This is one of the most reminiscent of old episodes of Dr Who. Quaint, simple and just a tiny bit frightening. This would be good for younger viewers.
16 Reviews
Underrated episode
skechy19 November 2019
The Master Confectioner...
Xstal4 January 2022
A Solid Piece Of Doctor Who
timdalton00715 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Having wrapped up the Monks trilogy that had come to define much of the middle of this season, Peter Capaldi's Doctor looked set to continue his last hurrah with the return of an old foe. The Ice Warriors, reptilian warriors from the planet Mars were one of the most iconic monsters to come out of the classic series of Doctor Who but had featured only once previously in its 21st century incarnation (ironically enough in Matt Smith's final season as the Doctor in 2013). Written by Mark Gatiss, Empress Of Mars would not only bring the Red Planet warriors back but fill in part of their story while also telling an immensely satisfying SF action/adventure story along the way.
The episode certainly starts out with an interesting premise. the teaser sequence finds the TARDIS crew visiting NASA mission control where a probe to Mars has discovered a message in English buried for more than a century under the Martian ice cap. So they do exactly what they'd expect them to do: jump in the TARDIS and visit 1881 Mars when the message was left. There they find a cavern with an Earth like atmosphere and a group of soldier's from Her Majesty Queen Victoria's army being aided by an Ice Warrior they have nicknamed Friday. The basic set-up is in some ways similar to that of stories form the era of Classic Who and its hard not to think of a story like Tomb Of The Cybermen when a tomb is found and the titular Empress rises to reclaim her planet and her throne. Gatiss though has shown how much he thrives on writing in that format and Empress Of Mars is a showcase for that.
There are other influences at play as well. Seeing Victorian British soldiers in their red uniforms on Mars with the intention of setting up a colony in the name of Queen and Country instantly brings to mind the steampunk Space: 1889 role-playing game. Indeed the episode is filled the legacy of fiction tying into Victorian colonization is all over this story. There's elements of various Mummy tales for example including the Hammer films of the 1950s and 1960s with how the British soldiers treat the tomb and the Ice Warrior's siege of an outnumbered British force brings to mind the classic 1964 film Zulu. Gatiss though is astute enough as a writer not to give a wholehearted endorsement of it and the episode does a nice job of exploring the darker side of the era with its disregard for native cultures and those willing to murder or destroy in the name of empire, glory, and wealth. Empress Of Mars is at once a colonial tale and a refutation of so many of its tropes all at the same time.
Something else that Gatiss and the episode does is make strong use of the Ice Warriors. Despite being one of the most iconic aliens to come out of the original series, their lumbering presence and voices have also made them something of a source of ridicule as well. In their New Series re-introduction in Cold War, Gatiss and company sought to change that reputation and they continue to do so here. The Ice Warriors are perhaps at their most menacing and threatening, no longer lumbering figures you can easily out-run as they were in the 1960s but cyborg tanks that can overwhelm you with barely a moment's notice. The introduction of the titular Empress (played wonderfully by Adele Lynch) is just one part of the expansion of this Martian race as the episode also touches upon elements of their mythic past, their culture, and indeed their role in the future of the galaxy seen in their later Classic Series appearances (which leads to a particularly fun cameo moment in the episode). If much of what Gatiss has sought to do with them was to bring them up to date and let them be the threat they were always meant to be, than him and director David Yip have succeeded wonderfully.
The performances and productions continue to stand out as well. It continues to feel a shame that we will soon be losing Peter Capaldi's Doctor as he seems to have really settled into the role with this episode being another showcase for his range as an actor from the bad grinning in NASA mission control to the deadly serious "let me try and save your lives" when he's trying to broker a truce between the humans and the Ice Warriors. Pearl Mackie's Bill continues to shine as a character and it helps that her and Capaldi share a wonderful sense of chemistry together, bouncing pop culture references back and forth off each other during some of the episode's best comedic moments. Matt Lucas' Nardole is once again sidelined for much of the episode but his appearances work, especially when it comes to the final scene and who else gets involved. The supporting cast is strong as well with Anthony Calf and Ferdinand Kingsley playing two very different kinds of British army officer as well as the aforementioned Lynch as the Ice Empress Iraxxa. Production wise, the episode is a showcase for the series' production values as it mixes together period elements (something for which the BBC is almost always reliable) and genre elements together wonderfully under the strong direction of David Yip. The results are solid all around.
Indeed, that word can be used to best describe the episode: solid. Mark Gatiss has created a nice piece of genre action/adventure that at once plays with elements of Britain's colonial past while also not be afraid to acknowledge its dark side. It's a script that is wonderfully brought to life by those both in front of and behind the camera. If you're looking for a solid forty odd minutes of Doctor Who, one could do a lot worse than sit down and watch Empress Of Mars.
The episode certainly starts out with an interesting premise. the teaser sequence finds the TARDIS crew visiting NASA mission control where a probe to Mars has discovered a message in English buried for more than a century under the Martian ice cap. So they do exactly what they'd expect them to do: jump in the TARDIS and visit 1881 Mars when the message was left. There they find a cavern with an Earth like atmosphere and a group of soldier's from Her Majesty Queen Victoria's army being aided by an Ice Warrior they have nicknamed Friday. The basic set-up is in some ways similar to that of stories form the era of Classic Who and its hard not to think of a story like Tomb Of The Cybermen when a tomb is found and the titular Empress rises to reclaim her planet and her throne. Gatiss though has shown how much he thrives on writing in that format and Empress Of Mars is a showcase for that.
