Monday, 3 February 2020

Who Reviews Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror by Matt Rabjohns




I have always been an avid fan of history. I have the entire collection of Horrible History books. Yes, I know they're for kids but they are just so interesting and revealing and what I love about Doctor Who is when it does history, that it does it so well. It never insults or belittles all those figures throughout history who in some way or other either helped shape or damage the world as we know it today. I particularly enjoy watching stories about historical figures that I know actually next to nothing about. I had heard of Nikola Tesla before this, but had never understood quite how much he had done in aid for our modern world. I always take delight in finding out about these sometimes-overlooked men and women who helped shape the world as we know it today. It’s always so very interesting and revealing and sometimes very heart-warming or heart-breaking indeed. ​
Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror truly feels swamped with the feel of the classic era. In that it begins with a short chunk of time with our historical scientist of the title trying to get funding for his new project with electricity. Now in this day and age we take electricity totally for granted, but when watching this story, I was wondering what this power source must have been like back in the days when it had not actually been realised for long. Its little wonder that it was treated with fear by so many people. ​
Goran Visnjic is the perfect choice to play the struggling scientist. His Tesla doesn't come over as too annoyingly aloof. In fact, he injects him with just the right amount of pathos and feeling so as to not be a failure in the role. Quite the opposite in fact. His scenes where he is totally flummoxed by the Skithra when they kidnap him and his willingness to give himself up to save the rest of the planet from destruction display him as a decent human being. It’s a very solid and confident performance that sells the character perfectly. ​
Robert Glennister returns to Doctor Who after having portrayed Salateen in The Caves of Androzani with Peter Davison. Robert has long been a favourite actor of mine. His portrayal of the somewhat arrogant business man Thomas Edison are superbly performed. Edison's verbal slanging matches with Tesla are excellently performed and both men deal so well with the script. The characters truly feel real and Goran and Robert bring history to life so well. Edison's one of those well-formed characters who Robert gives just enough sense to in his performance so as not to just be a 2D nincompoop. ​
Haley Magee is understated but sublime as Tesla's assistant Dorothy Skeritt. It was also a relief that in this story she was only portrayed as a friend of Tesla's and not some bumbling over the top silly love sick character chasing after the hero of the piece. One can easily get tired of that sort of character which have reared their heads in all too many modern era Doctor Who stories. But Haley is extremely likeable and is simply a really decent character. I can’t say I've seen Haley in much else on TV, but judging by this performance she is in for some great future as an actress. ​
Anjli Mohindra (of the Sarah Jane Adventures) is also a scene stealer as the Queen of the Parasitic Skithra. It’s wonderful to see her portray a villain, and she ticks all the right boxes for me. She is nasty and vicious, and a delight to watch on screen. Her final showdown scenes with Jodie Whittaker are exceptionally charged and palpably performed so that the story comes to a well realised and great conclusion. ​
The Skithra themselves are well realised too. The scorpion like insectoids are extremely unsettling although maybe perhaps The Queen looks rather similar to the Racnoss of the David Tennant era of the show. Maybe they are related as a species? It certainly looks like they could be. ​
Segun Akinola's music score too has to again be applauded. He gives this historical story the right flavours and backdrops. The music is sometimes creepy, sometimes moving. He is shaping up to be a fine replacement for the legend that is Murray Gold. ​
This story works very very well as a pseudo historical. Whilst not being quite as emotionally charged as either Rosa or Demons of the Punjab, it does however treat Tesla's character with immense respect and as a result he joins the legion of superbly realised historical characters that the show has brought to us over its long and wonderful history. ​
Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor also just keeps on going from strength to strength. Her Doctor's charm seems effortless in working its magic on me. She is at once more sympathetic and approachable, but when the Earth is threatened then we get to see the deeper thinking and more angry side of the Doctor's nature. Jodie performs at the top of her game and is just so mesmeric to watch on screen. In fact, within this story there were far more larger shades of past Doctor's traits in her. There was a definite streak of the Third Doctor when she is appalled by the actions of the Skithra. And that her plan seems to backfire then she reveals a trump card smacks of the deviousness and calculation of Sylvester McCoy's seventh Doctor. Jodie plays the part so intensely. ​ And I'm not ashamed to say I love her persona to bits.
Bradley Walsh as Graham is shaping up to be one of the best characters to be a companion in the whole of the modern era. His good humour and his good willingness to keep the snippish Edison in his place makes him intensely likeable all over again. It was a master stroke to get this man to play one of the oldest companions in the show. It’s a masterstroke and a breath of air to have an older companion of a more mature and assured outlook. Bradley is simply phenomenal as Graham and he gets some great lines in this story. ​
Mandip Gill works well along with Goran Visnjic, when Yaz is charged with looking after him. It’s also great to see our companions in historical garb. That's another area where this show always succeeds, in its costume design department. And I've always said that they seem to cope far better with historical costume than futuristic design. The stories always look visually appealing and sumptuous and just exude the feel of the era that are intended to portray. ​
Perhaps it’s only Tosin Cole as Ryan who has to suffer the "third companion a bit sidelined" effect in this story. In fact, apart from a few lines he doesn't really get to have a major impact on this story at all. But what little script he does get is still delivered with aplomb and I still wouldn't be without him, as the crew wouldn't be the same without him. It’s a testament to Tosin's performance in the role. I wouldn't be without any of the three companions of the Thirteenth Doctor. They truly do always feel like a family more than a TARDIS crew. ​
This story's smaller cast of characters is a major plus point for it. It means that the characters involved all get given some excellent moments to shine and all the acting is of first-class prowess. It means that their characters are more defined and relatable than in several other modern episodes where the characters tend to be lost amidst the confines of only having fifty-minute episodes now in the modern show. But here the smaller cast list is most certainly a good idea, and the story is all the stronger for it. ​
There is also a very good dose of action through this tale, which is well directed and performed by all involved. The human skin shells of the Skithra servants too are very very creepy indeed. The twisting red eyed faces lend them a disturbing and nasty aura and yet another success as a lethal Doctor Who alien foe. ​
One does wonder though why at the climax to this story that the Doctor doesn't remove Tesla or Edison's memories of the TARDIS and her from their memories. Maybe her removal of Ada Lovelace's and the WW2 spies’ memories in Spyfall was because they were involved in more dark and dangerous moments in history? Well I don't know, but it does seem just a tad odd that she doesn't give the same treatment at the end of this episode to the two main historical characters of the piece. ​
However, this is only the teensiest little gripe about an otherwise hugely entertaining story indeed. That this is the first script for the story written by newcomer Nina Metivier is not at all apparent. In fact, it seems more like a tried and trusted writer being used, so this is a testament to Nina. Let's hope we get a few more stories from this lady. Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror certainly exudes ounces and ounces of excellent scripting. ​
Chris Chibnall has proved himself an extremely competent and worthy producer of the show. In fact, so far Jodie's era has, at least for me, been an exciting, emotional and brilliant rollercoaster with so much story variation and so much verve that one is astonished that this show has now been running for over 55 years. And there have been superbly realised and characterised alien races and menaces for the Doc to face off against so as the feel of the show is one of freshness and gargantuan appeal. Doctor Who clearly is going to last forever, isn't it.....??!



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