Matt Smith has several villains that are specific to his time as the Doctor. This blog is to highlight some of the best, or most terrifying villains during this time.
In series 7 episode 12 we're introduced to the "crimson horror" and the people responsible for it: Mr. Sweet and Winifred Gillyflower.
The Doctor and Clara end up in Yorkshire 1893 where they hear about a recruitment of people to live in a place called Sweetville.
Advertised as a safe haven for those who wish to survive a coming apocalypse, Mrs. Gillyflower, a somewhat innocent looking elderly woman, is only interested in the fittest, brightest and most beautiful applicants.
The Doctor ends up in the "reject pile". The rejects are dipped into a huge pool of the crimson stuff, which ends up being leech venom. We find out that Mrs. Gillyflower's "Silent partner" Mr. Sweet is a tiny red leech from the prehistoric era. Mr. Sweet has attached to Mrs. Gillyflower's chest, and in return for sustenance, he provides he with the venom she plans to use on the human race.
Mr. Sweet
The Doctor after being dipped in the Crimson Horror
Madam Vastra, Strax and Jenny all come to the aid of Clara and the Doctor, and together they were able to thwart Mrs. Gillyflower and Mr.Sweet. Mr.Sweet has a pretty gruesome demise at the hands of Mrs.Gillyflower's blind daughter, Ada.
So this week we also have a species from the classic Doctor Who, the Ice Warriors. According to my research they first appeared with the third doctor, Jon Pertwee. Matt Smith was the first Doctor of "NuWho" to encounter them. And the only Doctor to encounter Grand Marshall Skaldak.
The Ice Warriors are natives of planet Mars. They have a strong instinct for war, much like the Sontarans. They are reptilian creatures that are seven feet tall, with a very strong sense of honor. They also really do not like lying, but will do so when they must.
The Ice Warriors live for about 300 years and are used to extreme cold. Their armor was made to help protect them from the bitter cold on mars as well as protect during war. Their armor has a sonic weapon built into its arm and it is capable of moving independently by remote control.
Grand Marshal Skaldak isn't just an Ice Warrior, he is the greatest Ice Warrior hero of all time. When the Doctor and Clara Oswald come across him he had just been woken up from a 5,000 year sleep, and being held captive on a Russian sub marine.
Their run-in with Skaldak isn't the most pleasant, seeing as he declares war on all of humanity, but in the end they come to a very honorable conclusion.
Some of the Classic Doctor Who fans might argue with me on this one. Technically, The Great Intelligence has a past with the Doctor. The first episode where the Great Intelligence appeared was in 1967 with the second Doctor, so in my defense, Matt Smith is the only Doctor to encounter The G.I in "Nu Who".
Doctor Who's Christmas special, "The Snowmen" aired December 25th 2012. It is the second time we encounter Clara Oswald (my favorite companion).
This episode takes place right after the very dramatic exit of the William companions. The Doctor goes to London in 1892, basically to morn his friends. He claims that he isn't going to help people anymore, until Clara gets his attention again.
We are also blessed with the presence of Jenny, Madam Vastra and Strax in this episode. Clara ends up talking with Vastra because the Doctor is avoiding her.
When Clara sees the Doctor again, the fun begins. Snowmen, very creepy snowmen, start to appear outside of the house Clara works at. Also, there is an ice sculpture of an old house maid chasing them around the house.
The Snowmen
The Doctor learns soon after that this is the work of the Great Intelligence, who possessed a child at a very young age, and had been using him to do his bidding for years.
When he encounters the embodiment of The Great Intelligence, he finds a giant snow globe, that talks, no more information on this due to spoilers. The Doctor is able to defeat the G.I and the episode ends.
Now this is not the last time we see The Great Intelligence. It appears again in the episode "The Bells of Saint John," season 7, episode 6.
The episode starts with a monk in Cumbria in 1207, telling the Doctor that "the bells of Saint John are ringing". What the monk meant was that the phone on the T.A.R.D.I.S was ringing.
When the Doctor answers the phone, it's Clara. And she is trying to connect to WiFi. She foolishly connects to a very odd looking WiFi, and lets The Great Intelligence in.
We find out that The Great Intelligence is once again using a human to do it's bidding. And it is once again defeated.
Sorry about all the quick details and information on these episodes. There is quite a lot to The Great Intelligence, and nobody wants to read a novel. I hope you all enjoyed this post, if you have anything you would like to add please feel free to comment below, I would love to hear from you. Also, don't forget to vote this week!
