I had a hard time taking
to the stories during Matt Smith's era. I found several of them way beyond
confusing and I'm afraid for a long while I stopped actually watching the show
because I was becoming increasingly disillusioned with it, to say the very
least. However, I was willing to give the show a go again when I heard a new
companion was coming on board, this time in the form of Clara Oswald. I thought
maybe new companion, new freshness. I wasn't completely wrong I am glad to say.
Cold War gave us perhaps the very best modern era reproduction of a classic
Doctor Who villain. The Ice Warrior. I thought the new design for once actually
did honour the originals of the classic era!! The Ice Warriors were back, and
back with some force.
Then it takes a long time
for them to come back once more. The next time it is to be with Peter Capaldi
and Pearl Mackie and Matt Lucas. I am at last elated that we are again to have
another Ice Warrior story. I am even more elated to see that the story is going
to be written once more by Mark Gatiss. To my liking Mark has always been one
of the very few reliable new era writers in that I have actually at least
enjoyed every one of his scripts for the show. He has a firm grasp of Who lore
and even if his stories don't always boast anything wildly new or
ground-breaking, they at least are always very entertaining and never slack in
the slightest.
There are several firsts
for the Ice Warriors in this new story. The biggest and most brilliant first is
this is the first time we get to see a female Ice Warrior. This is absolutely a
brilliant decision. And to be quite honest, Iraxxa is meaner looking than any
of the male Warriors. Adele Lynch is absolutely superb as the Warrior Queen.
She gives the role three dimensions, and also makes her a Warrior who does
still actually possess a heart in that she seems to find that despite the
ferocity of the Victorian soldiers stranded on Mars, that in Bill not all
humans are so keen to perpetuate war and slaughter and so she begins to see
more to humanity and is finally merciful, therefore a Queen of true stature and
morality.
The other thing that is
new, and that is a bit on the gruesome side, is the new weapons given to the
Ice Warriors. They now have more than just sonic guns, but guns that when fired
turn one into a square of hideously compressed flesh. This is totally
unappetising and horrific to me, but looks so bold and explicit on screen. It
is a nasty presentation of a way to die.
I do however have one
major problem with this story. I wonder how it would ever realistically come to
pass that a soldier who was once hung for cowardice would ever be given the
command of a regiment. This to me does totally not ring true. I do not think
this would ever have been allowed in the Victorian era. Or in any era of the
British Army. Having said this though, Anthony Calf is superb as the shamed but
in the end redeemed Godsacre. He truly sells the part very well indeed and
deserves all praise for his take on a demanding role. He seems to manage to
carry it off with absolutely ease.
Also I am not a fan of the
limiting of Nardole to a few scenes in most of the series ten episodes. It is a
total waste of a brilliant and fun character, wonderfully brought to vivid life
by Matt Lucas. I really love his character but I can’t help but feel that on
the whole he was truly wasted as a companion, his only significant hour is in
the series finale. But even despite his diminished stance, when he's present
you wonderfully and amusingly know he is there for sure. I wouldn't mind seeing
Nardole return to the series again in the future. There was such a lot of
potential in his character I feel.
But I do however really
like the idea of the Doctor trying his best to show Missy the era of her ways.
And Michelle Gomez is wonderful as ever as the none too trustworthy evil Mary
Poppins from Gallifrey. She is so good to watch on screen. And to see maybe her
at last seeing something wrong with her approach to life is a brilliant stroke
of development for the character who has long been a stalwart of the history of
Doctor Who ever since the first appearance of Roger Delgado in Terror of the
Autons. The Master has come a long long way since then.
Pearl Mackie I can't help
feeling is rather like Martha Jones as a character. in that she gets flashes of
very good character displays, but somehow, she still feels so much like a spare
part. I feel this is unfair to Pearl as she clearly can act and she's very,
very good at it too. It's just she seems to always be on the outskirts of
stories, and never really contributing anything massively brilliant to the
show. In fact, I can only think of The Pilot, Thin Ice and the Cyberman epic
two parter where she finally gets the screen time and development she truly
deserves. In the Empress of Mars though she does get to have some good scenes
with the Empress when she asks her advice on the matter of what to do with the
human soldiers stranded on her planet. So, all credit again to Mark Gatiss for
at least trying to give Pearl something decent to act out within a story.
Asides from the major plot
point I mentioned though, I really did enjoy this superb story. It is perfectly
paced; it is not overburdened with sub plots galore and the acting all round is
extremely good. The Empress of Mars surpasses Cold War in every respect in my
opinion.
And one more instance of
true fan joy is the return of Ysanne Churchman as Alpha Centauri in her cameo
at the end of the story. It is utterly brilliant to hear from the wonderful
Ysanne again, and she has not changed at all. This is the icing on the cake of
a story that delivers on almost every front. Ysanne Churchman as the brilliant
delegate from Alpha Centauri was just amazing to view again on screen after so
many years after the Monster of Peladon. This story goes on to tie in to the
events of The Curse of Peladon!
In fact, I probably would
go as far as to say this is my absolute favourite Mark Gatiss script of all for
the modern era. It is a really engaging and really well directed story. Wayne
Yip deserves all commendations for his taught, tight and superb piece of
cinematic Doctor Who.
And Peter Capaldi? Well
what does one need to say about his performance other than he is easily and
always will be my favourite male Doctor of the modern era by a clear mile and
half...
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