Doctor Who: Demons of the Punjab

The Doctor takes Yaz to visit her nanny and finds out that she is due to marry a Hindu man called Prem. But this is during the partition and Prem's brother, Manish wants the division.

The wedding is blocked by Demons, or rather, aliens called Thiracians who the Doctor identified as assassins.  When it appears that they have killed the Holy Man who was supposed to initiate the wedding, the Doctor tries to hold off the aliens so that the wedding can take place.

But all is not as it seems. The aliens reveal that they are are innocent of the murder. Their planet has been destroyed and now they only pay witness to death. It was actually Manish who killed Holy Man and he has invited friends. Nani and her Mother get away while Prem holds the attackers off. The Doctor and friends get to witness Prem's death.

Demons of the Punjab is another episode where the aliens were barely there. The Thiracians look cool and the Doctor does stand up to them but are innocent Real monsters the people. It does leave the slight plot hole that if they didn't kill the Holy Man then why did they not find bullets?

The setting is the key here. The partition is an area that has not been explored yet in Who. This is mostly focused on a few people.

Yaz got proper character development. She is determined to find out more about her nani's past and initially shocked when she discovers that Prem and Nanny to Marry, but we see Yaz mature as she comes to understand how her nanny was thinking. By the end she is happy not to know anymore.

The Doctor comes across much better in this. She stands up to the aliens. She also engages with a wedding. The first time, I think, of the Doctor ever officiating.

Bradley Walsh is brilliant. Scene where he comforts Yaz is brilliant. His speech was reminiscent of the one Troughton gave.

Ryan got a bit less to do this week. But he's had enough for now.

The direction for this episode was good. Everything looked visually stunning. The music was also very good. Segun Akinola continues to shine. He got Indian composers to do this episode.

A pure historical like Hartnell. Shades of Father's Day as well.

Score = 8/10

RIP Stan Lee

Farewell to one of the most influential people in comics history.

When I was growing up, it was all about Spider-Man and the X-Men. The Avengers hadn't had their breakout success in the Marvel Studios film series yet. Spider-Man showed me how you could have a hero who had to alternate his superhero life with his ordinary life.

Doctor Who: The Tsuranga Conundrum

There comes a point in every era of Doctor Who where the new showrunner produces a bad episode. For Russell T. Davies, that was Aliens of London. For Steven Moffat it was The Beast Below. For Chris Chibnall it's The Tsuranga Conundrum.

The episode starts out well. After being blown up by a sonic mine, the Doctor and her friends are transported to The Tsuranga, a medical spaceship. For the first fifteen minutes of the episode, the Doctor, in a dazed and confused state, tries to work out where she and her friends are and how they can escape. It's a nice sequence of building up mystery, getting a sense of location and introducing our guest cast for the week.

The Tsuranga is soon under attack from a tiny alien called the P'ting. This little creature looks cute but is actually a deadly creature that eats anything and cannot be touched. This was a nice little creation and kudos to Tim Price, who worked on the Doctor Who writes room, for coming up with it.

The rest of the episode is about everyone on board trying to get the P'ting off the ship and make it safely to the medical station. At the same time, the other patients get their own little problems to deal with. A former General having to admit her pilot problem. A male pregnancy and Ryan and Graham coming to terms with their own dad. This is where the episode really start to go wrong.  For all that we're meant to believe the crew are in mortal danger, everyone gets time to stop for long chats. There is no sense that the Space Ship is getting worse.

Jodie Whittaker's Doctor wasn't given so much Matt Smith dialogue this week but she does lack authority. She bows down to the medical staff member, Astos when he talks about exploring. There is also a scene where she and General Cicero are trying to talk the crew and the General seems to have more authority. I never felt like Jodie's Doctor was really in charge.

Ryan and Graham get to bond this week. Ryan deals with issues of fatherhood. Graham gets to be the comic relief, hoping to deliver a baby based on watching Call the Midwife.

