Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Cole, Goran Visnjic, Robert Glenister, Anjli Mohindra, Haley McGee, Paul Kasey, Robin Guiver, Erick Hayden, Russell Bentley, Brian Caspe, Shaun Mason.
It would be easy to dismiss the dreamers, those who see beyond the structure of the present moment and who just, understandably, want to see their lives as a strict progression of birth to death and the fun, the love, the lessons in between. There is nothing wrong with that state of mind, nothing that can, or should be, taken away from the simplicity which marks our time on Earth.
But for the dreamers, those who wish to see others sit under the shade of a tree they planted and who know they will never feel the benefit of the cool themselves, the suffering of ridicule their only reward, fear, suspicion, mockery their payment and the words that are meant to encourage them, do something useful, as if the world needs more immediacy instead of long-term thought.
To be denied your place in history though is an act of cruelty, a symbol of barbarism, and one that can only be rectified by the actions taken by others, who wish to see your name immortalised for the good you did. It is to that end that the Doctor Who episode Nikola Tesla’s Night Of Terror is more about the human condition of fame and remembrance than it is about monsters and alien invasions.
To deal with the fragility of being human is not new territory for the makers of Doctor Who, and whilst this particular episode of the long running series doesn’t truly compete with, for example, Vincent and the Doctor, it nonetheless shows how we view ourselves and our accomplishments. The difference in this case is the resounding confidence in which Nikola Tesla had that the future would benefit from his inventions, and the fight he had to make America listen to his theories and practical applications.
As always there will always be some sort of alien influence, it is the very nature of the show’s appeal, and yet it could be argued that this particular episode, the alien incursion felt not only secondary, but diluted the effect of the man and his great adversary, Thomas Edison. Not only did the aliens seem to be lacking in substance, but they also managed to resemble one of the great villains of David Tennant’s era, The Racnoss, and whilst that in itself is not a huge problem, to look as if they created from the memory of the programme rather than striding forward with their own identity could be seen as a slip up in design.
Goran Visnjic as Nikola Tesla though was an inspired choice, and whilst the fractious nature of his and Thomas Edison’s bitter feud was not truly tested, it should be seen as a high point of Jodie Whittaker’s tenure as the Child of Gallifrey, that two such luminaries of the 20th Century’s tale was told.
Being denied your place in history, for the good you may have tried to bring the world, is perhaps a reason why people shun the idea, they don’t want a fuss, but they want to have their story told correctly, and not be remembered for the terror that others will gladly sell their lives for.
Ian D. Hall