"The Web of Fear" - Episode 3

Doctor Who
Airdate: February 17, 1968
Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling
Written by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln
Produced by Peter Bryant
Directed by Douglas Camfield

With the alien webs all around him, Jamie spots a Yeti carrying a pyramid-shaped device. Remembering his experiences in Tibet, Jamie instructs Evans to shoot the pyramid, but this has no effect. They barely have time to escape back through the tunnels, returning to HQ. Meanwhile, searching elsewhere in the tunnels for the Doctor, Victoria finds him in the company of a Col. Lethbridge-Stewart. They return to HQ where they are reunited with Travers and attend a briefing conducted for the benefit of Lethbridge-Stewart. The Doctor comes up with a plan to seal off the tunnels with explosives, but someone working with the Intelligence allows a Yeti access to the storeroom, and the explosives are covered in webs. While Travers and Anne are studying the Yeti control sphere, they hear a scream of terror. Travers discovers the dead body of Craftsman Weams with a Yeti figurine beside it. Travers turns to see a full-size Yeti looming over him, preparing to attack...

This episode will forever hold a special place in the history of "Doctor Who", as it introduces us to a character who would go on to become one of the most beloved characters in the long history of the series. Of course, this isn't really our Brigadier. First of all, he isn't a Brigadier, he's only a Colonel. Second of all, there's no UNIT, he's just regular army. But most importantly, he's introduced as a potential threat. In this episode, the Doctor realizes that the Intelligence must have an agent within the Army HQ. Col. Lethbridge-Stewart, who showed up basically out of nowhere, is a prime suspect.

Not to us, of course. Fans can't help but have a massively distorted view of this story, because it looks so different in hindsight. It looks like a prototype for the Earth-based UNIT era that will begin in Season Seven, but it isn't really. It's just a "Doctor Who" story set on more or less contemporary Earth involving the military, just like "The War Machines" from Season Three. At this point in the production, no one is thinking about Season Seven, but they will start soon. And so will we.