There are other influences at play as well. Seeing Victorian British soldiers in their red uniforms on Mars with the intention of setting up a colony in the name of Queen and Country instantly brings to mind the steampunk Space: 1889 role-playing game. Indeed the episode is filled the legacy of fiction tying into Victorian colonization is all over this story. There's elements of various Mummy tales for example including the Hammer films of the 1950s and 1960s with how the British soldiers treat the tomb and the Ice Warrior's siege of an outnumbered British force brings to mind the classic 1964 film Zulu. Gatiss though is astute enough as a writer not to give a wholehearted endorsement of it and the episode does a nice job of exploring the darker side of the era with its disregard for native cultures and those willing to murder or destroy in the name of empire, glory, and wealth. Empress Of Mars is at once a colonial tale and a refutation of so many of its tropes all at the same time.
Something else that Gatiss and the episode does is make strong use of the Ice Warriors. Despite being one of the most iconic aliens to come out of the original series, their lumbering presence and voices have also made them something of a source of ridicule as well. In their New Series re-introduction in Cold War, Gatiss and company sought to change that reputation and they continue to do so here. The Ice Warriors are perhaps at their most menacing and threatening, no longer lumbering figures you can easily out-run as they were in the 1960s but cyborg tanks that can overwhelm you with barely a moment's notice. The introduction of the titular Empress (played wonderfully by Adele Lynch) is just one part of the expansion of this Martian race as the episode also touches upon elements of their mythic past, their culture, and indeed their role in the future of the galaxy seen in their later Classic Series appearances (which leads to a particularly fun cameo moment in the episode). If much of what Gatiss has sought to do with them was to bring them up to date and let them be the threat they were always meant to be, than him and director David Yip have succeeded wonderfully.
The performances and productions continue to stand out as well. It continues to feel a shame that we will soon be losing Peter Capaldi's Doctor as he seems to have really settled into the role with this episode being another showcase for his range as an actor from the bad grinning in NASA mission control to the deadly serious "let me try and save your lives" when he's trying to broker a truce between the humans and the Ice Warriors. Pearl Mackie's Bill continues to shine as a character and it helps that her and Capaldi share a wonderful sense of chemistry together, bouncing pop culture references back and forth off each other during some of the episode's best comedic moments. Matt Lucas' Nardole is once again sidelined for much of the episode but his appearances work, especially when it comes to the final scene and who else gets involved. The supporting cast is strong as well with Anthony Calf and Ferdinand Kingsley playing two very different kinds of British army officer as well as the aforementioned Lynch as the Ice Empress Iraxxa. Production wise, the episode is a showcase for the series' production values as it mixes together period elements (something for which the BBC is almost always reliable) and genre elements together wonderfully under the strong direction of David Yip. The results are solid all around.
Indeed, that word can be used to best describe the episode: solid. Mark Gatiss has created a nice piece of genre action/adventure that at once plays with elements of Britain's colonial past while also not be afraid to acknowledge its dark side. It's a script that is wonderfully brought to life by those both in front of and behind the camera. If you're looking for a solid forty odd minutes of Doctor Who, one could do a lot worse than sit down and watch Empress Of Mars.
Classic Doctor Who
letterboxd8 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Empress of Mars is one of the best episodes in a long time. It's fun, original (soldiers on Mars!), mysterious, and I loved the ending with Alpha Centauri coming back into the series. This is probably one of Mark Gatiss' best episodes (along with the Unquiet Dead and Robot of Sherwood). I really liked the mystery with Nardole not being able to fly the Tardis, and the cliffhanger at the end. Empress of Mars is one of the best episodes of series 10 and a classic Doctor Who episode. 9.5 out of 10
Passable. Fine. OK. Along those lines.
ryanjmorris13 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Arguably the biggest problem facing Doctor Who this year is the show's refusal to "go big". Series 10 has been praised by many as a return to the basic format, but while that worked nicely with episodes one through four, we're nearing the end of the series now and there's a frustrating lack of real danger going on. "Empress of Mars", the latest story penned by polarizing writer Mark Gatiss, is a passable entry to the series, but it's not one you'll be remembering any time soon, and it certainly isn't strong enough to pull the show out of the mini- slump it's been stuck in since we visited a certain Pyramid.
In short, the Doctor and Bill find themselves on Mars. Weirder than that, they find Victorian soldiers on Mars. And an Ice Warrior, which soon leads to an Ice Queen and an Ice Warrior hive. It's a story with great potential but, as with most Gatiss scripted episodes, it doesn't really deliver on a lot of what it sets up. The sheer anachronistic joy of seeing Victorian soldiers on Mars with a giant futuristic cannon can only suffice for so long, and Gatiss doesn't do enough to keep things interesting once the novelty starts to wear thin.
Credit where it's due, "Empress of Mars" is more focused and tightly wound than the two episodes that preceded it. While dialogue is rarely his strong suit, Gatiss' penchant for great ideas cannot be disputed, and this episode continues that trend. He also succeeds in nicely splicing his episode with humour (although I could've done without the Frozen reference during the climactic moment) and the way the story builds from act one into act two into act three is some of the most seamless plotting the show has seen this series.
Gatiss' scripting isn't a runaway success, though. At the core of this story is an interesting dilemma - whose side is the Doctor on when the humans, the race he always sides with, are for once the invading alien? It's a brilliant concept, but one Gatiss seems ill prepared to tackle. His script raises the moral issue, lets it linger on Peter Capaldi's face for a few moments, and then hurries on. Where is the complex mind battle the Doctor must endure to solve this problem? Where is the thought, the emotion, the ambiguity? That speech just last season seems a far cry away from whatever this was.
"Empress of Mars" is benefited by its wacky premise, with Capaldi and Pearl Mackie clearly having fun in such an absurd story, but the episode needs something more concrete to really drive its ideas home. "Empress of Mars" successfully builds to a tense final act- helped by the solid direction from Wayne Yip - but everything slowly begins to fizzle, slipping into predictable answers and tidying itself up far too neatly come the resolution. The episode needed something bolder, something to up the stakes. This is a story set on Mars, a story featuring a whole hive of Ice Warriors. It shouldn't have felt this inconsequential.
