Rewatching season 11 and I have just finished episode 6. I find it very moving and I can't "compare" it to any other DW episode. And I can't quite figure it out why I am not able to. Thoughts? Suggestions?
I think I have a different perspective on this episode than a lot of people who just really liked it. But politically it’s just an absolute mess.
- The Doctor (who is not a British character) passes herself off as a someone with connections to the British governing class rather than an advocate for the people (and in an extremely flippant manner).
“PREM: I don't like this. Traipsing through the forests alongside the British, looking for the enemy. I've done enough of that. Although maybe you're my enemy now, for the mess you've just made of my country. Carving it up slapdash, in six weeks. Going to run off home now, are you? DOCTOR: I'll make a note of your thoughts and pass them on to Mountbatten if I ever bump into him again. “
That criticism is 100% on point both historically and for the character of the Doctor - who drops in and makes changes without sticking around for the consequences, and it’s dropped in a single line full of privilege.
- The insinuation throughout the episode is that partition had to happen. I understand the construction of Yaz’s story means that the single marriage focused on in the story cannot end up happening, but even the aliens in the story as cast as “observers”.
“ALIENS: We are not gods. Events sit as they will. We only witness. The fixed force of Time cannot be stopped.”
What happened in India/Pakistan is not the work of gods; it’s very much the result of British colonial policy. To insinuate that events have to play out as they are and it would take gods to intervene is a complete abdication of responsibility.
Ultimately this episode is a very shallow portrayal of the situation, with a someone rote storyline. My gut feeling is that for most people who liked this episode, this was the first they really learned of partition, and that alone made it significant - but it’s just not good enough on that front to get credit for that.
This appears to be an unpopular opinion, but personally I hated "Demons of the Punjab". I genuinely want to understand why this episode gets so much love, and I would appreciate civil opinions. Below I will outline why I feel this way, so if you feel so inclined, read on to understand my train of logic. Spoilers if you havent seen it.
The main issue I take with the episode is the forced inclusion of sci-fi elements. I can accept that the Doctor has brought the Fam back in time to witness something and figure out the mystery of Yazs grandmothers first husband. However, in the end, the conflict and the reason for his death are mundane. Hes killed for religious reasons, something fairly common in Earth history. But did this need to be an episode of Doctor Who, the show about a time traveling alien who goes around seeing important historical events? I admit I havent watched classic DW, but the villian in the episode is just other men. Im not saying that the partition of India needed a sci-fi element, but by that same token did it need to be a DW episode if the villian was so mundane?
Now, for the sci-fi element. The Thijarian. They were irrelevant to the story being told. The Doctor has only heard of this race as being great assassins. She is cautious and fearful based on previous information. However, simply because one pair says they are no longer killers, that they are watchers, the Doctor believes them. This revelation is unsubstantiated and is such a turn for the Doctor. Yes, we may assume that the Doctor wants to give a chance to everyone.
This, however, makes the Thijarian prescence worth less to the story. The Doctor is fearful for this persons life because of the alien prescence, but it turns out this loss of life comes from elsewhere. Had the Thijarians not been in the episode at all, the events would have largely gone unchanged. Differing human factions would have fought and Prem would have died. All that would have happened is the Fam would not have been searching for an alien prescence.
This episode annoyed me more than others, though I feel the idea of dealing with a historic human issue and adding sci-fi elements was common (see "Rosa", see "The Witchfinders"). While the historical impact of the content is there, the episode as a DW episode feels lacking and forced. I also do not feel the writing or the editing of this past series was great in general, some of these episodes felt too forced to me. The ideas of events detailed could been done
... keep reading on reddit ➡To be clear, there wasn't a double feature anywhere except my parent's house. We usually have a Doctor Who night every Monday, but last week my mom was on vaca and this week I was working, so double feature time!
None of us have really felt that great about Series 11 thus far. Every episode has felt shakey at best, and Rosa proved a fantastic first watch with a dissapointing rewatch.
But oh. My. Gosh. Demons of the Punjab is not only my favorite Series 11 episode, but one of my favorite New Who episodes ever. Ever ever. While it doesn't overtly feel like a New Who episode, in fact a lot of the Sci Fi elements feel out of place, I think that's to it's benefit. This episode is near perfect and I love it. It made my mom cry. Like big fat tears. I was tearing up as well. The only one of us that didn't like it was my brother, who thought it wasn't overtly "Doctor Who" enough.
