2nd Opinion: “The Tsuranga Conundrum”
Connor Johnston & Gustaff Behr give their takes on the fifth episode of Series 11.
Connor’s View – “An Uncertain Diagnosis”
If we were to look at “The Tsuranga Conundrum” as professionals in the medical field, we’d almost be able to converse word by word from the episode’s dialogue. Patients present problems; (an overcrowded script, superficially written supporting characters and an initial randomness that doesn’t quite gel) and it is our job to come up with solutions. In reviewing Doctor Who there are a couple of pitfalls we have a responsibility to avoid; they include (but are not limited to) summarising episodes and/or rewriting them. The fact that my initial reaction to this week’s episode was to do just that speaks wonders in itself, that despite enjoying the episode greatly – there’s no avoiding the fact that it offers very little.
For the first time this series I’ve been unable to identify the ‘point’ of an episode, which is what I found most infuriating. Its two drawing factors, the monster and the setting, are both realised brilliantly – but both lack enough ingenuity to justify writing an episode around them. As much as the episode is structured as a detective plot ready to be solved, the fact that this is transferred to the audience via clunky dialogue means that the titular ‘conundrum’ completely fails in raising the stakes. We end up more twisted up in the episode’s identity crisis than the tension of the actual narrative.
Of course this isn’t to say the episode doesn’t have anything to offer below the surface, especially when we break down the inclusion of our guest characters and their ongoing conflicts – both medical and psychological. We meet each of our characters through the guise of their conditions, though almost immediately Chibnall chooses to completely oppose the professional detachment involved in characterising these individuals as illnesses and focuses instead on the issues plaguing their minds and souls as individuals.
For General Eve Cicero a condition called Pilot’s Heart is a risk to her health, but it’s the fractured relationship with her brother that is just as damaging. For Yoss, his condition is a source of great strain but is nothing compared to his overwhelming sense of self-doubt he holds about becoming a father. Even Mabli faces an internal conflict revolving around whether or not she has the ability to protect and care for her patients. While our Tsuranga medics tend to the aforementioned ailments, it is the experience these characters share with our Doctor and her friends that soothe and remedy their psychological struggles. In a very meta piece of dialogue we’re reminded the personal approach she takes isn’t anything new, but qualities that are quintessential to her very character: A Doctor not just of medicine, but of people.
I can’t in good faith conclude this review without giving extended praise to the episode’s greatest new addition to the show’s universe – the Pting. As a monster, the Pting is simultaneously threatening and adorable – a balance that only Doctor Who in its ridiculous glory could achieve. It is as a villain however, that the Pting excels more in not being very villainous at all. It is a bold approach to take, but in having the threat the Pting poses come from its unconscious nature rather than any sense of malice, Chibnall once again reminds us that we shouldn’t always impose human standards of ‘morality’ and ‘evil’ on other creatures and alien races – proving that there are far more creative and fulfilling ways to build a narrative.
The burning force behind every episode this series continues to be the dynamic and performances behind each of our four protagonists. In its most rewarding moments, the episode allows us to reconnect with our character’s personal journeys, most profoundly with Ryan as we revisit his own relationship with his father through his reactions to Yoss’ pregnancy. Jodie’s performance this week continues true to form in becoming more and more self-defined. It speaks measures that for the last two weeks that while watching her manoeuvre through challenges, we notice less and less what previous incarnation she’s channelling and are more engrossed in familiarising ourselves a performance that is instinctively and uniquely hers.
“The Tsuranga Conundrum” is an episode that offers a great deal and is incredibly entertaining, especially on subsequent viewings. However, in forcing us to dissect the script into different factors and rate them individually by what worked and what didn’t, we’re deprived a piece of work to appreciate in harmony. The end product may look pretty and have a lot of fun, but it lets itself down in not really knowing quite what it wants to be, what it wants to achieve and where it sits in a series so far defined by confident and meaningful storytelling.
Gustaff’s View – “Routine running up and down corridors”
It’s a pity that Clint used up both the Pokemon and Lilo & Stitch jokes to describe the Pting in his review, because I really wanted to make at least one of those myself. Moving on though. After the subpar “Arachnids in the UK”, Doctor Who goes to a space junkyard (for reasons) and then into proper space where they come under attack by the cutest villain we’ve seen in years.
This week’s episode marks a significant drop in quality since last week, fuelled by a lot of easily correctable problems. Pregnant Guy (I only remember the names of people, not plot devices) exists only to drive home that gender is interchangeable. It’s become clear that the BBC are now in the habit of reusing old props. That subtlety brick they used to smash me over the head last week makes a daring return. Worse, this sub plot robs Graham and Ryan from doing something more important narrative wise. Also pregnant character at the end of their pregnancy has to give birth in the midst of crisis cliché.
Yaz finally gets to show us she is useful, and normally I would praise this, but as she only gets to do this because the story conveniently distracts Graham and Ryan from doing so instead makes this ‘action girl’ moment feel cheap and unearned.
As mentioned in earlier reviews, this episode featured way too many characters. Not mentioned in other reviews is the fact that this episode also featured way too many subplots: The Pting attacking the ship, the Doctor and company trying to work out how to stop it, the pregnancy, the Cicero siblings rekindling their relationship, and the Cicero General and her clone boy toy trying to procure more adrenaline blockers because the plot needs time to make audiences think they are up to no good. Even with 50 minutes, there just isn’t enough time to service every story line, which unfortunately distracts the audience from the ‘threat’ of the week and also wastes companions’ screen time. Graham and Ryan might as well have not been in this episode at all.
Personally I genuinely enjoyed the Pting as a threat. The creature is a good subversion of what a dangerous alien monster should look like. I can easily see space travellers being taken in by its appearance and then suffering horribly because of it. It’s unfortunate that this aspect of the Pting wasn’t highlighted more in the episode. More unfortunate is that the Pting suffers from lazy writing in the form of informed abilities like ‘ultimate risk to life’ and ‘toxic to the touch,’ that are explained to the audience instead of demonstrated. Thankfully even without these alleged powers, the Pting still managed to do a good job of ramping up the tension in the story. It is blatantly clear though that the reason the Pting isn’t shown all that much on-screen is because Chibnall needed to use that budget to pay the guest cast for all those unnecessary and unwanted subplots.
The plot twist that the Pting consumes energy was pretty easy to spot. I clocked it back when it spit out the LEDless Sonic Screwdriver. The other threat of the episode – the bomb – was just as easy to work out. Both these early revelations toned down the tension for me as I was simply waiting for the cast to catch up.
Of all the guest cast I tremendously liked Astos. As a character he gave off a genuine ‘Doctor’ vibe and his confrontation with the actual Doctor over her selfishness proved to be the best scene in the episode for me. I was therefore very disappointed that Chibnall chose to kill him off just to pass the buck to Mabli, who never stands out in comparison.
After reaching the halfway point, I can’t help but feel that Series 11 doesn’t seem to have much to it. It hasn’t improved that much since it went off the air. “The Tsuranga Conundrum” was very clichéd. It was routine running up and down corridors and silly monsters. The last five episodes could have been a lot better. It could have been slightly better written, especially this story.