After all her character development last week, Yaz is the one who is once again given very little to do. She guards the reactor and kicks the P'ting and that's about it.

This episode felt like a dull episode of Star Trek. We had spaceships, an android who looked like Data and a Space Station. The tone was all misplaced. Every character was earnestly talking technobabble. There is a reference to CERN which was the only good scene.

The only other good thing about the episode was the music. Segun Akinola's score carried the episode, generating tension where there was none in the script.

Rating = 5/10

Doctor Who: Arachnids in the UK

Arachnophobia seems to be an affliction on many people. They find spiders to be scary and hideous.
Personally I’ve never been that scared of spiders. I actually like them. They get rid of annoying flies. Your attitude toward this episode may depend on how you feel about our eight-legged friends.

The story begins similarly to Aliens of London. The Doctor manages to return her friends to Sheffield as she promised, only half an hour after they left. The Doctor and Ryan go to have tea with Yaz at her flat while Graham decides to return to his own house. These separate scenes serve to flesh out the characters. At Yaz's flat we are introduced to her Dad and her sister. Graham returning home to mourn Grace shows how far he has developed. These scenes are written well.

Unfortunately, the sci-fi story in the middle lets it down.  Arachnids in the UK is basically the Green Death condensed into 50 minutes. Toxic waste is turning spiders into giants. There is no real mystery as to why the spiders are going big. We go from mysterious business types trying Yasmin’s dad explaining how rubbish is built up and references to rubbish chutes, and then spiders. It’s easy to see how everything fits together. No real twists along the way. Nobody other than our regulars are threatened by the spiders. You would think Yasmin’s family would come under threat to up the tension, but only her mum does.

The Spiders themselves are good CGI creation. Glad they weren’t the enemy. Sadly the Doctor elects to kill them ‘humanely’ rather than use the Tardis to take them to another planet. The death of the Big Spider is supposed to be sad but since it was going to die anyway, it’s not much. It’s similar to the death of the Triceratops in Chibnall’s Dinosaurs on a Space Ship. Also similar to exploited meat creature in Torchwood’s Meat.

The supporting cast are thinned down to three primary characters. Yasmin's dad and sister are likeable, if straightforward. Yasmin’s mum is doubter like Jackie. Professor is just dumping exposition Doand Trump character is funny for a minute. Yasmin’s dad and sister are fine.

The Doctor seemed a bit more like Matt Smith or David this week. Commenting and rambling. She referred to regeneration as though it had just happened whereas she seemed fully in control last episode.

Bradley Walsh is fanstatic this week grieving over Grace. Yasmin gets a bit more fleshed out. There is either going to be love interest in Ryan or love interest in the Doctor. Ryan gets the least to do in this episode though he does get funny moments making spider shadow puppets and using music to lure the spiders.

If there’s one thing that’s becoming apparent with the Chris Chibnall episodes, it’s that the character moments are strong and the plot is weak.  As with The Ghost Monument, I found myself checking the time which is not a good sign. Let's hope the upcoming episodes are better.

Rating = 6/10

Doctor Who: Rosa

Before this episode aired, I was very nervous. The American Civil Rights movement is a very sensitive subject matter and there are so many ways that this episode could have gone wrong. Fortunately the writers, Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall, were able to navigate the difficulties and the result was a very good episode.

The most important thing that this episode gets right is that the Doctor and companions did not in any way inspire Rosa's act of protest that led to the bus boycott. Instead our time travellers are on the edge of events, trying to keep history free of interference from a another time traveller, a racist  criminal called Krasko, who wants to create small changes that will stop the bus boycott and stop the Civil Rights movement from happening. There is no big plan for an alien invasion. The villain is all too-human, motivated by petty racism.

It's probably the closest to a pure historical since the William Hartnell years. We get references to Emmett Till and Ryan gets to meet Martin Luther King. As the villain is humanoid, we get no bug-eyed monsters. The enemies in this case are human. Unlike other episodes, where racism is allegorical with aliens, here it is very raw and real feeling.

