TW: Yeah, but not really doing the short.
Gallifrey 22.3: Thank you. Indeed.
Guestie: It was most likely a bluff. Do not get me started on the Timeless Child bs.
No one said a word, the room tense as the recording started.
At a workshop, two mechanics are working when they hear an alarm. It's from a repair shop and one of them wonders who would steal a faulty TARDIS. A shot of Gallifrey is then seen as the words 'Gallifrey, a very long time ago' appear on the screen.
"So that's Gallifrey," Jack noted as the past viewers all stared in amazement.
"It looks…exactly how The Doctor described it," Martha noted, recalling The Doctor telling her about it.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered.
"It's beautiful," Wilf said in a bit of awe.
"Back before the Time War," Donna said softly.
The First Doctor is leading his granddaughter Susan into the TARDIS when someone calls out to him. The Doctor turns to see Clara, who tells him he's about to make a mistake.
"What the Bloody Hell?!" Mickey exclaimed as the past viewers stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Clara encountering The Doctor in the present is one thing, but now she's encountering his past Regenerations?" Martha said in disbelief.
"This makes less sense the more this goes on," Jack said in bewilderment.
"It'll make sense later, I promise," Jane assured them.
"It bloody better," Donna grumbled.
Clara then opens her eyes, appearing in a fiery void. "I don't know where I am. It's like I'm breaking into a million pieces and there is only one thing I remember," Clara then finds herself in a ship, not seeing a man in a colorful suit walk passed her until it's too late and she runs after him. "I have to save The Doctor. He always looks different." Various shots of Clara trying to make contact with The Doctor's various incarnations are seen. "I always know it's him. Sometimes, I think I'm everywhere at once, running ever second just to find him. Just to save him. But he never hears me." The scene of Clara's Victorian self stopping The Doctor as he walks off is seen. "Almost never. I blew into this world on a leaf. I'm still blowing. I don't think I'll ever land." Shots of Clara's parents and baby Clara are seen. "I'm Clara Oswald. I'm the impossible girl. I was born to save The Doctor."
"So we've finally find out how Clara keeps meeting The Doctor?" Wilf inquired and Jane nodded.
"Yeah, you'll finally get some answers," Jane promised, a dark look crossing her face.
The past viewers saw the look and it did little to put them at ease. They turned back to the screen, wondering what could be so terrible about this.
In London, 1893, a man in a jail cell is rambling fearfully to himself about the Whisper Men before looking over his shoulder to see Vastra in her veil. He tries to bargain with her to save his life but she is uninterested, as he's killed 14 women. But the man reveals he knows about The Doctor, shocking Vastra. The man then tells Vastra someone has discovered a secret The Doctor will take to his grave.
"The Spaceman has a lot of secrets," Donna noted.
"But one's apparently so bad that The Doctor took it to his grave," Jack mused, wondering what it could be.
Jane merely eyed the past viewers silently, wondering how they'd react to it.
Later that night, after Vastra returns home, she and Jenny argue about her letting the man live. Vastra explains he only lives until they understand what he told her. Vastra then says she's going to send out a conference call. As Jenny moves to get candles, she pauses as she sees someone standing outside the window before they walk off.
"You saw that, right?" Mickey asked.
"Saw it, still not sure what I saw," Jack said as the past viewers looked at the screen uneasily.
"Nothing good," Jane said darkly.
Jenny is interrupted from investigating by Vastra asking where Strax is. Jenny says the usual, as it's his weekend off, annoying Vastra. At Glasgow, Strax tackles a large, brutish man through a glass door. They get up and prepare to fight but are interrupted by a young boy. "What is it, girl? Can't you see I'm trying to crush the brains of this stinking primitive?" Strax snaps before apologizing to the man, Archie.
"Pretty much exactly what I'd expect a Sontaran on earth to be doing," Jack noted as Mickey snickered.
"It's like a fight club for Sontarans," Mickey joked.
"No wonder Strax feels at home there," Martha joined in, the tension in the room breaking temporarily.
The boy explains Strax has a telegram and Strax takes it, annoyed to find he has a 'conference call'. Strax then tells the Archie to knock him out, giving Archie his shovel. Archie strikes Strax over the head with the shoulder, knocking Strax out.
"A conference call?" Wilf asked in confusion.
"It's explained in a minute," Jane assured them.
"I assume it's some kind of mental meeting, given that Strax had to be knocked out," Jack mused and Jane shrugged.
