Thin Ice

It's generally a companion's third episode where she witnesses her first death, and it's usually a tough moment for them. They start to question the Doctor's morals, and question whether they should be on these adventures in the first place, but Thin Ice takes this one step further.

This is an episode that has many brilliantly realised moral undertones and a great understanding of two very strong subjects: Sexism and Racism.

It handles them with care, and a sense of victory as the sexist, racist antagonist is punched square in the face by our time- travelling hero, and despite dealing with them in a light-hearted way, it never makes a joke of them which is definitely the right direction for a pre-watershed sci-fi show.

Thin Ice involves a giant monster spanning the length of the River Thames chained under the ice in Victorian London, by an evil rich businessman who uses it's... um, excrement for fuel as a alternative for fossil fuels.

It's a simple plot that's easy to understand, which is why it's all the more baffling that it never gets properly explained, but I'll get to that later. First, the good stuff...

Thin Ice is fun story that is really enjoyable. The snowy Victorian setting is much better than most of Doctor Who's previous attempts at portraying this era, dealing with homeless children who have to pickpocket for money, and the festival on the frozen Thames which was a nice idea.

I found this much more compelling than yet another candle-lit street with Victorian people yelling at each other, which is what you see in most Victorian shows these days.

The concept of a Thames size monster is a weird one, but I'm glad they didn't just use it as a joke for the sake of getting another episode out-there.

Series 10 so far has been really good at taking ideas that sound stupid on paper, and making them into compelling stories: A Sentient Puddle, A Grief Tsunami, A Monster the shape of the Thames.

The concept of the antagonist using the creature's excrement as a fuel source is one that hits home in this day and age, when we're constantly being told that the fossil fuels are running out and we need to find alternatives. It's nice to think that they were already planning in the Victorian era.

This is another idea that's handled in an emotional way. This whole scene reminded me of two episodes that have come before. The Doctor saying that they couldn't leave the creature to suffer under the ice anymore reminded me of Series 5's The Beast Below, and the Doctor telling Bill that it was her planet and therefor her decision reminded me of the final scene from Series 8's Kill the Moon.

Except, Thin Ice does this far better than both of the previous episodes. The Beast Below didn't really have any substance to back it up, and Kill the Moon's ending was completely nonsensical to begin with.

This episode makes you feel like the Doctor has learned his lesson from the end of Kill the Moon where he threw Clara into a life or death situation to save a creature, and then abandoned her. Here, the Doctor tells Bill it's her decision, but he'll stay and do what he tells her.

This is the best Capaldi's Doctor has ever been. Telling Bill to make the decision, but understanding how hard it is for her, which I didn't get from Kill the Moon. It's a lovely moment and one that I think should be remembered when talking about Capaldi's Doctor in the coming years.

Now for some bad stuff... The characters in this episode are about as thin as the titular ice. They have no substance to them what-so- ever. The children are just there so the Doctor will have someone to help, and the main antagonist is only there because, every episode needs an antagonist right?

He has a relevance in the story, but no real effect. The only character trait I get from this guy is that he's sexist and he's racist, and he's only both of those things to drive home the themes of the episode, and so we can have that awesome moment where the Doctor punches him in the face.

The CGI is also rather bad. The shot of the monster swimming out to sea looks really cheap, and the death of the antagonist (sorry, I can't remember his name he's so under-developed) looks horrible.

But at least we have the great shot of the Doctor and Bill looking at the giant eye.

There's also a lack of explanation as to the origins of the creature. The doctor states that it might not be Alien, but stops there, and we never get a definitive answer as to where this creature came from, or what it is, which is a shame as I was quite interested in this thing.

Also, will we ever find out what happened to it?

Overall... Thin Ice is a lot of fun. It has a wonderfully witty script, great performances, a good monster, and some fantastic moral undertones.

The characters could be more developed, but it's still as compelling a compelling story that works brilliantly. We really are on a role with Series 10.

The third episode of series 10 sees the Doctor and new companion Bill arriving at the last great frost fair on the River Thames, London in 1814. There are strange things lurking under the ice and a very unpleasant person manipulating events above the ice. The Doctor steps in to try to resolve matters.

There are many excellent features to this episode and overall it is very good and enjoyable. Following on from a superb first episode and an ok second episode, series 10 continues to satisfy overall in terms of varied story lines, good scripts, strong character development, quality acting and entertainment.

