Cold War

Cold War
by Mark Gatiss
Originally Broadcasted: April 13th, 2013

The Doctor and Clara are ready to arrive in Las Vegas, but per the TARDIS's usual stubborn attitude, they end up on a Soviet Submarine in the 1980s instead. A mysterious archaeological find is being transported on this submarine, and frozen with in is an old enemy of the Doctor's, an Ice Warrior...

Since returning to our screens in 2005, many classic Doctor Who monsters have returned to our screens, most notably the Daleks, the Cybermen, and the Master. There have been more obscure baddies returning too, like the Sontarans, the Autons, the Macra, and the Silurians. This time, it's the Ice Warriors turn to be updated for the 21st century. The design of these creatures from Mars remains very much the same as the classic design from the 1960s. But special emphasis is put on the fact that it's just the creatures armor. For the very first time, we get to see an Ice Warrior out of its armor, and it's not a very pretty sight. They're nothing like I thought they'd be, more reptilian than human. The return of the Ice Warriors was handled brilliantly by writer Mark Gatiss, and the idea of putting one on a Soviet Submarine was a stroke of genius. Many reviews I have read have compared the reintroduction of the Ice Warriors in Cold War to the return of the Daleks back in 2005's Dalek. Both feature a similar set-up: The Doctor and companion arriving somewhere underground (or water) and being locked in with the crew and a deranged monster. Dalek had the originality factor to it, but that doesn't mean Cold War is bad. The eerie atmosphere set on the submarine is beautifully done, and the decision to not reveal the true Ice Warrior until near the end was a good one. I love the professor masterfully played by TRON's David Warner. His young-at-heart attitude and decidedly anti-Communist music choices brought some humor to a rather dark episode. His favorite song is Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf", and even Clara starts singing it when things get a bit too much to handle... There's not too much else I can say about Cold War, it's just a phenomenally good Doctor Who romp!

Luke's Rating: 8/10