This article contains spoilers for “Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror,” episode four of Doctor Who season 12.
The Doctor is no stranger to historical figures. But it wasn’t until she plucked Nikola Tesla from his hydroelectric power plant in Niagara Falls that she finally met her spiritual match.
After the epic two-part “Spyfall” and scrupulous “Orphan-55,” this classic Whovian history lesson proved a nice change of pace.
(Plus, Tosin Cole looks mighty dashing in a 1900s three-piece suit.)
Graham (Bradley Walsh), the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), and Ryan (Tosin Cole) to the rescue (via BBC)
Tesla—the Serbian-American inventor, not Elon Musk’s automaker—has been all but written out of U.S. history.
Aside from David Bowie’s depiction of the futurist in The Prestige, I admittedly knew little of the man who helped design the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system.
Born and raised in the Austrian Empire, he emigrated in 1884 to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen. Following a short stint at the Edison Machine Works, Tesla struck out on his own, setting up laboratories and companies in New York to develop a range of electrical and mechanical devices.
He tried putting his ideas to practical use in the Wardenclyffe Tower project, an intercontinental wireless communication and power transmitter, but ran out of funding before completing it.
It’s too bad, really: Who knows how many more alien invasions he could have thwarted if the so-called Tesla Tower were fully realized.
Nikola Tesla (Goran Višnjić) charms his way through history (via BBC)
Changing The World Takes Time
An almost unrecognizable Goran Višnjić (of ER fame) steals the spotlight with his charismatic portrayal of Tesla, whose floppy curls and exotic accent almost make electric currents sound sexy.
Enter rival Thomas Edison (yes, Yaz, the lightbulb guy).
The pair feuded for years over electricity, Edison championing battery-sourced direct current (DC), and Tesla endorsing chemically sourced alternating current (AC).
Thomas Edison (Robert Glenister) goes head-to-head with Nikola Tesla (via BBC)
“America’s most famous inventor,” according to Ryan, Edison (Robert Glenister) is an intriguing—if not relatable—not-quite-big-bad: A bully and megalomaniac fighting former employee-cum-boffin for fame and glory. And all the patents.
It’s not esteemed Edison, though, that the Skithra need to fix their Throne Ship—comprised of stolen gear that’s breaking down because the scorpion scavengers can’t be bothered to invent their own technology.
Which is ironic, considering the Skithra Queen (Anjli Mohindra) could easily be mistaken for “The Runaway Bride”‘s Queen of the Racnoss, their toothy grins, sinister head tilts, and snarling comments almost a carbon copy.
The Skithra Queen (Anjli Mohindra) is after Tesla’s genius (via BBC)
The slack continues to loosen from there, as a compelling episode reaches its by-the-numbers resolution.
The Doctor saves Tesla and Yaz from the scorpion’s deadly sting, shoehorns in some engineering knowledge, and formulates yet another world-saving plot—thanks in part to Tesla’s Wardenclyffe project.
Though lacking the emotional response of “Rosa” (2018), the romantic sparks of “The Girl in the Fireplace” (2006), the humor of “The Unicorn and the Wasp” (2008), and the melancholy of “Vincent and the Doctor” (2010), Sunday’s period romp is not a throw-away story.
It’s proof that Doctor Who can make history fun (even if it tweaks the truth a little).
The Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) makes a plan (via BBC)
I Work For the Future, And the Future Is Mine
We don’t learn the origin of the Silurian blaster (which, unlike Chekhov’s gun, is never actually discharged).
Was it a mere Easter egg tossed in by writer Nina Metivier? Or a hint at what’s to come this season (i.e. the return of Madame Vastra, or, even better, the entire Paternoster Gang)?
Fingers crossed for more Straxisms.
Fun Facts
- Edison actor Robert Glenister returns to the Whoniverse 36 years after he appeared in Fifth Doctor finale serial “The Caves of Androzani,” in which Peter Davison regenerates into Colin Baker.
- Anjli Mohindra, aka Queen Skithra, launched her career as a child actor in Doctor Who spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures, playing Rani Chandra from 2008 to 2011. Bradley Walsh (Graham), who appeared in two episodes of TSJA in 2008, apparently didn’t recognize his former co-star under layers of prosthetics.
- This isn’t Team TARDIS’ first ride on the Orient Express: The Twelfth Doctor and Clara Oswald traveled on the space-bound passenger train in season eight episode “Mummy on the Orient Express” (featuring Foxes’ hauntingly beautiful jazz rendition of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”).
Missed Doctor Who episode three? Check out our recap of “Orphan 55.”
Doctor Who Glossary (for all your British-to-American English needs):
- Daft: Silly; foolish
Doctor Who airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ET on BBC America.
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