Capaldi as the Doctor is brilliant and executes everything perfectly in this episode including a powerful speech to the villain which is superb. Indeed there is a lot of powerful stuff in the script with Bill questioning the Doctor's morals, purpose, and way of life (as other companions have periodically since the very start in 1963 when Ian and Barbara challenge the Doctor's morals). The way it is dealt with here is very good indeed and reinforces the character of the Doctor as a man who has to make difficult choices and take difficult actions for the greater good. Steven Moffatt often overplays the darker side of the Doctor and hypes it up a bit in my opinion but writer Sarah Dollard here gets it just right. It questions him but shows that he definitely is making the tough choices for the right reasons.

Issues of racism and how black people were treated in the past are raised and again are dealt with very well. Bill is establishing herself as a fine companion. Well acted and very likable, doing all the things a companion should. She is strong and full of personality but is not overly dominant or over confident in an annoying way.

There are a couple of small negatives, I think:

There is a slight lapse in internal logic/continuity when the Doctor and Bill go under the ice into the Thames in old fashioned diving suits. In real life these suits were exceptionally heavy and required an oxygen line for someone to remain underwater. It seems a little bit odd that in this they are able to move in the suits with relative ease and the means of providing air for them to breathe is not clearly used properly. But the thing that drew my attention more was when they emerge from the water and the suits are dry. This is not a major issue in the story at all but it is a silly and unnecessary flawed moment which took me out of it for a minute.

Also, I feel the effects of the giant fish and of the attacks through the ice are not as good as they could have been.

The fish story is not exactly the most amazing or convincing idea. However, it is interesting to have an unknown earth creature rather than an alien so it has some value in adding variety.

This was a mostly really well written and performed episode.

The regency time period is interesting and the setting is very nice to look at in terms of costume and the iced over River Thames with an atmospheric situation that adds to the feel of the episode.

The villain is suitably horrible and the story is very solid with great moral aspects to the script adding intelligence to the relatively simple plot. That is the what we need from solid Doctor Who and Series 10 is nearly all solid Doctor Who.

My Rating: 8/10.

Series 10 Episode Ranking: 9th out of 14.

The Doctor and Bill arrive in London 1814 and learn of a creature living in the frozen Thames

!!!!! SUGGESTIVE SPOILERS !!!!!

So far this year we've been treated to a rather low key show and this is by no means a complaint . In fact it tends to work in the show's favour because the writing , performances and all round drama have replaced an over-reliance on spectacle and noisy nonsense . Thin Ice continues this feel. But there's always a conjunction

But....

.... the downside is it feels like it was written by what's known in British popular culture as a "Guardianista" . Let's see now:

Racism is wrong ? - Check

Capitalism is cruel ? - Check

Men are even more cruel ? - Check

So the monster is the goodie and the baddie is a white male capitalist . One of the great things about classic Who is that it was able - like the very best of science fiction - to mix mind blowing entertainment with subtext. The Silurians from 1970 and Genesis Of The Daleks from 1975 are amongst the greatest pieces of television the show has come up. Continuing the theme here it just feels too obvious and a whole lot of nothing. On top of that an organisation like the BBC should be among the last people on Earth to lecture others on morality since their own track record has been so poor . In fact I was reading an old edition of the Radio Times the other day and took me a while before I realised it was the sex offenders register. Sad but true

While a little bit more exiting than last weeks episode, this still had the same form in the rushed ending. The bit about being black in 1800's England was done way better with 10th Doctor and Martha in the Shakespearean era, but I guess they have to repeat themselves nearly word from word every now and then?

As an adventure I thought it was a pretty decent story, loved the Thames setting, loved the almost early classic series vibe about it, the whole linking random historical events to the show, and given a sci-fi explanation. The visuals were great, really impressive, zany in a way, the circus, the elephant, stalls etc. I love the concept of something menacing lurking under The Thames.

Bill's reality check was the highlight of the show, I thought that conversation she had with The Doctor was fantastically well done, she's showing an emotional presence that hasn't existed in a companion I'd argue since Donna, Bill is truly proving to be the real deal.

I wasn't blown away by the character of Lord Sutcliffe, I am a fan of Nicholas Burns, the character wasn't given any time to make any sort of impact. Nicholas Burns is about as villainous as a Labrador puppy.

I loved the ending, I desperately want to know what exactly is behind the doors, could it be the Mondasian Cybermen?

Next week's looks a cracker.

Liked this one 8/10