13.5: The Tsuranga Conundrum

In which boys give birth to boys and girls give birth to girls.

Broadcast: November 2018

Watched: June 2022

“Why am I trusting you, Doctor?” FFS, message from Fred or what? Later on Ryan says “Why am I even talking about this”. It’s messy. It needs another draft. 

But... for a mid season throwaway it’s actually… quite good? Everyone has something to do. It’s got a great one-line description (“The Doctor and Yaz deal with a metal eating pig creature intent on eating their spaceship, while Graham and Ryan help a man give birth”).

It’s full of ideas, too. The pting, obviously – vaguely reminiscent of Tribbles; I think it’s actually worth bringing back – but also junk galaxies, the hospital ship, the male pregnancy, the clone drone...

Plus it’s got one of those lovely guest casts you’re happy just to hang out with. Brett Goldstein is completely different from the role he’s now always going to be associated with, the furious Roy Kent in Ted Lasso, and is absolutely terrific in the scene where he knows he’s going to die but knows he needs to give his deputy a pep talk first. The deputy is Lois Chimimba, who’s since been one of the leads in Redacted. Rapper/comedian Doc Brown puts in a turn. The pregnant guy isn’t anyone in particular but he’s very likeable. 

Some random good bits:

• The Doctor walking round and round because she’s angry and confused is one of Jodie’s most doctorish moments yet. Ditto the moment when Brett Goldstein tells her she’s being selfish and she realises he’s right.

• The ending, using one problem (the bomb) to neutralise the other (the pting) is almost actually clever.

• The emotional bits at the end – “You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be there”; Doc Brown taking over from his dead sister – work really well.

It’s hardly RTD/Moffat level. But if this was the general level with Chibnall the last few years would have been a lot better than they were.

Other things:

• The title is, so far as I can tell, entirely meaningless? Generic space words basically.

• The “comm-dot” is a reminder that in Chibnall Who implants can do anything. 

• At one point, YAZ REMEMBERS SHES A COP! Oh, how lovely.

• “Boys give birth to boys” is a different take on gender CHIBNALL SAYS TRANS RIGHTS.

• Ryan is still thinking about his dad. Almost an arc.

• The Doctor loves Hamilton. How very 2018.

• The fact nobody tries to talk the robot clone out of shutting itself down now its partner/mistress is dead feels like a very Chibnall thing to do. “I have no purpose now.” “Yeah, fair play mate.” [Wow, that comment reads differently now, christ.]