Fight for a future, not a dead past." A real classic romp, this one, with a real geeky cameo last seen in The Monster of Peladon back in 1974. The Doctor, Bill and Nardole find themselves amidst a battalion of British soldiers who have found themselves on Mars finding after travelling with a lone Ice Warrior from Earth. The premise involving a message seen on Mars by NASA leads to a causal loop that is actually quite neat and tidy, but there are some quibbles I have regarding some character choices and plot points.
To begin with, however, there's nostalgia for me as this feels like a classic Doctor negotiating peace scenario where there are two misunderstood races meeting for the first time. This sets up a rather interesting confrontation in which he meets a female Ice Warrior, Iraaxa, for the first time. As is customary for the Ice Warrior species, the females are the leaders and hierarchy as they are the wisest - a plot point destined for the modern age of equality. Nevertheless, she is a formidable opponent who is protective of her planet and the survival of her race, as anyone would be. But it takes a close ally of hers - an Ice Warrior, no less - to persuade her otherwise. That was a nice touch to the story, allowing us to consider our prejudice and the Doctor's. The visuals were great, and CGI shots of Mars' surface were nicely done, but the new method of killing by the Ice Warriors - less so. It is far more comical than terrifying, and does take away some of the scare factor associated with these 'upright crocodiles'. Nevertheless, I liked the fact that the monsters look the same as they did fifty years ago. On top of that, credit goes to the acting of Adele Lynch and Anthony Calf; the former was dramatic and reminded me of the Racnoss, the latter provided a confident performance that gave us an admirable character. The character choices were less meaningful, and unfortunately the episode fell into the trap of relying too much on the past, and giving us a situation that involves a series of deaths that leads to a discovery and then a fierce battle that is ended swiftly by either the Doctor os his companion's intervention. Catchlove's character was especially dislikable, mainly because he embodies the same trope of an arrogant man with little sense. In addition, I felt the Doctor and Bill were rather underused, despite their role in the conclusion - it was far more reliant on its supporting characters. To conclude though, I was very pleased with Gatiss' numerous cameos from the past, not least the Ice Warriors' return. But alongside the painting of Queen Victoria from Tooth and Claw, we had the cameo from Alpha Centauri, possibly the most ostentatious individual characters in Doctor Who's history, with her distinctive high-pitched voice. Having the actress return as well was just brilliant, and rounded off the rather uneven episode well - even leading us into the stories that spawned into The Curse and Monster of Peladon. I always love a good continuity reference. Finally, I'm intrigued by the storyline involving Missy. Nardole has possibly made his biggest faux pas yet by freeing Missy from the Vault so that she might help pilot the TARDIS back to the Doctor and Bill on Mars. It's the Doctor's reaction that's most interesting though, as he's still unsure where her loyalties lie, despite her claims that she's turning good. The finale beckons with some possible fascinating developments. 7.5/10
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AuthorA very passionate Welsh nerd... Archives
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