Doctor Who 12.06

[selenak]

Enjoyable one shot tale that uses its ensemble much better than "Orphan 55". Also the most Companion-heavy episode so far this season.



Last season had Ryan's and Graham's grief for Grace and their own relationship as a central storyline, whereas this season the Fam has mostly been given Greek Chorus functions, until now. While the Doctor and the Companions all got to investigate different angles of the central mystery, it all still felt far more cohesive and coordinated than Orphan55. I also suspect Yaz might be getting a version of Clara's "becoming the Doctor" storyline, which honestly I'm a bit dubious about, not least because using a teleport without knowing whether you might end up in poisonous gas - a likely guess given that the aliens were wearing gas masks - is not risk friendly, it's stupid.

The other thing that made me raise an eyebrow was Jake going on about how hard it was to be married to someone amazing when you feel avarage while sitting next to Graham, who said nothing (until his final remark), but the episode clearly wanted me to see a parallel to Graham and Grace there. However, Graham responded to Grace's amazingness not by self-sabotage and feeling unworthy but by loving and celebrating her brilliance.

This all being said: I liked the episode. All three companions were active and had things to do, Gabriela, Adam and Jake were all clearly delineated characters, and for that matter so was Suki, with the Doctor's rueful admittance that she tends to fall for scientists being very true continuity. Pollution and micro plastic in everyone as the true Big Bad might be sledgehammery, but that hammer needs to be dropped, and then some, in the current climate more than ever.

Comments

[davetheanalyzer]

This was co-written by the same writer as Kerblam!, so this was relievingly bare of the unfortunate implications of that episode and to the writer's strengths. One minor issue is that Aramu got offed and there wasn't even a token acknowledgement of that. I get they were busy avoiding the infected birds and this probably happened to other minor offed characters in other episodes but still.

Glad for the extended Yaz focus here. Since she idolizes the Doctor, it makes sense she might take up some of her traits but I hope it doesn't have a Clara-ish end. I just hope the companions could leave on amicable terms this time and not get offed/mind-wiped/shunted off to another time or universe/etc.

I didn't see the parallels as much with the amazing spouse issue with Jake and Graham. More one guy has relationship problems and as a widowed man, Graham might have commentary on that. Glad for the part Ryan played with the bird and investigating Grabriela's missing friend.

One thing I liked about the episode were the moments of silence where nothing was communicated with the Doctor reading Suki's silences on the ship and a bit with Graham and Grace. As for current messages, from what I understand Doctor Who being sometimes a bit sledgehammery on current issues is long, grand tradition for the show (And also, the queer character get to live this episode. Yay!).

[pujaemuss]

I felt the episode was trying to draw a contrast between how Graham and Jake handled being married to someone amazing, not necessarily a parallel, as seen by Graham nicely cutting through Jake's line of bullshit with one remark.

The pollution anvil clunked at the beginning as well with the river in Peru that'd been turned into a rubbish dump in three years. It is an important message, but it'll get nowhere if the show continues to drop it with the lack of subtlety that it has been so far.

I liked the Jake and Adam storyline, cause it's so rare to see gay couples on television where their sexuality isn't part of the plot or remarked upon in some way. This story was just two married people and the astronaut could've been played by a woman without changing a single bit of dialogue (Jake had to be a man cause his issues were toxic masculinity writ large). Plus, as dave mentioned, no Kill Your Gays ending, which was pleasantly surprising.