"Sort of," Jane said but didn't elaborate.
At Vastra and Jenny's, the pair are sitting at a table, lighting candles as music is playing. As they close their eyes, a voice is heard whispering. "The trap is set. The Doctor's friends will travel where The Doctor ends."
And just like that, the tension returned to the room, the group watching the screen uneasily, wondering what this was about.
Vastra and Jenny wake up sitting at a table in a room with holographic flowers on the walls. Jenny makes a comment about the 'new desktop' and Vastra says she was bored of Taj Mahal. As Vastra pours some tea, Strax appears in one of the seats, complaining about being interrupted. Vastra says there is news about The Doctor and Strax asks who else is coming. "The women," Vastra says. In London, 2013, Clara is attempting to make her mother's soufflé recipe for Artie and Angie when she notices a telegram on the counter, addressed to her.
"I see now," Jack said as he figured it out.
"Me too. It's a sort of meeting of the minds so that everyone can talk to each other across different locations and times," Martha noted.
"Clever," Donna said impressed.
Clara opens it, finding it's from Vastra, explaining The Doctor entrusted her with Clara's contact information in case of an emergency. "And I fear one has now arisen. Assuming this letter will have reached you as planned on April 10th, 2013, please find and light the enclosed candle," Clara pauses in her reading to pull it out in her room. "It will release a soporific which will induce a trance state, enabling direct communication across the years." Clara drops the candle as Vastra explains since she knows Clara won't trust the letter; she's laced the letter with the same soporific. Clara then passes out and finds herself sitting at the table with Vastra, Jenny and Strax.
"Way to cover your bases," Jack said, barking out a laugh as Mickey, Martha and Donna all laughed.
"Clever," Martha said once she gained control of her laughter.
"Its video chatting before it existed," Donna noted.
Vastra explains they're waiting for one more person and Strax groans, hoping it's not the one with the 'gigantic head'. Jenny corrects him on it being hair before, in a puff of smoke; River appears in the last chair.
"It's River," Wilf said in surprise, the mood plummeting at the sight of her.
"Makes sense. She probably knows more about The Doctor than anyone else. I'd call her to in this situation," Donna mused.
"And now she's about to meet the Siren that's influencing her husband," Martha said and a beat passed.
"Ten pounds on River," Mickey joked.
Vastra and River greet each other and Vastra offers River tea, which River promptly turns into Champaign, to Jenny's awe. River then eyes Clara and Vastra introduces Clara as The Doctor's companion before correcting it to traveling assistant when River shoots her a look.
"So River somehow doesn't know what The Doctor calls the people who travel with him?" Jack asked skeptically.1
"That didn't make much sense to me either. I kind of just assumed that River had just never heard of Clara," Jane shrugged.
"Still, kind of weird, isn't it?" Mickey noted.
"A bit, yeah," Donna agreed, all of them confused by River's actions.
"Stull, how cool is it that she turned tea into liquor?" Mickey asked, causing some chuckles to break out across the room.
River and Clara greet each other politely and Clara says while The Doctor has mentioned River as Professor Song, he never mentioned she was a woman. River's smile dims slightly.
"Ouch," Martha grimaced.
"Oh Spaceman, you dumbo," Donna sighed.
"Honestly, I can't even put that down to the Siren. I just think Dad liked to keep everything about River very private," Jane said with a grimace.
"Which River will probably interpret wrong," Jack noted. "Doctor, you have some explaining to do."
Vastra and Jenny quickly say it's time to get down to business and Vastra throws some dust into air. It forms the face of the man, who Vastra introduces as Clarence DaMarco and runs a hand through the dust, which then forms into Gallifreyan symbols and explains Clarence offered them in exchange for his life. River identifies them as space-time coordinates. At Vastra's house, the front door opens.
"Shit," Mickey swore as the past viewers looked at the screen tense.
"Hurry up, get this over with and get home," Martha pleaded urgently.
Vastra explains Clarence claims this is where The Doctor's greatest secret lies. Clara asks what that is but Jenny says they don't know. "The Doctor does not discuss his secrets with anyone my dear. If you're still entertaining the idea that you're an exception to that rule, ask yourself one question. What is his name?" Vastra asks and Clara becomes uncomfortable.
"Only person I know he's told his name to is River," Marth mused.
"Time Lords have always been very protective of their names. It's considered a closely guarded secret," Jack explained. "Only way you could ever learn it was to marry one."
