TW: Thank you.
After eating breakfast, the group returned to the viewing room, once more retaking their seats before the next recording started.
Shots from a hotel security system are shown as music plays. The front desk, dining room and corridor are all empty. A woman's feet are seen walking down the corridor as chatter over a police radio is heard. A shot of some unknown creature opening its eyes is seen. The woman is revealed to be wearing a police uniform. She opens a door and walks inside, finding a clown sitting on a bed holding a balloon. It looks at her sadly as she closes the door. In a voiceover, the woman introduces herself as Lucy Hayward, calling herself the last one left as she walks down the corridor.
"This has horror movie written all over it," Mickey muttered.
"Creepy hotel, creepy things in rooms, whatever that thing with the eye was. It's like a bloody Stephen King novel," Donna muttered.
"And clowns, don't forget those," Martha added.
"Nothing is making sense so far. Which is right up The Doctor's alley," Jack muttered as they watched, very confused about what was going on.
Lucy opens the door to find a photographer from the 1980's. He takes a picture as a laugh is heard and Lucy quickly shuts the door. "It's funny, you don't know what's going to be in your room until you see it," Lucy's voice says as she continues walking down the corridor. "Then you realize it could never have been anything else." Lucy opens a door and heads into a room. Hearing the sound of a flushing toilet, Lucy looks over as a gorilla walks out of the restroom. Lucy looks at it terrified as it begins to shriek, beating on its chest as shots of a drawing of the gorilla are seen. Lucy screams before closing the door, stumbling back. She hits the wall, falling to her knees as a shot of the creature opening its eyes is seen again.
"This is getting weirder and weirder," Jack muttered as he narrowed his eyes.
"What was with that gorilla?" Mickey wondered.
"From the sounds of it, that's the least scary thing in that hotel," Martha noted uneasily.
"This is no ordinary hotel," Wilf stated the obvious.
"Something is doing…something," Donna said lamely, wondering what on earth was going on.
Lucy writes on a piece that the gaps between 'her worship' are getting shorter, which is what happened to the others. A voice is heard whispering 'praise him' as Lucy writes. "It's all so clear now. I'm so happy. Praise him," Lucy's voice says as she smiles.
"Praise who?" Wilf asked in confusion.
"Whoever or whatever is causing this. It seems like they're able to somehow brainwash people into worshiping it," Jack said as he narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.
"Are there any aliens that can do that?" Martha wondered and Jack shrugged.
"Not that I've encountered, but that doesn't mean they can't exist," Jack said as they continued to watch the screen in bewilderment.
Large footsteps are heard followed by grunts from down the corridor. Lucy gets to her feet as a large shadow is seen at the end of the corridor. Lucy drops her note as her voice says to 'praise him'. The creature, unseen by the recording, approaches Lucy. She smiles as a woman is heard screaming. The words 'praise him' flash across the screen.
"Good Lord," Wilf breathed as they all realized what had just happened.
"So it makes them worship it…and then it kills them?" Mickey asked, struggling to understand what was happening.
"It's complicated," Jane said with a sigh.
"It always bloody is," Donna grumbled.
Sometime later, The Doctor, Amy and Rory are seen on a spiral staircase, Amy and Rory looking down at The Doctor as he stares down the stairs excitedly. Amy dryly notes The Doctor had promised to take them to Ravenscala and The Doctor runs up behind them, excitedly saying this could be the most exciting thing he has ever seen. Amy and Rory are confused as to why The Doctor is so excited about a hotel on earth but The Doctor explains that it's not earth, it's something that has been made to look like earth. As The Doctor marvels at the craftsmanship, Amy asks where they are but The Doctor doesn't know, musing that something yanked them off course. They begin walking down the stairs, The Doctor pausing to admire the details of the fake hotel when Rory wonders who would want to mock an earth hotel. The Doctor theorizes it could be colonists, taking a bite of an apple as he praises whoever did it.
"Okay, so not a hotel. At least that makes sense," Martha noted.
"Not really a surprise though, is it?" Donna pointed out. "Nothing is ever so simple as a hotel with him."
"And people might notice if people went missing after showing up at this hotel," Wilf added.
"You'd be surprised at how ignorant people can be when confronted with the impossible Wilf," Jack said with a tight smile.
Rory begins looking at pictures on the wall, which include a Sontaran commander with defeat under his name and a human woman with Daleks under her name. The Doctor heads over to them at this as Amy and Rory continue looking at the pictures. They see a picture of Lucy with 'that brutal gorilla' under her name. Amy asks The Doctor what that means. The Doctor says he doesn't know, suggesting they find out.
"What's with all those things under the names?" Mickey wondered.
"Lucy mentioned that there are things in these rooms," Wilf remembered.
"So the things under the name on the pictures must be what are in the room belonging to them," Donna mused.
"But who put up the pictures?" Jack asked suspiciously.
"That…is complicated," Jane said lamely and Jack shot her an exasperated look.
They make their way to the front desk, The Doctor ringing the bell. Suddenly, three people, a human woman, a teenage boy and humanoid man, jump out, wielding various makeshift weapons as the trio jump back, startled.
"Well that escalated quickly," Mickey said not sure whether to be amused or startled.
"Well, they've probably been there for a few days at least. Would make anyone jumpy," Jack pointed out.
"It's a survival instinct," Martha agreed, remembering feeling very similar during The Year That Never Was.
Rory tries to calm the situation as everyone begins shouting at each other. The woman shouts at everyone to shut up. Someone watches from a security camera as the woman, Rita, notes the trio is as surprised as they are. Rita also notes if it's a trick, it'll tell them something.
"Well at least she's reasonable," Donna said happily.
"Might stop them from fighting each other," Martha agreed. "Hopefully."
"Hopefully," Jack echoed, not feeling as confident as Martha.
The Doctor is impressed by Rita, joking about firing Amy. The Doctor realizes the humanoid is from Tivoli, which the humanoid calls the most invaded planet in the galaxy. "Our anthem is 'glory to insert name here'," he says.
"Oh great, a Tivolian," Jack grumbled.
"Let me guess, you've encountered them before?" Martha asked and Jack nodded.
"Back when I was a Time Agent, my partner and I headed to Tivoli. Our orders were to stop the galactic equal of a nuclear warhead from falling into the hands of the local regime at the time. Which we did, but it wasn't without difficulty. Every native tried turning us in out of fear. We barely got out of there alive," Jack said darkly.
"And one's there, in a situation that probably has him terrified," Donna said as the realization sunk in.
