Doctor Who S11 E5 Recap
And we finally reached the midpoint of Series 11, a new era in Doctor Who, at which this episode "The Tsuranga Conundrum" putters to a disappointing slog. In this episode we begin with the Doctor and her companions on a trash-like planet hunting for...let's just say a MacGuffin. Anywho, they come across a sonic mine and are taken from the planet in a roaming hospital ship to which an Experiment 626 knockoff attacks.
After four episode I truly thought this show was on the right track. There were a few hiccups and doubts, but they were usually cast aside by the next episode. Here, though, my doubts have come back as Chibnall delivers his most disappointing episode since taking over as showrunner. The Tsuranga Conundrum is by the numbers as one can get in Doctor Who. Away from the TARDIS, misunderstood alien, trapped in space, and a by the numbers pregnancy that, while slightly different in which a man is pregnant, is ultimately the biggest eye roll you'll have come across this series yet.
As to the alien, the Pting, it's clear somebody was a fan of Lilo & Stitch. Even though it was assigned a super high class of "stay away dangerous alien" it looks cuddly and for most of the episode I couldn't take it seriously. Then later in the episode it's revealed that it ignores the humans and is looking for things to eat their energy...and yet everyone still acts like it's going to eat them. Sigh.
For the first time in a few episodes the companions really had nothing to do. Graham and Ryan were demoted to learning about the miracle of birth while Yaz and the Doctor played exposition masters. From the snooze fest of the dialogue to the boring and artificial threat they created in this episode it's hard to keep faith in this series at times.
Overall there isn't much to say because there wasn't much that happened. Ryan and Yaz had a nice heart to heart about what happened to his dad, but for the most part nothing else allowed the characters to elicit any meaningful conversations or growth. The Doctor was...well there, but there wasn't that commanding presence that the modern Doctors have had in Jodie's performance this episode. Everything you'd guess would happen, happens, so I'll most likely forget this episode by the morning.
Key Points
- Separated from the TARDIS again
- Ryan's problem with father figures
- Yaz is back to exposition questioner
How did you feel about this episode? I hope you enjoyed it more than I did...
