Ah yes, the Ice Warriors, those famous recurring villains. Surely this serial makes for another landmark in the development of the show's mythology?
Except... No, not really. On their maiden outing, frankly there is nothing much to separate the Ice Warriors from any other alien monster the show has seen thus far. They're even from Mars, in an age where all little green men were said to come from there. I think there are two reasons why this fairly generic bunch of snarling and hissing creeps were able to return and become recurring: those designs (which are quite striking), and the fact that the serial's pretty good. Although once again the middle parts of this six-parter lag, I didn't notice it quite as much as I did in the last story. While this one isn't going on my list of favorites, I'll probably have no qualms watching it again.
As far as settings go, I find the setup for this one fairly interesting. In a far future where the advancement of technology has doomed the world to a new ice age, a series of bases with glacier-melting Ionizer machines attempt to hold the freeze at bay. In an epoch where climate change is a more topical subject than ever, this one certainly hits a little differently to how it must have when it broadcast. Following this theme, there is a small, ongoing conflict between the common people, represented by Storr, and the scientists who originally caused this issue and are now trying to stop it. It's not really the central conflict of the story, though, and mostly serves to highlight and criticize the dependence of the scientists on the automation of their base. This has also taken on a new connotation in the modern day, when we are even more reliant on computers in our day to day lives, and for the running of our society. It's all some fairly thought-provoking sci-fi.
It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly where the Ice Warriors themselves fit into this thematic picture, however. They're sort of just baddies who don't care about the plight of the humans who are trying to fight the glaciers, except insofar as it gives them what they need to fly their ship out of the glacier it's trapped in. Nevertheless, it makes for a good backdrop, and I found the tension and conflict between Penley and Clent very entertaining.
It occurred to me while watching how at ease in the role Patrick Troughton has become by this point. I feel like he really came into his own as the Doctor over the last few serials, and is now at the top of his game. This naturally makes me quite excited for whatever's to come next. The Enemy of the World promises to have a good deal more to sink my teeth into. See you then!
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 7 March 2021.)
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