Perhaps it's just me. Perhaps, after the unmitigated triumph of Series Nine, I'm just expecting too much. Doctor Who's tenth series got off to a flying start - it turned the ordinary into something enjoyable again after two series' that felt very different to anything we'd seen before - but everything post "Extremis" has struggled to reignite the flame that was lit when Capaldi stepped aboard the TARDIS. These last three episodes, for me, have seen the show at its weakest during Capaldi's tenure.
I guess what I'm missing is the big, emotionally complex story lines. Episodes that allow an actor of Capaldi's talents to really show off what they can do with a role like this. Pearl Mackie has demonstrated remarkable range as Bill, herself a strong character model, so why isn't the show exploring that? At present, Doctor Who seems to just not realise the potential its core cast are offering. "Empress of Mars" is just about fine, but in the series' final act - and the final act for both Moffat and Capaldi - it isn't really good enough.
In short, the Doctor and Bill find themselves on Mars. Weirder than that, they find Victorian soldiers on Mars. And an Ice Warrior, which soon leads to an Ice Queen and an Ice Warrior hive. It's a story with great potential but, as with most Gatiss scripted episodes, it doesn't really deliver on a lot of what it sets up. The sheer anachronistic joy of seeing Victorian soldiers on Mars with a giant futuristic cannon can only suffice for so long, and Gatiss doesn't do enough to keep things interesting once the novelty starts to wear thin.
Credit where it's due, "Empress of Mars" is more focused and tightly wound than the two episodes that preceded it. While dialogue is rarely his strong suit, Gatiss' penchant for great ideas cannot be disputed, and this episode continues that trend. He also succeeds in nicely splicing his episode with humour (although I could've done without the Frozen reference during the climactic moment) and the way the story builds from act one into act two into act three is some of the most seamless plotting the show has seen this series.
Gatiss' scripting isn't a runaway success, though. At the core of this story is an interesting dilemma - whose side is the Doctor on when the humans, the race he always sides with, are for once the invading alien? It's a brilliant concept, but one Gatiss seems ill prepared to tackle. His script raises the moral issue, lets it linger on Peter Capaldi's face for a few moments, and then hurries on. Where is the complex mind battle the Doctor must endure to solve this problem? Where is the thought, the emotion, the ambiguity? That speech just last season seems a far cry away from whatever this was.
"Empress of Mars" is benefited by its wacky premise, with Capaldi and Pearl Mackie clearly having fun in such an absurd story, but the episode needs something more concrete to really drive its ideas home. "Empress of Mars" successfully builds to a tense final act- helped by the solid direction from Wayne Yip - but everything slowly begins to fizzle, slipping into predictable answers and tidying itself up far too neatly come the resolution. The episode needed something bolder, something to up the stakes. This is a story set on Mars, a story featuring a whole hive of Ice Warriors. It shouldn't have felt this inconsequential.
Perhaps it's just me. Perhaps, after the unmitigated triumph of Series Nine, I'm just expecting too much. Doctor Who's tenth series got off to a flying start - it turned the ordinary into something enjoyable again after two series' that felt very different to anything we'd seen before - but everything post "Extremis" has struggled to reignite the flame that was lit when Capaldi stepped aboard the TARDIS. These last three episodes, for me, have seen the show at its weakest during Capaldi's tenure.
I guess what I'm missing is the big, emotionally complex story lines. Episodes that allow an actor of Capaldi's talents to really show off what they can do with a role like this. Pearl Mackie has demonstrated remarkable range as Bill, herself a strong character model, so why isn't the show exploring that? At present, Doctor Who seems to just not realise the potential its core cast are offering. "Empress of Mars" is just about fine, but in the series' final act - and the final act for both Moffat and Capaldi - it isn't really good enough.
A Good Story That Should Have Been Better
Theo Robertson11 June 2017
The Doctor and co land on Mars in 1881 only to find an alien invasion is taking place on the planet. This time it's the Martian Ice Warriors who are the victims of human expansionism. Whose side will the Doctor choose ?
I was looking forward to this episode mainly down to last weeks trailer. A unit of British redcoats taking on Ice Warriors. Looked great but I did have reservations. DOCTOR WHO meets ZULU ! Too good to be true and it's highly unlikely we're going to see an up and coming working class actor from London coming out with "Stop firing these sonic lazers at me" There's also the expectation that there will be a large amount of grief whoring on the part of the BBC where an on screen apology for the British Empire will be given out at every opportunity
!!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!
To be fair to Mark Gattiss he really knows what a lot of fans like . Scary bulletproof monsters in a fight to the death with human soldiers . For some of us this is what we grew up with from the show. One great thing this story brings to DOCTOR WHO folklore is the new Ice Warrior sonic gun which crumples its victims in to a ball. Much better than what could be achieved by the effects team in the 1960s and 70s. It's also a very nice surprise to see the story end with a cameo from a long forgotten character voiced by the original actress
The problem is despite Empress Of Mars being traditional and enjoyable it still could have been better. Plot holes are evident such the commanding officer being revealed to have been hung for desertion but for some reason still remains a serving officer. It's more incomprehensible when another character claims he's the only one who knows about the execution. Wouldn't this execution go through a chain of command ? There's also a large element of telling instead of showing. Similar themed stories from the 1970s were infinitely better at this because they had more time to develop and this would have worked better as a two part story , especially compared to the preceding three weeks of nothing we had with the Monks. Finally there's an element of hypocritical politics where it's pointed out it'd be impossible for a woman to be in the police force but apparently mixed marriages were common enough in 1881 Britain that no one would blink an eyelid
In summary this is one of the better episodes of the season but as with so much of the Capaldi era there's a strong feeling it cold have been a bit better
I was looking forward to this episode mainly down to last weeks trailer. A unit of British redcoats taking on Ice Warriors. Looked great but I did have reservations. DOCTOR WHO meets ZULU ! Too good to be true and it's highly unlikely we're going to see an up and coming working class actor from London coming out with "Stop firing these sonic lazers at me" There's also the expectation that there will be a large amount of grief whoring on the part of the BBC where an on screen apology for the British Empire will be given out at every opportunity
!!!! MILD SPOILERS !!!!
