This one didn't quite land with me, I'm afraid. It's a pity, because the setting and the enemies could have made for a very strong story. The fact that The Abominable Snowmen is mostly missing doesn't do it any favors, but I suspect that there was not a particularly thrilling ride here to begin with.
The setting is a somewhat novel one, calling to mind for me the first episode of Marco Polo back in Season One. The discovery of the yeti print especially rang familiar bells for me. It's probably this mindset that made me suspect that Khrisong was going to be a character in the Tegana mold, albeit in more of a base commander sort of fashion. I have to give the serial props for subverting this expectation, as Khrisong loses his suspicion for the TARDIS team after they prove themselves and dies as a protagonist.
Padmasambhava is an interesting conceit, a centuries-old monk kept alive as the "master" of the monastery by the Great Intelligence. His previous relationship with the Doctor is intriguing, it's just a shame that they only get one scene together. Thonmi is likable, and Travers is fun, albeit underutilized. The yeti are charming, not exactly scary, but certainly memorable.
All this is about the most I can say for the story, since its most interesting ideas are either unexplored or stretched out over six episodes. There was a very interesting four- or three-parter buried under all this weight, but as it is, it's overlong and fails to excite much. Here's hoping our dear Great Intelligence has a better outing next time we see it.
Sorry for a short one, but The Ice Warriors is up next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 7 March 2021.)
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