This episode was written by Vinjay Patel who was known for the BBC drama, Murdered By My Father (2016), and this story focuses on the Indian Partition after the British left and it was divided into India and Pakistan. At the apartment of Yaz is the birthday of her grandmother, Nani Umbreen (Leena Dhingra). She doesn’t want the celebration and says she’s the first woman married in Pakistan and the first Muslim woman to work in a textile mill in South Yorkshire. She gives gifts to everyone and a watch to Yaz that is broken. Her grandmother keeps her secrets. Yaz wants to use the Tardis to see her grandmother. The Doctor in a welding mask is given a destination by Yaz. She is going to use the watch for the Tardis to read telepathically. In the hills of Punjab, the Tardis appears! The Doctor leads the others and then is suddenly struck by something. A cart driver with oxen, Prem (Shane Zaza), almost runs them over. Yaz is looking for Umbreen as family friends and the cart driver takes them. A Holy Man walks up. Watching them is a dark figure!
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DOCTOR WHO -- “Demons of the Punjab” -- Ben Blackall/ BBC Studios.
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They are taken to a house where the cart driver brings flowers to Umbreen (Amita Suman), Yaz’s grandmother now young, and hugs her! She introduces everyone and the driver says they should not tell everyone they are from England. There is going to a wedding between Prem and Umbreen! Carl hugs his younger brother, Manish (Hamza Jeetooa), and on his arm is a working watch. Yaz doesn’t want to leave with questions believing Prim is not her grandfather. They listen to the radio. Prem says it is 1947. The Doctor informs Team Tardis about the dangers of the Partition. Manish sets a marker for the border between the countries. This strikes the Doctor with pain from the armored demons. They see demons and the Doctor scans them with her sonic screwdriver. She starts to the run into the forest and she is knocked back by the demon, Prem fires his rifle at them, and they see the Holy Man Prem has seen the demons as a solder in World War I. There is some strange mist on the Holy Man. The Doctor says it’s a “dormant octonic engine.” Umbri wants to join the Doctor and she warns Yaz about interfering with her history, the Doc Brown Principle!
The Doctor, Ryan, and Prem walk in the forest. Prem notes that working out country boundaries in six weeks is too soon. The Doctor finds a structure that teleports them inside a structure and Prem is ready with his rifle. She uses the sonic screwdriver to activate the demon console, a Vajarian hive! Ancient assassins that were targeting Yardu. Prem goes over meeting them in World War 2, he saw them in the mist, over his older brother’s body. He runs with the evacuation alarms. Ryan notices a capsule with the pink mist. The hive demons appear. The Doctor tells them the planet is under her protection! They return to the forest and the Doctor snatches the transfer lock they placed on trees. Umbreen wants to know about Prem. Yardu was the only one to marry Prem and Umbreen, but she isn’t giving up. Yaz is outside the house when Graham walks over to her and tries to console her. He is amazed at their adventures. Ryan and Prem run up saying they lost the Doctor. She runs over and sets the transfer lock with her sonic screwdriver. The demons appear, multiple black eyes with long fangs, hideous. She uses the transfer lock to send them away. Prem and Umbreen need to be married in twelve hours. The Doctor is desperate to save Yaz, “We can’t have a universe with no Yaz!”
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DOCTOR WHO -- “Demons of the Punjab” -- Ben Blackall/ BBC Studios.
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The Doctor gives them a list of items including a biscuit and has set up a chemistry set. Umbreen wants them to prepare for the wedding! The demons try to decipher the transfer lock used by the Doctor. They are getting henna tattoos on their hands which the Doctor loves. Yaz asks Umbreen who says she grew up with Prem. She says the Doctor can marry them and she remarks that she also married Einstein. Prem, Manish are playing cards with Ryan and Graham. Prem is worried about his brother who sees everything as changed. At the chemistry set, the Doctor has found dense materials, the transfer lock is broken, and the Doctor is taken away. They say they are not assassins, they are witnesses, the mist is the dust of their world. The Thijarians are there to watch over the dead who die alone to remember them and the millions who will die in the Partition. The image of Prem is seen. They did not kill the Holy Man. The Doctor suddenly appears and tells them Prem dies. The episode works out with a twist is so sobering for a character just introduced. A beautiful morning as the radio reports come in. Graham gives a flower wreath on Prem. The groom worries about the conflict from people who lived together all of their lives. Graham hugs Prem saying he is a good man, emotions.
At the river, Umbreen says she is the first woman to be married in Pakistan, the Doctor officiates the wedding. Tears here. These two people are so beautiful. Umbreen takes up the rope from the river and has Yaz tying them together in Hindu fashion. The bride says Manish helped them through the drought. She is about to feed him, but Manish says his work was for his brothers. The Doctor goes to talk to Manish. Prem gives Umbreen his watch, but it falls and breaks. She says the oaken watch is “their moment in time.” Manish picks up his rifle and the Doctor knows he killed the Holy Man. He leaves when they hear horse riders galloping in with weapons. The Doctor tells them that Manish is leading them. Manish walks up to the horse riders. Yaz goes with Umbreen to a map which she randomly chose Sheffield. Prem goes to talk to his brother and kisses his bride. Umbreen and her mother run to safety. Team Tardis witnesses Prem walk to the gunmen. One of them points his rifle at Prem who recognizes him from the war. The Thijarians appear in front of Team Tardis. They walk away as the rifle shot is heard. The Thijarians transport to their ship which has the ghostly images of all of the lonely dead. In the Tardis, Yaz asks the Doctor about her grandmother. At the apartment, the older Umbreen looks at the henna tattoo and dislikes it. She loves Sheffield for the home it gave to her family. This is a powerful episode, unexpected, with great aliens and such personal history. Thanks to Team Tardis for this story!
Five Sonic Screwdrivers out of Five!
#DoctorWho, #DemonsofthePunjab, #ShaneZaza, #AmitaSuman
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