To be fair to Mark Gattiss he really knows what a lot of fans like . Scary bulletproof monsters in a fight to the death with human soldiers . For some of us this is what we grew up with from the show. One great thing this story brings to DOCTOR WHO folklore is the new Ice Warrior sonic gun which crumples its victims in to a ball. Much better than what could be achieved by the effects team in the 1960s and 70s. It's also a very nice surprise to see the story end with a cameo from a long forgotten character voiced by the original actress
The problem is despite Empress Of Mars being traditional and enjoyable it still could have been better. Plot holes are evident such the commanding officer being revealed to have been hung for desertion but for some reason still remains a serving officer. It's more incomprehensible when another character claims he's the only one who knows about the execution. Wouldn't this execution go through a chain of command ? There's also a large element of telling instead of showing. Similar themed stories from the 1970s were infinitely better at this because they had more time to develop and this would have worked better as a two part story , especially compared to the preceding three weeks of nothing we had with the Monks. Finally there's an element of hypocritical politics where it's pointed out it'd be impossible for a woman to be in the police force but apparently mixed marriages were common enough in 1881 Britain that no one would blink an eyelid
In summary this is one of the better episodes of the season but as with so much of the Capaldi era there's a strong feeling it cold have been a bit better
Empress of Mars
Prismark1010 June 2017
After a knockabout opening at NASA headquarters where they discover a message on Mars in the pre title sequence, the Doctor and the Tardis crew head off to the red planet.
What they find are Victorian soldiers with an Ice Warrior reptile servant called Friday. Led by the cowardly Godsacre they were lured to Mars with the promise of treasure by Friday who himself got stranded on Earth and needed the soldiers help.
The Doctor gathers that this is all a ploy, Friday plans to awaken the Empress and this could be disaster for the Victorian soldiers.
Writer Mark Gatiss is at home writing dialogue set in the Victorian era especially if he is also being influenced by books such as The First Men on the Moon. This is really a nod to classic Doctor Who, but this also meant slower pacing and a simpler story structure, but more than made up in atmosphere and production values.
We even get a brief glimpse of a character last seen in the Pertwee era which suggests that the Ice Warriors will be making peaceful alliances in the future.
What they find are Victorian soldiers with an Ice Warrior reptile servant called Friday. Led by the cowardly Godsacre they were lured to Mars with the promise of treasure by Friday who himself got stranded on Earth and needed the soldiers help.
The Doctor gathers that this is all a ploy, Friday plans to awaken the Empress and this could be disaster for the Victorian soldiers.
Writer Mark Gatiss is at home writing dialogue set in the Victorian era especially if he is also being influenced by books such as The First Men on the Moon. This is really a nod to classic Doctor Who, but this also meant slower pacing and a simpler story structure, but more than made up in atmosphere and production values.
We even get a brief glimpse of a character last seen in the Pertwee era which suggests that the Ice Warriors will be making peaceful alliances in the future.
A story on paper I'd turn my nose at, but on screen really enjoyed it.
Sleepin_Dragon11 June 2017
The Doctor, Bill and Nardole land on the red planet, 1881, and discover a group of British Soldiers, being served by Friday, an Ice Warrior. The TARDIS disappears for an unknown reason with Nardole inside, returning to Earth, only Missy can offer help.
Always good to see the return of the Ice Warriors, famed during the Troughton years so much mystery surrounds them, whether they're villains as such. In truth the trailer from last week didn't inspire me with huge amounts of confidence, but I rather enjoyed it. Nardole sidelined, having had a fairly strong run of episodes, I thought to make way for Doctor/Bill time, but no, what we got was a ripping adventure.
An unusual story to say the least, Nineteenth Century British Soldiers battling Ice Warriors, but it's just somehow works. Some golden nuggets like the return of Alpha Centauri, albeit a brief one. The even more brief return of Missy also great, raising new questions, can she sense The Doctor's imminent regeneration? Gomez has an incredible presence, I hope she too gets the send off she deserves. I was unsure about an Ice Warrior Queen, but once again, she was well realised and we'll performed.
Very enjoyable, and hopefully not the last from Mark Gatiss. 8/10
Always good to see the return of the Ice Warriors, famed during the Troughton years so much mystery surrounds them, whether they're villains as such. In truth the trailer from last week didn't inspire me with huge amounts of confidence, but I rather enjoyed it. Nardole sidelined, having had a fairly strong run of episodes, I thought to make way for Doctor/Bill time, but no, what we got was a ripping adventure.
An unusual story to say the least, Nineteenth Century British Soldiers battling Ice Warriors, but it's just somehow works. Some golden nuggets like the return of Alpha Centauri, albeit a brief one. The even more brief return of Missy also great, raising new questions, can she sense The Doctor's imminent regeneration? Gomez has an incredible presence, I hope she too gets the send off she deserves. I was unsure about an Ice Warrior Queen, but once again, she was well realised and we'll performed.
Very enjoyable, and hopefully not the last from Mark Gatiss. 8/10
Tomb of the Ice Warriors
A_Kind_Of_CineMagic5 July 2019
This could easily be a story from the classic series and is as fun and engaging as many of those old adventures.
The opening is rather strange as the Doctor, Bill and Nardole gatecrash NASA mission control observing pictures from the surface of Mars which reveal the words "God Save the Queen" spelled out in rocks. The Doctor and his friends then journey back in time to Mars to try to find out how this happened.
