‘Doctor Who’ Recap: ‘Kerblam!’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

You know, I’ll just come out and say it now, this really is one of the finest seasons of Doctor Who to ever grace the modern era of the series. Because every single episode has something incredible to offer its fans since this year’s stories have been thought provoking and powerful and filled to the brim with social commentary, and if by chance that’s not something you want to tune in and deal with, that’s okay, because there’s plenty more that this season has to offer. After all, the wonderful sense of adventure that accompanies the Doctor is present this year as well, and there are plenty of incredible destinations and fascinating creatures for fans to enjoy.
 
But what has impressed me the most about Series 11, is the sheer fact that the writing is simply top-notch. The scripts find a way to blend all of those elements together in seamless fashion, providing the audience with a rich story through and through and last night’s episode, ‘Kerblam!’, was no exception to that rule. Because one again, this was a story packed to the brim with all kinds of fascinating commentary and adventure, and to top it all off, this particular tale came with a few bonuses as well, since it dropped a grand and sweeping mystery into our laps, and it also found a way to have some serious fun along the way in doing so, especially when one considers the lovely tributes present in this episode to past Doctors.
 
I mean come on, the Fez was clearly a tip of the cap (pun intended) toward Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor and the talk of being best friends with Robots was clearly a nod to 12, and those little winks and nods set the stage for the grand mystery in question. Because the arrival of said Fez, and a note labeled ‘HELP ME’, led Team TARDIS to the headquarters of a futuristic version of Amazon, known as Kerblam!, in order to discover who sent that all important S.O.S. and that’s where the big mystery took shape. For everyone that the team met was put under scrutiny as they worked to figure out who needs help and that’s when the more cerebral aspect of the show came into play. 

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​For we eventually came to discover that a place that is ninety percent automated, engenders fury from a capable workforce that is desperate to enjoy employment and that kind of resentment can inspire violence from the right kind of mind and in the end, it was the facility that needed help, because one of the employee’s, a maintenance man named Charlie, was putting together a plan to kill countless innocent people using the company’s delivery system, which is when the fun and the mystery came to an end in this particular tale. It was instead, replaced by a grave series of moments, ones that saw a sweet and gentle character die thanks to Charlie’s vendetta, and despite the fact that the Doctor was able to upend his twisted machinations, the lingering commentary that came about from this twist, stayed with me long after this episode came to an end.
 
Because Charlie’s story, and Kerblam! in general, took the time to question the power of consumerism, and automation and well, I honestly didn’t expect to see the series tackle the dangers of automation in this fashion, but alas it did and I was equally impressed with the fact that the Doctor straight up called out indifference to progress and a desire for convenience as the causes for both the benefits and the problems presented in this episode and this just reinforces the fact that Doctor Who really is pushing to move into more philosophical and meaningful territory, and I love this creative decision and the fact that every episode like this continues to reinforce the fact that the Doctor truly is a beacon of hope and someone that can make a difference in the universe.
 
Because despite the fact that Team TARDIS keeps running into some unsavory characters, mostly humans at that, they are determined to help others and inspire the citizens of the universe to be better and do the right thing and that’s just magnificent and they were even able to influence Kerblam! to find the balance between technology and convenience and decency since they’re going to hire more humans in the facility and well, I flat out loved this episode through and through. It was entertaining, it was fun, and it was engrossing and thoughtful and I hope the series just keeps churning out more wonderful stories like this one because this kind of hopefully storytelling is definitely a necessity right now. Until next time.

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