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| There's something wrong with the birds... |
THE PLOT:
Three crises in three different locations, all connected. In Hong Kong, former police officer Jake (Warren Brown) searches for his husband - missing astronaut Adam Lang (Matthew McNulty). In Peru, travel vlogger Gabriela (Joana Borja) wakes to find her partner, Jamila (Gabriela Toloi), has vanished. And in Madagascar, researcher Suki (Molly Harris) is shocked when a member of the crew of a missing submarine washes up on shore - only to be consumed by an alien pathogen mere moments after.
The Doctor has sent her companions to each of these trouble spots to investigate. Ryan notices the strange and aggressive behavior of the birds, and scoops up a bird corpse to bring back for study. Graham and Yaz team up with Jake, and rescue Adam from mysterious figures in hazmat suits. Study of the bird corpse and the astronaut's blood leads the Doctor to a startling conclusion about the nature of the virus - Even as Yaz's pursuit of one of the hazmat-clad figures leads her into danger...
CHARACTERS:
The Doctor: This episode sees her largely an enthusiastic carrier of exposition. The first half sees her popping up in each location to connect various dots for us. Then, when the action settles in Madagascar, she studies the various clues for a while before explaining to both the other characters and the audience what exactly is happening. Jodie Whittaker is fine throughout - But after so many episodes that have pushed her Doctor and revealed more brittle and vulnerable sides, it can't help but be a disappointment to see her reduced to "Dr. Exposition."
Yaz: A rare good episode for Yaz. Given that Pete McTighe wrote Kerblam!, which was by far Yaz's best episode last season, it may well be that he has a feel for the character that other writers just don't. She gets a lot to do here, from taking the lead in the investigation of the Hong Kong warehouse to insisting on going back for an important piece of alien equipment - which the Doctor resists because it isn't safe, but ultimately relents in the face of Yaz's determination. There's an amusing note in which Yaz is thrilled to discover an alien environment without the Doctor - only to be crushed when she learns that her discovery isn't so unearthly after all. Mandip Gill seems to relish her turn in the limelight, and shows how likable and charismatic she can be when she's allowed to actually do something!
Graham/Ryan: Also get a few good moments each. Ryan spends the episode's first half paired with Gabriela, and is our viewpoint character for a memorably creepy sequence in an abandoned hospital; also, his recovery of the dead bird is key to the Doctor piecing the full situation together. Graham anchors a strong emotional scene with Jake, listening as the younger man pours out all his insecurities and offering just a few gentle words of advice. When Jake talks about what it's like to love someone amazing, Graham doesn't say one word about Grace - He doesn't have to, his emotions about his late wife etched clearly into his face. Good character writing for a character who has mostly not been well-treated this year, elevated further by a terrific performance from Bradley Walsh.
THOUGHTS:
I've seen a lot of comparisons of Praxeus to Orphan 55, and it's easy to see why. Both are standalone episodes, and both are episodes with strong environmental messages at their core. Orphan 55 received a fair amount of criticism for its heavy-handed message. For me, the message was not that episode's failure, but rather that the story itself felt rushed and incomplete, as if the different scenes just didn't fit together. It all descended into a rush of activity that became meaningless... and therefore, boring.
Praxeus, by contrast, sets up a lot of different pieces, but keeps them unified. The pace is quite rapid at the start of the episode, with us dropped into events already underway, but we're given just enough information between creepy set pieces and action scenes to carry through the first third. Then it slows down, allowing us to receive needed exposition - while still keeping some tension alive through Yaz's venture into first the warehouse, then the alien environment. Once the script has revealed what is happening, the pace picks back up for the final stretch. All the pieces fit together; and for those who are bothered by messages, it should be pointed out that the Doctor doesn't make a big moral speech when she talks about plastic in the environment - Within the context of the story, that in itself is simply exposition to explain why the Praxeus disease is spreading on Earth.
Special mention should be given to the effects. The disease is well-realized, and the effect of it claiming - then exploding - its victims is genuinely disquieting. Scenes in which Ryan and Gabriela investigate an abandoned hospital have some nice atmosphere, leaving me once again musing that the current production team could probably pull off one heck of horror episode, if they were so inclined.
I won't get overenthusiastic, here - This is not going to go down as a personal favorite. There are at least two too many guest characters, and the resolution feels overly convenient and tidy. But the episode does the best job of any so far this season in balancing the regulars, and if it's a filler episode, it at least manages to be a generally entertaining one.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
Previous Episode: Fugitive of the Judoon
Next Episode: Can You Hear Me?
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