10.42: Turn Left

In which Sylvia Noble gets what she wants, and the result is a fascist dystopia.

Broadcast: June 2008

Watched: October 2021

“You’re not gonna make the world any better by shouting at it.”

The key to a good episode 11 is clearly to include Chipo Chung. This one’s proper Doctor-lite: until the last scene he doesn’t get a single line. Unlike Midnight it’s lost none of its power – it might actually feel closer to the bone after the last few years than it did in 2008. I’d forgotten quite how horrible the descent actually is: there’s a nuclear strike on London, and then things *keep getting worse*. Towards the end, the Nobles’ clothes are drained of colour, they’re suddenly all grey and beige. 

The fact the Doctor dies fighting the Racnoss suggests that evil Lance was dosing up some other poor girl. It’s strongly implied that the casts of SJA and Torchwood can handle one Doctor Who story each but will die in the process: by that logic presumably Clara has had it immediately after Hell Bent.

The Italian guy who later plays the pope in Extremis is such a great character: the singsong, the way he helps defend Donna from the hysterical soldiers, the smiling even as he’s being taken away... I wonder if RTD had been watching La Bella Vita that week?

Probably the most horrifying thing is actually Sylvia, though. She’s a horrible character (“Suppose I’ve always been a disappointment” “Yeah”), but the point where she stops making the effort, when her depression becomes visible in the lack of make up or even movement, is brilliantly awful. Also, lol that she gets her way and the result is a fascist dystopia.

The other thread… it’s intriguing and then exciting (the music cue over “it’s a time machine” is amazing). But I’m not sure it really makes sense. Why won’t Rose tell Donna her name? Is it because she’s being the Doctor? How does she know all this – that Donna is going to die, what was meant to happen, etc?

And it does kind of contain the entire problem with Donna’s story in miniature. Rose tells Donna she’s important, but what she means is she *knew* someone important (“You liar! You told me I was special!”). She says Donna is needed too... but it’s all authorial fiat. It doesn’t grow out of the plot. It’s the problem with Journey’s End, two episodes early.

Also, f*ck Rose for letting Donna go into this thinking she’s going to die, just lie to the poor woman. The magic suicide is a bit weird, too, there’s no reason to think it’ll work, she’s just pointless throwing herself in front of a car.

But, nitpicking. If you don’t think about these things it’s f*cking brilliant, and completely unlike anything else in Doctor Who. Years & Years is basically a spin off.

Other things:

• It’s weird how altDonna is promoted and then sacked in consecutive scenes.

• Nice to see Private Harris from the Sontaran story, and the junior doctor from Smith & Jones again.

• When Sylvia says “We haven’t even got a vote... refugees” – has democracy ended or just for relocated people or what?

• I like the subtle way UNIT is portrayed as an entirely female operation here. Shame it isn’t Bambera, mind. [Brigadier Bambera, played by Angela Bruce, was in charge of UNIT in the 1989 story Battlefield.]

• What on earth is going on with Billie’s voice and lips?

• At the end Donna hugs Doctor again, mirroring Midnight. The “way too much coincidence” and multiple parallel worlds bit is RTD explaining something he doesn’t need to explain.

• The cliffhanger is amazing, obviously. But...

• ...how do we feel about Space China? 

• Wilf’s reindeer antlers. Cool.