DOCTOR WHO (S11E5) “The Tsuranga Conundrum”: Tiny Alien, Big Themes

This week’s episode of Doctor Who, on board a travelling space hospital, the gang come up against an indestructible miniature killer alien, and race against the clock to prevent an explosive ending…

On a distant scavenger planet, a sonic land mine goes off, sending the gang into comas, only to wake up on a space hospital. The ship – a remote-controlled flying emergency ward – comes under attack from an unknown source. When investigating, the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and Astos (Brett Goldstein), one of the two caregivers onboard, split up to look for clues.

The latter unfortunately encounters their cause for concern – a mini killer alien called a Pting. Astos is then destroyed along with the last of the evacuation crafts, and the pint-sized creature continues its wrath by eating its way through the ship’s inner systems in a ruthless path of destruction.

Masculine / Feminine

Several patients are introduced as the gang explore other parts of the spacecraft, including Yoss (Jack Shalloo), a pregnant man who is due to give birth imminently, and a decorated space pilot (Suzanne Packer) suffering from a mysterious illness, along with her brother (Doc Brown) and cyborg guard (David Shields).

Shocked by Yoss’ appearance, Ryan (Tosin Cole) and Graham (Bradley Walsh) struggle to process his inflated belly. Their stares and intrigue, while struggling to imagine being pregnant themselves, show how their travels with the Doctor are causing them to adapt to their surroundings and alter their understandings of identity and masculinity. The vulnerability Yoss displays while pregnant is at first jarring to the Doctor’s guys, but through the course of the action they are also able to open up about their fears and fatherhood.

The episode continues Series 11’s themes on gender, as Yoss goes into labor and requests that Ryan and Graham support him during the process, needing their male solidarity. Rising to the occasion, Ryan offers encouragement for Yoss in his new role as a father, while reflecting on his own relationship with his dad and bonding with his step-granddad Graham.

Race Against the Machine

While the labor and sickness carries on, the countdown to outside interference also continues. By repeatedly denying the presence of the alien, the ship’s base is becoming suspicious, and snoozing the alarm can only be done so many times before they take action.

The Doctor realises that their bomb is built into the ship, as they are currently too far away for missiles to reach them. They use this to their advantage by luring the alien to it in an evacuation chamber, and since it is drawn to the bomb’s energy, this is easily done. The Doctor waves goodbye as she ejects the explosive wee guy into space, and successfully saves the day once again.

Conclusion

The big themes of “The Tsuranga Conundrum” – birth, death, gender identity, fatherhood – coupled with the Doctor’s quick-thinking to save them all, make for an engaging instalment to Whittaker’s first series at the TARDIS’ helm. The writers of the show are clearly keen to pull in as many teaching moments as possible, after the “Arachnids in the UK”‘s eco-warrior message last week and “Rosa” coming the week before. However, we are still waiting with baited breath for a wider story arc to emerge to carry us onwards towards a Series 12, and by hearing about the background of Yaz (Mandip Gill) next week in “Demons of the Punjab”, this will provide greater insight into one of the lesser discussed companions.

What did you think of this week’s alien – the “Pting”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The next episode of Doctor Who will air on BBC One on Sunday 11th November 2018 at 6.55pm.