"No thanks. I'm not that curious," Mickey deadpanned, smiling slightly when Martha lightly slapped his shoulder.
At Vastra's, a figure circles the table Vastra and Jenny are sitting at as, in the dream, Jenny subconsciously feels her face. River reveals she knows The Doctor's name and Clara asks if she's a friend of The Doctor's. River says she was more, a long time ago. Vastra asks if The Doctor hasn't contacted her and River merely says he doesn't like endings.
"So The Doctor hasn't seen her since after Manhattan?" Martha said in surprised.
"No, they have. That's not what River's talking about," Jane said sadly.
The past viewers looked at her confused but Jane didn't elaborate, merely staring at the screen. Although bewildered, the past viewers turned back to the screen, hoping it would offer them answers.
At Vastra's, a figure kneels down close to Jenny and she shivers in the dream. River asks what else Clarence told her and Vastra said he told her a word, one she'd heard before in connection to The Doctor: Trenzalore.
"Trenzalore. The place Dorium mentioned, where Silence would fall," Donna remembered
"The very same," Jane nodded.
"So this is then?" Wilf asked.
"No, not yet. Different time," Jane said, confusing them further. "Dad'll explain later."
Using the dust, Vastra plays back her conversation with Clarence and a pale River says Vastra had misunderstood what he told her. Jenny realizes she forgot to lock the door but Vastra is unconcerned until she sees the state of Jenny. Jenny says someone is with them as a white face with sharp teeth is seen. Jenny sobs as she apologizes to Vastra, saying she's been murdered.
"What?!" Martha exclaimed as the past viewers looked at the screen startled.
"My Lord," Wilf breathed.
"Get out of there and help her!" Donna shouted worriedly.
"I think it's too late for that," Jack said grimly, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Jenny is seen lying on the floor at Vastra's as Jenny's image fades from the dream. River tells Vastra they're under attack and slaps Vastra to wake her up. Vastra wakes up to see several creatures with white heads and sharp teeth in her mouth and they snarl at her.
"What the Bloody Hell are those things?!" Mickey exclaimed.
"Whisper Men," Jane said grimly, not elaborating.
River then pours water on Strax to wake him up and he wakes to find the same creatures in Vastra's house entering the building as he sits up. The creatures then appear in the trance, repeating to River and Clara to 'tell The Doctor'. Clara asks to tell him what as a head appears in the air. "His friends are lost forevermore. Unless he goes to Trenzalore." River points out they know The Doctor can't go there as Clara hears The Doctor talking to Angie and Artie before waking back up in her room.
"This was the point of the whole thing. It was a trap from the get go, to get leverage on The Doctor," Jack realized.
"Amy and Rory are gone, he hasn't contacted us in years, and River is who knows where. It makes the most sense to go after Vastra, Jenny and Strax," Mickey noted.
"But why can't The Doctor go to Trenzalore?" Wilf wondered.
"Spoilers," Jane said with a tight smile.
Clara walks downstairs to find The Doctor with a blindfold on, looking for Angie and Artie. The Doctor explains he'd volunteered to watch the kids for Mr. Maitland and while the kids had wanted to go to the cinema, he had forbid it until Clara woke up. Clara takes off the blindfold, pointing out he's been had. "The little Daleks!" The Doctor then notices something is wrong with Clara.
While this was a humorous scene, none of them could find much humor in this after what they'd just seen. So they merely continued to watch silently.
After explaining, Clara pours some tea as she asks about River. The Doctor is sitting on the couch in a daze, saying she was an old friend before calling her an ex of his. The Doctor asks about Clarence's message and Clara repeats it as she brings over some tea, noticing The Doctor is crying.
"Spaceman," Donna said softly as they all stared at the screen startled.
"Things must have ended badly with River," Martha said and a sad smile flashed across Jane's face.
"You have no idea," Jane said softly.
The Doctor tries to compose himself, his voice cracking as he asks if Clarence definitely said Trenzalore. Clara confirms it and The Doctor gets a hold of himself before walking out of the door. Clara follows him into the TARDIS, finding him sitting alone. The Doctor notes Dorium and others had suspected what Trenzalore was. "River would know though. River always knew," The Doctor notes wistfully. The Doctor pulls down a wire from the console, telling Clara the coordinates will be in her mind so he's linking her up to the TARDIS's telepathic circuits. Once he does, Clara asks about Trenzalore and The Doctor says it's not his big secret. "When you are a time traveler, there is one place you must never go. One place in all of space and time you must never, ever find yourself," The Doctor explains. Clara asks where and The Doctor is frustrated that humans never listen. "'The Doctor has a secret he will take to the grave. It is discovered'. He wasn't talking about my secret. No no no, that's not what's been found. He was talking about my…grave. Trenzalore is where I'm buried."
