O'BSERVATIONS - "DEMONS OF THE PUNJAB"

EPISODE REVIEW #6
“DEMONS OF THE PUNJAB”

We’re now into the second half of the “11th season” of ‘Doctor Who’.  (It’s been eleven seasons since the series returned to the airwaves.  But if you counted from the series beginning… hoo boy!  Thirty-something?)

“Demons Of The Punjab” may prove to be my favorite of the season, if only for the emotional heft to its story.  And a lot of the credit for that can be attributed to the actor Shane Zaza, who played Nani Umbreen’s husband Prem.

The alien element to the story could have been eliminated entirely and have the story focus on the dynamic between Prem and his brother Manesh and with his fiancée Umbreen.  But then I’m sure there would be plenty of “fans” crying foul that there was no alien storyline, fans who probably are unaware that there were plenty of stories in the beginning of the series that were pure historicals with no alien input.

At least the alien subplot was not intrusive to the heart of the story; in fact, the Vajarians added to the pathos because of their function as the witnesses to the deaths of those who are alone at the moment of passing.  I’d like to think we may see other Vajarians in the future as they bear witness to such solitary deaths.

Speaking of Manesh and Prem, I will have more at a later time, hopefully today (but I’m not averse to leaving it to next New Year’s Day.)

One downside for me is that “Demons Of The Punjab” is a good showcase of what we’ve lost in the time travel aspects of the show with the exit of the Grand Moff.  In the series when he was the showrunner, he provided a heady trip through Time in the space of seconds, exploring the full potential of time travel.  But since Chibnall has taken over, the episodes remain locked into one time and place.  True, the focus of the season has been on historical storylines – this concentrated aspect has made the historicals the strongest of the episodes so far.  (“Rosa” and this episode, plus I’m assuming “The Witchfinders” will be a fun one since we know Alan Cumming will be playing James I!)  But think about the opening fifteen minutes of the “5th season” finale, “The Big Bang”.  What a head rush that even worked in a reference to a moment during the tenure of the Seventh Incarnation of the Doctor!

The stakes were higher this episode for Yasmin Khan, in that the slightest alteration to the timeline could wipe her out of existence in the future.  (But it would have been more gripping had we a better sense of who Yaz is.)

Again, it may be my favorite episode even with these quibbles; I’ll have to see the rest of the season before I can make a firm decision on that.

We shall see what we shall view…..

Allonsy!