The season 9 opener was rather dark for a Doctor Who ep, but then that's no surprise going along with the more darker Doctor territory, started by Doctor Eleven. As men run from laser firing planes, one of them chances upon a boy and tries to help him. He asks if he's heard of the 'hand mines,' that's a new one on landmines, obviously. as these grab your leg and swallow you whole into the ground. The boy stands still and shouts for help. Cue our time travelling Doctor (Peter Capaldi) who throws him his screwdriver, enabling them to communicate. The boy needs rescuing and the Doctor is all for it until he hears his name, 'Davros.' Alarm bells blaring...
The Doctor then goes off the radar as we travel between planets anywhere from the Maldovarium Shadow Proclamation, to Karn where he's hiding. as Colony Sarff searches for him as he has a message from Davros, " Davros knows, Davros remembers." That's not all that was strange as Clara (Jenna Coleman) notices a plane frozen in the sky. It's the same all over the world and she rushes to UNIT and Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) where they detect with the use of an algorithm, the number of planes that are stuck in one place.
Finally they get a message from Missy (Michelle Gomez) who wants to meet in a hot climate with eight snipers cos otherwise no one will meet her. She tells Clara she's the one freezing the planes as insurance. The Doctor's sent his friend his confession dial, sort of like a last will and Clara thinks it's for her, but actually it's for Missy. She calls them enemies but that's why she should have it. Clara asks where the Doctor would go if he didn't have long to live. The algorithms changed and he's located in Essex 113AD. Where he rocks up (no pun) on a tank playing an electric guitar. Then spots Clara and Missy on the balcony of the castle. Promptly playing 'Pretty Woman.' Clara asks how he could've seen her and he hugs her. A lot can be hidden in a face with a hug.
Colony Sarff turns up too and unleashes his 'dress of snakes' as the Doctor calls them, which doesn't frighten him. He wants to take him to Davros (Julian Bleach) and he agrees. Only Clara and Missy accompany him too. On the space station, the Doctor is taken away and tells Missy "gravity." She jumps around after some singing and tells Clara there's no gravity since they're not in space, "this is a space station so the gravity should be artificial and coppery-smelling and a tiny bit sexy." As they head outside where she says they're on ground. It's a planet. The Doctor meets up with Davros (who seemed to be doing a lot of Columbo acting with his hand. He recalls the Doctor on the planet and questions his compassion for saving him. As we get to hear Doctor Four (Tom Baker) ask, "if someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you, and told you that the child would grow up totally evil, be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives , could you then kill that child?" As well as Doctor's Five, Ten.
The planet is revealed to Clara and Missy who recognizes it as Skaro. The Doctor pleads not again and also pleads for them to be spared. The Dalek's having also "procured" the TARDIS. They are going to destroy it. Missy tells them they can't and they need her to go to other times and planets and can cause destruction forever. She's exterminated and then Davros mentions that the Daleks kill people when they run from them, which is what Clara does and she too is exterminated. The Doctor returns in the TARDIS back to Davros as a boy and points a weapon at him, saying he's going to exterminate him.
Of course that's the age old question for the Doctor and he thinks if he'd known what Davros would do and become, as well as taking his people and put them into a tank, he maybe would've not saved him as a boy. That's the novelty of hindsight that he's got. Maybe not exactly novelty, but the ability to go back and change things. Time can be altered.
For any Doctor Who fan and aficionado, this episode would have reminded them of the ep, Genesis of the Dalek's with Doctor Four. Who was sent back to the civil war being raged on Skaro and that's where the clip of Doctor Four and his question came in. Could he kill a child? But what is Davros's real plan with the Daleks once again and of course why did he take so long in remembering. Did the Doctor heading back to that time trigger his memory, was it the screwdriver that Colony Sarff throws at the Doctor could have made him remember? The Doctor also says he no longer carries a screwdriver, which probably leaves him a little naked and inadequate. Or is it cos he knows he hasn't got long to live, hence the three week party he threw himself. But even then there was a traitor in the midst, int he form of the Dalek who steals the TARDIS. They 'procured' that pretty easily, isn't it meant to be invisible.
Clara's funny thought of their relationship that Missy mentions and then having to put her right, "we're Timelords not animals, try nanobrain to rise above the reproductive frenzy of your noisy little foodchain and contemplate friendship." Apt line when you come to think of it, you know these days with people and their one track minds. Clara knowing she's the Doctor's greatest enemy and can't be trusted. Yet there's a thin line between hate and love. Especially as Clara reminds her she keeps trying to kill the Doctor and Missy replies with, vice versa, he's trying to kill her. But Clara does manage to get those security men killed when she has the gall to utter that Missy's "turned good". Perish the thought as she so aptly demonstrates.
So why exactly the need for the Doctor's Confessional Dial, which suggests he's going to do something more daring than he's done before and thus the need to bring it up now. But also give it to Missy. The Maldovarium was seen in The Pandoria Opens as River Song stole the Vortex Manipulator here. The Shadow architect (Kelly Hunter) from The Stolen Earth was seen at the Shadow Proclamation, as was a Judoon. And Ohila (Claire Higgins) the Sisterhood of Karn. We even got to see an Ood or two.
The hot country filming took place in Tenerife, well you'll be a little lost for finding anywhere to film here that's hot. Ha. Clara telling her class in the beginning that, "Jane Austen was a great kisser." So she's experienced that and Missy's traps are her way of flirting. Missy also telling Clara to "look for anachronisms" in the Doctor, cue tank and guitar. Then they managed to squeeze Sylvester McCoy's "unlimited rice pudding" into the ep too.
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