Doctor Who (1963) 11.05.06

Planet of the Spiders - Part Six

The men with spiders on their backs regroup and summon more energy from Metebelis III.

The Doctor talks to K'anpo and figures out that they have met before. K'anpo is also a Time Lord and was the Doctor's teacher when they were both much younger. The Doctor comes to the understanding that he has to return the blue crystal to Metebelis III. He disappears just as the men with spiders on their backs break into the room. They hit K'anpo with energy bolts although they were shooting at the Doctor. 

K'anpo heals Mike Yates who was struck down by the men with spiders on their backs. K'anpo collapses back into his chair once the process is complete. He regenerates and becomes Cho-je who was always an aspect of him, as explained earlier in this episode.

The Doctor arrives on Metebelis III. He takes the blue crystal to the great spider. He tries to warn her that if she uses it (as she intends to) then the power will destroy her. The Doctor's prediction proves to be correct. He takes off running and makes it back to the TARDIS unscathed. He avoids getting caught in the blast radius pf the explosion that occurs and leaves Metebelis III.

It takes the Doctor three weeks to make it back to Earth. The TARDIS materializes in UNIT HQ. Sarah Jane and the Brigadier are there. The Doctor stumbles out of the TARDIS and collapses. K'anpo (now looking like Cho-je) materializes and explains to Sarah Jane and the Brigadier that the Doctor is about to regenerate. He helps the Doctor along and then disappears. The Doctor regenerates from his third to his fourth incarnation.

Thoughts

The first five minutes of this episode overlap with the last couple minutes of the previous episode but they add some things in this episode that happened before the previous episode ended. things that were not shown in that previous episode.

There are little bits of this episode that I remember but there was quite a but that I do not recall seeing before even though, according to one of my journals, I did see it in either 2005 or 2006.

This episode is the last regular appearance of the Third Doctor. He returned one more time for the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors. 

According to the commentary, Tom Baker was on set for the shooting of the final scene but he and Jon Pertwee did not talk. 

On the whole I think I would rate this story right up there with Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Planet of the Spiders is the lesser of my two favorite stories from Season 11, in part K'anpo and Cho-je (both Tibetan monks) were played by white actors.