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Ten Thoughts About Doctor Who: On Thin Ice – From Black Jesus To Punching Nazis

A few thoughts after watching tonight's episode of Doctor Who. Yes, spoilers, obviously. Come on now.

1. Frozen In Time

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It's the third time he's been here but the first time he noticed the lights under the ice? Well, he did only have eyes for River Song before. At least Steve Wonder wouldn't have seen them. But then we didn't hear him either. But it's a good chance to explain the rules – or lack of them – to the new companion. And just waiting for a spinoff where we discover Pete actually was a real person.

But it's a stunning location for this story, and one of those great explanations of history, why the Great River never froze like this again after 1814… you know, apart from the heat of the city full of the Industrial Revolution.

2. The Beast Below

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No, not the Eastenders credits, but the Thames does seem to reoccur in the Doctor's timeline. Dropping the TARDIS under it, draining it, running over it, flying over it… oh and the TARDIS seems happy to wait until the Doctor and Bill to flash up a warning. Strange though – shouldn't it detect more than one lifeform? It is London after all. But it does nicely explain the shape of the river as it twists and turns through London.

3. Black Jesus

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London was the place the world came to. To be honest, that hasn't changed much. The earliest photos of London do show a different demographic than you'll find in the paintings. And are we going to get a The Doctor Meets Black Jesus episode to come?

4. The Thames River Irregulars

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While you may challenge stereotypes in some places, this is an Old London Town episode, so there must be cliches beyond the tall top hats, and robbing street urchins out of Dickens and Doyle lets us know exactly where we are. And a reason for Bill to ask the old questions again about the who's, the what's and the whenfore's of Doctor Who.

Though it does also give us a moment when the Doctor cares more about his screwdriver than a young child about to die. And we are right back to the Doctor considering killing someone with a stone, so as not to inconvenience their journey.

5. Two Thousand Years Old Again

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Looks like he's forgotten about Christmas on Trenzalore. Or the billions of years in Heaven Sent. But time has always been malleable for him. Just not for Pete. Poor Pete.

6. Bedtime Stories

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Of course the Doctor is going to read Shockheaded Peter to kids. Just what they need…

One day, Mamma said, "Conrad dear,
I must go out and leave you here.
But mind now, Conrad, what I say,
Don't suck your thumb while I'm away.
The great tall tailor always comes
To little boys that suck their thumbs.
And ere they dream what he's about
He takes his great sharp scissors
And cuts their thumbs clean off, – and then
You know, they never grow again."

Mamma had scarcely turn'd her back,
The thumb was in, alack! alack!

The door flew open, in he ran,
The great, long, red-legged scissorman.
Oh! children, see! the tailor's come
And caught our little Suck-a-Thumb.

Snip! Snap! Snip! the scissors go;
And Conrad cries out – Oh! Oh! Oh!
Snip! Snap! Snip! They go so fast;
That both his thumbs are off at last.
Mamma comes home; there Conrad stands,
And looks quite sad, and shows his hands;-
"Ah!" said Mamma "I knew he'd come
To naughty little Suck-a-Thumb."

6. Let's Punch Nazis

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The expectation of alien involvement is stripped away for good old fashioned racism. But it does ask the question, who is the real villain, is it the Doctor who kills and sees murders, then moves on, or the businessman, in his suit and cravat who does the same. Well, obviously, it's the businessman because he's a racist who doesn't do the decency of hiding it when in polite company. And the Doctor punches Nazis. And then gives a good speech about civilisation, colonialism and life in general. Which is wonderfully undercut by his attitude to the dead kid a few minutes earlier, the unimportant life. Rename this show Pot Kettle Who.

And we do get the return of Doctor Disco, along with some tricky verbal dance manoeuvers.

7. A Screaming Companion

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The companion classically has three roles, for exposition, to be bait and to scream. And in this episode, Bill gave us all three. Although the screaming was for more practical reasons rather than that of fear and panic and removal of agency. As exposition, she is doing most of the asking. But for Bait… the Doctor seems to have less regard for her than his screwdriver.

8. It's Not Rocket Science

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A big fish that eats people and shits rocket fuel? And for some reason isn't an alien? Shame hey couldn't have sorted it out by, you know, feeding it pigs instead of people, everyone would have been happy. Still, it gives the Doctor the chance to give Bill the decision to make. Worked out better than with Clara, right? And thankfully everyone didn't die.

9. Time For Tea


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Slipping in and out through time and space while the tea is being made follows the theme of Douglas Adams references, and that's directly from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency based on the unmade episode, Shada.

10. He Knocks Three Times

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And three knocks? Well, it's not Wilf behind those doors this time then. The Master it is then.

Coming Soon… a Hercule Poirot Haunted House!

 


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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