"Gibbis is going to be a problem," Jane sighed.
"Brilliant," Mickey said sarcastically.
The Doctor asks the boy what he meant by being surprised to be back in reception. The boy says the walls move and everything changes, confusing The Doctor. Rita explains that corridors move and rooms vanish and reappear, noting the hotel is almost alive.
"Definitely not a normal hotel then," Martha muttered as they all wondered what was going on in the hotel.
"If The Doctor's right – and he usually is – then it's not a hotel," Jack mused, wondering what it could be.
The Doctor turns off a cassette player as the boy says there's no way out. The Doctor asks if they've tried the front door as he walks over to it. Rita sarcastically says it never occurred to them as The Doctor quickly scans it. Amy laughs as The Doctor opens the doors, revealing a brick wall inside. He calls it walls that look like doors. The Doctor rambles about this for a moment before walking over to a window. He pulls the curtains aside to reveal it to is a brick wall. Rita explains that the rooms have 'things' in them. The Doctor excitedly asks what kind of things and Rita says bad dreams. "Well that killed the mood," The Doctor says.
"So they can't get out and the rooms have bad dreams in them. This really is a bloody horror movie," Donna grumbled.
"It's like this whole thing is designed to make people as afraid as possible," Martha mused, not seeing the grimace on Jane's face.
The Doctor asks how they got here and none of them know, each saying they were merely going about their regular lives when they suddenly woke up here. The Doctor picks up a Rubik's cube, calling whoever dropped them here rude. The Doctor begins leading them up the stairs, promising to run a planet wide search on the TARDIS once they get there as someone watches from a security camera. But, to the shock of The Doctor, Amy and Rory, the TARDIS is gone.
"And now the TARDIS is gone. I feel like I should have expected it," Martha muttered as there were several groans.
"So much for that plan," Donna grumbled.
"Either way, this just got a lot harder," Jack said, wondering how The Doctor was going to get out of this one.
The others are confused as Rory bemoans that their way out is gone. The music then turns back on, unnerving The Doctor. The Doctor rambles about how bad this is before asking if there are more of them. Rita says there's a man called Joe but he's tied up. The Doctor asks with what but Rita clarifies she meant literally.
"Huh?" Mickey said as the past viewers looked at the screen in confusion.
"Got to admit, didn't see that coming," Jack muttered.
The Doctor heads into the dining hall, where a man is sitting, surrounded by laughing ventriloquist dummies. The laughing stops and the dummies turn their heads to look at The Doctor as the others follow him inside.
"Well that's just creepy," Martha muttered, the past viewers looking at the screen wearily.
"You're telling me," Donna muttered.
The Doctor walks over to Joe, introducing himself and Joe says they're going to die there. The Doctor gives a sarcastically response before asking if he can have a word with Joe. But Joe says he's still there, he's merely 'seen the light'. Joe rambles about how he lived a blasphemous life but has been forgiven and soon 'he' will feast. The Doctor asks why 'he' waited for two days and Joe says they were still raw. The Doctor asks if they've been cooked now. "If you like," Joe says. As Joe continues to ramble, The Doctor notes the good luck charms on his tie and hand. Joe tells them they need to find their rooms first, explaining there's a room there for everyone, even The Doctor.
"So whenever someone finds their room, it allows whatever this is to brainwash them, just like Lucy," Martha mused.
"But what could do this?" Wilf wondered but no one had an answer.
The Doctor questions what Joe meant by seeing the light and Joe says nothing else matters. "Only him," Joe says. Joe points to the dummies, saying he once hated them but they now make him laugh. Joe then begins laughing hysterically, which is then echoed by the dummies as everyone watches unnerved. Joe tells them to go, warning that 'he'll' be there soon. The Doctor gets up; putting Joe's chair on a trolley and saying Joe should come with them.
"Bring the mad bloke who's been brainwashed along for the ride. I'm sure this won't backfire in any way Spaceman," Donna said sarcastically, already knowing something was going to go wrong.
"You know The Doctor, can't help but try to save everyone," Martha said although she agreed with Donna.
Back at the front desk, The Doctor wonders why Joe and the others were brought here. He turns off the cassette player, noting it's one of many things he doesn't understand. Gibbis says sooner or later, someone will have to come along and rescue them. "Or enslave us," he adds.
"Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you?" Jack said darkly. "So much easier than trying to work together."
"Are all Tivolians are that bad?" Wilf asked horrified and Jack nodded.
"Gibbis is sadly typical of his species," Jack said darkly.
"Wonderful," Donna muttered, knowing Gibbis would likely do something stupid later.
The Doctor declares finding the TARDIS to be the first order of business. He lays out some ground rules: don't enter a room you feel drawn to and make sure someone can see you at all times. Rita notes Joe said 'he will feast', wondering if something if there with them. Joe begins laughing insanely and they all look over at him. The Doctor asks if he has something to add. "Here comes a candle to light you to bed. Here comes a chopper to chop off your head. Chop chop chop chop," Joe says sinisterly.
"Would someone please shut him up? Just listening to him is giving me the willies," Donna grumbled, shuttering.
"You and me both," Mickey muttered as they eyed the screen uncomfortably. "I thought the dummies were bad."
"The dummies are the tip of the iceberg," Jane said with a grimace.
"Lovely," Martha said sarcastically.
The boy asks if they can do something about Joe as he continues to laugh. Later, the group is walking through the hotel, Joe on a cart with tap over his mouth. Gibbis says that he agrees with Joe, noting the motto of his old school is 'resistance is exhausting'. The Doctor shoots him a look as the group is seen from a security camera.
"Can someone shut them both up? Because if I have to listen to either one of them, I think I might lose it," Donna grumbled.
"I'm not sure what's worse, Joe's ramblings or Gibbis's whining," Mickey said annoyed.
The boy says he knows where they are, telling Rory it's in Norway and explaining his theory that they're in a secret city made by the US government who will send all the rich people here as the earth is going to collide with another planet. Rory scoffs, wondering how he could come up with a theory more insane than what's actually happening.
"Lovely, a conspiracy theorist," Martha sighed.
"You'd be surprised how often those conspiracies turn out to be true," Jack said with a shrug. "Sometimes the only difference between a conspiracy and the truth is research and time."
The Doctor is passing a door when it opens and a buff man in a sweatshirt with a whistle around his neck stepped out as a bell rang inside the room. He asks if they've forgotten a PE kit again as everyone turns to him. The man yells at them before heading back inside the room. Everyone looks at each other weirdly before The Doctor notices the boy is about to open a door.
