'Doctor Who' Series 12 Episode 3: There's either a China in space or there's a glaring plot hole in the story
Spoilers ahead for 'Doctor Who' Series 12 Episode 3 'Orphan 55'.
As far as 'Doctor Who' episodes go, Series 12 Episode 3 'Orphan 55' was a bit of a disappointment. While the episode did have a compelling message, fans weren't that happy with the execution and there were quite a few issues with the story as a whole, with one plot point, in particular, that's more than a little confusing.
The episode follows a pretty familiar format. The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and her companions find themselves on what seems like paradise, only to realize it's actually a dystopian world with monsters aplenty.
The big twist that makes the story more relevant? The planet is actually Earth in the future and the monsters living on the planet are the mutated descendants of the humans who were left behind after the planet became unlivable.
Well, that's all well and good but what doesn't make sense in the episode is one specific scene where Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole) discovers that one of the vending machines in the resort they are in was made in China. It would have been forgivable (though not entirely okay) if the 'Made in China' sign had been included accidentally but it is pointed out by the characters and, in fact, this is how Ryan realizes he's on Earth.
The story is supposedly set in a future where Earth (China included) was devastated by nuclear war and global warming. And it's not like the vending machine is some ancient relic, it's clearly quite new and probably wasn't even built until centuries after the disaster that ended life on Earth.
To be fair, in Series 5 we were introduced to Starship UK, a gigantic spaceship that housed the entire population of the United Kingdom (minus Scotland, who got their own ship). While this makes it quite likely that there's a People's Starship of China out there somewhere, it's not a fact that's addressed in the episode and we'd really like an explanation of some sort. Preferably one that doesn't involve the words "wibbly wobbly, timey wimey".
'Doctor Who' Series 12 Episode 4 'Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror' will air on BBC America on January 19.