Doctor Who veteran Mark Gatiss' first story of the series had a mammoth task - reintroducing the Ice Warriors! Warning: the following review contains spoilers, don't read if you haven't read the episode!

When I think of writers who have written fantastic/good stories for Doctor Who recently, Mark Gatiss does not come to mind. In my opinion, the only good episode he had written for the show was 'The Unquiet Dead', way back in 2005. All subsequent stories have been below, on, or slightly above average. Thankfully, very thankfully, Gatiss returns to excellent form to pen the best story of Series 33 so far.

Cold War sees the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) land in a Russian nuclear submarine in 1983. The Russians have found something frozen in the ice, and have accidently woken it up, and it now stalks the sub, causing havoc wherever it goes. To his shock, the Doctor finds that the monster is none other than an Ice Warrior, a native from the planet Mars. When the Warrior, Skaldak, finds out about the current 'cold war', it is up to the Doctor and Clara to stop Skaldak from plunging Earth into Mutually Assured Destruction.

One can't help but draw comparisons between 'Cold War' and 2005's Dalek. Both feature a returning Classic era monster. Both have said monster locked up/confined in some way. Both see the monster escaping, and both have a face off between the Doctor and the monster. However, unlike 'Dalek', I feel that 'Cold War' did this in such a way that the entirety of the episode was extremely enjoyable.

The Ice Warrior itself is a thing of beauty. The design team have done a wonderful job by updating the armour for the modern audience; it hasn't strayed too far from the original design and still retains that 'unique' look. While the Ice Warriors of the 60s and 70s looked big and cumbersome, the new design makes them look like the mean business: strong and powerful. The claustrophobic setting of the submarine enhances this effect, giving the camera some fantastic angles and shots.

The characterisation of the Ice Warrior is also faithful to the original. While I would have preferred the voice not to have been as deep as it ended up being, I don't really mind, as the end result complemented its appearance perfectly. The distinctive 'hiss' was still there, but more toned down, something I was disappointed with. References to the 'Tharseesian Caste' and other elements of Martian culture weren't based from the Classic series, they were influenced mainly from the novels. While I don't agree with the novels at the best of times, I do like the fact that Gatiss has made an attempt to broaden the Warriors' culture, a move that could be continued if the Ice Warriors were ever to make another appearance. Skaldak himself was well written, and the parts concerning his daughter made him more relatable, and in my case, made me feel sorry for him. I was extremely glad when he didn't die, I thought that he really deserved to live. I also loved the fact that we finally got to see the Martian behind the warrior. The face looked extremely believable and suitably repitilian, but I'm still not sure about the arms, they seemed too thin. I have to admit, though,  that I was disappointed that we didn't see more of the Ice Warrior's famed sonic destructors, weapons mounted on the forearm that can disintegrate a human brain using sound waves.

The supporting cast weren't really developed that well, with the exception Captain Zhukov (Liam Cunningham). He went from being very gung-ho to realising that sometimes it is better to negotiate and talk before leaping into action, a change in character influenced by the confilcts between Skaldak and the Doctor. Professor Grisenko, on the other hand, was little more than a lovable old man with a fondness for music, and was mainly there to provide support for Clara. Speaking of who, Clara went through some serious character development. She witnesses her first dead bodies during the episode, and realises how dangerous travelling with the Doctor can be. The fact that she could die scared her so much that she actually listened and obeyed the Doctor when, at one stage, he told her to stay put - a slap in the face to other companions (Rose, Amy), who would've ignored those directions and gone off by themselves. The scene were Clara stalls Skaldak from launching nuclear missiles by reminding him of his daughter was also particularly touching, and it builds on the companionship qualities she displayed last week in 'The Rings of Akhaten'.

I liked the explanation as to why the TARDIS dematerialised early on in the episode - the HADS, or Hostile Action Displacement System. Only used once in the 60s serial 'The Krotons', when active, it means that if the TARDIS comes under attack, or what it thinks is an attack, it was dematerialise, then rematerialise in a safe location. Unfortunately for the Doctor and Clara, that location turned out to be the South Pole!

In conclusion, Cold War was a fantastic episode that did the Ice Warriors justice. It wasn't perfect, and could've had some better characterisation, but the small, negative aspects didn't detract from the episode at all. Mark Gatiss, through the Ice Warrior, has created the best episode of Series 33 so far.

9/10

P.S. Did anyone notice that the sonic screwdriver now has a 'red' setting? Are we getting close to the point where the Doctor gives the screwdriver to River?