C+Q - Cold War (2013)
Behold: the most Gatissy Gatiss episode that ever Gatissed.
It borrows heavily from the tropes of base-under-siege horror
movies, it features a historical setting that's obviously been
very well researched, and it's got some pretty obscure
references to things from Classic Who like the Hostile Action
Displacement System. And that's all before we even get to the
Ice Warriors. It's no surprise then that this is probably Mark
Gatiss' best episode to date. In terms of the overall arc of
Series 7 Part 2, it doesn't exactly contribute much as there are
no actual references to Clara's mystery, which I was
disappointed at on transmission. That said, considering this is
only the Eleventh Doctor and Clara's third adventure together,
it's good to have a standalone episode to show that Clara can
hold her own without needing a mystery surrounding her to be
interesting.
Within the first minute you get a sense of how well realised the
1983 Russian submarine is. The sets, costumes, lighting, and
especially the sound design are all so authentic, and combined
with the stunning old-school model shots of the submarine
exterior and the subtle period details in Gatiss' script, the
end result is one of the most immersive settings the show has
achieved in a long time. From the creaking of the walls pushing
back against the intense water pressure to the tight and
claustrophobic corridors, the atmosphere in Cold War feels
almost tangible. The actors are constantly being drenched as
water drips in from the ceiling. The high level of tension in a
cramped dark environment is an absolutely perfect setting for a
slasher movie and so, in keeping with Series 7's mission
statement of creating 45-minute blockbusters, Gatiss has taken
the reintroduction of the Ice Warriors down the same route as
the first Dalek story by showing us what just one of these
creatures is capable of doing on their own.
The Ice Warrior itself is a brilliant creation, staying
completely faithful to their original design (minus the LEGO
minifig hands) whilst also updating them for the 21st century by
making the bulky suit of armour into a literal suit of armour
that the Ice Warrior can climb out of to attack enemies more
stealthily. We learn a lot about Ice Warrior culture in the span
of just 45 minutes and while the whole 'proud warrior race that
fights with honour' thing has already been done with the
Sontarans and Silurians, there's still enough original
information to make me interested (this is the only Ice Warriors
story I've seen as of January 2015). I think there's some real
potential here to make the Ice Warriors a major recurring New
Who villain to break up the monotony of Daleks and Cybermen
every single year. I'd love to see a Series 9 episode set on
Mars at the height of the Ice Warriors' reign.
In the same way A Town Called Mercy felt like the TV Tropes page
for Westerns, every character in Cold War is basically a horror
movie archetype, the most ridiculous of all being the guy at the
very start of the episode who thaws out the Ice Warrior thinking
it was a mammoth, despite the fact that, even if it was a
mammoth, it would be pointless melting the ice before they got
to Moscow. But then again, he's The Stupid One Who Will Be The
First To Die. Then of course there's Zhukov, The Leader One,
Stepashin, The Asshole One Who We Want To See Murdered, and
Grisenko, The Nice One Who We Want To See Survive. The most
interesting and developed characters are of course the Doctor
and Clara, and it's clear when rewatching years later that this
is still early in their relationship.
Unfortunately, the brilliant execution of the practical effects
are ruined by the use of terrible CGI towards the end of the
episode. The worst parts are the bullet effects and the Ice
Warrior's unmasked face, which really should have been a real
mask for the suit actor to wear that more matched the jaw that
could already be seen underneath the helmet. I mean, they
obviously had to make a real jaw for the costume so all they
would've had to add to the mask is the upper part of the face.
Also while I'm on the subject of that scene, there's a really
weird moment when the Doctor pulls out the sonic screwdriver and
makes the end of it turn from green to red, apparently using the
"red settings" that Silence in the Library and Forest of the
Dead prophesised that the sonic would one day have. But the
weird thing is, we never learn how the red settings are
different to the other settings, and this is the only time the
Eleventh Doctor ever uses them. It's like Steven Moffat jolted
awake one day and thought, "Shit! I forgot to give the sonic
screwdriver red settings to complete the River Song arc! Eh,
I'll throw it in a random episode exactly once and never explain
why." So now there's a weird bit in that Library two-parter
where River foreshadows the climax of Cold War.
In summary, Cold War is an excellent episode and while its
resolution is a bit too easy, there aren't actually any logical
flaws or plot holes. It's an entertaining adventure that
succeeds in bringing back an old iconic monster. A strong entry
to Series 7.
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