Doctor Who Series 12: Ten Huge Questions After Nikola Tesla’s Night Of Terror
1. Why DIdn’t The Doctor Wipe Tesla and Edison’s Minds?
In Spyfall we saw the Doctor take the relatively rare step
of wiping Ada and Noor’s minds because they had seen too much from the future.
It begs the question why then and not now? Both Edison and Tesla were shown
things that could have interfered with the course of history, giving them access
to knowledge and technology they did not previously possess. It has to be said,
that this is very much the norm for the Doctor, but as it stands it makes the treatment
of the two women even more questionable.
On a related issue, parallels to Vincent and the Doctor have also been drawn. In that episode, by way of a parting gift to Van Gogh, the Doctor and Amy took the artist on a trip in the TARDIS to see the fame and recognition that had largely eluded him in his lifetime. Yaz is saddened to hear that despite his role in helping to save the planet, Tesla will still die penniless and largely unrecognised for his inventions.
But there are no emotional journeys for Tesla, not least because he still lacks recognition to this day, unlike Vincent. The Doctor is keen to let Tesla know that one day his work will change the world, and in a brief reconciliatory exchange with Edison, the inventor suggests that he can’t stop, not after what they had experienced. Perhaps that is enough.
The Doctor is overly cautious, and not in the least bit swayed by her companions. One wonders if the two hearts are cancelling each other out. Then again, the Doctor did help Tesla to achieve his lifetime ambition of getting the tower to work, even if only as a one off. In reality, Wardenclyffe was a failure, demolished before Tesla could prove his theories right.