Doctor Who: War Of The Sontarans Review - 7 Ups & 5 Downs
11. UP - The Sontarans
Well, it’s safe to say that Chibnall has done something that neither of his predecessors managed - making the Sontarans a credible and entertaining threat once again.
The Sontaran personalities in this episode are spot on, striking a perfect balance between threatening and comical in what may be their greatest outing to date, fully embracing their ridiculousness whilst showing a complete lack of mercy - gunning down innocent civilians in a firing line and executing one of their own for getting captured.
Their new design, harkening back to Classic Who, is infinitely better than their smooth faced, blue clad counterparts, and whilst still cracking jokes, they are not made the butt of them. A particular highlight for us was Commander Skack revealing his true motivation for choosing the Crimean War as a starting point: he really wanted to ride a horse. So on brand.
Future writers - this is a perfect template for how to do the Sontarans justice. Take note.