The Ice Warriors - 3

The third episode is the second to be animated. We finally get more Ice Warriors and the animation continues to impress me. After the slow start that the previous episode went through it was nice how this one seemed to be totally different and it was good to just sit back and enjoy the episode. The story effectively continues the Ice Warrior that has been stuck with Victoria waking up more Ice Warriors and the Doctor works things out.

There’s a nice moment which shows that they have some intelligence to go with their size. They assume that if others from the base don’t come then they wont have enough people to prevent an attack. Not only are they intelligent but they are quite ruthless and its showed by the end of the episode where are about to kill Victoria from behind. The only issue is that they don’t really seem to have a plan. It’s normally a major problem but I think that the mere sight of them is enough to put that issue at the back of my mind but with three episodes left they need to get a wriggle on. Though the idea that they instantly want to attack the humans instead of just trying to talk to them.

Clent’s arrogance is shown up her as he wants to take credit for all the good things that have happened. It’s good that there is a character like Clent but there is something about Peter Barkworth’s portrayal of the character that annoys me and I think doesn’t sit quite well in the story. 
 
Jamie has been seriously injured after being shot at by the Ice Warriors and that’s about as much as he gets to do. Victoria gets to be a bit more active after not doing very much in the previous episode and I thought that her grief at thinking Jamie has died was one of the highlights of the episode.  The loss is also felt by the Doctor and it shows just how close they have become even if sometimes Victoria is treated like a spare part. Patrick Troughtons’ performance was strong and without Jamie or Victoria around him we were able to see why he is such a good actor.

It’s another enjoyable episode which starts to feel like its picking up the pace and as we enter the latter half of the story it seems like there is more to come. Were done with the animated episodes and I have to say that on the whole they have added to the enjoyment of the story. Nothing has put a dampener on my interest in the action. Now we are back to the ‘live’ episodes and I think that this might be a six parter that I actually enjoy. More down to the setting and the creation of the Ice Warriors than anything else. Finally I should say that apart from the less than spectacular Abominable Snowmen, I think that this fifth Season is a lot stronger than the previous