"My God," Wilf breathed as the realization hit them all.
"No," Donna whispered.
"Trenzalore. It's where…" Jack trailed off.
"Where he made his final stand in this timeline. Where he died," Jane confirmed with a sigh.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey breathed.
The Doctor heads up to the console as Clara asks how he can have a grave and The Doctor says they all do somewhere in the future. Clara realizes he intends to go to Trenzalore and The Doctor says he has to save Vastra, Strax and, if possible, Jenny. "They cared for me during the dark times. Never questioned me, never judged me, they were just…kind. I owe them. I have a duty," The Doctor explains. The Doctor knows there's no point in telling Clara this is too dangerous and Clara asks how they save them. "Apparently, by breaking into my own tomb," The Doctor says before pulling the lever.
"Good luck Boss," Mickey muttered.
"He'll need it. There are rules of time travelling, the biggest one being you never go to your own grave," Jack said grimly.
"So The Spaceman is going to break the one rule even he's afraid to break," Donna said dryly.
"This cannot end well," Martha said as they watched uneasily.
The TARDIS jolts as it starts to dematerialize. The Doctor and Clara are nearly thrown from the console, The Doctor explaining the TARDIS has figured out his plan and is resisting. The TARDIS then flies through space, with The Doctor and Clara hanging on for dear life. The Doctor tells Clara to hang on before the console sparks violently and the TARDIS loses power.
"What just happened?" Martha asked as the past viewers looked at the screen in bewilderment.
"If I had to guess, the TARDIS shut down to stop The Doctor from reaching Trenzalore," Jack mused.
"You'd be right. Not that it mattered, Dad still managed to get down there," Jane said with a heavy sigh.
Silently, Jane wondered if the reason the TARDIS was so against her father going down there was because it knew how it would all end. But in the end it didn't matter, he had and it destroyed everything in the end.
The Doctor explains the TARDIS has shut down to avoid reaching Trenzalore. The Doctor realizes they're close before he and Clara head out the doors. "Okay, so that's where I end up," The Doctor says as he stares down at the planet. "I always thought maybe I'd retire, take up water colors or bee keeping or something. Apparently not."
"That's where he's buried?" Wilf asked softly as the past viewers stared at the screen.
"In this timeline, yes. I'm hoping it won't be once you go back," Jane said softly.
Clara asks if they jump but The Doctor says they have to fall before closing the doors. He explains the TARDIS has turned off everything except the anti gravs before he pulls out his screwdriver. He turns it on before the TARDIS falls to Trenzalore.
"Bloody Hell Boss," Mickey said in exasperation.
"I know he doesn't do things halfway but this is ridiculous," Martha said with a long suffering sigh.
"This is Dad being desperate. He gets reckless when he's desperate," Jane noted.
"Brilliant," Donna said sarcastically.
The TARDIS begins to burn up before landing, the windows cracking slightly as it does. The Doctor steps out, seeing various graves around the TARDIS. Clara asks if he's scared but The Doctor explains he's traveled through time more than anyone else, making his grave potentially the most dangerous place in the universe.
"And you're heading right towards it," Martha said uneasily.
"Not one of his better ideas, but he doesn't have much choice," Jack noted.
"Doesn't mean we have to like it," Donna grumbled.
As The Doctor leads Clara through the graveyard, he explains it's the graveyard of his final battle and the graves are different sizes to signify the different ranks of the soldiers. Up ahead, they see a giant TARDIS which Clara mistakes for a monument to The Doctor before The Doctor explains when a TARDIS starts dying, everything inside starts to leak out, making it grow. It's The Doctor's TARDIS from the future. "What else would they bury me in?" The Doctor asks as he begins heading towards it.
"When you put it like that…" Martha trailed off.
"It's hard to imagine him buried in a regular grave," Jack agreed.
"Because he's not," Jane said, causing them to look at her bewildered. "Just keep watching."
