Time has not changed my opinion that this is one of the best episodes of Doctor Who, certainly since the revival, but also one of its very best pieces of historical sci-fi (& so much like a throwback to Hartnell-era educational historicals). The conflict over small nudges to the web of time is extremely clever, and making the central conflict about preserving a moment in history, even if the role The Doctor and her friends have to play in it is ultimately uncomfortable, it’s just all a bit brilliant. I had always hoped we would see Krasko again (“Oi, Brando!!”) if only to learn if he had other space racist associates and deal with him/them properly.

The really wonderful thing about this script and the way it’s played is that they fully approach and interrogate the racism of 1955 Alabama, relate it to the present, allow us to feel both ways about how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go, and yet this is still a Doctor Who episode with plenty of funny moments (Graham pretending to be The Doctor’s husband, touching her shoulder and her disgusted face, Graham and Ryan annoying the bus driver) and also a space racist from the future with a time displacement weapon. It doesn’t make light of the subject but still makes it fit into a DW framework.

I love both of Jodie’s scenes facing off with Krasko, but especially the second one where she’s already figured him out but still pushes him to the point of throttling her to prove it. She’s The Doctor, when she says she’s gonna stop you, you get stopped, son. A delightful running theme this series is that the villains are often little petty dweeb men with tech or connections but no backbone.

Shooting this and Ghost Monument in South Africa was really smart, it pays dividends in feel because although this isn’t exactly giving the south of America, it certainly doesn’t feel like Cardiff either, so it does sell the setting. Three great opening episodes, and this is my favorite of the three. US accents can be rough on DW (Daleks In Manhattan, woof) but it’s all pretty solid here. 4.75/5