‘Doctor Who’ 11×05: 45 thoughts from “The Tsuranga Conundrum”

Doctor Who recap: Season 11, Episode 5, “The Tsuranga Conundrum,” Aired Nov. 4, 2018

Full disclosure: I didn’t really enjoy this week’s episode. It was mostly predictable, there were too many backstories and plots going on at once, and halfway through, I still felt like nothing happened. With all that, I thought I’d change things up and try a stream of consciousness thought list for this episode. As I watched “The Tsuranga Conundrum,” I typed this up. Enjoy this terrifying trip through my mind.

Let the thoughts begin!

1. Don’t think I’ll ever get sick of this new theme. The graphics, the music – it’s brilliant!
2. All the offscreen adventures Team TARDIS had! They’re arguing like family now. Aww!
3. Wrong planet? Are the companions not used to that already?
4. Sonic mines are bad, bad contraptions.
5. Are the dizzying camera effects making anyone else nauseous?

6. Oh, great, a hospital. Because nothing creepy and terrifying ever happens in hospitals, especially space hospitals.
7. The Doctor’s heard the name Tsuranga before!
8. The Doctor needs to sit herself down, but, of course, she won’t.
9. Yes! There’s a whole volume on The Doctor in the Book of Celebrants! Well-deserved!

10. Ah, good thing she didn’t sit down and rest. The ship – not hospital, ship – is breached.
11. And there’s the unnecessary love story between the one-off characters.
12. That creature was cute for all of three seconds – you know, until it growled.
13. Okay, but what is that thing?

14. I think the Pting throwing up the sonic is going to be the best part of this episode.

15. Inevitable revisit to the love story to mourn the obvious self-sacrifice. *Sigh*
16. “I back us every time” – Yes, Ryan, yes!

17. Graham is officially my favorite this episode – the questions, the sarcasm, the reactions.
18. Is Jodie Whittaker playing The Doctor, or is she ACTUALLY The Doctor?
19. Oh, he’s giving his kid away. They’re going to make this a thing, aren’t they?
20. But where is the pregnant guy going to fit in with the larger plot?
21. This is a lot of heaviness in Ryan’s backstory to just throw at us. I’m thinking three companions are too many.
22. “What does it want?” Now that is the question. What motivates the Pting?
23. Two horrible outcomes making for an impossible decision? Sounds about right for The Doctor.
24. No power, oxygen, heat – well, things always get worse before they get better.
25. Midwives Ryan and Graham – oh my goodness.
26. I did not understand a word of The Doctor’s explanation of the particle accelerator, but that science-y talk is very Doctor Who.
27. The most Doctor to ever Doctor.

28. And here’s more backstory of yet another one-off character.
29. “Everyone’s going to live.” Getting Ninth Doctor feels – everybody lives! Except I don’t think that plan will pan out quite the way they want it to.
30. I forgot Graham and Ryan went off to go play midwife. Well, that’s a thing that’s still happening.

31. Did Yaz just punt the Pting? Nice.
32. And with 20 minutes left, The Doctor figures out what’s going on and comes up with a plan. Right on cue.
33. The Doctor running down a corridor. Ah, classic Doctor Who.
34. The only hope would, of course, be a bomb that could blow everythin to pieces. Why expect anything else?
35. “Learning useful life skills,” huh, Graham?

36. “Please don’t be wrong. I’d be so embarrassed.” -The Doctor

“And dead!” -Yaz

37. I really don’t think this pregnancy plot is necessary.
38. It ate the bomb!

39. Welp, more self-sacrifice.
40. Did I miss something bigger about “Tsuranga,” or have they just not addressed it again?
41. He actually named the kid Avocado Pear. Right.

42. Of course he’s keeping Avocado. Entirely obvious.
43. BUT WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT WHOLE PLOT?
44. So did I miss the Tsuranga business? Or…
45. I’m going to need some time to digest this whole episode.

So that episode… happened. Not my favorite this season, but I’d love to know what you all thought. Next week looks promising. It seems that we’ll have more companion backstory next week as Yaz crosses paths with her grandmother. Trespassing into one’s own history never ends well. This should be fun. See you next Sunday!

Next week:

What did you think of “The Tsuranga Conundrum”? Let us know at @PureFandom on Twitter!

Doctor Who airs Sunday nights on BBC America at 8/7c.

(Image: BBC)

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