Spoilers follow for this episode of Doctor Who.
After finding the words “God Save the Queen” etched on the surface of Mars, the Doctor travels to the red planet once again this week -- as one might’ve guessed by the title of the episode, “Empress of Mars” -- in an adventure that manages to combine a classic Doctor Who villain with a vaguely Edgar Rice Burroughs concept. Along the way, this standalone story (scripted by series vet Mark Gatiss) gives Twelve and his gang a bit of a breather after the monk three-parter that preceded it, in what feels like a mostly satisfying if ultimately workmanlike tale.
After a brief visit to modern-day NASA, or thereabouts, the Doctor, Bill and Nardole journey to Mars of 1881 where they discover a group of Victorian-era British soldiers hard at work. (And an Ice Warrior, but more on him in a sec.) It’s this anachronism, putting characters from the late 19th century into a sci-fi setting, specifically on Mars, that obviously draws the Burroughs comparison, as does the title of the episode which tracks neatly with the first John Carter story, “A Princess of Mars.”
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After finding the words “God Save the Queen” etched on the surface of Mars, the Doctor travels to the red planet once again this week -- as one might’ve guessed by the title of the episode, “Empress of Mars” -- in an adventure that manages to combine a classic Doctor Who villain with a vaguely Edgar Rice Burroughs concept. Along the way, this standalone story (scripted by series vet Mark Gatiss) gives Twelve and his gang a bit of a breather after the monk three-parter that preceded it, in what feels like a mostly satisfying if ultimately workmanlike tale.
After a brief visit to modern-day NASA, or thereabouts, the Doctor, Bill and Nardole journey to Mars of 1881 where they discover a group of Victorian-era British soldiers hard at work. (And an Ice Warrior, but more on him in a sec.) It’s this anachronism, putting characters from the late 19th century into a sci-fi setting, specifically on Mars, that obviously draws the Burroughs comparison, as does the title of the episode which tracks neatly with the first John Carter story, “A Princess of Mars.”
Continue reading…
Continue reading...