It is the time of Queen Victoria and the Anglo-Zulu Wars and bizarrely they find a group of Victorian British soldiers are living under the surface of the planet in an atmosphere created thousands of years earlier by the Ice Warriors who, unbeknownst to the British, are stored in their thousands, dormant in suspended animation. One Ice Warrior on a reconnaissance mission had crashed on Earth and been found by the soldiers who helped repair the craft and travelled to Mars to claim its riches for the British Empire. The craft was damaged and unable to return them and their search for riches only brings them to the tomb of the Empress who awakens and threatens their destruction.
The Doctor has become stranded because the TARDIS has inexplicably failed to remain on Mars. Nardole has taken it back to where they came from but cannot return it to Mars so seeks help from Missy, having to release her and hope she helps rather than causing havoc. Meanwhile, the Doctor tries to bring a peaceful solution on Mars.
As weird an idea as Victorian soldiers on Mars sounds it is made logical by the plot and it is all great fun. It has charm and wit and feels as magical as the classic series usually did.
The Ice Warriors return properly to the show after a brief mini return in Cold War and prove what a good 'monster' they are. They are menacing and impressive, look great, make cool sounds, have a great weapon that crushes people and they have depth due to not being friendly but not being pure evil either. They have a sense of honour and are able to be allies in certain circumstances but can equally be thoroughly nasty and destructive. The updates to the Ice Warriors work brilliantly and it all is in keeping with classic versions.
We also get a lovely reference to old Ice Warrior stories as Alpha Centauri, from 3rd Doctor stories The Curse of Peladon and The Monster of Peladon, returns in a cameo with the original voice actress reviving her role aged 92!
The British soldier characters are good and well acted and Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie are, as always, great. Nardole is fun and Missy is a very interesting addition, flying to the rescue but with us wondering if betrayal is imminent.
The story is very enjoyable and the dialogue is high quality with humour and deeper themes of cowardice, glory seeking and colonialism/exploitation.
A great addition to the often hit and miss list of episodes written by Mark Gatiss and a great addition to the excellent Series 10.
My Rating: 9/10.
Series 10 Episode Ranking: 7th out of 14.
The opening is rather strange as the Doctor, Bill and Nardole gatecrash NASA mission control observing pictures from the surface of Mars which reveal the words "God Save the Queen" spelled out in rocks. The Doctor and his friends then journey back in time to Mars to try to find out how this happened.
It is the time of Queen Victoria and the Anglo-Zulu Wars and bizarrely they find a group of Victorian British soldiers are living under the surface of the planet in an atmosphere created thousands of years earlier by the Ice Warriors who, unbeknownst to the British, are stored in their thousands, dormant in suspended animation. One Ice Warrior on a reconnaissance mission had crashed on Earth and been found by the soldiers who helped repair the craft and travelled to Mars to claim its riches for the British Empire. The craft was damaged and unable to return them and their search for riches only brings them to the tomb of the Empress who awakens and threatens their destruction.
The Doctor has become stranded because the TARDIS has inexplicably failed to remain on Mars. Nardole has taken it back to where they came from but cannot return it to Mars so seeks help from Missy, having to release her and hope she helps rather than causing havoc. Meanwhile, the Doctor tries to bring a peaceful solution on Mars.
As weird an idea as Victorian soldiers on Mars sounds it is made logical by the plot and it is all great fun. It has charm and wit and feels as magical as the classic series usually did.
The Ice Warriors return properly to the show after a brief mini return in Cold War and prove what a good 'monster' they are. They are menacing and impressive, look great, make cool sounds, have a great weapon that crushes people and they have depth due to not being friendly but not being pure evil either. They have a sense of honour and are able to be allies in certain circumstances but can equally be thoroughly nasty and destructive. The updates to the Ice Warriors work brilliantly and it all is in keeping with classic versions.
We also get a lovely reference to old Ice Warrior stories as Alpha Centauri, from 3rd Doctor stories The Curse of Peladon and The Monster of Peladon, returns in a cameo with the original voice actress reviving her role aged 92!
The British soldier characters are good and well acted and Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie are, as always, great. Nardole is fun and Missy is a very interesting addition, flying to the rescue but with us wondering if betrayal is imminent.
The story is very enjoyable and the dialogue is high quality with humour and deeper themes of cowardice, glory seeking and colonialism/exploitation.
A great addition to the often hit and miss list of episodes written by Mark Gatiss and a great addition to the excellent Series 10.
My Rating: 9/10.
Series 10 Episode Ranking: 7th out of 14.
Ice Warriors and Victorian soldiers on Mars
Tweekums11 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
As this episode opens The Doctor, Bill and Nardole make an unexpected visit to a NASA control room as a probe sent to examine the north pole of Mars is about to send back its first images
there is some surprise when rocks beneath the ice spell out a message
'God Save the Queen'! The next scene sees our three protagonists heading to Mars in 1881 when the message was created. Shortly after arrival they discover fires burning and breathable air, then Bill falls down a deep hole and when Nardole returns to the Tardis to get ropes it leaves Mars and he can't get it to return. Not long afterwards it becomes obvious that there are others on Mars; an Ice Warrior and a squad of British soldiers. It is explained that they had been had been serving in South Africa when they found the Ice Warrior's vessel; they helped him repair it so he could return home to Mars; they came with him as he suggested that they would find jewel's there. They are still looking for the jewels at this point and soon find what appears to be a burial chamber
it is however the chamber of the Ice Empress and she has been waiting a long time to be woken. A confrontation is inevitable; it is only a question of whether it can be brought to a swift conclusion. If that wasn't enough the soldiers aren't united in what they believe the best course of action should be.
