Thin Ice

Lost Stories #2.3

Released: 14 April 2011

Listened: 11/15/20

This is the beginning of a set of Lost Stories that would have constituted Season 27, had the show stayed on the air. They’re script edited by Andrew Cartmel, so they mostly reflect the original intentions, but with some modifications for Big Finish continuity. This one is written by Marc Platt, adapting his own story, and Platt is a big fan, as well as one of Cartmel’s go-to writers, so this definitely has the Season 27 feel. (The original title for the story was “Ice Time,” but was switched to “Thin Ice” later, and has no relation to the 2017 Twelfth Doctor story “Thin Ice.”) The Doctor is at his most manipulative here, having set Ace up to be tested to enter the Prydonian Academy, without her knowledge or consent. However, said test involves dropping Ace into an Ice Warrior story to see how she copes. It’s set in Russia, with the Ice Warriors trying to recover some artefacts that the Kremlin is holding onto, and attempting to weaponize. The Doctor automatically assumes the Ice Warriors are hostile (no matter how many Peladon stories he goes through), but Ace makes a connection with at least one of them. She also connects with London criminal Markus Creevy and his girlfriend Raina Kerenskaya, who are about to have a daughter, which will become significant later. The Ice Warrior part of the plot is kind of predictable, leaving the emphasis on Ace and her reactions once she finds out she’s being tested -- surprise, she’s angry at the Doctor. (Spoiler: In the TV version, Ace would have gone to the Academy. Here, she fails, and agrees to stay with the Doctor after he promises her more responsibility.) Like a lot of stories Cartmel oversaw, this one is a little overstuffed, which leaves some plot threads feeling slack, but you can see him playing the long game.