Break The Ice

The third episode in the into the stars set.

I did try this earlier in the year, but didn’t take much in. The notes I made at the time simply said ‘doesn’t standout much’ so I’m giving it a second go.

There is a hint of Christmas in this, references to a paper crowns, presents, rehydrated turkey and the foe in this being known on Earth as Jack Frost.

The Doctor arrives on a space station around Venus - a science station. An experiment to take temperatures down to absolute zero, allows a winter god - jack frost to enter our dimension.

I’ve always found the ninth Doctor adventures to have a different energy about them, its the speed, I think its Christopher Eccleston’s delivery, it has an urgency about it - just an observation.

This starts with Dr. Lenni Fisk in conversation with her wife on earth and missing their son. Its a bit of a trope, I remember a mini series called ‘The Deep’ and in Doctor Who, the Rebel Flesh/ the Almost people both had similar setups.

Dr Lenni Fisk suffers with anxiety, her son has an illness, which is why she’s doing what she is. There’s Jack Frost - the last of the winter gods and its Christmas. But it doesn’t do enough with any of these elements to make it a great audio.

There is a difference between Christmas story and a story thats set at Christmas (the old Is Die Hard a Christmas film? debate). This is much the latter. The winter god isn’t particularly amazing, just bland. And there are parts that do feel rehashing of other, better, stories.

Doesn’t standout much is what I said at the beginning and thats still the case, its nice enough, average. But I do feel that there was a much better story to be told.