"NO!" Donna exclaimed as they all realized what was about to happen.
"Don't do it kid," Jack almost pleaded although he knew it was useless.
The Doctor rushes over but is too late to stop him. Inside are a bunch of teenage girls. "Oh look girls. It's H-H-Howie," one of them says mockingly.
"He's afraid of being made fun of by girls? That's what's in his room?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"Some of these rooms seem to be metaphors for their fears. In Howie's case, being an outcast at school," Jane explained as they continued to watch.
Howie screams before smiling as the girls continue to mock him. Howie tells The Doctor to shut the door and he does. Shaken, Howie stutters that this is a CIA trap. The Doctor puts an arm around him, telling Howie to keep telling himself that. As they head down the corridor, Howie hears a low growl. He looks over his shoulder but doesn't see anything.
"It's gotten into Howie now," Donna realized alarmed.
"Which means it's only a matter of time," Jack muttered as they all watched uneasily, knowing Howie would soon end up just like Joe.
They continue walking the hotel when The Doctor sees what looks like claw marks on the ceiling. He examines them as Amy sees the paper Lucy had dropped earlier. She picks it up as Rory stops to tie his shoe. Rory sees a fire exit and calls out to the others before a roar is heard.
"Of bloody course they hear that just as Rory finds an exit," Donna said as she, Martha and Mickey groaned.
"It doesn't add up though. The rest of them have been there for days and never found an exit. Rory's been there for a few hours and one just appears. It doesn't make sense," Jack said as he narrowed his eyes.
"Nothing about this makes sense Jack," Martha sighed.
They turn around as they hear growls and heavy footsteps coming from the other end of the corridor. Amy asks if that's real and The Doctor says he's sure it isn't but they need to run and hide just in case. They begin running into a room as Rory tries to tell them about the fire exit. But, when he looks back, Rory sees it's just a regular room.
"And now it's gone," Jack muttered, growing even more uneasy.
"The hotel is playing tricks on Rory," Wilf mused.
"But why? It has a room for everyone, but it's taunting Rory about a way out? Why, what makes Rory different?" Martha wondered, trying to make sense of it all.
"It'll make sense later," Jane said managing to fight the grimace that threatened to cross her face.
Rita has taken Joe inside a room where a man is. He begins berating her, calling her lazy and she begins crying, apologizing and calling him Daddy. She then screams before smiling as a voice is heard whispering 'praise him'.
"And now it has Rita as well," Wilf said in horror.
"If this keeps up, it won't take long before whatever this has them all," Jack said darkly as the past viewers watched the screen in dismay.
The Doctor shouts for Rory to come on and he looks at the door in confusion before running over. He walks inside the room and closes the door. The Doctor, Amy and Howie are in there, along with various Weeping Angels.
"Ah bloody Hell!" Donna exclaimed as the past viewers looked on in horror.
"It had to be Weeping Angels," Martha grumbled, unable to repress the shutter at the sight of them.
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Mickey muttered.
Amy tells Howie not to blink and he is confused before the lights flicker. Gibbis watches terrified from a cupboard before The Doctor pulls Amy back. The four of them walk back to the wall before The Doctor wonders why the Angels haven't gotten them yet. He walks up to one and reaches a hand towards one, which passes right through the Angel.
"Thank heavens," Wilf said as they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Cheers for small miracles," Jack said with a sigh.
"I guess it can only replicate the appearance and sound of whatever it's copying," Donna mused.
"Whatever the reason, just be glad they don't have Weeping Angels to deal with on top of everything else," Mickey said, not noticing the dark look that crossed Jane's face.
They wouldn't have to deal with Weeping Angels, this time. But when they did, it would be the end of everything.
The Doctor says the Angels are Amy's bad dream. But Rory realizes it's not Amy's, but Gibbis's. They look over at him as Gibbis hears a roar and screams before closing the cupboard, hiding inside. In the corridor, the creature, still unseen, is walking as The Doctor moves towards the door. Amy asks what he's doing and he says he needs to see what it is. He looks into the peak hole as the creature passes. The Doctor calls it beautiful before the creature turns, looking at The Doctor directly.
"Is that…" Martha trailed off, not believing it as Jane nodded.
"A Minotaur. Or at least an alien version of it," Jane confirmed.
"What is this, something out of Greek Mythology?" Jack asked in disbelief.
"No, nothing that twisted," Jane quickly assured him. "It'll make sense eventually, I promise."
The Doctor jumps back as Joe struggles in Rita's room before the ropes around his hands come undone. Joe frees himself and removes the tape around his mouth.
"Ah bloody Hell!" Mickey exclaimed as they all watched in dismay.
"Something always has to go wrong, doesn't it?" Martha sighed.
Joe runs out into the corridor and The Doctor realizes Joe is who the creature is after. Joe tells the creature to come to him, saying 'praise him' as a shot of Joe laughing insanely is seen. A shot of the spiral stairwell is seen and then there is silence. The Doctor heads out of the room and sees Joe's body being dragged around the corner at the end of the corridor.
"I repeat, bloody Hell," Mickey muttered.
"Joe," Wilf said horrified.
No one else said a word, watching the screen tensely, knowing there was little The Doctor could do at this point.
The Doctor runs towards the creature, running down several corridors and up and down the stairs but the creature and Joe are gone. As The Doctor looks around in bewilderment, the corridor suddenly stretches on. The Doctor runs down a corridor and emerges at the beginning of another. Looking over, he sees Joe on his knees, slumped against the wall. He kneels down next to Joe; lightly slapping him but Joe is dead.
"Poor Joe," Martha said softly as they all stared at the screen sadly.
"That's one," Mickey sighed heavily.
"But why kill him? What does this creature get out of it?" Jack wondered as he narrowed his eyes, trying to work out the puzzle.
"It's complicated, but it'll make sense in the end," Jane assured him.
The scene changes to the dining room. Joe's body is place on the floor, a blanket on his legs as some dolls are laid near it. The Doctor scans the body before covering it as Rory and Howie move a table in front of the doors. Rita moves over to help them as Amy sits on the bar, Gibbis sitting a few feet away. Amy tries to comfort him about the Angels but he says Joe was right and that whatever is in here wants to kill them. Amy gets off the bar and sits down next to Gibbis; assuring him that The Doctor has always saved her and will now save him. She tells him not to tell The Doctor she said that before getting up. Gibbis points out if the Weeping Angels were for him, than Amy's room is still out there. He smiles at her unkindly.
