'Noose of Ice' feels like an excuse to build an elaborate model - in this case, a mining tower in the middle of the North Pole . . . and then destroying it. That said, the tension in this episode is well-built. The time-lapse on the freezing water, the swaying and crumbling of the model itself; the stakes are high for everybody. Especially Scarlet, who tangles with a Mysteron while risking electrical shock (Scarlet's only weakness). By the way, have you ever seen a puppet being fried by ten-thousand volts before? It's hilarious! Suspense plus a cold setting makes for one of my favorite episodes. I just think they do a remarkable job on the cold-climate sets - which, let's face it, are harder than urban settings or countrysides. That's some tough atmosphere to pull off.
One glaring absence is Capt. Black, who isn't around to kill off someone specific; and the only reason the mining complex is sabotaged at all is because a maintenance worker got caught in the blizzard and froze to death. But the snowstorm comes on suddenly, which makes me wonder if he dies just by chance or if the Mysterons exacerbated the weather conditions *to* kill him. Scarlet always says they "have powers we cannot hope to understand"; so it's possible, if unnerving.
8/10
One glaring absence is Capt. Black, who isn't around to kill off someone specific; and the only reason the mining complex is sabotaged at all is because a maintenance worker got caught in the blizzard and froze to death. But the snowstorm comes on suddenly, which makes me wonder if he dies just by chance or if the Mysterons exacerbated the weather conditions *to* kill him. Scarlet always says they "have powers we cannot hope to understand"; so it's possible, if unnerving.
8/10