By the time the events of “The Zygon Invasion” rolls around, 20 million Zygons are living, disguised, on Earth. Though the older generation is relatively fine with the integration/assimilation rules of the truce, the younger generation of Zygons resents having to hide their true selves in order to stay on Earth. A small subsection of these Zygons have become radicalized, and turn to targeted attacks against the human and Zygon populations.

Ultimately, the conflict is resolved when The Doctor delivers an impassioned speech to Evil Clara, the leader of the Zygons, about the need to stop the perpetuation of violence and to choose forgiveness and compassion over hate and destruction. It is a much-needed message and was an incredibly powerful, topical TV moment. Unfortunately, it was somewhat undercut by the fact that The Doctor — and the episode — discount the Zygon youth’s desperate and valid desire to be their true selves.

The Zygon two-parter was a classic example of the clash of two very modern anxieties: wanting to be able to visually recognize the “other” and wanting the “other” to assimilate. In the end, Doctor Whochooses to ignore this clash in favor of making a broader statement about the futility and foolishness of war. It is a relevant message, but not one that fully comments on the complex themes raised in the two-parter.

The Complex Accountability of a Refugee Crisis

Depsite the relative cop-out of the ending, the Zygon two-parter gets a lot of points in my book for drawing a connection between The Doctor’s actions (as represented by the larger Time War) and the Zygon’s current situation. If not for the Time War, the Zygons probably would not have had to flee their home world. The direct connection between the dominant characters’ actions and the refugee characters’ dilemma is a narrative we need to see more of on TV. It is also one of the main, underlying themes of that great refugee drama Battlestar Galactica.

Battlestar Galacticawas created as an allegory to 9/11 and the huge cultural and political shifts that followed. At the time, it felt like one of the only shows that was actually addressing the seismic social change of a country in shock and mourning. It still feels like one of the few TV dramas of the last decade that has even attempted to address contemporary issues like terrorism, war, and imperialist guilt. It’s also that last one that I am particularly interested in because, though Battlestar Galacticais very much a story about a group of refugees in search of a home, it is even more interested in exploring how the humans we follow as central protagonists played a part in their own downfall.