Last updated on 29 August 2017

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

WARNING! SPOILER ALERT! Welcome back to the Doctor Who Review, where I recap the week’s episode and give some thoughts and opinions on it. Please do not read if you have not seen this week’s episode. There are major spoilers ahead. You have been warned. Check out the rest of the Doctor Who Reviews here

Title: Thin Ice

Written by: Sarah Dollard

Straight back into the TARDIS after last week’s episode, Smile, concluded, the Doctor and Bill are off again, leaving Nardole still putting the kettle on. This time, Twelve takes Bill to London in the 1800’s. It’s definitely winter, and the Thames has frozen over. Known as the Frost Fair, stalls and carnival tricks and dancers and stores are all set up on the frozen river, the people having a jolly good time in this freezing weather snap.

But ah ho! What’s this? Green lights under the ice? What on earth are those? Well whatever they are, they’ve just sucked a small street boy through the ice and disappeared with him. As the Doctor and Bill realise there’s more to frozen Thames than the Dickinson-like people running around on it, they have to deal with the bad guy, Lord Sutcliffe. Lord Sutcliffe is using the street kids to lure people into the lights where they are pretty much sacrificed to a huge creature living under the surface.

The Doctor and Bill have to stop this, save the street kids, deal with the bad guy, and save the day, Dcotor Who style.

My thoughts on Thin Ice

This episode is full of great themes. The Doctor continues to teach Bill the ways of Time Travel, giving her opportunities to question things and figure some things out for herself. He has to admit to her that he is 2,000 and so there have been human casualties under his hand, and while that’s hard to fer to accept, eventually she let’s it go. The main concern to Bill when they first step out of the TARDIS is slavery.

It’s 1814, and she is definitely not white, as she points out. As this is an underlying theme of the episode, it’s shot to the surface when Lord Sutcliffe explodes in rage when she and Twelve visit him in his fancy pompous house. While he’s not normally one to show physical violence, the Doctor knocks Sutcliffe out and he’s down on the floor in seconds. My heart swelled. Look at him, standing up for Bill in this terrible era of history. You go, Doc.

I love how the TARDIS is never ending. In some cupboard in some room on some floor down some corridor that may or may not connect to the main console room, there is a selection of outfits fit for the 1814. I don’t know about you, but that is blimmin’ brilliant.

We also find out this week a little more about what’s hiding in the vault until the university that the Doctor and Nardole are supposed to be guarding. When Twelve and Bill get back from their adventures (last weeks and this weeks) Nardole is just bringing the tea into the office when he sees them and tells them off. ‘Your oath, Doctor!’ As the Doctor shrugs it off, saying it’s find to leave, Nardole heads on down to the basement and says to the things knocking on the vault door:

“Yeah, he may have a little friend now, and yeah, he may be a little bit distracted. But I’ll tell you something, I’m still here. And as long as I’m still here you are going nowhere!”

What on earth is in the vault, guys?! Why is it knocking?!

Overall, it was a pretty good episode. I like these episodes – the ones that are historical earth plot lines rather than technology based ones, or involve Daleks and/or Cybermen. I’d much rather a story like this, or a magical planet with interesting creatures than say, what we had last week in Smile.

Next week’s episode looks terrifying. We’re taken to where Bill lives, and get to hang out in her seemingly haunted house.

What did you think of Thin Ice? Enjoy it?