Doctor Who Series 10: 7 Big Questions After 'Thin Ice'

The tone of series 10 is lighter than we’ve been used to. There is still an arc to speak of, but it’s designed as a basic ‘what’s inside the box’ puzzle. Just as in the previous episode Smile, Thin Ice adds another piece to that jigsaw.

Talk on social media is inevitably revolving around those knocks. It now appears that whatever’s trapped inside the vault is alive and wants to come out. Given that Nardole answers back, it’s almost certainly an individual person, with the Master the obvious candidate.

The association between John Simm’s Master and the four knocks is ingrained on fandom as much as the sound of drums inside the Master’s head, and whether a misdirection or not, it’s surely deliberate that just before the credits roll the prisoner breaks the pattern of three and knocks four times.

But we would be missing a trick if we just focused on the knocks and overlooked what Nardole says in this scene. For starters this is the first sign of a deep rooted tension between him and the Doctor, an indication that Nardole is not just unhappy about playing the role of servant but is more than capable of revolting. Will whatever is knocking on the door take advantage of that dissatisfaction, seeing it as a window of opportunity – a chance to change Nardole’s allegiance perhaps?

We also discover that the Doctor has been communicating with the prisoner, a fact that unsettles Nardole. He thinks that whatever the Doctor has said has disturbed the person/creature behind the vault, to such an extent that he’s desperate to get out. Why wasn’t the prisoner knocking from the start, or screaming for help like Bill? And what will he do next?

What other questions occurred to you as you were watching Thin Ice? Share yours below in the comments thread.