading Chorley's attempts to exploit his newfound fame and leaving the others to grapple with the aftermath and the unsettling truth that the Great Intelligence remains a potential future menace.
The Doctor is forcibly brought into the Piccadilly Ticket Hall wearing a helmet device, where he attempts to reassure Victoria, Anne, and Travers amid rising tension. The Great Intelligence taunts …
The Doctor, forcibly inserted into the Great Intelligence’s pyramid machine by Arnold, appears to comply with the Intelligence’s demands to absorb his mind. While the Intelligence (speaking through Arnold) taunts …
The Doctor, having secretly sabotaged the Great Intelligence’s pyramid machine to drain its power instead of surrendering his own mind, is forcibly placed into the device by Arnold—the Intelligence’s earthly …
The Doctor’s meticulously orchestrated sabotage attempt against the Great Intelligence collapses in chaos as his companions—acting on instinct rather than strategy—interrupt his plan. While the Doctor is midway through a …
The Doctor, furious at his companions' interference, lashes out after his sabotage attempt against the Great Intelligence only partially succeeds—severing its connection to Earth but leaving it intact in space. …