Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror
One of the best things about the Chris Chibnall era is the return of historical period-set adventures for the Doctor and her companions. And “Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror” is a great example of why this format works so well, combining a story that involves aliens attempting to kidnap the famous inventor with an educational look at a complex man that history ignored for too long.
Guest star Goran Visnjic (RIP, Timeless) is a delight as Nikola Tesla, and the inventor and the Doctor make a charming pair. The duo’s deep understanding of what it feels like to be a person out of time is surprisingly moving – the Doctor herself is always something of an outcast, and Telsa’s ideas are so far ahead of his contemporaries that he has little in common with them.
The story’s real-life tie-ins are fascinating (the real Tesla did spend a lot of time trying to communicate with Mars), Team TARDIS all get great period costumes to run around in and even though the Skithra are a straight rip-off of the Racnoss from Christmas special “The Runaway Bride,” they’re scary enough when it counts. You can’t ask for a much more entertaining way to pass an hour.