O'BSERVATIONS - "KERBLAM!"

EPISODE REVIEW #7
"KERBLAM!"

This was another episode which had the nostalgic air of an RTD episode.  A futuristic poke at a modern day situation, Kerb!am was a galactic retailer similar to Amazon today.  A lot of it was fun and funny, but then the darkness struck quickly wiith one of the most cold-hearted plot twists I've ever seen in the series.

Kyra Arlo reminded me of Raffalo in "The End of the World".  Perhaps even to the point where I could get a "Born To Rerun" post out of it.  Just sayin'.

The main guest star was Julie Hesmondhalgh, whom I only knew from the third season of 'Broadchurch', and she was one of the few things I liked about that season.  What an incredible actress!  When I heard that Chris Chibnall might be thinking in terms of actors with whom he had previously worked in terms of casting the Doctor, and with the rumors that the Thirteenth Incarnation would be a woman, I immediately thought of Ms. Hesmondhalgh.  I thought she could bring a "troughtonesque" quality to the role. 

So even though I really liked her in this role, I was sorry she wasn’t saved for a future shot at playing the Doctor.  Not that that has ever been a hindrance before, as Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi could attest.  And at least now she can make that extra beaucoup bucks on the convention circuit..

We got callbacks to the show’s previous history right from the get-go, with the Doctor getting a Kerb!am delivery of a new fez.  (I’ve seen a meme in which the Eleventh Incarnation says he should order a new fez, followed by a picture of her finally getting the purchase.) 

Once again, I found one of the guest characters to be a worthy candidate for at least a trip in the TARDIS – “Twirly”, the original operating system for Kerb!am.  But dialogue would probably be limited as it would be focused on its programmed functions.  And there’s not enough room for dialogue for the team she has now!  (Also there is that niggling problem that it caused a death to make a point….)  Still, it would have been nice to have something like Handles around again.  But then again, it wasn’t hers to take.

Kerb!am is the kind of story detail which ‘Doctor Who’ can revisit someday, even if only for a passing reference.

Kerblam!