Review of The Abominable Snowmen by 15thDoctor
19 August 2024
This review contains spoilers
This is a story with a classic set up. Within moments of The Doctor arriving in a place, he finds two men brutally murdered and is then accused by the locals of committing the crime. Sound familiar? Despite this, there is plenty that sets this story apart from the rest of Doctor Who.
Firstly, Victoria and Jamie have turned out to be a fantastic companion combination. The writers have yet to drop the ball with them. The setting of a Tibetan monastery is interesting and from what I can see, the sets look great. Within the first episode you are introduced to a whole host of interesting characters with credible motives. Stealing the show here is Travers, a man ridiculed in his own country, setting out to prove the existence of the Yeti. Tomney is also a stand out performer in this story, I have to say that the man who plays the abbot is not the best actor in the world, there is never any change in the expressions on his face (though I appreciate that he is playing a man whose mind has been exposed to consistent bouts of amnesia - a difficult role to play).
The Yeti are undoubtedly the most interesting aspect of this story, the first new enemies that we've been introduced to with a high level of impact since the Cybermen. They attain truly 'classic' status. Hilariously Travers mistakes The Doctor for them in his woolly coat.
The locations here are great, mountaintops and prisons. The Great Intelligence is fantastic in this story, I like that throughout the six episode we find out that each villain is being controlled by an even greater villain!