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andrasteThat was the most I have enjoyed a new TV episode of Doctor Who since way back in 2017! (Which is a relief, since I have nothing to say about Orphan 55 except that I hated it and I'm relieved it's over and we can all move on with our lives.)
While it's a standard celebrity historical very much in the RTD mode (complete with an alien design blatantly ripped off from the Racnoss) this was pacey and enjoyable and truly showed the Thirteenth Doctor at her best. It makes sense that she'd get on so well with Telsa, and their bonding was the best part of the episode for me. (My favourite part is the bit at the end where he awkwardly pats her on the arm, clearly uncertain of what the protocol is for saying goodbye to strange women who travel around in mysterious boxes.) I was pleased that they managed to do Eddison vs. Tesla without entirely demonizing Eddison, too, who is just the right amount of a jerk. (The relative Tesla evangelism worked fine for me in context and was much less jarring than, say, the show compltely whitewashing Churchill.)
And it really doesn't matter that the aliens are a bit rubbish - I've long thought that rubbish aliens were perfectly acceptable as long as the show knows that they are rubbish and doesn't try to scare us with them. From the way those alien scorpions were literally falling over each other at times, I'm pretty sure that we are not meant to be impressed. A race of technology scavengers is a good idea, though, and I'd love to see them again somewhere in the extended Whoniverse! They can join the Selachians in the ranks of Doctor Who enemies that are actually not very threatening but can work really well in the right story.
I do continue to hope that the show also knows that the Doctor has made some morally dubious choices lately - not that I disagree with her killing the aliens in the circumstances, which was very Ten-on-the-roof-with-the-Satsuma of her, but killing them was what she did. I'm not sure I can believe her continued claims of pacifism when she keeps doing that sort of thing.
While it's a standard celebrity historical very much in the RTD mode (complete with an alien design blatantly ripped off from the Racnoss) this was pacey and enjoyable and truly showed the Thirteenth Doctor at her best. It makes sense that she'd get on so well with Telsa, and their bonding was the best part of the episode for me. (My favourite part is the bit at the end where he awkwardly pats her on the arm, clearly uncertain of what the protocol is for saying goodbye to strange women who travel around in mysterious boxes.) I was pleased that they managed to do Eddison vs. Tesla without entirely demonizing Eddison, too, who is just the right amount of a jerk. (The relative Tesla evangelism worked fine for me in context and was much less jarring than, say, the show compltely whitewashing Churchill.)
And it really doesn't matter that the aliens are a bit rubbish - I've long thought that rubbish aliens were perfectly acceptable as long as the show knows that they are rubbish and doesn't try to scare us with them. From the way those alien scorpions were literally falling over each other at times, I'm pretty sure that we are not meant to be impressed. A race of technology scavengers is a good idea, though, and I'd love to see them again somewhere in the extended Whoniverse! They can join the Selachians in the ranks of Doctor Who enemies that are actually not very threatening but can work really well in the right story.
I do continue to hope that the show also knows that the Doctor has made some morally dubious choices lately - not that I disagree with her killing the aliens in the circumstances, which was very Ten-on-the-roof-with-the-Satsuma of her, but killing them was what she did. I'm not sure I can believe her continued claims of pacifism when she keeps doing that sort of thing.