Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror

"You are not my idea of progress."

Writer: Nina Metivier

Format: TV

Broadcast: 19 January 2020

Series: 12.04

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

1903. On the edge of Niagara Falls, something is wrong at Nikola Tesla's generator plant. Who or what is sabotaging the maverick inventor's work? Has he really received a message from Mars? And where does his great rival Thomas Edison fit into these events? The Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham must join forces with one of history's great minds to save both him and planet Earth.

Verdict

Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror was a very good episode to continue my rewatching of Series 12 of Doctor Who! This was pretty much as I remembered it which was definitely a positive thing, although I did seem to think there was more of a historical element and less of the Skithra. I was a really big fan of how this episode started and I just thought the whole setting of Gilded Age New York was sublime. Having the companions in costume was terrific to see and the imagery of the streets at this time was excellent. I really was impressed. I thought incorporating the scientific rivalry of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison into a Doctor Who story like this was magnificent and both historical figures were played and represented really well. I'm a huge fan of history considering I have a Master's Degree in the subject and whilst I am not very knowledgeable about science, exploring the history of these two here and the tension regarding alternating and direct current was fantastic. I enjoyed the educational element of the episode and also loved how overwhelmed and excited the Doctor was to be meeting Tesla. The chase on the train was great and the inclusion of a Silurian gun was a nice little bit of continuity. Yaz had a strong episode and definitely looked the part in her period costume which she seemed to get accustomed with quite nicely. Ryan and Graham didn't offer a huge amount but the latter trying to pass that he knew all about Tesla's inventions was fun. The Doctor's anticipation at seeing Tesla's lab and the result being somewhat disappointment was a good moment, but something that was terrific was seeing both Tesla and Edison grace the TARDIS interior. Their reactions were brilliant. I'm not sure this episode actually needed the Skithra as given how things started and the dead coming back to life, it seemed more than was necessary with the Queen. She was a decent villain though and I did like the idea of her requiring an engineer. The Doctor challenging her regarding the stolen parts of her ship was also good. I thought the way it appeared the Skithra Queen countered the ambush and attempts to destroy her, only for the Doctor to turn the tables and reveal the plan all along was a fantastic way to finish. She tricked her into being teleported back to her own ship just as Tesla's tower was activated into destroying it. That was neat and tidy, especially with the Queen Skithra's destruction causing her minions to also perish. One moment of the episode that I loved was when Yaz and Edison were attempting to evacuate the streets, the latter used Tesla's experiments as a way to get everyone inside. That was fun. Dorothy was a lovely character and I really liked her devotion to Tesla. The similarities she bore to Ryan and Graham and how they reacted to their superior intellect's abilities and just everyday experiences was really good. Tesla marvelling at the Doctor as a fellow inventor when seeing her use the sonic screwdriver was a another nice moment and I really enjoyed how the pair got on, even when she correctly accused him of lying. As a whole, this was just e a really solid and enjoyable historical romp with a nice bit of sci fi thrown in. It was fun, educational and historically great all in one. Overall, a fine episode!

Rating: 8/10