I complained last time about the pacing problems. Although The Ghost Monument was set on a hostile alien planet, our regular characters never felt like they were in danger. This week, in part because of the grim subject matter, there was a lot more tension. Only minutes after leaving the Tardis, Ryan is slapped by a racist man. Every few moments there was peril afflicting our characters. It was Krasko, then it was the Police Officer. The characters were constantly kept on their toes. Their attempts to make Rosa get the bus were being disrupted and they had to improvise to make it work.

I continue to like this new Doctor. Jodie was effective, whether she was joking about being Banksy, or being serious when she confronts Krasko. The companions were also very good. Ryan and Yasmin both get to deal with racism. Ryan having to keep his cool was good. There was also a hint of chemistry between them. Graham was great. Him having to be the catalyst for Rosa Parks was good. He is fully supportive of Ryan. All were really effective at the end when they were reluctantly part of that bus journey.

The supporting cast were also very effective. Vinnette Robinson was good as Rosa Parks. She felt like a dignified human being, intelligent and brave. The show did not glamourise her or patronise her. It was very well done.

Krasko was an interesting villain. An escapee from stormcage with a vortex manipulator. He couldn't actually hurt anyone so could only manipulate. Some might wonder if he should be there or not. The story might have worked if he had been an ordinary time agent accidentally changing things.  Still, his motivation of racism did fit in with the theme.

Mark Tonderai's direction was good. I particularly liked the opening scene of the camera following the bus and then moving off into an alleyway where the Tardis materialised. A nice continuous shot. The crane shot of the motel down to the Doctor and her friends was good as it showed them oppressed by its sign.

The only thing I wasn't sure about was the song 'Rise-Up'. It was effective in the scene where Rosa was arrested and where the Doctor talks about Rosa's importance in history. I don't think it needed to be in the ending credits.

Rosa was a good episode. Where the previous two episodes of Series 11 were safe introductions, this one feels as though it is trying new things and exploring new areas for the show. A proper success.

Rate = 9/10

Doctor Who: The Ghost Monument

Fans commenting on Doctor Who have noted that the second episode of a new era defines that era more than the first episode.  The End of the World introduced Cassandra, the Face of Boe and the Doctor being the last of the Time Lords. The Beast Below introduced themes that Moffat would play with such as memory and monsters that turn out to be innocent. The impression I get from The Ghost Monument is that the Chris Chibnall era will be character driven but linear in terms of plot.

Last week's cliffhanger ending is resolved fairly quickly. Ryan and Graham are scooped up onto the ship of Angtrom (Susan Lynch). The Doctor and Yaz are scooped up onto the spaceship of Enzo (Shaun Dooley).  After their space ships crash on Desolation we then get introduced to Ilin (Art Malik) who explains the plot. Epzo and Angstrom are part of a race to reach the Ghost Monument.  Whoever gets there first will win money. To survive they must pass all the natural perils on the planet including alien micro-carnivores in the drinking water. The audience would little time to work out that the 'Ghost Monument' is actually the Tardis and thankfully, the Doctor doesn't take long to work this out. There are no real other surprises after this.

The characterization of the guest starts is also fairly straightforward. Epzo is the typical guy who has learnt to survive on his own. So you know straight away that he is going to end up working together. The theme of teamwork that binds this episode together is a fairly straightforward one. The character of Ilin, played by Art Malik, is really just an exposition engine. I can't think of any interesting character traits he had.

The only real surprise is that it transpires that the weapons were developed for the Stenza, the creatures that Tim Shaw was a member of. It is also revealed that the Doctor remembers something called 'The Timeless Child'. Although it'll be interesting to see the Stenza fleshed out, I'm less keen on the Timeless Child. I really hope it does not end up being like the Hybrid. I've had enough of things from the Doctor's past

Unfortunately the slow pacing issues that were there in last week's episode are really ramped up here. After the exciting space crash landing sequence, the episode crawls to a halt when they are crossing the water on the boat. There's a lot of chat and we get a lot of character backstory but without good dialogue it feels a little lifeless. I wonder if there was a cut scene where someone drops something in the water and eats it. The scene would have been more dramatic if the boat had started sinking.

