Doctor Who – Recap: That Sinking Feeling via Rickey.org
Recap and review of Doctor Who – Series 7 Episode 8 – Cold War:
After what feels like half a lifetime of the series trafficking almost exclusively in two-hearted storytelling, we get back to the classics, as Doctor Who basically does a send-up of Alien. “Cold War” doesn’t have the emotional kick of “The Rings of Akhaten,” but it’s immensely gripping all the same, featuring a story in which our heroes are trapped in an enclosed space with a mysterious, sinister alien threat. It’s one of the most tense episodes of series 7, and certainly the tensest episode since the return. This is not only due to the claustrophobic setting on a Russian submarine, but also the return of The Ice Warriors, a Doctor Who villain not seen on screen since the 1970s. The Martian natives are somewhat reminiscent of the Sontarans in how their culture privileges warriors and the glory of combat, and this makes for a nice parallel with the Russians aboard the submarine, as the period is the 1980s, when the Cold War was in full swing and tensions were at an all-time high. The episode focuses on the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction, and its existence as more than just a nebulous threat between nations, but as a conflict between worlds. As The Doctor (Matt Smith) explains to Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman), time is always in flux. History can be rewritten, and this is one of the moments where the actions of The Doctor and his companion could completely tear apart the fabric of what’s already come to pass. The stakes are through the roof, and this sense of real danger is what makes “Cold War” as powerful as it is exhilarating.
Credit: BBC
The TARDIS brings The Doctor and Clara aboard a sinking Russian submarine, and the Russians on-board are immediately suspicious of the travelers, taking them into custody and searching them (even confiscating The Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver, in an act of minor sacrilege). As the submarine plummets to the ocean floor, things officially get real, as General Skaldak, Grand Marshal of the Ice Warriors (a once proud race who ruled our Solar System in the days of old), awakens from a 5,000 year slumber. Skaldak is his race’s most famous hero, and The Doctor recognizes this and attempts to reason with him, knowing that he’ll be bound by Martian law to destroy everyone on-board if he is attacked. And, don’t you know, that’s exactly what happens, as a scared soldier/moron shocks Skaldak with a cattle prod (why one of those is on board a submarine, I’ll never know). The group is left with little choice but to bind Skaldak in chains, for their own safety.
Credit: BBC
The tensions aboard the vessel reflect the Cold War in microcosm, as Captain Zhukov (Liam Cunningham, the good Ser Davos Seaworth of Game of Thrones) remains suspicious of The Doctor even after he’s proven that he means them no harm, and wants only to find a peaceful resolution to the problem of the Martian aboard the submarine that intends to kill them all. Clara continues to prove her mettle as a companion, volunteering to speak with Skaldak when it becomes apparent that Zhukov will not allow The Doctor to serve as emissary to the proud warrior. Clara recites the words The Doctor is dictating to her, yet Skaldak doesn’t want to hear it, as the Professor (David Warner), one of the Russians on board, correctly surmises that Skaldak “wants to talk to the organ grinder, not the monkey.” The Professor is somewhat similar to The Doctor in his quirky genius, which makes sense, since Warner once played an alternate version of the hero in radio dramas. He comes in handy once Skaldak escapes his restraints and lurks throughout the ship, stalking his prey for slaughter because, as the Martian saying goes, “Attack one of us, and you attack us all.” The Professor forms a bond with Clara, and it’s this bond that saves the day, if you think about it. When Skaldak grips The Professor by his skull, preparing to tear him apart, Clara pleads with the warrior to let her friend go. The arrival of The Doctor, Captain Zhukov, and his forces (with their guns and their threats) distract us from the fact that Skaldak actually listens to Clara’s plea.
Credit: BBC
This is because Skaldak had a daughter back on Mars, and his 5,000 year slumber means that she’s little more than dust now. Skaldak’s vendetta against the galaxy stems from the belief that his race is no more, since no one answered his initial distress call. Though The Doctor tries to convince him that The Ice Warriors are still amongst the stars, Skaldak does not believe the Time Lord, and this is reflective of the mistrust embodied in the Cold War era. Skaldak threatens to launch one of the missiles aboard the submarine, striking the United States and igniting “Mutually Assured Destruction,” as the war will result in Earth becoming a new “Red Planet,” according to Skaldak: one that runs “red with the blood of humanity.” The Doctor makes one of his trademark impassioned pleas for mercy, saying that there would be no honor in Skaldak bringing about the death of billions. These pleas fall on deaf ears, leaving Clara to recall the moment when Skaldak could have killed the Professor, but didn’t. Clara tells Skaldak that he’ll be killing mothers, fathers, sons…daughters. And this is finally enough to get Skaldak to give mercy a chance. And not a moment too soon, as his distress call is answered almost immediately after. A Martian ship arrives and lifts the submarine from the bottom of the sea, before teleporting Skaldak up, at which point the Ice Warrior switches off the missile launch terminals. It’s a win, all-around.
Credit: BBC
It’s hard to do justice to just how creepy this episode was, from the cheap yet effectively unsettling green claw-hand of Skaldak, to the CG depiction of his piranha-like face. There’s something truly disturbing about the threat of an enemy that’s ubiquitous yet unseen, and it’s this tension that gives the episode most of its power. It’s an episode less about The Doctor or Clara or a combination of the two, than it is about the overarching threat and what it represents within the context of this period setting, as the story draws parallels with history while pretty much just telling a damn fine horror story. There are also moments of wonderful levity, such as when the Professor tries to get Clara to sing Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and then, upon learning she’s a time-traveler, demands to know whether or not Ultravox eventually breaks up. The episode is just plain fun, that also has a lot to offer from a narrative standpoint, even though it doesn’t utilize the overt sentimentality of previous weeks. Clara proves herself to be a formidable companion who blends well with The Doctor’s Messianic sensibilities, as he’s willing to blow up the entire sub if it means stopping Skaldak from launching the missile, while Clara never hesitates to put herself in harm’s way to stop innocents from being hurt. I’m a huge fan of this pairing so far, as there’s a natural chemistry between the two that makes their adventures far more engaging than I would have expected them to be this early into Clara’s run. There’s not really much of a learning curve with her. She comes out of the gate fully-formed and ready to go. It’s a wonderful depiction for a new companion.
Credit: BBC
“Cold War” is an episode that is as alive with adventure as it is thick with dread, and it results in a welcome return to horror form for Doctor Who. Next week’s episode looks like another horror film, come to life. It features Call the Midwife‘s Jessica Raine, and is written by Luther creator Neil Cross. “Hide” should be a terrific follow-up to “Cold War,” going by the evidence that this half-season has been uniformly stellar thus far.