"Is it bad that I hope he's next?" Mickey asked, deciding that he hated Gibbis.
"If you're bad, I'm worse, because I hope he suffers," Donna said darkly.
"Donna," Wilf said appalled.
"Oh come off it Gramps, Amy tried to comfort him and he taunted her. If he is next, it would be no less than he deserves," Donna grumbled.
"Even by Tivolian standards, Gibbis is cruel," Jack noted. "And cruelty leads to self-preservation. A bad combination in this scenario."
"Doctor, you better watch out for him," Martha muttered worriedly.
Amy looks over to see The Doctor talking to Rita. Rory walks up to her, startling Amy as he says he always has the urge to notify someone's next of kin when The Doctor gets chummy with someone. Amy laughs and Rory looks at her before starting. Amy asks what's wrong and he notes she hit him with a shoe the last time he said something like that.
"I am sure there is some context there that it is not that bad," Martha said, hoping that was case.
"According to the Interface, Rory was having one of his freaks out in the early days and Amy hit him with her shoe to shut him up so he'd listen. Not the best but not as bad as he makes it sound," Jane shrugged.
"Considering it was the early days on the TARDIS, sounds plausible," Jack shrugged.
The Doctor and Rita sit by Joe's body, Rita handing The Doctor a cup as she asks how Joe died. The Doctor says he died and Rita asks what kind of doctor he is. The Doctor explains that Joe's vital organs merely stopped working for no apparent reason.
"So this thing didn't attack him, Joe just…died?" Mickey asked in bewilderment.
"I wouldn't say that. There are a variety of species that can kill without lifting a finger. It would appear this Minotaur is one of them," Jack mused.
"But how?" Wilf wondered and Jack didn't have an answer.
The Doctor takes a sip from the cup and realizes Rita gave him tea. She says she's British, joking it's how they cope with trauma. The Doctor asks how she made it and she says even a fake alien hotel should have a fully stocked kitchen, revealing she heard him talking to Amy and Rory when they first arrived and that it's no more ridiculous than Howie's theory or her own. The Doctor asks what her theory is and Rita says she thinks this is Jahannam. The Doctor realizes she's Muslim and she jokes not to be frightened. They laugh and The Doctor asks if she thinks this is Hell. Rita says she does, although she's confused why it looks like a 19890's hotel.
"It may not be Hell, but it seems like a close second," Donna grumbled.
"Still wish we knew what this was and what that Minotaur is," Martha muttered.
"Knowing these recordings, we'll find out eventually," Jack said as they continued to watch.
The Doctor wonders why all the fears and phobias are still here from past victims and Rita jokes that the cleaners have gone on strike. The Doctor laughs, saying he likes her but assures her this isn't Hell. Rita assures him she's not afraid, but she's lived a good life which is what will keep her sane. Amy looks back at the paper she found earlier as Rita asks about the humanoid, Gibbis and The Doctor confirms he's an alien. Rita promises to freak out about that later.
"I like her," Martha decided. "Most people would lose their minds in these situations. Not only is she reasonable, she's able to compartmentalize, to focus."
"She's a doctor, so it comes with the territory," Jane shrugged.
"At least until that thing gains control over her," Donna muttered.
"You just had to remind me," Mickey muttered as they all watched uneasily, knowing it was only a matter of time.
Amy calls over The Doctor, showing him Lucy's paper. The Doctor whacks her on the head for forgetting about it before looking at it. The Doctor begins to read, Lucy's voice explaining that they had taken Luke on his first day. The Doctor rereads Lucy's words from the beginning of the recording with the added bit of a gorilla that used to terrify her as a child. The page ends with 'praise him'. Howie echoes this and everyone immediately turns to him, The Doctor demanding to know what he said. A shot of the creature opening its eyes is seen as Howie says nothing before repeating praise him. Howie places a hand over his mouth, horrified as Gibbis, afraid, says this is what happened to Joe.
"It's got Howie now," Donna said horrified.
"I guess he's further along than Rita," Martha said with a sigh.
"Either way, this is bad," Jack said as they all watched, uneasy about the whole thing.
The creature, still unseen, walks down a corridor as, in the dining hall, everyone gathers around Howie. The Doctor tries to keep him calm but everyone keeps talking over each other. The Doctor takes out his screwdriver and turns it on, the humming making everyone hold their ears in pain. Gibbis shouts The Doctor will lead the creature here and Rita asks what he suggests. Gibbis proposes they sacrifice Howie in an attempt to appease the creature and they all look at him in disgust. "All I want to do is go home and be conquered and oppressed. Is that too much to ask?!" Gibbis shouts before sitting down in a huff.
"Typical Tivolian," Jack said darkly as they a looked at the screen in disgust.
"He'd really hand Howie to the creature just to save his own skin without a second thought?" Wilf asked horrified.
"You know the saying 'the path of least resistance is the path of the loser'? Well, Tivolians are fine being losers so long as they survive," Jane told him.
"It's everyone for themselves on Tivoli," Jack said darkly.
Rita offers to stay with Howie while the others go but The Doctor argues they stay together. The Doctor then walks over to GIbbis, telling him he now understands why his civilization is one of the oldest in the galaxy. "Your cowardice isn't quaint, it's sly, aggressive. It's how that dune of gutlessness has survived while so many others have perished. Well not today. No one else dies today," The Doctor says firmly. "Right?" GIbbis gives an inaudible agreement and The Doctor smiles before walking back to Howie.
"Guess now he knows who he's dealing with," Mickey said smugly.
"Either way, now he's afraid of The Doctor. Let's just hope that fear will keep him from doing something stupid," Jack said, unable to shake the feeling that Gibbis was going to do something that would derail The Doctor's plan.
The Doctor tells Howie he'll be possessed any second now and he'll ask him some questions when it does, asking Howie to try to answer them. Howie nods as they all sit down. Howie frets about his mother before his demeanor changes. He looks up, smiling insanely with a chuckle.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered as the past viewers stared, unnerved by the change in Howie's demeanor.
The Doctor asks why it's only Howie who is possessed and Howie says they've got distractions in their head, urging them to 'let it all go' in order to clear the path. Amy asks if Howie wants it to find him even if he knows what it will do but Howie is giddy at the idea of dying, calling it cool. They all get up, walking away from Howie as he cleans his glasses, not moving. The Doctor explains the creature feeds on fear, even the pictures at the reception are intended to frighten them. The Doctor urges them not to give into fear, no matter what. Amy ask what they're supposed to do. The Doctor says they're gonna catch a monster.
