What’s this – a pseudo-historical where the aliens plot-line actually enhances the story? I tend to be a purist when it comes to separating stories set in Earth’s past from the alien invasion stuff, but I’m going to make an exception here because of the exceptionally nifty parallels with parasitic aliens who steal inventions (and inventors) in a story about Thomas Edison (about whom I had a briefing my co-host Eugene last week, before we even knew he’d be in this one).
I was impressed too by how well structured this story is, with lovely scenes for all the regulars – the Doctor talking to Tesla about being an inventor and an outsider, Graham ticking off Edison as like the bad guvnors at his bus depot, Yaz telling Tesla he may be a genius but he doesn’t have to do everything alone, and best of all Ryan and Dorothy Skerrit talking about how they’d left normal and steady behind when their lives had been turned upside down by an extraordinary individual.
Listen to our Fusion Patrol discussion as we talk about how railway stations work (but, to my regret, not about what a South African NG-15 built in 1953 was doing in the US in 1903), argue about the Braxium Bouncer (mk III) and lament the incongruity of a Silurian weapon on a Skithra ship in the early 20th century…
You can listen to our discussion on the Fusion Patrol website, or wherever you get your podcasts…