Doctor Who: Praxeus (12x06)

This episode was kind of crowded, but in a way that upped the tension and made for an exciting hour!

Cons:

My main complaint about this episode is actually not about the episode itself. It's rather the fact that we didn't get any further answers on any of the A-plot stuff! There's a new Doctor around, there's the Master, Gallifrey has been destroyed, apparently the Cybermen are back... and this episode didn't even mention any of those things! I'm dying for answers! I also heard that John Barrowman isn't coming back this season, so I'm bummed that we missed the chance for Jack and this new regeneration of the Doctor to meet.

If I'm nitpicking, I'll say that Ryan got the least to do this week. Everyone went off on little side-quests at various points in the episode, but his was the least character-driven and he really only served as a vehicle for exposition. It all balances out when you look at the season as a whole... but I still thought I'd mention it.

Pros:

I really like that the companions and the Doctor were split up right from the get-go, all of them investigating seemingly unrelated strange happenings all over the world. But the Doctor is a genius, of course, and she was right to know that events in Hong Kong, Peru, and Madagascar were all linked... turns out, there are some aliens with a disease that they're trying to find a way to cure, so they've come to Earth to use humanity as basically a big laboratory. The Doctor doesn't take kindly to this, and a creative and action-packed way to save the day is found. As far as stories go, it's fairly standard. It's got an environmental message what with plastic being our near downfall, but it doesn't go too preachy, and for the most part it's about watching these characters - both the guests and our regular cast, reacting to these situations and getting themselves out of danger.

I loved that the Doctor basically got seduced by science to the point where it took her longer to figure out the truth of what was going on. That was really fun. I feel like this iteration of the Doctor has a good balance of being extremely intelligent while not being omniscient. I still believe that she might be surprised or tripped up, but I also trust that she'll save the day!

Yaz went on a quest with Gabriela, one of the guest characters who had lost her friend to the Praxeus. They end up finding vital information to help save the day, and it also gave Yaz a chance to once again stretch her legs and go off on her own. I think they're building to something interesting there, as Yaz seems to be the most proactive of the companions, but is also taking some risks that could have real consequences.

I really, really liked the romance in this episode, two husbands who are separated because one of them refuses to take risks and missed his husband's launch into space because of it. When Adam (the astronaut) appears to be in trouble, Jake drops everything to rush to his side, but there's still a lot of hurt feelings between them. This is the main story of the episode, in many ways, as the emotional journey for Adam and Jake is tied up in the climax of the plot as well. I loved that the tension between them was something so beautifully human. I totally sympathize with Jake, and struggle to take risks or get out of my comfort zone. And then in the end, he makes what he thinks might very well be the ultimate sacrifice, in order to save the day. The Doctor manages to save his life, and Jake and Adam get to tenderly reunite with a kiss. Lovely!

There's probably a lot more I should be talking about with this episode, but I'm short on time, so I will leave it there! In many ways I was frustrated by the lack of answers after last week's episode opened up so many questions. But I had a good time with this installment all the same!

8/10