Review by RCR contributing editor, Hayden Black, follow him on Twitter @HaydenBlack!
Demons of the Punjab sees the Doctor taking Yaz (and Team Tardis) to 1947 India at the time of the Partition when the country was divided in two by Britain (not so great, so I’m not going to refer to it as that right now). Yaz wants to see her grandmother’s past and the Doctor decides against her better judgement to take her there.
What they find are aliens – but as the story transpires, the true demons of the Punjab aren’t from outer space. They’re human just like all demons turn out to be – and most of the demons we’ve seen thus far this season. The political story of 1947 India as Hindus and Muslims could easily be 2018 America and Democrats and Republicans. Brother is pitted against brother and a tale as old as time unfurls as the tragic end we know is coming draws ever close.
You see, Prem and his hardline brother Manish are Hindu and Manish can’t wait for the partition to take place, even banging stakes in the ground before it’s officially announced. Muslims on one side, Hindus and Sikhs on the other. Oh, he can’t wait. But Prem is set to marry a Muslim and Manish doesn’t like that. It’s the sort of close-minded hate that we can all still unfortunately relate to in 2018.
The idea of Yaz interfering with her grandmother as a young woman and thus messing with her own time-stream haunts the episode but we’ve all seen what transpires when that happens (Father’s Day) and happily they don’t go there again. So Prem is allowed to sacrifice himself so Yaz’s grandma can get away safely while Yaz has to do nothing but stoically walk away.
The aliens – which have evolved from sadistic assassins to peaceful celebrants of life – are the red herring in this episode but I guess they needed something to get us to the show’s denouement. And sure, they were ugly – but not as ugly as the crying you’ll do when you see the amount of people’s lives they honor at the end. The ethereal, haunting Indian vocal version of the Doctor Who theme that plays us out over the end credits will stay with you.
And so will some of the dialogue. There were some beautiful lines in this episode, written by playwright Vinay Patel. In a moving scene with Graham and Prem, Prem says “There’s nothing worse than when good people lose their minds,” a concept proven over and over again, from the Holocaust to the Partition to what we’re seeing take place in America today (children in cages anyone?). “I don’t know how to protect people when hatred’s coming from all sides” adds Prem. “All we can strive to be is good men,” responds Graham.
And good women.
Right, Doctor?
About Dr. Who
The Doctor and her friends arrive in the Punjab, India, in 1947, as the country is being torn apart; while Yaz attempts to discover her grandmother’s hidden history, the Doctor discovers demons haunting the land.
The further adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer known as the Doctor, a Time Lord/Lady who can change appearance and gender by regenerating when near death, and his/her human companions.
WATCH MORE
The Thirteenth Doctor: http://bit.ly/TheThirteenthDoctor
Regenerations: http://bit.ly/DWRegeneration
Title Sequences: http://bit.ly/DWTitleSequences
Review by Hayden Black
Hayden Black is the award-winning British star/writer/producer behind Goodnight Burbank (“Better than 99% of the stuff on TV” – USA Today”), the first-ever scripted half-hour comedy series made for Hulu and then licensed – the day it premiered – by Mark Cuban for his cable channel HDNet. Goodnight Burbank and his other original online work – including Abigail’s Teen Diary & The Occulterers – have won Webby, iTunes and Yahoo awards, been viewed in the multi-millions, and taught in college courses.
What do we know about season 11 so far?
Behind the Scenes with Season 11 of Doctor Who
Photo Credit: BBC / Doctor Who