As Clara moves to follow him, River suddenly appears behind her. River explains she's not really there, it's a mental link set up by the conference call, The Doctor can't see or hear her. The Doctor heads back to Clara, hearing her talking to someone when he stops. "River?" The Doctor walks over to a grave with River's name on it. He mutters that it's not right, with Clara adding that River isn't dead. But The Doctor reveals she's been dead for a long time, River saying there was never a right time to mention it to a stunned Clara.
"So this is River after the Library," Donna realized and Jane nodded.
"Wait, how can this be River after the Library?" Martha asked as the other past viewers looked at her confused.
"The screwdriver The Doctor gave her had an imprint of River on it, The Doctor saved it onto the Library's mainframe," Donna explained.
"That…sounds exactly like something he'd do," Jack said after a moment of thought.
"That's what River meant earlier about him not visiting. And why Boss reacted the way he did when Clara told him about River," Mickey realized.
"Spaceman, you dumbo," Donna said in exasperation.
"To be fair to Dad, I think it would be hard for anyone to visit their dead spouse again," Jane shrugged.
"A bit like opening an old wound," Wilf said sadly, hardly able to imagine such a scenario.
The Doctor clarifies he meant River's grave can't be here. Clara looks over her shoulder, seeing the Whisper Men and points them out to The Doctor. The Doctor tries to use his screwdriver on them but it doesn't seem to work. As The Doctor tries to get it to work, River, using Clara as a go between, suggests the grave could be a secret entrance to the tomb. The Doctor turns his screwdriver on the grave, revealing River is his wife to Clara's shock before the entrance opens and they fall through it.
"That makes sense. Where else would he hide a secret entrance to the tomb?" Jack mused.
"Something only he would know, a secret between him and River," Jane agreed.
"The man who lies will lie no more," the Whisper Men whisper as they look down into the hole. "When this man lies, it's Trenzalore." Vastra wakes up next to Strax. As she gets up, she looks around and it's revealed they are outside the future TARDIS. As Strax wakes up and begins issuing threats to whoever took them, Vastra sees Jenny unconscious and runs over to her. She calls Strax's attention to her and runs over. Vastra says Jenny is dead but, using a scanner, Strax says its shock induced. Vastra grabs him, threatening him to bring Jenny back but he pushes her off him and uses his device to revive Jenny.
"She's alive, thank God," Martha said as they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"For now. Who knows what these Whisper Men and whoever is controlling them might do," Jack said grimly.
"You don't think the Whisper Men are behind this?" Wilf asked and Jack shook his head.
"They don't seem to have the brainpower to pull this off. More likely the real threat is still waiting in the wings," Jack said grimly.
As Vastra helps Jenny up, they see the creatures approaching, joined by who appears to be Walter Simeon, who says he merely needed them to grab The Doctor's attention. The trio are shocked to see Walter but Vastra realizes it's the Great Intelligence. "Welcome to the final resting place of the cruel tyrant. Of the slaughterer of the ten billion, and the vessel of the final darkness. Welcome to the tomb of The Doctor!" the Great Intelligence declares.
"I hate being right," Jack muttered.
"Should have known it would be back eventually," Martha muttered.
Below, The Doctor is leading Clara though a catacomb when she brings up River. The Doctor reveals he made a backup and River appears behind Clara, explaining what happened to her, adding that he left her there like a book on a shelf without saying goodbye. "He doesn't like endings," River says sadly.
"Oh Spaceman," Donna sighed as the past viewers stared at the screen sadly.
"Sometimes, he really is an idiot," Martha said and no one disagreed.
The Whisper Men then catch up to The Doctor and Clara and The Doctor quickly leads her away. By the future TARDIS, the Great Intelligence explains it was a minor skirmish compared to The Doctor's 'blood soaked' standards that did him in. Vastra and Jenny argue The Doctor has never been blood soaked but the Great Intelligence mentions The Doctor's various enemies who might disagree. "The Doctor lives his life in darker hues, day by day. And he will have other names before the end. Storm, The Beast, The Valeyard," The Great Intelligence says. Vastra asks The Great Intelligence how he got this information and he says he is information. Vastra and Jenny note he was without a body last time they met and he reveals he is still, ripping open his mouth to reveal nothing inside. He then takes off his hat and his clothes fall to the ground, nothing inside them. One of the creatures then walks forward and takes on Walter's likeness.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered as the stared at the screen in disbelief.
"How can The Doctor ever hope to stop it if it can merely move from one physical body to another?" Wilf asked uneasily.
"That is a very good question Wilf," Jack noted tense.