This episode opens well with a prologue that is both intriguing and rather funny. Things continue well when they get to Mars and there is unanswered question of why the Tardis departed with Nardole. Once they meet the soldiers some problems emerge; we get the expected dig at colonialism as they talk of making Mars part of the British Empire but the unit includes a black British soldier; something that would have been highly unlikely at the time especially as he sounded more 'South of the Thames' than 'South of the Limpopo'! But this is hardly meant to be providing a history lesson so doesn't really spoil the story. The tensions within the ranks also serve to raise the tension of the story; especially when the dastardly Captain Catchlove takes command. The Ice Warriors made in impressive threat; they aren't really antagonists as Mars was theirs to begin with but they still present a danger. The way they dispatch their enemies was both inventive and impressively portrayed. We do get a slight paradox towards the end when we see that the message that brought The Doctor to Mars was actually written by him. When the Tardis finally returns more interesting questions are raised but what they mean is left for future episodes. The cast does a solid job; as well as the regulars Anthony Calf impresses as Col Godsacre and Ferdinand Kingsley is suitably villainous as Catchlove. Overall I'd say this was a decent enough standalone episode.
This episode opens well with a prologue that is both intriguing and rather funny. Things continue well when they get to Mars and there is unanswered question of why the Tardis departed with Nardole. Once they meet the soldiers some problems emerge; we get the expected dig at colonialism as they talk of making Mars part of the British Empire but the unit includes a black British soldier; something that would have been highly unlikely at the time especially as he sounded more 'South of the Thames' than 'South of the Limpopo'! But this is hardly meant to be providing a history lesson so doesn't really spoil the story. The tensions within the ranks also serve to raise the tension of the story; especially when the dastardly Captain Catchlove takes command. The Ice Warriors made in impressive threat; they aren't really antagonists as Mars was theirs to begin with but they still present a danger. The way they dispatch their enemies was both inventive and impressively portrayed. We do get a slight paradox towards the end when we see that the message that brought The Doctor to Mars was actually written by him. When the Tardis finally returns more interesting questions are raised but what they mean is left for future episodes. The cast does a solid job; as well as the regulars Anthony Calf impresses as Col Godsacre and Ferdinand Kingsley is suitably villainous as Catchlove. Overall I'd say this was a decent enough standalone episode.
Awful
iwanselway-7689130 July 2017
I've not seen an episode of doctor who since I was a dumb kid, so naturally at the age I am now, and from what I've seen of its more recent material, I'd gathered the show is an awfully written mess.
I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, and ended up wasting around 45 minutes of my life. Just goes to show Mark Gatiss should get a day job - maybe become a bus driver, or car salesman, because writing is something he definitely can't do.
Awful, awful, awful. Unlike Sherlock, which despite also poorly written, managed to be at least somewhat entertaining to watch, 'Empress of Mars' was painful. Its story was incoherent, cliché, predictable, bizarre, and had 0 conclusion. I could go on at length at how awful it was, but i'd really be wasting my time.
How Doctor Who at all managed to become a staple of whats considered 'British' TV is beyond me. It almost makes me want to renounce my allegiance to the queen and move some place where this garbage isn't aired on prime-time TV.
I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, and ended up wasting around 45 minutes of my life. Just goes to show Mark Gatiss should get a day job - maybe become a bus driver, or car salesman, because writing is something he definitely can't do.
Awful, awful, awful. Unlike Sherlock, which despite also poorly written, managed to be at least somewhat entertaining to watch, 'Empress of Mars' was painful. Its story was incoherent, cliché, predictable, bizarre, and had 0 conclusion. I could go on at length at how awful it was, but i'd really be wasting my time.
How Doctor Who at all managed to become a staple of whats considered 'British' TV is beyond me. It almost makes me want to renounce my allegiance to the queen and move some place where this garbage isn't aired on prime-time TV.
Classic Dr Who
ShanklinPJB12 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
It is always gratifying for fans of the old series to see the return of old enemies and moreover enemies that are pretty similar in appearance but obviously look even more impressive with today's budget.
The main problem modern writers often have with portraying historical characters,in this case British soldiers from Victorian times,is that they are torn between accuracy in showing their behaviour when dealing with modern situations which can be humorous and entertaining(think Catweazle) and yet avoiding the less savoury aspects of old world attitudes. In this case portraying the black character wearing the Kings Uniform as being completely without note as it would be today as is the mixed race Bill blending in without a word.I'm sure soldiers of this period would have treated him as a real novelty with the racism that goes with it.
I'm just not sure the intelligence of children in the audience deserve to be insulted in this way.Star Trek did this so much better in an episode when Abraham Lincoln was beamed aboard the Enterprise and commented that Uhura was 'a Charming Negress' Condescending,sure,but it's what a man from his time would say.
I'm digressing from the story but the Doctor Who character for me needs to be an educator and moral guide for the young audience possibly pointing out the old fashioned racist/sexist attitudes that he encounters from historical figures.OK ...rant over.
The main problem modern writers often have with portraying historical characters,in this case British soldiers from Victorian times,is that they are torn between accuracy in showing their behaviour when dealing with modern situations which can be humorous and entertaining(think Catweazle) and yet avoiding the less savoury aspects of old world attitudes. In this case portraying the black character wearing the Kings Uniform as being completely without note as it would be today as is the mixed race Bill blending in without a word.I'm sure soldiers of this period would have treated him as a real novelty with the racism that goes with it.
I'm just not sure the intelligence of children in the audience deserve to be insulted in this way.Star Trek did this so much better in an episode when Abraham Lincoln was beamed aboard the Enterprise and commented that Uhura was 'a Charming Negress' Condescending,sure,but it's what a man from his time would say.
I'm digressing from the story but the Doctor Who character for me needs to be an educator and moral guide for the young audience possibly pointing out the old fashioned racist/sexist attitudes that he encounters from historical figures.OK ...rant over.
