The Planet of the Spiders Question

[shada pavlova]

After watching Planet of the Spiders, it has come to my attention that the first five episodes are great, but episode six seems to be rather rushed.

So, the question is...

Would Planet of the Spiders have worked better as a seven-parter?

Cast your vote!

[Paul Monk]

I voted no. There's that vastly over padded chase sequence most of which is pretty unecessary and a lot of which was repeated in the reprise of the following episode. Most of that could go then leaving plenty of room to expand the last part, if indeed you think the last part is rushed. Which I don't.

[shada pavlova]

If you were to stretch Part Six over two episodes, you could give the colonists of Metebelis 3 a lot more oppurtunities for character expansion, and also perhaps more of the Great One.That would make a great Part Seven.

[Antony Cox]

you could give the colonists of Metebelis 3 a lot more oppurtunities for character expansion

I think it would take a lot more than an extra epsiode to give that little lot any sense of dimension!

[Rob McCow]

I'd have happily sacrificed three episodes of Metebelis 3 Rubbish for another four episodes of Pertwee driving around in the Whomobile.

[Si Hunt]

I'm going to come back to this later, as I need more than just a few moments to ponder such a momentus question.

Si.

[shada pavlova]

Riiight...

[Pip Madeley]

I think it would've been a much better five parter.

[Antony Cox]

Riiight...

Si was being humorous, SP!

[SiHart]

Another half hour of Pertwee when Tom is waiting to take over would be a bad thing... though I'm sure there are several, well, one poster on PS who would disagree...

Si xx

[shada pavlova]

And me!

[Rob McCow]

Perhaps Part 7 could have been a 25 minute lecture to Sarah and the Brigadier. 'Now don't forget, war is bad... don't run with scissors... purple and green don't mix... as my old mentor told me... don't walk under ladders...'

[Pip Madeley]

'... and remember, SPLINK!'

[shada pavlova]

WHAAAAAAT?

[Pip Madeley]

Showing your age...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s--C7dMmgA0

[Antony Cox]

Showing your age...

Oh, and you're a right geriatric, aren't you?

Actually you're one step closer today, as it happens...

[Dirk Gently]

@Ant.


No, it wouldn't be better as a 7 parter. If it were in 7 parts then I'm sure we'd be discussing "would it be better as a 6 parter as it seems so padded?".

[Si Hunt]

I've long since wondered what Pertwee got up to in the week between dissapearing from Metabelis 3 and returning to Unit HQ (you know, the gap Sarah laments as she pops in one day to see if he's back). "Got lost in the Time Vortex" my arse. He knows he's dying. He's got a time machine. No companions to watch what he's getting up to in his final days. And he comes back a week later looking utterly shagged out.

Yes, I'd like another episode so we see where he went and how he spent that week.

Si.

[SiHart]

I've long since wondered what Pertwee got up to in the week between dissapearing from Metabelis 3 and returning to Unit HQ (you know, the gap Sarah laments as she pops in one day to see if he's back). "Got lost in the Time Vortex" my arse. He knows he's dying. He's got a time machine. No companions to watch what he's getting up to in his final days. And he comes back a week later looking utterly shagged out.

Well, someone wrote a short story about that where Pertwee was trying to decipher a piece of music he heard just before Monster of Peladon. Or something. It's in one of BF's Short trips books, and it was really rather good.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

I thought he might have visited an Offy and picked up some dancing girls.

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

Pertwee would have done if he were in the Doctors shoes.

[Jonno]

Didn't he visit Albert Square?

[Si Hunt]

That's just naughty talk.

Si.

[SiHart]

"I should be regenerating not bounding around like a Megalothian Slime Skimmer."

Si xx

[Kaybee Bailey]

I voted no, because I've always thought the seven part stories varied a bit too much in pace. Not saying that as a slight on Inferno or any of the other seven parters, but they do seem to have episodes that fly by and episodes that drag. I suppose if you know you're filling another episode you're tempted to start too many plotlines then drag them together too quickly. There's already a fair amount going on in Planet of the Spiders so I wouldn't have taken the risk.