"That's Not Just Any Tomb. This Is The Tomb Of The Ice Queen..."
Ah, the Ice Warriors. Those awfully designed, avocado shaped, freezer magnets. Whilst many contemporary Who fans would have been made aware of their existence in the slightly better than average, Matt Smith-led "Cold War" back in Series Seven, their history through the Whoniverse begins all the way back within Patrick Troughton's stint in the late 1960's, with their second appearance within "The Seeds of Death" arguably being the biggest fan-favourite episode in which they are the primary antagonist of the piece. Returning this week and facing battle with Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor in "The Empress of Mars", the Ice Warriors are moulded into submission by constant Moffat companion Mark Gatiss who returns as a guest scriptwriter, following on from Series 9's fan dividing episode "Sleep No More" and whilst many are aware of Gatiss's love for all things Doctor Who, the multi-talented sci-fi geek is behind a script which although is pleasing in many aspects, also suffers from a slight feel of anti-climax, particularly in regards to the trio of episodes most recently, and whilst Gatiss's work on Doctor Who has never really been consistently excellent, "The Empress of Mars" is arguably the weakest episode of the series so far, if remaining to the motif of a more "classic Who" feel which has been more than rife throughout this year's series.
Whilst Matt Lucas's Nardole is once again cast out as side-companion, appearing only at the beginning and end of the story, Pearl Mackie is once again a real treat to be seen at Capaldi's side, offering quick, infectious quips when necessary and holding a sense of ingrained humanity when comparing her outrageous situation to the likes of famous science fiction movies. At the heart of the narrative, the titular female leader of the Ice Warriors can only be regarded as somewhat of a major letdown, one whose one-dimensional characterisation lacks a complete sense of threat even when shooting funky lazer beams at endless cannon fodder who are transformed into anatomy defying squares of death. Whilst the endgame of the story is simple enough for even the youngest of minds, Gatiss does make up for a mediocre script with a concluding scene which links in the previous appearances of the Ice Warriors in the best fan-pleasing way possible when as soon as the high-pitched voice of Alpha Centauri was heard, my heart was won completely over and my mind was thrown back to the Pertwee years, a winning formula whenever when considering Pertwee remains my favourite Doctor to this very day. This week's episode was good enough but still remains the weakest of the series so far. Maybe next time Gatiss.
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