Cold War

"It's an Ice Warrior. A native of the planet Mars. And we go way back. Way back."

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Format: TV

Broadcast: 13th April 2013

Series: 7.08

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

In 1983, the tensest point of the Cold War, a Soviet submarine discovers a strange creature frozen in the ice of the arctic. When one of the Firebird's crew breaks it free, it starts attacking. As the crew strikes back, the Doctor warns them that the attack could be considered a declaration of war on the entire Ice Warrior race...

Verdict 

Cold War was a bit of a mixed bag, and despite the story being great, what occurred was a bit of shame. I may as well start right away with the landmark return of the Ice Warriors, or rather just a sole member of the species. Whenever a villain from the classic series returns to the revived show it has to be spectacular but more importantly it has to be good and the enemy needs to stick to basics and recognisable to its previous stories. Sadly, this wasn't done here. Not even close. Now I usually really like the stuff of Mark Gatiss but what he's done with the Ice Warriors here is just cruel. Taking Skaldak out of his armour and revealing what's beneath the infamous green shell wasn't a nice surprise, it was a huge letdown. I genuinely was gutted. After such successes with The Ice Warriors, The Seeds of Death and Thin Ice, despite a blip in between, the Martian race remain one of my all time favourite villains. And their originality was just stripped away. I couldn't believe that the armour of the Ice Warrior was just stuck in chains in a heap. I tried to accept that being out of armour made Skaldak more vulnerable and dangerous than ever, and was exaggerated even more by the fact even the Doctor didn't know what to expect. I suppose that aspect was quite good. I liked the similarity to the already mentioned Ice Warrior debut story with the Martian trapped in an ice block. The Russian missile submarine setting was staggeringly good! Now, I really liked the story apart from the obvious flaw I've ranted about. The arrival of the Doctor and the Clara was fantastic and I loved how the Doctor much preferred a sinking submarine owned by the Soviets to the intended destination of Las Vegas. Jenna Coleman, as always, looked absolutely incredible in that dress in the soaking wet! Incredible. And she doesn't just have the looks, she also happens to be absolutely fantastic. I loved how she stepped up to the plate to go into the chamber with Skaldak. The reaction of the Doctor when he found out the name of the Ice Warrior he was up against this time around. It just happened to be the Grand Marshall and finest hero the entire race had produced. No biggy then. The atmosphere of the story was brilliant throughout and the darkness really helped that. I loved that the story was set right at the heart of the Cold War, a period of history I have studied quite in depth at GCSE, with the threat of the Russians firing the missile. The guest cast were all good and I liked the equality each shared in their roles despite the obvious ranks. The moment where Clara obeyed the instructions of the Doctor and she didn't argue was absolutely brilliant. Not many things surprise the Doctor but it is an extremely rare thing for the companions to do as they're told! The climax was really good with the Doctor talking Skaldak out of sending the missile and instead staring into the eyes of the creature beneath the armour, which should never have been revealed. The relationship between the Doctor and Clara is blossoming wonderfully and I adored how Clara loved saving the world. Overall, a decent story but a great shame in taking the armour away from the Ice Warriors. Probably a generous rating on my part.

Rating: 7/10