Doctor Who Series 11 First Impressions: Episode 6 (Demons Of The Punjab)

Fine. I'll say it. Of the six hours and change that the Whittaker era has aired so far, this is the best one for me. The only one that comes close to it is Rosa, and Rosa is... well, it has different strengths. It's a very good episode, but one I don't feel qualified to talk about and one that's so tense, uncomfortable, and oppressive in its realistic atmosphere that revisiting it isn't exactly a Saturday evening comfort with chips and a drink. Demons Of The Punjab isn't quite that, either, but it's more of a dramatic tragedy. I've made much, be it here or on Rainiac's podcast, about the somewhat disappointing idea of the Doctor not always saving the day in these episodes. Some situations, like Arachnids In The UK, are tonally off for me. Sometimes I'm fine with it. This is the time I'm the most fine with it, because this isn't a story about "saving the day". This is a story about loss, tragedy, and prejudice told against the backdrop of a historical event, a family torn apart by events and beliefs far beyond their farm. It's a story that presents itself as a day to be saved, and twists itself to reveal its tragedy. This is something to be observed, and we're stronger for having observed it. This is Demons Of The Punjab, and it's incredible.



In the end, it's a story with Yaz as the focus. Yaz, who wants to know more about her grandmother and asks to go back in time and just observe. Already I can draw some parallel between this and Father's Day, waaaay the fuck back when the revival of Doctor Who began. That actually was my very first full episode of the show I saw, and it's the reason I'm sitting here typing this up. So, you know, I'm invested in this sort of plot. That gets us to India 1947, and the revelation that Yaz's grandma Umbreen is marrying someone who isn't Yaz's granddad. This is a secret history, a truth kept from Yaz and us. What's not exactly a secret history, of course, is the partition of India. I don't know much about the historical event, being from the other side of the world, but you get a sense of it. Colonialism splitting India in two, stoking fires of prejudice as Hindus turn on Muslims, and widespread riots all over the place. We get little sense of this outside of the farm. The bad things are happening away from us and there's no stuffy Captain Cook types around. Of course, we have Prem's brother Manish who is wary of this marriage. This is some Romeo and Juliet stuff, except with religions instead of houses. Okay. That's a good story on its own, and it's mostly what we get... but this ain't a pure historical episode. No, we have some space aliens.


Oh, these guys are fun. The Thijarians, on first viewing, are made to look like monsters. We buy it because this is Doctor Who and it's traditionally been a monster-fighting show. What's especially interesting is that things are termed and couched in the trappings of the Moffat era at first. The Thijarians are described as the deadliest assassins in the universe from the dawn of time or whatever, and the Doctor's putting her foot down and declaring that she'll stop them if they're up to no good is very Doctor-ish. You could imagine Matt Smith or even David Tennant delivering those lines, no sweat. Of course, it's not an evil plan. The Thijarians aren't invaders. They're reverent watchers who travel time and space to witness the final moments of the dead, memorializing them in their little space dust can... and they're here because Prem is doomed to die. It's odd that these guys know that Prem's time is up and it's all unavoidable Web Of Time bullshit but the, you know, Time Lady has to be told this. Just minor eyebrow-raising, nothing more. Of course, the savvy audience member probably knew this was coming. The turbulent time, the historical setting, the fact that Prem isn't Yaz's granddad? He has all the trappings of a man doomed to die, and the tragedy looms over the program... but the twist changes things. This is no longer a Moffat-era story about stopping the bad aliens as Protector Of The Planet. This is a Whittaker story. This is a fixed point. The group knows this and could leave... but they want to stay. To see it out. To make sure Prem isn't alone.


In the end, it's not the Thijarians who were the titular Demons of the Punjab. No, it was the anti-Muslim hate that lead Manish to kill an old man just so an interdenominational wedding wouldn't happen, who literally rallied up a small mob of armed men on horseback, who killed his own brother out of fear and hate for these other people. In the end, it's a lot like Rosa. The Doctor can't beat that back with magic science and a sonic. All she can do is do her best, and so her companions do, too. They'll take this event with them for the rest of their lives, and Yaz will hold on to that broken watch as a reminder of the good man who died that day. Her nan ended up living a good life, all things told, but the memory remains. The Thijarians pay tribute to Prem, and all those who died in the riots of the Partition. To bring things back to the Moffat era, I'm sure Prem lives on within Testimony. Most important of all, his story lives on with us. This story has gone out into the world, and we've experienced a beautiful tragedy. The Doctor can't always save the day... but she can make the day better. She can officiate a wedding and let two loving people join in unison. She can be there for you. She can, in a sense, be there and hold your hand... just like Rose ended up doing in Father's Day. This is something to be observed, and we're all stronger for having observed it. If Doctor Who in the Whittaker era has to be more tragic than a day-saving adventure, please let it be more like this. Not a surprise downer, or a rushed and hastily wrapped-up ending. A beautiful tragedy weaved into every aspect of the show's runtime. Melancholy doesn't get much better than this.