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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