Review - Cold War

Finally, an episode that didn't make me cringe. Cold War stands as a good example of how to structure a Doctor Who story. I don't even have that many fixes for it.

Cold War - Season 7, Episode 8

The structure of the episode was quite good. In fact it was the perfect example of the classic structure I outlined in my original post on Go, go, go, Geronimo! Despite the very early monster reveal, they still managed to create some tension and a nice additional reveal by having Grand Marshall Skaldak remove his armour. We then get only quick glimpses of the suit-less Skaldak as he runs amok during the "escalation" phase. In the end we still only see his face in full, leaving the possibilities for foot and body shots to still be mysterious in future episodes.

There was some low-level Deus Ex Screwdriver but this was limited through The Doctor dropping the Sonic early on. His eventual ploy using it could easily have been a bluff, so I've not really git too big a beef with it. Interestingly we may have seen the first sign of The Doctor's Screwdriver having Red Settings as seen on River's version in Silence in the Library

Clara took more of a back seat in this episode, which was nice. She played an active part, whilst at the same time remaining secondary. We saw some arc development for her as she realises it's not all fun and games with The Doctor, but it didn't detract from the story of the moment.

There was a refreshing lack of Hunka hunka Burning Doc, although there was a minor In-Who-Endo as The Doctor excitedly tells Professor Grisenko, "I could kiss you," with the Professor replying, "If you insist." I'm probably being over-sensitive on the gay innuendos now, but that, like most of the innuendos I complain about, felt forced and out of place. It didn't help that I was actively thinking during the opening titles, "I wonder how they'll get a gay reference in this week."

Of course in an episode set on a submarine, it could have been much, much worse.

I've heard others complain about some technical problems with the sub not being able to fire or even open tubes at 700m depth and maneuverability issues. There was also the question of why a nuclear sub is being used to survey for oil, which was never really fully explained. Overall I was quite pleased with this episode though, and if they stay on this level, I'll be happy.

8/10

Can we fix it?

Not much to fix here, really. Not being a submarine nerd, the technical issues that have been pointed out to me have no impact. Of course for those who are, this could be an issue, so I think a bit more time on exposition could have helped.

First, some explanation on how the Firebird was a modified or experimental sub designed for deep water launches would have somewhat quietened the military nerds out there. That could also explain the CCTV cameras used by The Doctor when coaching Clara through her encounter with Skaldak.

They also needed a bit more explanation as to why a fully laden and operationally active nuclear sub was hauling a Professor around to drill core samples looking for oil. It doesn't take much, but a quick line about the need for secrecy in these uncertain times could have been enough.

I also think the submariner that defrosted Skaldak needed a tad more motivation, but other than that, this was a solid episode.