Doctor Who: Cold War

Doctor Who: Cold War 

“Hair, shoulder pads, nukes. It's the 80s. Everything's bigger.”

-The Doctor 

How do you make Clara relevant? Add David Warner! David Warner in this episode plays a Soviet crewmember/mechanic on a nuclear sub where a frozen Ice Warrior has been discovered. Clara is amazed that she can speak Russian, so the Doctor has to explain that the TARDIS translates, again. Anyway, the Doctor had planned for a Las Vegas trip but mistakenly arrives on this Russian nuclear sub in the 80s, and the Ice Warrior perceives it is captured, and discovers the missile abroad which could start WW3.

   David Warner’s mechanic is obsessed with Western culture and rock music. He serves as an intermediary to the Russians and the Doc’s Crew and convinces the captain they aren’t British spies (as originally thought.) For once, the Doctor tells the truth that he’s an alien. David Warner inspects the screwdriver and says maybe they’re telling the truth. Clara acts like a dope and confronts the alien but not before the Doctor explains that maybe now’s not the best time for questions. (Again, she doesn’t understand that theoretically the world could end in the 80s.) But, The Doctor is discovered while Clara again asks The Doctor what to say to the giant alien warrior.

    Well, this makes the creature angry and it busts free to find the missile. Since the TARDIS vanished away in defense mode when the Russians shot at it upon arrival, they can’t just zoom away from the nuclear crisis. David Warner makes funny remarks and asks what happens to Ultravox in the future. He has a stylish walkman. The Doctor finally confronts the alien and tells it that it has no honor, which is an affront to his warrior code. Meanwhile, with the creature’s cooperation, The Doctor shuts down the missile, but not before the mad Russian captain attacks it with a machine gun; The Doctor tells him to stop though, and eventually the Ice Warrior mothership arrives, the problem is resolved. The TARDIS materializes (Wa, wa, waa…) in the South Pole and The Doctor asks for a lift as Clara and the Russians laugh off this near-Armageddon episode in Classic Doctor Who manner.

  A nice funny episode which reintroduces newbies to the Ice Warriors and concepts like the TARDIS translation matrix. Unfortunately, it still makes Clara look like a newbie, but David Warner’s giddy Russian portrayal at least excuses and expertly equals her naïve behavior. The dénouement  with the ice warrior’s code of honor being invoked felt particularly classic, as did the laugh-it-off ending. So 80s. Although the 7th Doctor hated the Ice Warriors, here we see a Doctor with the knowledge that the Cold War can end peacefully, and so he negotiates with them, instead of vowing their destruction. A nice mix of old and new that’s been a theme this season; no doubt for the 50th anniversary!

DOCTOR WHO’S CLARA IS BORING!: SO FAR…

DOCTOR WHO’S CLARA IS BORING!: SO FAR…

"Listen, there is one thing you need to know about traveling with me. Well, one thing, apart from the blue box and the two hearts. You don't walk away."

- The Doctor in The Rings of Akhenaten

I really don’t know what to make of The Doctor’s new companion Clara. She seems to have the same attitude as Amy, without any character development. The last episode The Rings of Akhenaten was good, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to relate to Clara or even like what she was doing in that episode. The reality: I fear the same “She’s your secret Time Lord daughter plot” they’ve been repeating since the 10th Doctor. Clara appears in different times before she started traveling before she met the Doctor, unless that means she is just caught in a time loop.

Spoilers: Clara doesn’t even have that much mystery surrounding her. We know she’s a Dalek. A converted Dalek. The only way you wouldn’t know that is if you didn’t watch the last season with Amy in Asylum of The Daleks. So, all this “Who is Clara Oswald?” business is just hype. We know who she is. Plot points are already repeating. Not that I’m not glad to see The Doctor again, and The Rings of Akhenaten was a great tribute to previous Doctors (with allusions to the 1st, 4th, and 10th Doctors adventures; even Indiana Jones.)


   Consider: The Doctor dropped in on Amy as a little girl. Clara Oswald just sort of latched onto him from what I can figure, after The Snowmen. And the worst thing is that plot points have been repeating ever since. The premiere episode The Bells of Saint John seemed to me to be a rehash of The Snowmen, but with The Great Intelligence controlling the wi-fi instead of snow. And for all we know, the Dalek episode may well happen at the end, which is the beginning! Although I really hope it doesn’t.

    Look, I know one plot point about Clara’s character: eventually, she’ll be a Dalek. What’s the mystery? Why does The Doctor keep her around knowing this? And she wants to walk away on their 2nd adventure? (of season 7.) Crazy! Plus, if The Rings of Akhenaten’s intro is any indication, she’s probably in a time loop. So, that leaves me with two possibilities: 1. She’s a Dalek. 2. She’s a Time Lord…which would be even worse, as you might recognize this as every plot since the 10th Doctor. It made sense when the 4th Doctor did it; but the 9th Doctor stated he (The Doctor) was  now the last Time Lord. Are we supposed to say he’s lying?

    I’m willing to give Clara a chance, but if they pull that River Song-type “She’s your daughter.” plot then it will be…well, hard for me to like her. I recently threatened to stop watching the show, but I cant…Matt Smith is just too good, and wacky! He’s got a good character in the 11th Doctor. I can’t walk away. (Literally or figuratively!) But, Clara. Come on. You need to get an attitude adjustment. And I really hope you’re not secretly River Song. Give me something new!