Just when I thought Doctor Who was going to turn all normal on us, they bring out the Yeti. I spent a goodly portion of this episode muttering under my breath, thinking that these Yeti were the real mythical abominable snowmen, and not robotic creatures controlled by a greater force. It didn't cross my mind that they would be robotic, and you think I'd have learned that by Season Five. So that was a lot of wasted fussing on my part.
My expert viewer reminded me that the Great Intelligence comes back. I didn't remember this actually, and usually I remember these sort of things. They reappeared again in Matt Smith's time. I dare say I live with the Great Intelligence. Usually I re-watch the newer Doctor episodes when I've a bit of time to kill and no one can see me, but I've had difficulty keeping interest in Matt Smith and have not seen some of them in a good while. So, I don't really remember the Great Intelligence. Maybe if I'd remembered it from Matt Smith's time, I would have appreciated it more?
Padmasambhava is the name of the second Buddha in their religion, so no doubt that's why their leader chose that name. All the actors muttered his name in a rush, like they wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. Unless they are saying that the leader was actually the god, but that would be nonsensical. It seemed a little irreverent that this Buddhist was held captive by an alien for three hundred years who had been mind controlling everyone, building robot yetis and harassing the monastery. What exactly is worth harassing in the middle of nowhere is beyond me. I don't know much about the different parts of a Buddhist temple, but the secret room where no one is allowed is called the Inner Sanctum. Oh no, the creaking door! Pleassssant dreammmmmssssss hmmmm???? [See: old radio show.]
This is another one of those places where the Doctor has visited before, though we did not witness that. He also implies that whenever he is here, there's always some kind of trouble. This monastery must be cursed. Three hundred years ago, the bell was entrusted to him for safe-keeping because there was some sort of fracas back then, and it has been rattling about the TARDIS since then. He must have a housekeeper to dust all those trinkets he has amassed over hundreds of years. He figures that if he turns up at the monastery with the bell, the monks will greet him with enthusiasm. He figures incorrectly. Granted he didn't actually arrive at the monastery with bell in hand, as Jamie and Victoria had to find it themselves, so that was just idiotic. Wouldn't you worry if a strange man in a lady's fur coat just stood at the door rambling about a bell? The only person who would remember him would be Padmas....oh bother. I'm too lazy to type his name. Let's just call him Pad. And Pad was a tad busy being controlled by the Great Intelligence.
As soon as he arrives, he is quickly accused of killing a man, and is imprisoned. So much for the false claim that all Tibetan monks are gentle and non-violent. Though Khrison is kind of a grumpy man, due to the cold weather and such. Then again that's the most fun they've had in ages, and will likely have in years to come. I've watched countless martial art movies in my day, so I was greatly relieved that these Tibetan monks didn't go all up in the martial arts, and break into chorus singing "I'll Make a Man out of You" from Mulan.
The monks think that the Doctor is controlling the Yeti, so their logical solution is to hang the Doctor out to dry in the cold, to see if they do his bidding. Well that's mean. It takes Victoria and Jamie who talk the monks into releasing the Doctor from being eaten by the Barney creatures.
It takes everyone an unreasonable amount of time before they realize that the pyramids of spheres are causing trouble. Hmmm...when the mysterious balls are placed in the Yeti robots' chests, they do very bad things. Naughty spheres. So Pad has been sitting around for three hundred years, playing with little statues of Yetis on a checkered board. Wow. This guy is in desperate need of entertainment. This Great Intelligence went to a lot of effort, from making Yeti dolls to pyramid spheres. But if you've had three hundred years....Well it's actually not quite clear to me what was the Great Intelligence's goal. He had taken over Pad's body --- I'm assuming three hundred years back --- and was leading his robot Yetis around to attack the monastery, though evidently just to scare them away. I have no idea what he intended to do with several fake Yetis and an empty monastery. Turn it into a space ship and fly to mars? Dear me. That's really what I found confusing. Sometimes these little things are either unexplained, or I'm stupid. Probably the latter.
Victoria isn't really one to sit around on her heels. She even pretends to be poisoned to escape from jail. That's a good one! How did she become so clever? Am I the only one getting tired of Jamie's legs? I am quite glad that he's upgraded to a button up shirt, instead of the turtleneck. His outfit looks better.
This is another of those episodes when the Doctor could leave in his TARDIS, but chooses not to out of affection for Pad. Wouldn't you be alarmed if your Pad friend was still alive after three hundred years? Veeeeery suspicious. In another three hundred years, the Daleks and the Cybermen will be blowing up the monastery, just because the Doctor was there.
Why did the mountain explode?
Next Up: The Ice Warriors. I remember the Matt Smith episode with this alien, so I'm excited to see the original.
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