TV Review: Doctor Who Series 10 Episode Three - "Thin Ice"

"I'm 2000 Years Old And I've Never Had The Time For The Luxury Of Outrage..."

As previously mentioned in last week's review of "Smile", the latest series of Doctor Who definitely has an air of Classic Who surrounding it, taking the blueprint set by early stories in the 1960's and 70's where mystery and intrigue are the leading force of a narrative in which although is rife and based in science fiction, is ultimately an A to B through-line of which audiences of all ages can understand and enjoy. In contemporary comparison, recent years have seen particular episodes of Doctor Who come undone by the vast array of knots certain scripts tie themselves due to silly plot points and the endless issues of dwelling with notions of time travel, yet with "Thin Ice", the fun factor is very much back in place, with the eerie element of the unknown horror acting as a common thread between each of the episodes so far this series with water-based stalkers and emoji-crazed robots being traded this week for a murderous entity which stalks its' prey underneath the frozen footpaths of the 19th century River Thames. Who's up for Piranha, Doctor Who style?

Whilst the threat of a gigantic hidden alien life form, one hidden in the confines of the surrounding area in which our favourite Time Lord seeks to venture upon is nothing exactly new, the charm and nostalgia factor which arises from seeing such harks back to days gone by when the BBC's prop department consisted of a rubber suit and fluorescent laser beams in their attempts to portray a wide range of life forms and whilst the overall narrative behind "Thin Ice" is standard to say the least, the relationship between The Doctor and Bill is once again at the forefront of an episode which seeks to identify what weaknesses are there when the two of them are faced with such a deadly menace. Witnessing death for the first time within the story, Bill's reaction to such conveys a deeper sense of characterisation than previous companions couldn't manage throughout their tenure and her questioning of The Doctor's violent past was an interesting side note, particularly for die-hard fans such as myself. With issues of race, power and responsibility all arising within the course of one 40 minute episode, "Thin Ice" is an interesting episode which continues and solidifies the solid relationship between its' two leading stars,

Overall Score: 7/10