"A monster that feeds on fear. It's like that Canadian show, what is it? Lost Girl," Donna remembered, having heard some friends mention it.
"Except it's a Minotaur who wants to kill them and not a Succubus who can't control their powers," Jack noted.
Jane grimaced. Her father was right about it feeding, just wrong about what. And it would cost them.
"How do they plan on catching it?" Wilf wondered.
"Knowing Boss, it'll be some elaborate plan that no one else would think of," Mickey said certainly.
Howie's voice is then heard speaking throughout the hotel, calling out to the creature. The others are seen in various rooms. The Doctor is standing by a door outside a room; Rory is holding a mop while standing guard over a door. Amy and Rita are in the room with the clown. Amy assures Rita it's not hers and then admonishes Rita when she tries talking to it. The Minotaur's legs are seen as it walks by Amy and Rita's room. Its horns scratch the ceiling. The Minotaur walks into the hotel's spa and Rita and Amy quickly rush over, closing the doors and locking it by putting a wooden stick Amy pulls off the ceiling through the handles. Amy calls out to Rory and he puts the mop through the handles of the door he was guarding. The Doctor flicks a switch and the lights in the spa go out.
"Okay, so it's trapped. Now what?" Mickey asked.
"Knowing The Doctor, he's going to try talking to it," Jack said knowingly.
The creature angrily shoves aside a table as Howie's voice rambles about the creature. As it walks the room, the creature finds a speaker in a chair. At the reception desk, Howie continues rambling about the creature into a speaker and The Doctor's screwdriver while tied to a chair as Gibbis stands guard.
"That's actually not a bad plan. They broadcast Howie's voice to lure the creature to the spa so they could trap it," Martha noted impressed.
"Yeah, now they just have to hope it'll be willing to talk," Mickey said lowly, not trusting that part of the plan.
The Doctor yanks out the cord and Howie is cut off by receiving feedback on the radio. Realizing he's been deceived, Howie begins struggling as Gibbis urges him to calm down. Howie says to stand where he can see him but The Doctor has ordered Gibbis not to speak to Howie. "It doesn't mean you can't listen," Howie points out.
"Oh boy," Jack muttered as they all realized what was about to happen.
"He's gonna let Howie go, isn't he?" Martha realized.
"He's a Tivolian, what do you think?" Jane asked flippantly and Donna groaned.
"Brilliant," Donna grumbled.
In the spa, The Doctor stands outside the view of the Minotaur as it snarls its form finally visible. The Doctor asks why the Minotaur puts people's deepest fears into a room and the Minotaur snarls at him. "Did you say 'they take'?" The Doctor asks. The Minotaur snarls but The Doctor is having trouble translating a word, either warden or prison. The Doctor realizes this is a prison.
"A prison? Why would they be taken to a prison?" Mickey asked confused.
"They never said it was for them," Jack said as they caught on.
"The place is a prison for the Minotaur," Wilf realized.
"But then how did the others all end up there?" Martha wondered.
"You'll find out in the end," Jane promised.
"You are still unhelpful," Donna grumbled.
At the reception desk, Howie tries to convince Gibbis to sacrifice him to the Minotaur. Gibbis points out that idea was shot down and Howie argues that this isn't a sacrifice, he's willing. Gibbis argues Howie is possessed and Howie proposes they say that Howie merely overpowered Gibbis. Gibbis pauses, tempted.
"You bloody coward," Donna said as she glared at the screen in disgust.
"Never trust a Tivolian in these kinds of situations. Cowardice and deceit come as easy as breathing to them," Jack said darkly. "It was just bad luck that one ended up in this situation."
"The Doctor's rotten luck," Martha sighed as they all watched uneasily.
The Doctor asks the Minotaur what they are to him and it snarls. The Doctor translates this as the Minotaur saying they're not ripe. The Doctor remembers Joe saying this earlier as he walks into view. The Doctor asks if it makes them ready and the Minotaur snarls. Catching the world replace, The Doctor asks if it replaces their fear but the Minotaur snarls. "You have lived so long, even your name is lost," The Doctor translates. The Minotaur snarls again and The Doctor realizes it wants this to stop.
"It wants to stop?" Martha asked, all of them surprised by this.
"It's been alone so long, it's even forgotten its own name. I guess it makes sense that it wants to be put out of its misery," Jack mused, relating to the Minotaur despite himself.
"So then why did it kill Joe and possess Howie?" Donna wondered confused.
"Let's find out," Jack said as they began watching with renewed interest.
It snarls again and The Doctors translates it saying it's just instinct. The Doctors tells it to tell him how to fight it. Before it can, everyone hears Howie calling out to the Minotaur from the spiral staircase. They realize Howie got out as instinct takes over and the Minotaur swings an arm, sending a fist through a glass door. The Doctor warns Rory to watch out as Amy and Rita open the door.
"Damn you Gibbis," Mickey snapped angrily as Jack sighed and Donna and Martha groaned.
"Never trust a Tivolian," Jack said darkly.
"I think you're understating it Immortal Man," Donna grumbled.
The Doctor warns them to stay back as the Minotaur breaks the glass on the door Rory was guarding. The Doctor tells Amy to bring the fish, confusing her for a moment before she catches on. They run out of the spa, seeing Rory lying on the ground, dazed but otherwise unharmed. The Doctor kneels down; asking where the Minotaur went but Rory is dazed, asking if Amy hit him.
"Well he's clearly going to be no help right now," Mickey noted unhelpfully.
"I hope he doesn't have a concussion," Martha said worried.
"Rory's fine, he just needs a minute to pick himself up," Jane assured them.
The Doctor runs down the spiral staircase and into a corridor, where he finds Howie's glasses. He picks them up, examining them as Amy and Rita find Rory upstairs. They make sure he's alright before something seems to come over Amy. She gets to her feet, saying they should find The Doctor.
"Well she could be a little more concerned," Donna grumbled.
"She normally would be. Something isn't right," Martha said, an unsettling feeling coming over her.
Amy walks a few feet away before turning to a room to her left. Amy begins waking towards it and opens the door. A voice says to praise him.
"Damn it all to Hell," Mickey swore as they watched in dismay.
"Now it's got Amy. This cannot get worse," Jack said darkly.
"Really wish you guys would stop saying that," Donna grumbled.
Amy stares at what's inside before the door is closed and Amy starts, seeing Rita in front of her. Rita says she shouldn't have done that, asking what she saw. Amy says nothing. Howie's body is seen in the same position Joe's was found in when The Doctor rounds the corner and runs over to it. He checks Howie's vitals and sadly realizes Howie is dead. He places the glasses in Howie's hand when Amy, Rory and Rita emerge at the end of the corridor. The Doctor shakes his head as they stare at Howie's body.