Kerblam! was a solid episode through and through. Not fantastic by any means, but well paced, well written and well acted. It felt like the perfect merger between the RTD/Moffat eras and Chibnall's era. Imo, this episode should have aired earlier in the season. I don't think Chibnall would have gotten as much hate if it did. That's just speculation though. My brother was satisfied that it was "Doctor Who-y" enough for him (which he refuses to redefine but whatever) and my mom liked it as well (except for the "creepy robots" because my mom is 4 apparently).
If Chibnall and his team can continue to deliver episodes like these while still maintaining Chibnall's vision for the series, I'm on board. If Chibnall continues to insist on writing half the episodes himself and not delegating to his fantastic writing team.... Maybe not.
Also even though Tsuranga Conundrum wasn't great I still thought it was good okay bye.
Did the doctor not learn that visiting your family on the past are never a good thing.. remember how rose create a paradox by saving her dad? She even promised not to interfere
https://i.imgur.com/pE18lN9.png - what in the world is this post? What in the actual fucking world is this?
Hinduism and Sanskrit not indigenous? Of course, they have their roots in the proto-Indo-European religions/languages but not indigenous despite literally taking final form, fostering and prospering in India?
No caste system East of the Indus (Punjab) yet an entire religion (Sikhism) was built up on the very idea of escaping casteism?
Aryans teaming up with Indus Valley folk (despite their civilisation collapsing) to...kick out Aryans and make them migrate Eastwards? LMAO.
This idea that the Indus Valley genetics and descendants are literally confined to the Indus region (inc. Punjab, where I'm from) and not literally spread all over the Subcontinent?
Mauryans being Punjabi or "from the Indus" and that the Indians are covering up history?
The idea that the history of the Persians/Greeks/Scythians predated "India" or "Bharat" despite the Persians and Greeks giving birth to the actual terms "India" and "Hindustan" or and the Vedic tribes literally coining the term "Bharata Khanda".
This idea that the Indus and Gangetic Plains were only united by the "Punjabi" (LOL) Mauryans, Islamic rulers and British YET ignoring hundreds of years of the Vedic tribes, Kushans, Indo-Greeks, Guptas, Harsha's Empire and Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty.
What the heck is this?
For many years I've written about viruses, epidemics, and biology in The New Yorker and in a number of books, known collectively as the Dark Biology Series. These books include The Hot Zone, a narrative about an Ebola outbreak that was recently made into a television series on National Geographic. I'm fascinated with the microworld, the universe of the smallest life forms, which is populated with extremely beautiful and sometimes breathtakingly dangerous organisms. I see my life's work as an effort to help people make contact with the splendor and mystery of nature and the equal splendor and mystery of human character.
I'll be on at noon (ET; 16 UT), AMA!
Punjab Minister for Housing and Urban Development Mian Mahmood-ur-Rasheed on Sunday asked for establishment of new cities in the province to reduce the burden of population on big cities.
The minister while chairing a meeting on Sunday reviewed the pre-feasibility report, presented by the Urban Unit regarding establishment of new cities in Lilla, Sukheki, Pindi Bhattian and suburban areas of Gujrat. He said establishment of new cities would help resolve traffic and dense population issues to the optimal level.
The minister gave instructions to the authorities concerned to examine possibilities of establishment of new city near Nankana Sahib, keeping in view its historical and religious importance.
He said the Punjab government wanted to establish new cities in the province in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, and it has sought services of Urban Unit for preparation of pre-feasibility report in that regard.
Representatives of Urban Unit apprised the participants about salient features of pre-feasibility report including possibilities of investment, infrastructure development, environment, shifting of population, connectivity through road and rail, urban development and designing.
Secretary Housing Nadeem Mehboob, Managing Director Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Syed Zahid Aziz, Director General Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency Nadeem Sarwar, COO Urban Unit Abid Hussaini, senior specialist Khurram Afzal, Chairman Punjab Housing Task Force Yaqoob Izhar, General Secretary Muhammad Atif and other officers of relevant departments were present on the occasion.
