4 Ups & 2 Downs From Doctor Who Series 12 - Nikola Tesla's Night Of Terror

2. The Parallel Drawn Between Friend And Foe

Skithra Queen Doctor Who
BBC

Doctor Who isn't always capable of giving you a sub-narrative underneath the explicit plot that's ongoing. Look at last week's Orphan 55. It tried to be all deep with its story, but it was so anemic and rushed, it fell flat on its face. However, the Skithra overall expertly mirror the traits of the main protagonist and sub-protagonist of this episode, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison respectively.

The Skithra using technology to further themselves as a species is reminiscent of Tesla, but stealing said technology for their own gain is a mirror of Edison. Likewise, the species acting as a hive-minded race parallels that of Edison passing off his work to the 'drones' working in his workshops. If Edison were to fall, the workshop would simply stop without him. If the Skithra Queen were to die, the Skithra drones would simply stop too. After a very bolted-on subplot in Orphan 55, it's a true breath of fresh air to see something a little more subtle woven in only one episode later.

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Born in Theatre, sits at a Computer. After over a decade of tinkering with Video Editing software, Rich gets to spend his precious time editing whatever's thrown at him. Also the go-to for Doctor Who, and could tell you why Sans Serif fonts are better than most. Still occasionally tap dances under the desk.