"Howie," Donna said softly as they all stared at the screen sadly.
"He was just a child, he had his whole life ahead of him," Wilf said softly.
"Monsters don't care about that," Jack said softly, thinking of Steven. "Monsters just see more food."
"Which is why it sucks when innocent people are dragged into these situations," Jane said sadly.
"You're telling me," Martha said softly as Mickey wrapped an arm around her, all of them staring at the screen silently.
Gibbis emerges at the other end of the corridor, claiming Howie overpowered him. The Doctor gives him a hard look before walking back towards the others. Gibbis follows after him, proposing that they might be safe now. He walks passed Howie's body without another look.
"Save your lies for people who will believe then," Donna sneered angrily.
"Does he honestly think they'd believe a word he says?" Martha asked in disbelief.
"The Tivolians, the most cowardly race in the universe. Also the most gullible," Jack said with a sigh.
"Glad The Doctor never took us there," Martha sighed.
The scene changes to The Doctor standing where they first appeared, looking at the photos. Howie now has a photo. Rory walks up to The Doctor, who asks him if he's found his room yet. Rory says no, wondering if that's good or bad. The Doctor says Rory just isn't scared of anything and Rory notes after all the time he spent traveling in the TARDIS, there's not anything left to be scared of. The Doctor notices Rory used past tense.
"Rory's ready to stop," Jack realized.
"After the last few recordings, it is hard to blame him," Wilf noted.
"Like I said, after Appalachia, I think Rory was just done with it all," Jane explained. "But he won't stop until Amy's ready."
"Which'll be when?" Donna asked and Jane smiled tightly.
"Spoilers."
Rory denies this and The Doctor begins to walk off. Rory stares at Howie's photo and tells The Doctor that Howie had just gotten over a massive stutter he spent time in speech therapy for. Rory calls this an achievement, noting he'd forgotten victory isn't always about saving the universe. The Doctor stares at him silently for a moment before smiling.
"After all of time and space, sometimes you can forget the small things," Martha mused, remembering having to readjust to normal life after traveling with The Doctor.
"You're telling me," Donna muttered, remembering her regret of having turned down The Doctor initially.
Howie's body now lays next to Joe's as Amy places a fishbowl on a table. The Doctor and Rita encounter each other on the spiral staircase, The Doctor asking if she's panicking. She merely smiles and The Doctor assures her he's close to getting them out of here. She asks why and he notes that's an excellent question before walking down the stairs, to her amusement. He then makes his way back, asking why what. Rita asks why it's up to him to save them, accusing him of having a god complex.
"God complex maybe, but he does always need to be in control," Martha mused.
"He's the ultimate control freak with a time machine," Donna said with a slight smile. "It's no wonder he gets into such trouble."
The Doctor looks over at Amy, saying he brought them here. They'd say it was their choice but The Doctor knows he offered them time and space so of course they took it. "Which is why you shouldn't," The Doctor tells Rita. "Which is why grownups were invented."
"We're not children Boss," Mickey said feeling insulted. "We knew what we were getting into."
"Did we? Did we really know?" Jack inquired, thinking of everything that had happened. "I was a Time Agent and yet I never foresaw what could happen. I don't think any of us fully grasped the consequences. I don't regret traveling with The Doctor, but is he really wrong?"
Donna, Martha and Mickey paused, considering Jack's words. But they didn't answer, because they really weren't sure themselves.
Rita asks about all of time and space and The Doctor promises to show her once they get out of here. Rita laughs, saying he just did it again. The Doctor smiles before seeing a security camera. Getting an idea, The Doctor heads down the stairs. Rita walks over to the security camera, looking up at it before saying praise him. A shot of Rita screaming before chuckling insanely is shown.
"And now Rita is starting to be possessed," Martha said as they watched in alarm.
"And Amy can't be far behind," Wilf said in dismay.
"Whatever you're doing Spaceman, do it fast," Donna pleaded softly.
The Doctor runs down the corridor when he hears whispers. He turns around, seeing a door behind him. It's room 11. The Doctor opens it slightly, staring at what's inside briefly. "Of course. Who else?" The Doctor says before closing the door. He then places a do not disturb sign on the handle before walking off.
"And now he's found his room as well," Donna said in dismay.
"He's a Time Lord, far more advanced than any of the other species that we've seen. Maybe he won't be affected like the others," Jack mused although he felt it might just be wishful thinking.
"What was in his room?" Wilf wondered curiously.
"Don't know. I asked the Interface once but she wouldn't say. And honestly, maybe some things should remain private," Jane mused.
Rita heads up the stairs as Gibbis eyes the gold fish Amy put up earlier hungrily before picking up the bowl.
"Ew," Donna said in disgust as she, Martha and Mickey looked ill and even Jack and Wilf looked disgusted.
The Doctor enters the security room, looking at the monitors for the Minotaur. Seeing Rita walking the corridors, The Doctor picks up a phone and dials a number. The Doctor watches as the phone by Rita rings and she pauses, looking over at it. She looks up at the security camera and walks into the room, answering the phone. He tells her to head into the corridor and she does, still holding the phone. He knows she's started to praise it and Rita nods.
"So that was his plan. Use the security monitors to find it," Jack mused, unsurprised at The Doctor's brilliant plan.
"Except now he's going to get a front row seat to Rita's death," Donna muttered as they all watched with a growing sense of horror and dread.
The Doctor pleads with her to come back but she refuses, saying she needs to get as far away from them as possible. The Doctor argues that the Minotaur wants whoever is praising it but Rita argues that he'll put himself in its way. The Doctor tells her he's coming to get her but she laughs, saying the hotel will keep them apart. The Doctor hears a growling sound on the other end of the line.
"It's almost there," Martha said softly as they all tense, knowing this was it.
Rita asks The Doctor one last favor as he sees the Minotaur approaching her on the monitors. She says she doesn't want him to witness this, wanting to be remembered as she was. Amy and Rory then enter the room, Amy saying Rita's missing before seeing her on the monitor. The Doctor pleads with Rita again but she tearfully tells him to stay where he is, to be robbed of her faith in private. The Doctor pleads with her to go into the room and lock the door but Rita declares she is blessed. She says she's at peace as the Minotaur growls behind her. The Doctor pleads with her but Rita bids him goodbye, thanking him for trying. She hangs up, ignoring his protests. She then stands up, smiling as the Minotaur approaches while The Doctor sits down, watching helplessly. He uses his screwdriver to turn off the monitor, a sad look on his face as Rory and Amy look at him in concern. The Doctor looks up to see Gibbis eating the goldfish.