Fortunately, things start to pick up again once the characters get to the abandoned ruins. Robot Guards and flying toilet rolls go after our heroes. These Robots look impressive but are really just an obstacle and are not that interesting in themselves. The Doctor weirdly complains about Ryan using guns and then uses an EMP Device and a cigar to burnt the atmosphere.

The crew reach the Ghost Monument. It is no surprise that Epzo and Angstrom work together and are transported away.

The new Tardis interior is a mixed bag. I like the walls and crystal pillars but am not keen on some of the quirky buttons. I do quite like the custard cream dispenser though.

The characterof Ilin was a bit vague. I'm not sure for whose benefit he's put n this race. Are others watching this somehow? What does Ilin himself get out of it?

There's not much development for our companions this week. Ryan is still dealing with the dyspraxia. Graham is still geting over Grace's death. We find out that Yasmin has a dad and a sister but that's it.

I would say this is the Doctor's episode. She is more clear in the head. She is slightly less quirky and she seems to rely on her friends a lot more. She takes charge but in a less overt way than Capaldi Doc.  we et to see her hipocracy at not using guns but still destroying the robots. Her excitement at seeing the Tardis and her love for seeing it.

Another notable feature of this episode is the opening titles which are really well designed. The swirly blue ripples are reminiscent of the non-specific swirls and shapes seen in the sixties and seventies opening.

7/10

Quatermass (1979): Ringstone Round

Quatermass is the first of the series to not be made by the BBC. The 35mm film recording certainly gives this serial a different feel to the others.

The different feel is enforced by the setting. Whereas the 1950s serials were roughly contemporary with their time of broadcast, this serial is set in a dystopian future Britain.  Feral gangs of youths roam city streets, armed police are forced to use violence and power cuts are frequent. It's quite possibly a vision of what Jeremy Corbyn's Britain will look like.

The episode begins dramatically with Professor Quatermass returning to the city only to be mugged by the youth gang. He is saved from losing his teeth by Doctor Kapp, a scientist and Jew and taken to a television centre and talk on the new link up between the US and Soviet satellites. The television studio debate is reminiscent of the media focus that Quatermass had in the first and third serial. Quatermass is more interested in finding his grandaughter, who is presumably a daughter of Paula and quite possibly the other soldier from Quatermass II. He gives a moralistic speech int he styleof the ending of he previous serial but it fallson deep ears. The TV crew also refer to the Experiment, when they talk about the first crew.


When the link up goes wrong, he and Doctor Kap return to the country side where a cult of teenagers called the Planet People, are searching for means to leave the Earth.

Kapp takes Quatermass to his home in the country where two satellites are in operation. Quatermass meets the team and family and becomes interested in the dig site that Mrs Kapp found and  following the Planet People who are heading for Ringmans Round.

The episode ends dramatically with the stand-off between he police and the planet people. As Quatermass and Kapp depart, they see a bright light beaming down seemingly leaving nothing behind but white dust. It's an effective cliffhanger.

John Mills' Quatermass reminds me of Andre Morell version, especially with his costume and cap.  Both of those versions of the character are away from the Rocket Group, solving their own problems.. Mills' Quatermass doesn't seem quite as charismatic as the Morell incarnation but he is still good.

So far Doctor Kapp seems to be the equivalent of Doctor Matthew Roney from Pit. The ally who has very strong views and a passion for science and a dislike of the planet people.

Mrs Kapp and the research team are likeable characters. Alison is likeable as well.

The music is very different to the Quatermass, although the electronic music suites the dystopian theme.

While the first episode of the new Quatermass was less focused on horror than he others, it was interesting enough to keep mehooked. Ringstone Round is a good start to Kneale's last original Quatermass serial.