Apparently, in its day, "The Web Planet" must have been amazing. I say this not from experience, as I'm happy to say that I was not around 'in its day', but on the basis of the opinions of others, who in at least some cases probably weren't either. Now, there are undoubtably several very commendable things about "The Web Planet". There is a determined effort to be 'different' which, unlike in the later "The Ark" does not automatically lead to diabolical acting- indeed most of the Menoptra are actually bearable. There are some good ideas at work here, and certain aspects of the story function quite well. It's formulaic, but that is hardly a new criticism, and does at least give the Doctor something to do besides stand around looking old while Ian beats up the monsters- a fault in early "Doctor Who" science fiction stories to which even "The Daleks" succumbs.However, for all these good points, there are an awful lot of bad ones. For one thing, there's the ending. Now, I'm not averse to a quick: "Well, that was an awfully big adventure, now what?" tag scene, or even something longer, if there's a point to it. However, in "The Web Planet", the actual story ends scarcely over half way through part six, with the rest of the episode taken up with what can only be described as 'witless wandering'. Ian and Barbara are left standing like teachers (appropriate enough, I suppose) at a school trip, while the Optera play the fool. Next, there's the issue of characterisation. While I would dispute the idea that characterisation should consist of arguments, it's undeniable that, bar a brief, rather nice scene in episode one, during which Vicki makes knowing speculation on the Ian/Barbara relationship, amongst other things, and Martin Jarvis' excellent Captain Hilio, there is really very little characterisation at all. Couple this with some indifferent and frequently stupid direction (if you have big monsters who can't see where they're going, you do not have them run at the camera- they will hit it) and a few massive gaffes (hello, the Optera), and you get a story which satisfies the unashamed ambition coefficient, but little else. It's sometimes painful to watch, but worth seeing at least once, as there's a lot here that's good, but also an awful lot that isn't. The story can probably be summed up by the Animus herself- as a disembodied voice, the Animus is a stunningly evil presence, but the giant spider that eventually appears destroys almost totally all the earlier menace. In short, a good idea, but could have done with more than a little more thought.
William.