Cold War
Story 234, Episode 793, Series 7 Episode 8
Doctor: The Eleventh Doctor
Companions: Clara Oswald
Cold War re-introduces the Ice Warriors and gives us one of the most realistic settings in show history.
The Review
The most impressive part about Cold War is the set, something that we don’t say much about this show. Set on a Soviet submarine in 1983, everyone in the cast is repeatedly soaked, and it’s not just make-up. Jenna Coleman must’ve been shivering. The close-quarters hallways and constant alarm lights make this one of the most believable ‘base under siege’ stories. All the crew are obviously played by British actors, but it is made clear that they think the Doctor and Clara are both speaking Russian. Liam Cunningham cuts the figure of Captain Zhukov, and we also have David Warner as kind of a hippie professor figure (I think he could’ve used his skills better). They’re not the most memorable crew, in-fact I barely had remembered anything about this story before watching it again, but in the moment combined with the sets they’re effective.
This story also gives us the Ice Warriors back, well, only one Ice Warrior, the apparently legendary Skaldak. After the Soviets attack him, he declares Earth forfeit and plans to start a nuclear holocaust using the submarine. The Doctor tries to talk him down but it is not working. I thought there was a disappointing end when surviving Ice Warriors come and retrieve him, but it turns out Skaldak still could’ve shot the missiles remotely but chooses not to. As far as the Doctor/Clara pair, there’s no references to the Impossible Girl so a bit of the weird vibe is gone, but Clara still feels shockingly underwritten. There’s not really anything here specific to her character, though she’s definitely more agreeable than most of the recent companions would’ve been in this situation. We will continue to monitor the vibes. Also, the TARDIS is really at the South Pole? And we don’t know how they get back to it? In 1983?
Cold War impresses with a beautiful set, but a relatively straightforward plot.
8.5/10 If this was the classic series we could’ve gotten six parts out of this one
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