Doctor Who
Season 9, Episode 7 “The Zygon Inversion”
Directed by Daniel Nettheim
Written by Peter Harness and Steven Moffat
Starring Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver
BBC America
Air date: Saturday, November 7, 2015

In 1882, an author by the name of Frank R. Stockton wrote a now famous short story called “The Lady, or The Tiger?” In it, a barbaric king decides to mete out justice using trial by ordeal. The accused of crime is placed in an arena with two doors. The accused must open a single door. Behind one, there is a lady that the king decided is an appropriate match for the accused, that accused must marry if the door is opened. Behind the other is a fierce, hungry tiger that will devour the accused if the other choice is made.

That is very much the sort of conundrum that is the presented in Episode 9.7 “The Zygon Inversion” this week on Doctor Who. Does the world end in fire and violence? Or does everyone go on, committed to something different? How do you choose? Which do you choose, the Lady or the tiger?

Doctor Who
Season 9, Episode 7 “The Zygon Invasion”
Directed by Daniel Nettheim
Written by Peter Harness
Starring Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver
BBC America
Air date: Saturday, October 31, 2015

Doctor Who is not a series that generally tackles contemporary issues head-on. It was primarily started as a children’s entertainment designed to educate and inform, where possible, but not directly enter into controversy. So the Daleks can attempt genocide, we can all boo and hiss, and the Doctor can stop them, commenting about why they are so very wrong along the way. Looking back over the last 50-plus years, there are only a handful of serials that take stands on pressing political or social topics of the day. The Jon Pertwee serial “The Green Death” is remembered for its mention of environmental issues, as one example. The Tom Baker serial “The Sun Makers” dealt with the high British tax rates that made musical artists like the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin into tax exiles, as another.

In this context, “The Zygon Invasion” that we see this week is a very rare bird indeed. It is a UNIT story, perhaps the first real UNIT story in a very long time. It is also one with a very contemporary edge. With the Zygons now settled on Earth through a treaty created in “The Day Of The Doctor,” this episode takes on what happens next… which turns out to tie in very neatly with issues of terrorism and surveillance in a post-9/11 world, the ethnic and social identity of refugees, and social reactions to the Syrian refugee crisis. How does the episode perform? Let’s find out.

Following the events of The Day of the Doctor, a peace existed between Humans and Zygons, allowing 20 million of the aliens to live safely (but in hiding) among humanity, after their planet had been destroyed by the Time War. But the peace is now threatened, as a splinter group of radicalized Zygons plot their insurgency against humanity – and the only ones who can stop the nightmare scenario are the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Osgood (Ingrid Oliver) in Episode 9.7 “The Zygon Invasion” of Doctor Who.

During TARDISblend 92, we’re joined by guest Chris McDavid aka Henchman21, and discuss the return of Ingrid Oliver as the lovable Osgood, as she appears in an episode that appears to be something of a sequel to The Day of the Doctor. We also look into the deeper political and social commentary integrated into the plot by writer Peter Harness, and how viewers and fans are reacting!

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend podcast!

In Doctor Who 9.6 “The Woman Who Lived,” on the trail of a dangerous artifact, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) arrives in England 1651, and crosses paths with Ashildr (Maisie Williams). The pair team up to chase down the gem known as the Eyes of Hades – but the artifact turns out to be more than expected; and the Doctor’s concern for Ashildr is rising…

During TARDISblend 91, we discuss the second appearance of Maisie Williams as Ashildr (or “Lady Me”) in a story that may have implications on the overall story arc of this season of Doctor Who.

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend podcast!

Doctor Who
Season 9, Episode 6 “The Woman Who Lived”
Directed by Ed Bazalgette
Written by Catherine Tregenna
Starring Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Maisie Williams, Rufus Hound
BBC America
Air date: Saturday, October 24, 2015

If I talk to my mother about growing old, one of the things she reports about getting old is the annoying sensation of seeing people make the same mistakes over and over again. It is that sort of insight that raises questions about immortality in Doctor Who 9.6, “The Woman Who Lived.” How do you deal with the fear and ignorance of those around you? How do you form relationships with individuals whose status can only be transient? Do you have children when you know that you may see them grow old and die? How do you react to a world that seems to lurch often backward and only occasionally forward? These are all tremendously fertile questions to examine through drama, and while the episode frequently does a more than competent examination, it is let down by some uninspired elements that pop up in its last half.