The next scene, of course, is key, and it's the last I'll cover in detail. We fade up on a midshot of the Doctor, Susan and Ian, all awake, refreshed and enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, but Barbara is still sound asleep - as we see when the camera pans across to a quite intimate view alongside her. A few normal shots of the others follow, then we zoom in on her face as she wakes - and we suddenly cut to her viewpoint.
On first viewing I didn't notice the state of the surroundings straight away, just that Susan's dress didn't look up to much; but when Barbara tells them to look around it became obvious, and the tin mug sealed the deal. This viewpoint shot is held very static, in contrast to the fluidity of what we have just been watching; the only movement for quite some time is a slight pan to keep the Doctor in shot as he passes over the mug, and it quickly returns to its previous position. I might be reading too much into this, but it's noticeable that Ian is right in the middle, the human focus of Barbara's attention. As she gets more worked up and the others more confused we switch to a closeup of Susan, then her viewpoint as Ian tries to calm his colleague. We then switch back and forth between the two realities for a while, and Altos, who had seemed strange but nonthreatening before, now appears very creepy, particularly in the shots where we are looking through Barbara's eyes. We get one last view of the Doctor and Ian in the illusory world, then we move to a different set for the first time and from here on we are viewing things as they really are.
This switching of viewpoints is brilliantly done, and means that - in a sense - I'm lying about this being the first change of set. There were two copies of the reclining room, the main one and a reproduction of part of it in tatters. The "special effects" are done simply by pausing the filming while the actors move between sets. Nothing tricky, but it's very effective.
Time for another confession. I love stories that play with perceptions of reality, what is real and what is not, so I was predisposed to enjoy this episode. Films like A Beautiful Mind or Existenz get an immediate leg-up, so the good becomes great and the middling becomes good. How much of an effect this has had on me here is unclear; it's probably played a part, but I will still stand up for The Velvet Web as a fine example of television.
Meanwhile, getting back to the action, we finally see Barbara's real dress as she enters a room that looks like part of a ruined castle. The lighting here is beautiful, with great use of light and shade; I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to think about the camera shots.
Then we get to the brains. Apparently these were the only monsters to freak out Carole Ann Ford, and Susan doesn't even get to meet them. They are very silly, of course, but that doesn't matter; they look alive and move rhythmically, so they work anyway. The shot through the brain glass is another fun touch, though for the first time the camera's movement is less smooth than it needs to be for full effect.
The show continues to look good - take for example the shot of Barbara talking to the hypnotised Sabetha as they are facing each other, in profile, Barbara in shade and Sabetha in light - but I'll shut up about it, and spend a little time talking about other things. The laboratory scene is hilarious, and the two Williams are obviously enjoying themselves. In fact all the acting is up to scratch - Katherine Schofield's eyes as Sabetha breaks free of her conditioning are particularly expressive - and it helps that so much of the focus is on Jacqueline Hill, who is the only regular not to show signs of fatigue.
The least effective scene comes at the end of the main plot. Ian's puny strangling attempts make sense, but only in retrospect - at the time it just looks like he's not trying hard enough - and the killing of the brains is not very effective. One jar gets smashed; why couldn't the others be also? The postscript is a bit rushed, and when the Doctor is talking to Susan the others obviously move together to look like they are doing something rather than standing around. These are enough to stop me giving it 10/10, though only just.
What about the cliffhanger, with Susan assaulted by the voices of the forest? There's only one word for it. Herbidacious!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 18th April 1964
Viewers: 9.4 million
Chart Position: 25
Appreciation Index: 60
Rating:
9.5/10.
Next Time:
The Screaming Jungle.
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