Review of The Ice Warriors (#39)
DVD Release Date: 10 Sep 13
Original Air Date: 11 Nov – 16 Dec 1967
Doctor/Companion: Two, Jamie McCrimmon, Victoria Waterfield
Stars: Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Deborah Watling
Preceding Story: The Abominable Snowmen (Two, Jamie, Victoria)
Succeeding Story: The Enemy of the World (Two, Jamie, Victoria)

For some reason, Troughton’s second season (Season 5, by the original count) was into cold climes. Starting things off with the cryogenic Tomb of the Cybermen, it proceeded on to Tibet and The Abominable Snowmen before landing the TARDIS crew in the glacier-covered future wasteland of The Ice Warriors.

Regardless of the seeming repetition of setting, I was glad to see another Troughton story I hadn’t had the privilege of watching before. Even when you’ve read a blow-by-blow plot synopsis, seeing it on the screen in front of you is a different kettle of fish. Besides, how can anyone resist any performance involving that infamous cosmic hobo?

As with many early stories, one has to take this one with a largish grain of salt. Not only are the Ice Warriors’ creature costumes ridiculously unconvincing (its the rubber mouths that don’t move in sync with the actors’ jaws that really does it), but the science is sorely outdated. The idea that extreme deforestation (not that the script calls it that) would lead to less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere might have been a believable hypothesis at the time, but these days we’re seeing the opposite effect. So the very premise comes across as extremely retro-futuristic.

However, if we ignore the stated reasons for this new Ice Age, and just take it as given, the story is easier to swallow. Then we have humanity struggling for survival between the “rock” of rapidly advancing glaciers and the “hard place” of a suddenly revived alien menace. The secondary struggle, of course, is among those who blindly follow a computer’s dictates, those who mistrust “science” in any form, and those who stand between the extremes. The Ice Warriors themselves step into this latter conflict at one point when their leader Varga crows over the humans’ ionizer as a impressive weapon. “It’s not a weapon!” protests Miss Garrett. “It’s a scientific instrument!” Varga’s answer is simple and predictable. “I see it differently.”

There are plenty of deep themes throughout, if that’s your cup of tea, but the strength of the story is in the Doctor and the Ice Warriors themselves. Ignoring the guy-in-a-rubber-suit factor, this new species of villains have some unique traits that heighten the ick factor. Their hissing speech echoes their reptilian features, and the clever visual effect used to signify the firing of their sonic guns is simple yet striking.

As for the Doctor, he is in fine form, playing comedically off of Jamie as usual, letting his curiosity get the better of him (“It might be dangerous. Let’s leave it,” pleads Victoria. “No.” “Doctor…” “Let’s go in!”), and saving the day within seconds when he realizes instantly what danger is at hand. All this happens within the first episode, and continues from there.

I must of course also note that there are two episodes (Two and Three) of this story missing from the archives. For this release, they have been reconstructed through animation, and quite nicely so, in my opinion. Most recently, we saw missing episodes of The Reign of Terror replaced in such a manner. I have to say I much prefer the style here, which seems smoother and generally more “alive”—which is definitely something a Second Doctor story deserves.

DVD Extras (highlights)

Cold Fusion

For me, the highlights of the requisite “making of” documentary was learning little details like how the scene at the beginning where the crew climbs out of the TARDIS was all ad libbed or that actor Bernard Bresslaw (Varga) was the one who had the idea to give the Ice Warriors’ voices that distinctive hiss. There are, of course, a multitude of other tidbits that are also charming and worth a watch.

Beneath the Ice

For those interested in the animation process responsible for bringing Parts Two and Three back to the screen, be sure to check out this extra. Not only do they cover how they chose this particular style to use, but they also discuss how they had to piece together the action from the surviving audio and shooting scripts.

Doctor Who Stories—Frazer Hines, Part Two

Like all in this series, the material for this piece was taken from 2003 interviews. Frazer reminisces about his time on the show, including doing his own stunts, public reactions, and how Jamie’s character actually prevented typecasting. Part One can be seen as an extra on The Krotons.

Aside from providing fodder for a Doctor Who / Star Wars crossover joke (when Penley refers to the Doctor as “that funny, scruffy-looking chap…” (WHO’s scruffy-looking?)), The Ice Warriors successfully introduces a new race of baddies and gives the viewer an all-too-rare opportunity to watch Two in action. If you’re willing to suspend your disbelief despite some questionable production values, plot points, etc. (which, let’s be honest, you always have to be to enjoy Who), I think you’ll find you’ve dug up something worth watching.