Doctor Who season 12, episode 6 recap: Praxeus

Doctor Who reminds us of the current environmental condition of the world–and it’s not pretty.

Doctor Who is really starting to hone in on the whole idea of climate change and the impact it has on our world. This week it caught me off guard because it’s a bit too real and on the dot if that makes sense. So what exactly has me weirded out and concerned for the future of our world? Let me explain.

The episode kicks off with the Doctor and her companions split up in different parts of the world–Hong Kong, Peru, and Madagascar. I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time on the nitty-gritty details of the episode, but at the heart of it, the message is very clear.

An infection, by the name of Praxeus, has taken over. This particular virus/infection/whatever is attracted to plastic and this plastic is being consumed and eaten by birds. Is this starting to make sense? Our world’s garbage being eaten by animals, who then die as a result.

It’s a very disturbing sight to see the dead birds being cut open only to be filled with plastic. It’s a reminder that this is the current state of our environment, and I’m not surprised Doctor Who chose to tackle this in the way they did.

Moving on, the alien virus takes over the plastic, makes the birds act all kinds of crazy (yes, just like Alfred Hitchcock’s Birds), and essentially seek revenge in a twisted, sort of appropriate way. I appreciate that Doctor Who is choosing to take on more serious topics while sticking close to what they’re known for. It’s a fresh take on an old franchise that I am so here.

But, wait, what about Jo Martin’s big Doctor reveal? Why didn’t Doctor Who talk about that this week? What the heck is going on with that?! We need to know the answers, and I’m really hoping that the series doesn’t let too much time go by before it becomes old news.

Doctor Who airs new episodes every Sunday on BBC America at 8 PM EST!