"Rita," Donna said softly, tears springing to her eyes.
She was not the only one. Martha looked ready to burst into tears as Mickey wrapped an arm around her, a closed off look on his face. Wilf lowered his head, tears running down his face as Jack sighed, placing a hand over his face and Jane watched sadly. For a long moment, it was silent.
Then, Jack lifted his head, lowering his hand.
"Rita's dead, nothing can change that now. We need to keep watching," Jack said, his voice devoid of all the turmoil he felt.
Later, Rita's body is laid with the others. Amy, Rory and Gibbis sit in the dining hall as The Doctor angrily takes out his frustrations on the lobby. After he's done, The Doctor sits at a table, noting Rita wasn't afraid, she was calm and brave. The Doctor wonders if it's some connection between the people, thinking if he can figure it out, they can begin to fight it. Gibbis points out he keeps saying that but while they wait, people keep dying.
"Because you let Howie out you little worm," Donna sneered angrily.
"Don't expect a Tivolian to accept responsibility. They're much better at assigning blame," Jane sighed.
Amy assures Gibbis he'll figure it out, as he always does. The Doctor then seems to realize something, saying 'oh no' repeatedly. Amy asks what's wrong and The Doctor explains that it doesn't feed on fear, but faith. Not religious, faith in anything. Howie was a conspiracy theorist, Joe was a gambler who uses good luck charms, Gibbis is looking for the next oppressive regime to tell him what to do. All of them believe there's something guiding them, about to save them. The Doctor explains this is what the Minotaur replaces, every time someone was confronted with their most primal fear; they fell back on their fundamental belief.
"Let me get this straight. The Minotaur feeds of faith and then brainwashes its victims into its worshipers?" Martha asked in disbelief.
"It sounds like something a teenage boy would think up for a comic book," Donna said, in a similar state of disbelief.
"Ridiculous or not, now they finally know what's happening. Now The Doctor can figure out how to stop it," Jack said as he narrowed his eyes.
The Doctor sits in a chair, guilty that he made the others expose their faith to the Minotaur. Rory is confused why they're here and The Doctor explains it doesn't want him, which is why it keeps showing Rory a way out, as he's not a believer in anything. The Doctor realizes it wants Amy, to her surprise. Amy sits down next to The Doctor, asking why and he explains her faith in him. The Doctor says it's what brought them there.
"It brought them there because of Amy's faith in The Doctor?" Wilf asked surprised, as were they all.
"I guess it makes sense, Amy believes in The Doctor more than anything else. She believes in him more than anyone I've ever met, she's the perfect snack for a creature that feeds off faith," Jack mused.
"It can't be just Amy, The Doctor has a room to," Martha argues.
"Isn't it obvious?" Jane asked and they all looked at her. "Dad's faith in people. He believes that people are inherently good, almost to a religious level. It was even stronger than Amy's faith in him."
"I guess that makes sense," Donna muttered, none of them surprised when they thought about it.
Rory asks why they lose their faith and start worshipping the Minotaur. The Doctor explains it converts faith into a form it can consume, as it feeds off the energy faith brings. Which is why Lucy's note said – "Praise him," Amy says.
"It's possessing Amy," Mickey said as they all looked at the screen in alarm.
"They finally figure out what's happening just in time for Amy to be possessed. It's just the Spaceman's luck," Donna said with a heavy sigh.
Rory and The Doctor realize what's happening before they hear the Minotaur's footsteps approaching. They flee, heading down the corridor. On the way, Amy stops, turning towards the Minotaur, mesmerized. Noticing she's stopping, Rory and The Doctor turn back for her, despite Gibbis's protests. Rory and The Doctor drag Amy into a room and Gibbis follows them. As Rory closes the door, he, Amy and The Doctor stair at what's inside the room. 7 year old Amelia Pond, sitting on her suitcase as she waits for The Doctor to come back.
"Her most primal fear…is being left by The Doctor?" Martha asked in disbelief. "Not losing Rory or The Doctor dying?"
"Like I said, some of the rooms are Metaphors. For Amy, it's a metaphor for being abandoned. Dad not coming back was just the first time she'd ever felt abandoned by someone," Jane explained.1
"That makes a lot more sense," Donna mused.
Amelia looks at them briefly before the Minotaur begins beating on the door. Rory presses himself against the door, trying to hold it back as Amy falls to her knees, feeling her thoughts changing. The Doctor tells her he can't stop this, confusing Amy. "I stole your childhood and now I've led you by the hand to your death. But the worst thing is, I knew. I knew this would happen, this is what always happens," The Doctor says. The Minotaur throws the door open as Rory and Gibbis back up in fear. "Forget your faith in me," The Doctor says as the Minotaur roars. "I took you with me because I was vain. Because I wanted to be adored."
"Doctor, what are you doing?" Jack wondered as he narrowed his eyes.
"Isn't it obvious?" Donna asked, her heartbreaking as she realized The Doctor's plan. "He's breaking Amy's faith in him. Cutting off the monsters food supply."
"Will that really work?" Mickey asked uncertainly.
"It's so old it's forgotten its own name. Even a creature like this would need a near constant source of food by this stage in its life," Jack mused. "Cutting it off might just do the trick. If The Doctor can break Amy's faith in him."
Amy looks in disbelief as The Doctor places a hand on the side of her face. "Look at you. The glorious Pond, the girl who waited for me," The Doctor says. But it's not the adult Amy he's seeing, but the 7 year old Amelia. "I'm not a hero. I really am just a madman in a box. And it's time we saw each other as we really are." The Doctor kisses Amy on the forehead as she looks devastated. The Minotaur stumbles out of the room. "Amy Williams, it's time to stop waiting," The Doctor tells her. He gets up and looks out the door, seeing the Minotaur stumbling down the corridor before falling on its back. The Doctor walks over to it as the light flicker. Kneeling down next to the Minotaur, The Doctor tells it he severed the food supply by sacrificing Amy's faith in him so it could die. The Doctor gets up as the image of the hotel crumbles away, revealing the inside of a ship.
"Just like that? That's all it took to break Amy's faith in him?" Martha asked skeptically.