Sci-Fi channel B movie on Mars
dkiliane1 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Not that that's a bad thing necessarily. It was actually decently entertaining. It appears Mark Gatiss may have found his niche in Doctor Who story telling - - the B sci-fi movie genre. When he doesn't take himself too seriously, his writing is actually enjoyable. Not amazing, but enjoyable.
With this episode, The Doctor, Nardole and Bill decide to visit NASA as their probe to Mars just receives visual, a message spelled out in stones that reads "God save the queen." This oddity, of course, prompts The Doctor and co to investigate, and what they find is an absurd premise, but somehow works for the episode - a regiment of British soldiers from Victorian times who hitched themselves a ride with a Martian Ice Warrior to Mars with the promise of gold, gems and like riches. Very British, as The Doctor points out.
As absurd as this premise is, it still works because Mr. Gatiss manages to craft memorable and entertaining characters. Catchglove as the selfish and conniving secondary antagonist, the Colonel deserter, and the soldier who wants just enough to bring home so as to take care of his future bride, among others - - all of these provide the foundation for why we are invested in the episode's outcome, because we want to see how each one of them fares. And of course, The Doctor and Bill are a blast, and Nardole is fun too, for the whole two minutes he's in it. And we get to see Missy at the very end!
The main antagonist, the Martian Empress, along with her cohorts, are rather one note. And while the Ice Warrior "Friday," as the troops call him, is better nuanced, the Ice Warriors as a whole fall rather flat, which is odd, since the incredible danger just one Ice Warrior posed was one of the few things Gatiss got right in his previous Ice Warrior episode from season seven. Here they're not much different than the CyberMen (which I won't go on about here). But they serve their purpose, I suppose, and the overall episode is solid Doctor Who entertainment for those willing to suspend enough disbelief. 8/10
With this episode, The Doctor, Nardole and Bill decide to visit NASA as their probe to Mars just receives visual, a message spelled out in stones that reads "God save the queen." This oddity, of course, prompts The Doctor and co to investigate, and what they find is an absurd premise, but somehow works for the episode - a regiment of British soldiers from Victorian times who hitched themselves a ride with a Martian Ice Warrior to Mars with the promise of gold, gems and like riches. Very British, as The Doctor points out.
As absurd as this premise is, it still works because Mr. Gatiss manages to craft memorable and entertaining characters. Catchglove as the selfish and conniving secondary antagonist, the Colonel deserter, and the soldier who wants just enough to bring home so as to take care of his future bride, among others - - all of these provide the foundation for why we are invested in the episode's outcome, because we want to see how each one of them fares. And of course, The Doctor and Bill are a blast, and Nardole is fun too, for the whole two minutes he's in it. And we get to see Missy at the very end!
The main antagonist, the Martian Empress, along with her cohorts, are rather one note. And while the Ice Warrior "Friday," as the troops call him, is better nuanced, the Ice Warriors as a whole fall rather flat, which is odd, since the incredible danger just one Ice Warrior posed was one of the few things Gatiss got right in his previous Ice Warrior episode from season seven. Here they're not much different than the CyberMen (which I won't go on about here). But they serve their purpose, I suppose, and the overall episode is solid Doctor Who entertainment for those willing to suspend enough disbelief. 8/10
Earth's first expedition to Mars thanks to the Ice Warriors
doctor-934-20711111 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Incredible but not as plausible In my humble Opinion.
So we start at NASA with a satellite going over Mars. Why was security not called instantly? Breach could be in progress.
You see a Stone Mars which Reads God Save the Queen. Huh?
The Doctor travels back in time to see what caused that Inutashuk to show up on Mars.
Now tell me this, Fire on mars with wood in a cave system.
Does Mars have a significant oxygen supply?
Bill falls down a shaft and the Doctor tells Nardole to go back to the TARDIS and get ropes and gear. The TARDIS behaves erratically and is back at Bristol and Nardole needs Missy in the vault to help fix the TARDIS; laters.
All right Mark Gatiss your point?
So we find out that a regiment of soldiers in South Africa in 1881 dug up an unearthly craft to find an alien survivor to help, who will in turn help them to got to Mars and mine the planet for riches.
All right, is the ship adequate enough to supply oxygen needed for the group of humans?
So humans (1881 Victorian expeditionary Corps in South Africa) help an ice warrior. What technology can be used to get a spacecraft up and running. And this laser mining weapon?
A major room is unseal. So the Ice Warriors does succeed at his goal, the revival of the Empress of Mars. I wonder how many republicans would understand that concept of honour?
Greedy Soldier killed by Ice Empress while stealing her jewels. Justly deserved.
It is found out that the Ice Warriors have slept for 5000 years. Mars isn't as habitable as it use to be.
The doctor is trying to mediate between humans and Ice Warriors before things get really hot. Idiot human Solders try to kill 'upright crocodile'. Big mistake. I like this now effect when the ice warriors shoot and the target folds dead.
The human soldiers decides to block the entrance. The battle between ice warriors and humans being as the Empress of Mars is reviving her warriors for battle.
The humans do not know that the ice warriors could get underneath them. Who stand a chance with the Doctor, bill and a 'cowardly' colonel in the brig.
At least the ice warriors found on Earth is willing to help the Doctor prevent bloodshed.
Peace might be at hand as Bill is a distraction to the Empress. and the Empress will listen to Bill. The Doctor decides to aim the weapon to seal everyone.
The Major who took charge tries to escape via spaceship taking the Empress as hostage on to be killed by the Colonel.
The Colonel asks for mercy for all and execution.
The Empress is impressed that the Colonel will stay on Mars and that the expeditionary force be returned to Earth.
The Doctor creates the Inutashuk of God Save the Qeuen . He also set up an advanced communications beacon this is picked up by Alpha Centauri.
Credit to Gatiss and Moffatt for the Peladon connection.
The TARDIS is back on Mars to pick up Bill and the Doctor. Only the Nardole is not alone. Missy piloted the TARDIS.
