5. Anything That Is Frozen Can Be Thawed
War by its very nature is cold. Generals ignore individual suffering. Soldiers are resources, tools to be used then discarded when they wear out. The enemy is a mindless; faceless other that is less than what we perceive ourselves to be. Vengeful minds are trapped in ice, frozen in time and space, unable to grow or change. To Skaldak the soviet soldiers are just another foe to be met on the field of battle. To the soldiers Skaldak is a heartless monster. Writer Mark Gatiss, however, is determined to show us that both the soldiers and Skaldak are more than name, rank and serial number. We learn Skaldak is a proud father who loves and misses his daughter. He is also a lonely being who feels abandoned and mourns his isolation from his people. We hear his desperate voice crying out for home. We see his hesitation when the Doctor confronts him with the horror of the potential outcome of his actions. Zhukov, the captain of the Soviet submarine, is never portrayed as one-dimensional. He is thoughtful and, after initial and understandable skepticism, open to the Doctors advice. He obeys the rules most of the time but is willing to break them when need arises. The Doctors role is mainly one of mentor, drawing out the minds of others, exposing them to new ideas, encouraging them to think outside of self-imposed guidelines. Zhukov may have been conditioned by his society but he is not blinded by its strictures and opens himself up to change.