History repeated itself this week when the fourth episode of the season dove straight into an odd lesson on the past.
It was a callback to the beginning of the world of Doctor Who, when it was intended to be an educational program for kids. In a twist unheard of in the 1960s, this episode was written by Nina Metivier and directed by Nida Manzoor, marking one of few episodes (even in the 21st century) with an all-female group leading the charge.
The Doctor and her dapperly dressed companions investigated a strange amount of electricity in the early-20th-century New York. All clues led them to Nikola Tesla, who we learned is not just the namesake for Elon Musk’s car, but a man who imagined things like Wi-Fi and X-rays decades before they became real.
Edison stans beware: When investigating him as the source of the commotion because of his feud with Tesla, the Doctor and her companions discovered that he was a capitalist bad guy (just not the one sending electrified aliens after Tesla). Graham had the strongest animosity toward him as he joined them in chasing the clues of mismatched alien weapons.
Turns out the true bad guys were those who hide in plain sight and steal technology from just about whoever they can — Skithra. The Queen of the terrifying scorpion-monsters wanted Tesla because he managed to communicate with them, and she deemed him clever enough to fix her ship.
The Doctor, who bonded with Tesla over being an inventor, was not about to let him be kidnapped by lazy aliens. In a haze of electricity and Tesla fun facts, the world and the inventor were saved.
The episode hinted at Gallifrey’s fate just to remind us what happened, but it did nothing to suggest we’ll be getting more of that storyline anytime soon.
Reactions were much less divided this week, with pretty much everyone agreeing that we all need to start researching Tesla immediately. Check out some of the best tweets below!
I absolutely loved Jodie’s performance in this scene! Has to be one of her best yet – the perfect balance of all of her character’s traits! 😍#DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/VJGqll6bXM
— Hybrid12Whovian ✨ (@Hybrid12Who) January 19, 2020
It is my spoiler-free pleasure to tell you that #DoctorWho is very good this week. pic.twitter.com/k55AKHC4sm
— Morgan Jeffery (@morganjeffery) January 17, 2020
"This ain't our first rodeo."
"We've never been to a rodeo."
"You're not helping, Ryan." #DoctorWho
— Just Plain Joe (@justplainjoe) January 20, 2020
It's not every day a blue box appears in your laboratory. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/CrIz619WLN
— Doctor Who on BBC America (@DoctorWho_BBCA) January 20, 2020
Photo: BBC
