The episode has drawn comment for its theme of interplanetary conflict and depiction of the military. Stansfield comments that "Avalanche" is of several episodes that show how humanity's "flaws and ineptitude" can become more of a threat than the Mysterons themselves, arguing that General Ward essentially serves as the episode's secondary antagonist. Geoff Willmetts of "sfcrowsnest.com" offers a similar view on Ward, writing that the character underlines humanity's militaristic and belligerent aspects: "This Earth's reality is clearly far too aggressive compared to our own". Reviewing "Avalanche" for "FAB" magazine in 1993, Ian Fryer praised Ward's characterisation for introducing a "second layer of military as a repository for misgivings about the armed services." McNamara applauds the casting of dual adversaries, Mysteron and military, writing that the latter's "trigger-happy stubbornness" in the face of alien aggression blurs the boundary between heroes and villains and reveals a grey morality. He considers the ending all the more effective for the absence of a "clean resolution" between Spectrum and its Earth-bound opponents, noting that there has been no "epiphany" for Ward's forces and the general himself is no less arrogant than he was at the beginning of the episode.