Doctor Who "Cold War"

In the old days of Doctor Who they would fill the serials up with a fair share of fluff. The four to six part storylines usually had an installment or two that didn’t really move the plot along any, there would simply be a lot of running—usually through corridors of some sort. That being said, the series endured for so long, and lived fondly in the memories of fans once it was gone, because the stories were usually about something. They had something to say or they explored interesting ideas.

In the new incarnation of Doctor Who we don’t have serials, we have episodes that are generally self-contained, outside of a rare two-parter here and there. That would seem to indicate that there are no more episodes of pure “filler.” Unfortunately that is not the case. We still have episodes that don’t carry much story, let alone interesting ideas or themes. Some, like last week’s episode, hide their vacuity in dazzling special effects and makeup. Others excite the fans with call-backs to the old days in the form of old enemies.

At least “Cold War” was not as bad as last week’s story. But let’s get back to some great Who soon please!