Doctor Who: Series 11, Episode 8 – “The Witchfinders” (2018)

Another good historical episode.  While I think “Rosa” and “The Demons of the Punjab” are stronger overall, this one has a fabulously-foppish Alan Cumming, which can’t be discounted under any circumstances.

When the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham arrive in a small English village in the early 17^th century, they find it in the throes of a witchhunt.  The Doctor tries to take over the situation, but none other than King James I shows up, and he’s out to uncover every instrument of Satan.  Of course, our heroes realize that this threat, whatever it might be, is extraterrestrial rather than supernatural, and they do their best to investigate despite the presence of the incredibly superstitious/untrusting king.

First off:  Alan Cumming as King James I.  Yes.  He’s preening and dandified, arrogant and lethal, ignorant and searching.  He does a nice job of being antagonistic without being an outright villain; a one-on-one between him and the Doctor is the best scene of the episode.  While I think the show is a bit too winking with his sexuality, it’s not bad, and Ryan reacts reasonably well to a 17^th-century king flirting with him.

I like the way the alien plot/mystery rolls out – we figure out pieces of the puzzle along the way, with new wrinkles being added as we go.  The story also throws in some good historical bits, such as a ducking stool for “testing” witches and the theme of witchhunts being sustained by people turning on one another for fear of having the finger pointed at them.

It’s a bit hit-or-miss with the companions.  Yaz gets to bond a little with a scared villager, Graham does his best filling in as “Witchfinder General” when King James decides the Doctor isn’t able to fill that role (more on that in a sec,) and they all find the odd clue that helps contribute to solving the mystery.  On the whole, though, they feel sort of unfocused.  The Doctor doesn’t interact a whole lot with any of them here, and there is sort of a sense of them doing busy work while the Doctor handles much of the heavy lifting.

The season so far has hinted at sexism as a concept, but this is the first time it’s really gotten in the Doctor’s way:  in addition to the king declaring her the witchfinder’s “assistant,” he’s obnoxiously patronizing and, in the middle of a 17^th-century witchhunt, it’s only a matter of time before the Doctor is declared a witch.  It makes sense that this would be an issue, but I have a couple of quibbles here.  First, it seems disingenuous that this is the Doctor’s first major personal encounter with sexism/people disregarding her because of her gender.  I know the 17^th century was a real bad time to be a woman, but it’s not like the present is sexism-free.  Second, while the Doctor is of course annoyed and angry at her treatment here, I wish she didn’t seem surprised.  As a person who’s been traveling in time quite literally for centuries, the Doctor has undoubtedly witnessed sexism countless times, and to have her be so taken aback to experience it now makes it seem like the previous male Doctors didn’t take much notice of it because it didn’t affect them.  Come on, Doctor – don’t be that guy.

Apart from that annoyance, though, the Doctor is pretty great here.  Besides the aforementioned tête-á-tête with King James, she a) warns against interfering in history then promptly attempts to save a life, b) reassures frightened people in a situation brimming with paranoia, c) name-drops Houdini, and d) tries to interrogate sentient mud(?)  All in a day’s work!