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I enjoyed this quite a lot more than the first time. It did actually make me feel stuff, this time, which was nice (and rare, for this season)! Some lovely little moments, especially various ones with Graham and Yaz, and Graham and Prem.
Once again, I don't seem to have ever posted the single paragraph I wrote in reaction after my first viewing so I'm putting it here, for the record:
"11 November 2018
Frankly? I was bored. The historical side of it was very interesting and educational (it felt very much like a First Doctor story), especially as I knew absolutely nothing about the partition of India, but as far as I was concerned there was absolutely no suspense. It was obvious from the start that the groom was going to die because he wasn't Yas' grandfather, the aliens were interesting but as soon as their true purpose was revealed the threat they seemed to pose disappeared too, and it was obvious what was going to happen. The characters were nice and likeable (even the brother was quite sympathetic in a sad way) and the ending did make me cry, but generally. Meh. It's all a bit too gentle and understanding for me."
And here are today's thoughts:
I would have liked to have some indication as to why the younger brother turned against his family. Prem asked him "What happened to you?" several times but there was never any answer. Once can assume all sorts of things – he fell in with the wrong crowd, or it was just younger brother rebel stuff, or because he looked after the farm while his older brothers were away at war he felt he deserved more or something? – but it would have been nice to have this actually addressed in the story.
The 'demons' were at least a little scary, with their whisking people away devices, but as I said before, they ended up being completely pointless. Quite sweet, but pointless. The Tardis Wiki entry for this episode points out the similarity with Twice Upon A Time of the Doctor believing the aliens were hostile then finding out they weren't, but in fact the similarities go far deeper than that. They honour the dead, much like the Testimony thing.
I couldn't help wondering if the Thijarians' planet having been destroyed meant it was yet another casualty of the Time War. That's certainly what it made me think of, anyway!
Umbreen was lovely, and I liked the bond between her and Yaz. I also thought the wedding itself was very sweet – the Doctor's speech was very pretty and thoughtful, and I liked the use of the partition rope the younger brother had put up to bind the couple's hands. The broken watch as a gift, for their love frozen in time, was very moving too.
I thought the landscapes were lovely (apparently they were in Spain) and I felt they created quite a good idea of what India might have been like at that time.
One major observation: I read someone saying somewhere that Thirteen is a very passive Doctor, and actually when you look even at just this one episode: that is completely accurate. She didn't actually *do* anything, did she? She and the companions literally just observed, just as the Thijarians did. All right, they'd made a big thing about going back in time and not changing Yaz's timeline, but couldn't there have been a twist where they actually had to do something to preserve it, or a threat that they *had* changed it unintentionally? As far as I'm aware, there was nothing. So it was very much like last week, where the guest characters were far more interesting than the main characters and were generally the people who actually did things. I remember times when the Doctor and his/her companions actually *saved* people!
The Den of Geek episode review points out that even though this episode centres around Yaz, or at least her family, she still doesn't actually get to *do* anything – except, I guess, that it's her curiosity and love for her nan and wanting to go back in time that sets the whole thing rolling. But as far as I can, she doesn't really learn anything that changes her, not like Rose in Father's Day for instance.
Once again, I don't seem to have ever posted the single paragraph I wrote in reaction after my first viewing so I'm putting it here, for the record:
"11 November 2018
Frankly? I was bored. The historical side of it was very interesting and educational (it felt very much like a First Doctor story), especially as I knew absolutely nothing about the partition of India, but as far as I was concerned there was absolutely no suspense. It was obvious from the start that the groom was going to die because he wasn't Yas' grandfather, the aliens were interesting but as soon as their true purpose was revealed the threat they seemed to pose disappeared too, and it was obvious what was going to happen. The characters were nice and likeable (even the brother was quite sympathetic in a sad way) and the ending did make me cry, but generally. Meh. It's all a bit too gentle and understanding for me."
And here are today's thoughts:
I would have liked to have some indication as to why the younger brother turned against his family. Prem asked him "What happened to you?" several times but there was never any answer. Once can assume all sorts of things – he fell in with the wrong crowd, or it was just younger brother rebel stuff, or because he looked after the farm while his older brothers were away at war he felt he deserved more or something? – but it would have been nice to have this actually addressed in the story.
The 'demons' were at least a little scary, with their whisking people away devices, but as I said before, they ended up being completely pointless. Quite sweet, but pointless. The Tardis Wiki entry for this episode points out the similarity with Twice Upon A Time of the Doctor believing the aliens were hostile then finding out they weren't, but in fact the similarities go far deeper than that. They honour the dead, much like the Testimony thing.
I couldn't help wondering if the Thijarians' planet having been destroyed meant it was yet another casualty of the Time War. That's certainly what it made me think of, anyway!
Umbreen was lovely, and I liked the bond between her and Yaz. I also thought the wedding itself was very sweet – the Doctor's speech was very pretty and thoughtful, and I liked the use of the partition rope the younger brother had put up to bind the couple's hands. The broken watch as a gift, for their love frozen in time, was very moving too.
I thought the landscapes were lovely (apparently they were in Spain) and I felt they created quite a good idea of what India might have been like at that time.
One major observation: I read someone saying somewhere that Thirteen is a very passive Doctor, and actually when you look even at just this one episode: that is completely accurate. She didn't actually *do* anything, did she? She and the companions literally just observed, just as the Thijarians did. All right, they'd made a big thing about going back in time and not changing Yaz's timeline, but couldn't there have been a twist where they actually had to do something to preserve it, or a threat that they *had* changed it unintentionally? As far as I'm aware, there was nothing. So it was very much like last week, where the guest characters were far more interesting than the main characters and were generally the people who actually did things. I remember times when the Doctor and his/her companions actually *saved* people!
The Den of Geek episode review points out that even though this episode centres around Yaz, or at least her family, she still doesn't actually get to *do* anything – except, I guess, that it's her curiosity and love for her nan and wanting to go back in time that sets the whole thing rolling. But as far as I can, she doesn't really learn anything that changes her, not like Rose in Father's Day for instance.
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This. A lot. And it's very interesting, because I remember reading a post once about Nine and how he never actually saves the day - he merely helps push people towards change/what they can do. And it's true. However it's a) not something I ever noticed before, and b) very much in keeping with the Doctor as a Trickster character - someone who comes along and creates change, shifting everything. Thirteen seems a lot more, well, reticent. Which sort of makes sense in the light of Twelve etc. But is still... not easy to watch.
I remember times when the Doctor and his/her companions actually *saved* people!
I think this is one of the biggest changes from the RTD/Moffat era? Every companion would kick off their tenure by saving the world somehow. And the Fam just don't get those kind of stories, which is a shame.
/random observations
This is generally a good episode, but the inaction feels off.