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Doctor Who Series 11, Episode 6 Review - Demons of the Punjab

  • Writer: SimplyWho
    SimplyWho
  • 10 hours ago
  • 3 min read

What did you think of this episode?

  • Sonic!

  • Good!

  • Bumpy-wumpy!

  • Exterminate!


Happy Halloween!!


Now this is what I was looking for in my big Doctor Who rewatch, I wanted to appreciate things more, especially with Jodie's earlier episodes, and Demons of the Punjab took me by surprise by how beautiful it is.


This is Doctor Who operating at a higher level, it looks stunning, it sounds incredible, and despite the subject being bleak, it tells a powerful and moving story. I loved this episode, a lot.


The Partition of India isn’t an easy topic to cover, but the show handles it with care and sensitivity. It’s grounded in real history and real pain, but it still manages to feel like Doctor Who with ordinary people caught up in extraordinary times. It doesn’t shy away from the devastation or the human cost, and that makes it all the more impactful.


"You think I'd give up that easily? I've seen war take our young, and drought take our old and weak. Now men without a clue are imposing a border like a crack through my country. Prem is the one certain thing in my life."


When I was growing up I often wondered why so many people despised the British, and the English even more so. As I have got older I can see why, we are awful. It isn't just the tabloid reading, flag shagging, Farage rimming brigade that bring shame on us - it is our history. A history of war, of slavery, of being posh twats who think they know better.


It is always the wealthy driving things, but it is always the thick (or sometimes the scared) that do their dirty work.


I know Chibnall got some criticism when he said he would like his Doctor Who to be educational, but when things like this are made, it is very much worth it, and I am glad he took the show in this direction.


The Doctor, Graham, Yaz and Ryan in the back of a cart being pulled by a horse. They are looking back at the camera
@BBC

I loved the twist with the Thijarians, what looked at first like villains turned out to be something completely different, it was all very Twice Upon a Time. Assassins turned into mourners, guardians of the forgotten dead, giving dignity to lives erased by history.


What really stands out is how the story plays out between the characters. Yaz gets some much-needed focus here, finally stepping into the spotlight, and her family history becomes the heart of the episode. The Doctor and her friends can’t change what’s coming, and that restraint makes the tragedy hit even harder.


"Yeah, that's right. My references to body and gender regeneration are all in jest. I'm such a comedian."


The final act, with the wedding, the heartbreak, and the inevitability of violence creeping closer, is masterfully done. The fact that the Doctor and her team can’t save everyone is what makes this one so memorable. They can bear witness, they can support, but sometimes history is bigger than even the Doctor.


I know Thirteen gets accused of being too passive at times, but that doesn't mean she isn't the Doctor. This is what the story needed her to do, and when she closes her eyes for a moment when Prem is shot it really hit me.


Yaz sat alone on a barrel of some sort. She looks deep in thought
@BBC

For me, this is the best of Series 11 so far. It’s heartfelt and leaves a lasting impression. It is Doctor Who at its most poignant.





What did you think of Demons of the Punjab? Let me know in the comments below.


RATING: Sonic!

BEST LINE: There's nothing worse than when ordinary people lose their minds. We've lived together for decades, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, and now we're being told that our differences are more important than what unites us. Like we learned nothing in the war. I don't know how we protect people when hatred's coming from all sides.


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