Will next week's episode be exciting?
So we start at NASA with a satellite going over Mars. Why was security not called instantly? Breach could be in progress.
You see a Stone Mars which Reads God Save the Queen. Huh?
The Doctor travels back in time to see what caused that Inutashuk to show up on Mars.
Now tell me this, Fire on mars with wood in a cave system.
Does Mars have a significant oxygen supply?
Bill falls down a shaft and the Doctor tells Nardole to go back to the TARDIS and get ropes and gear. The TARDIS behaves erratically and is back at Bristol and Nardole needs Missy in the vault to help fix the TARDIS; laters.
All right Mark Gatiss your point?
So we find out that a regiment of soldiers in South Africa in 1881 dug up an unearthly craft to find an alien survivor to help, who will in turn help them to got to Mars and mine the planet for riches.
All right, is the ship adequate enough to supply oxygen needed for the group of humans?
So humans (1881 Victorian expeditionary Corps in South Africa) help an ice warrior. What technology can be used to get a spacecraft up and running. And this laser mining weapon?
A major room is unseal. So the Ice Warriors does succeed at his goal, the revival of the Empress of Mars. I wonder how many republicans would understand that concept of honour?
Greedy Soldier killed by Ice Empress while stealing her jewels. Justly deserved.
It is found out that the Ice Warriors have slept for 5000 years. Mars isn't as habitable as it use to be.
The doctor is trying to mediate between humans and Ice Warriors before things get really hot. Idiot human Solders try to kill 'upright crocodile'. Big mistake. I like this now effect when the ice warriors shoot and the target folds dead.
The human soldiers decides to block the entrance. The battle between ice warriors and humans being as the Empress of Mars is reviving her warriors for battle.
The humans do not know that the ice warriors could get underneath them. Who stand a chance with the Doctor, bill and a 'cowardly' colonel in the brig.
At least the ice warriors found on Earth is willing to help the Doctor prevent bloodshed.
Peace might be at hand as Bill is a distraction to the Empress. and the Empress will listen to Bill. The Doctor decides to aim the weapon to seal everyone.
The Major who took charge tries to escape via spaceship taking the Empress as hostage on to be killed by the Colonel.
The Colonel asks for mercy for all and execution.
The Empress is impressed that the Colonel will stay on Mars and that the expeditionary force be returned to Earth.
The Doctor creates the Inutashuk of God Save the Qeuen . He also set up an advanced communications beacon this is picked up by Alpha Centauri.
Credit to Gatiss and Moffatt for the Peladon connection.
The TARDIS is back on Mars to pick up Bill and the Doctor. Only the Nardole is not alone. Missy piloted the TARDIS.
Will next week's episode be exciting?
Generated historic-setting Who episode 14091
jacbtypeytype30 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Dopings of character development bulk up an unimportant story, leading to little of the conceptual depth that puts Doctor Who on par with contemporary Sci-Fi.
The "tension" at the open chokes the endurability of the episode through stakes built on royalism and an unconvincing discussion of duty.
The cast find themselves stuck on Mars due to unattended circumstances, and a further labour of "tension" leads to a dictation of the circumstances in which Bill and the Doctor fund themselves. The just-about-feasibly thick battalion, lead by a secret deserter (who of course needs a challenge to overcome as the unlikely hero) have collectively decided that the ice warrior degradingly called Friday is their slave, and impose a Victorian tea service role upon him.
Eventually, again without an explained trigger, the other Ice warriors awaken. An idiot shoots the ice queen at gets killed. The ice queen beckons Bill, as apparently gender works exactly the same on Mars, then gets shot again and a dull war ensues.
A little more unengaging slaughter of the human soldiers happens, until the Doctor canonically constructs an ultimatum to propose a peace discussion. This goes roughly as planned, but with much more royalism than I could personally stomach.
Anyway, some people like it when the Doctor goes back in time and historic human themes are reflected through recalled alien civilisations, as unorignal as that is, so this episode would get a very generous 3 from me. However, the excess of force fed, irrelevant Victorian turn-of-phrase, despite TARDIS translation, is a lazy setting device and turns what could have been an interesting reflection on the royal military into one of Gatiss' uni days' fan fictions.
The "tension" at the open chokes the endurability of the episode through stakes built on royalism and an unconvincing discussion of duty.
The cast find themselves stuck on Mars due to unattended circumstances, and a further labour of "tension" leads to a dictation of the circumstances in which Bill and the Doctor fund themselves. The just-about-feasibly thick battalion, lead by a secret deserter (who of course needs a challenge to overcome as the unlikely hero) have collectively decided that the ice warrior degradingly called Friday is their slave, and impose a Victorian tea service role upon him.
Eventually, again without an explained trigger, the other Ice warriors awaken. An idiot shoots the ice queen at gets killed. The ice queen beckons Bill, as apparently gender works exactly the same on Mars, then gets shot again and a dull war ensues.
A little more unengaging slaughter of the human soldiers happens, until the Doctor canonically constructs an ultimatum to propose a peace discussion. This goes roughly as planned, but with much more royalism than I could personally stomach.
Anyway, some people like it when the Doctor goes back in time and historic human themes are reflected through recalled alien civilisations, as unorignal as that is, so this episode would get a very generous 3 from me. However, the excess of force fed, irrelevant Victorian turn-of-phrase, despite TARDIS translation, is a lazy setting device and turns what could have been an interesting reflection on the royal military into one of Gatiss' uni days' fan fictions.
Empress of Mars
MrFilmAndTelevisionShow7 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I nice story were the aliens for once listen to the Doctor's reason. And where the humans do eventually do the same. I'm sure we'll see more of the ice warriors in the future and that wouldn't be unwelcome. All in all it was your average one-off Dr Who episode, not the best ever, nor the worst. Simply good.
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