"Not just that, no," Jane shook her head. "It was a lot of things. Everything that happened with River, how Dad left her to the mercy of the Silence for months on end, being unable to save Melody. And I do think, on some level, Amy saw through Rory's lie about what happened to the other her. Realizing Dad had never seen her as an equal, he still saw her as the little girl who waited all night for him…I think that was just the last straw."
"That makes a lot more sense," Mickey mused.
"I'm more interested in the ship," Jack said as he narrowed his eyes. "A prison ship with a perception filter."
"If I hear the words 'perception filter' one more bloody time," Donna grumbled.
Amy asks if it's a Minotaur or an alien but The Doctor explains it's both. Walking up to the console, he reads off data that reveals it's the distant cousin of Nimon, a race who set themselves up to be viewed as gods until the civilizations grew advanced enough to build prisons for it. Rory and Gibbis look out a window, seeing that the prison is in space. Amy asks why there are no guards and The Doctor explains there's no point as the prison is automated and it just drifts through space, snatching people with beliefs systems and converts their faith into food for the creature.
"The Nimon, of course. Now it all makes sense," Jack realized.
"Why not just let the creature die? Why keep feeding it?" Mickey wondered.
"Because they people who designed these prisons were petty and sadistic," Jane said darkly.
"Wish I could say she was wrong. But a need for revenge can make people do some pretty horrible things," Jack said, thinking of Grey.
As Gibbis points out his planet to Rory, Amy notes The Doctor has to believe in something, or there wouldn't have been a door for him. She asks what Time Lords believe in and The Doctor says it developed a glitch, stuck on the same setting, which is why the fears of people before remained. Amy closes her eyes, no longer buying his lies.
"Boss does love his secrets," Mickey said wistfully.
"And Amy no longer seems willing to listen to his excuses," Wilf noted.
"It was only her blind faith in The Doctor that caused her to overlook them before. And now it's gone," Jack mused, not sure yet whether that was good or bad.
The Minotaur gasps softly and they all walk over to it, Amy asking what it's saying. The Doctor translates, revealing it's a prayer where the Minotaur is saying death is a gift for it. The Doctor holds the Minotaur's hand as it dies, telling it to accept it and sleep well. It grunts and The Doctor translates. "I wasn't talking about myself," he says lowly.
"It knows what's going to happen to him," Donna realized in shock.
"The Nimon were telepathic. I guess this one was as well," Jack mused. "It must have seen the page on his death and Amy and Rory witnessing it."
The Minotaur closes its eyes, finally dying. Rory walks over to Amy as Gibbis asks if he can have a lift. Seeing the TARDIS, they all walk over to it. Later, The TARDIS materializes on a street in London and The Doctor leads Amy and Rory out in front of a house with a Red Jaguar. Amy jokes about this not being Earth or a real house but The Doctor says it's all real, handing Amy some house keys.
"He's giving them a house?" Donna asked in disbelief, part of her feeling a bit envious.
"Really feeling the love Boss," Mickey said sarcastically.
"All I got was a borrowed vortex manipulator," Martha said dryly as Jane smiled slightly.
"Amy and Rory were very special to Dad, in ways that few of his companions were. He thought this might take the sting out of it," Jane explained.
"He's saying goodbye, isn't he?" Jack realized.
"After the last few recordings, do you even need to ask?" Jane asked as they all watched the scene with new eyes.
Amy is in disbelief but Rory is distracted by the car in front of the house. Rory says it's his favorite car, asking how The Doctor knew. The Doctor says Rory showed it to him once before handing him the car keys. Amy asks if she can have a few minutes with The Doctor. Rory tells The Doctor that Amy will say it's too much and they'll feel an obligation but says it's a risk he's willing to take.
"Oh Rory," Martha said as they all chuckled at Rory's antics.
Rory heads inside as Amy and The Doctor sit on the hood of the care. Amy asks if he's leaving and The Doctor says they haven't seen the last of him. Amy asks why now and he says they're still breathing. Amy says this is about washing up and they laugh before The Doctor begins making his way over to the TARDIS, saying there's a planet that translates to 'Volatile Sadness'. Amy laughs and The Doctor tells her there's a bigger, scarier adventure waiting for her in the house. Amy looks at the open door before saying it can't happen like this, he can't just drop her off at her house like they've shared a cab. "And what's the alternative? Me standing over your grave? Over your broken body? Over Rory's body?" The Doctor asks.
Jane grimaced. Despite her father's best efforts, his worst fears had become realized. He had indeed stood over Amy and Rory's graves. And it had broken him.
"He's got a point. Too many times, we're left dead or worse by the time we're ready to stop traveling with The Doctor," Jack said with a grimace, remembering his first death and then Rose making him immortal.
"It's just not always easy knowing when to say goodbye," Donna said softly, her grandfather taking her hand.
"But you still have to do it," Martha softly, remembering saying goodbye to The Doctor.
Amy tearfully hugs him goodbye and they share an emotional hug. Once it's over, Amy tells him to tell River to visit sometime. The Doctor smiles before telling Amy to look after Rory. She tells him to look after himself before kissing him on the forehead. The Doctor smiles at her before heading over to the TARDIS. He opens the door, waving at her. Amy laughs, waving at him before he enters it. Rory comes out with three glasses and a bottle of Champaign as the TARDIS begins taking off. Rory walks over to Amy, asking what The Doctor is doing. She turns to him; saving The Doctor is saving them. On the TARDIS, The Doctor is standing at the console. Amy is shown looking out her new bedroom window before The Doctor looks around his now empty TARDIS. The screen goes black.
"So that's it, he's on his own now," Martha said, sad as she realized The Doctor was once more alone.
"He doesn't always do well on his own," Wilf said softly, remembering The Doctor confiding in him about the mistakes he'd made while traveling alone.
"Not always, no. Dad, like all of us, needs someone to keep him in check when he goes too far," Jane said softly and the room was silent. "Well, time for another one then."
And that's another one. And this is honestly the only episode of the season I can honestly say I do dislike. Has an interesting premise but the idea of a monster feeding on faith and brainwashing people into serving it was ridiculous even by Doctor Who standards. And that's not even getting into how dirty Amy was done but I'll get to that below.
1: This was a perfect chance for Moffat to address Amy's major abandonment issues, something Moffat has always glossed over. Instead, by implying that Amy's greatest fear is to be abandoned by The Doctor, not only does Moffat fail once more to address it, he undoes nearly two seasons of character development by taking Amy back to who she was at the start. Examining Amy's faith in The Doctor this way wasn't a bad idea, but it was done at the expense of Amy's character and it just soured me on any good points the episode actually did have.