Doctor Who: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror

 Doctor: 'I've seen more than you can possibly imagine.'

It may have taken fifteen months to get here, but this is the first episode of the Chibnall era that I've liked. It wasn't of 'Listen' or 'Hell Bent' quality—I'm not sure such greatness is even possible under the current creative team—but it told a solid, simple story, the companions were utilised sensibly, and not only were its guest actors given compelling stories, they also turned in good performances. Best of all: the companions finally got to dress up in period costume. Yay!

I'll admit, knowing that Nina Metivier script-edited the mostly dreary season eleven didn't fill me full of confidence in her ability to bash out a satisfying script. True, the episodes she was involved in—'The Woman Who Fell to Earth' and 'It Takes Me Away'—were two of the season's less stinky offerings, but it still felt like scant reason for hope. Thankfully, there's a world of difference between script-editing and script-writing, and tonight's story crackled with purpose, humour, and felt like a good old-fashioned fun historical. For the second time this season, the show felt like Doctor Who again.

Focusing the story on Tesla's struggle for recognition and funding felt like the right move, as did the inclusion of Edison; although I have to say, Tesla was written far more sympathetically than his rival, who often came across as grumpy, greedy, and occasionally unethical. Why Metivier chose to emphasise Edison's negative traits whilst virtually deifying Tesla I'm not sure, but it's probably as simple as Tesla being the subject of the story. As such, going into Tesla's distasteful views on eugenics, his opinion of the modern woman, or his numerous social gaffs, would've been (a) detrimental to his rootability and (b) a shitty example for kids... so I understand why they were omitted. I'm not sure anyone can withstand the scrutiny of a different era and come away smelling of roses anyway.

I was also pleased that both Goran Visnjic and Robert Glennister played their respective parts with the seriousness and respect they deserved, and there was none of the awful overacting guest actors sometimes think de rigueur. Had Visnjic really hammed it up, Tesla's fall into obscurity and poverty would've had far less resonance. And to see the Doctor fangirling over Tesla was actually quite sweet. Tesla is the sort of technological hero that suits Thirteen's hands-on, up to her elbows in grease sensibilities, so their shared wonder at invention made absolute sense.

Even Queen Skithra had her own charm, and definitely benefited from the scenery chewing of Anjli Mohindra. Playing monsters is where guest actors can legitimately go for broke, and Mohindra went large. I don't know how successful the Skithra were as world-conquering monsters—what with their terrible cornering and penchant for smashing into one another—but save swapping them out for clockwork monsters (which may have suited the steampunk-esque vibe better), they were nicely realised, and provided the necessary stimuli to get the cast in motion. It was also nice to see Anjli Mohindra back in the Doctor Who fold. Kudos to Chris Chibnall for continuing the show's long tradition of reusing actors.

I still think there are too many companions in a ten episode show to be useful, but when the story has pace and sensible progression, you notice it less. Graham undoubtedly had some good lines, but the brief resurgence of Ryan's dyspraxia sadly produced little of substance. If you're going to introduce a character suffering from a coordinational disorder, then at least use it. Each week could bring a new challenge for Ryan to solve in his own unique way, adding richness to his character, and forcing the writers to solve problems in unconventional ways. This feels like such a rich vein of character-defining material just begging to be tapped, yet nobody seems willing pick up an axe and dig.

But it is what it is. This is a show currently focused on education, and for this week at least they got the balance between edification, drama and comedy mostly right. It didn't reach anywhere near the heights of 'Vincent and the Doctor', but it smashed 'The Shakespeare Code', and definitely gave 'The Unquiet Dead' a run for its money. It was also beautifully shot and directed. Nida Manzoor will be returning for the Judoon-fest next week, so here's hoping for another handsomely produced outing.

Other Thoughts:

—So all three companions knew who Rosa Parks was last season, yet nobody knew who Nikola Tesla was tonight?

—While we're on the subject of continuity: mindwipes for Khan and Lovelace two weeks ago, yet Tesla and Edison went without?

—Anjli Mohindra played Rani Chanbra in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

—No pre-credit scene again? That's twice this season. Just when you thought things were getting back to normal...

Quotes:

Skerrit: 'Is she always this impertinent?'
All: 'YES!'

Doctor: 'I made it... mainly out of spoons.'

Doctor: 'If I'd have known we were going to have a royal visit, I'd have put the kettle on.'

Graham: 'Don't worry, this ain't our first rodeo.'
Ryan: 'You've never been to a rodeo.'
Graham: 'You're not helping, Ryan.'

Doctor: 'And what are you queen of exactly? A stolen ship and second hand guns? A queen of shreds and patches. You're not a ruler, you're a parasite.'