The Doctor leads Clara through an entrance to the TARDIS, snatching her away from the Whisper Men and slamming the panel shut on the arm of one. "Yowzah." The Doctor drops his torch and begins leading Clara though the TARDIS. Clara begins to get lightheaded and nearly falls before The Doctor catches her. The Doctor explains it's an effect of the dimensional forces of the TARDIS, which Clara knows before wondering how she knows. The Doctor tries to calm Clara as she realizes they've done this before, remembering their experience with the Van Baalen Bros and The Doctor telling her of his past encounters with her. Clara demands answers when they hear a voice. "The girl who died he tries to save. She'll die again inside his grave," the voice says and The Doctor and Clara run.
"She remembers," Donna said in disbelief.
"The uncontrolled energy of the TARDIS is starting to bring back memories of things no one should be able to remember," Jane explained.
"Lovely," Martha said dryly, not sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Outside, The Great Intelligence explains the doors require a key to open, which is a word. The Doctor and Clara then arrive, The Doctor happily greeting Jenny. The Great Intelligence orders The Doctor to open the tomb but he refuses. "The key is a word lost to time. A secret hidden in the deepest shadow and known to you alone. The answer to a question."
"Silence will fall when the question is asked," Martha remembered as the pieces fit.
"This is it then," Wilf realized.
"In a way. It wasn't what the Silence thought was going to happen, but it was the end. Or at least the beginning of it," Jane said with a grim look on her face.
No one else said a word as they stared at the screen, wondering what was going to happen that was so terrible.
The Doctor once more refuses and The Great Intelligence asks his name. The Doctor is silent and yanks The Great Intelligence's hand away from him. The Great Intelligence then orders the Whisper Men to kill The Doctor's friends. As the Whisper Men advance on the others, The Doctor pleads with The Great Intelligence to stop but it wants his name.
"You bastard," Jack snarled angrily.
"It knows Boss won't give it to him willingly, so he's targeting his friends," Mickey said just as angry.
"This is why it brought them there. To make The Doctor watch as it killed them," Martha realized.
"All so it could force Dad to say his name," Jane said darkly as the past viewers watched in horror.
Strax stabs one of the Whisper Men but it heals quickly before reaching inside Strax's chest. The Doctor pleads with The Great Intelligence once more but it is unmoved. Suddenly, the doors begin to open.
"Huh?" Mickey asked as the past viewers stared at the screen in bewilderment.
"Did I miss The Doctor saying his name?" Jack asked.
"No," Martha said, wondering what was going on.
Strax is released as River appears. "The TARDIS can still hear me. Lucky thing. Since him indoors is being so useless," River notes.
"River saves the day again then," Donna noted.
"She might have thought that, but no. She gave The Great Intelligence what it wanted…and worse," Jane said grimly, causing everyone's blood to run cold.
Strax is made at The Doctor for saying his name but The Doctor says he didn't do it and River says she did. The Doctor makes sure everyone is okay, helping Clara stand before asking The Great Intelligence what's in there. It says peace for it while pain everlasting for The Doctor. Reluctantly, The Doctor opens the door and leads everyone inside. Where once the console had stood, now was a stream of energy.
"What is that?" Donna asked confused and Jack shrugged.
"I have no idea, but I think we're about to find out," Jack said as they all watched the screen with interest.
The Doctor explains his tomb was never for his body, but the energy, which is the 'tracks of my tears'. "Time travel is damage. It's like a tear in the fabric of reality. That is the scar tissue of my journey through the universe. My path through time and space. From Gallifrey to Trenzalore." The Doctor pulls out his screwdriver and scans the energy, causing voices from The Doctor's various incarnations to be heard. The Doctor explains it's his own personal time tunnel, all the days of his life, even the ones he has yet to live. The Doctor then falls on his side.
"Spaceman!" Donna exclaimed worriedly as the past viewers started.
"What's happening?" Martha demanded.
"A Paradox. This is why a time travel never visits their own tomb. The Paradox affects them and can kill them if you're not lucky," Jack explained as the past viewers watched in horror. "He needs to get out of there."
"I doubt The Great Intelligence is going to allow that," Mickey noted darkly.
The Doctor says he should not be here due to the paradox as Clara rushes to his side but The Great Intelligence approaches the energy. The Doctor pleads for someone to stop him as The Great Intelligence reveals his plan to enter the Time Stream.
"He's mad," Jack said in disbelief.
"What else is new?" Jane said with a sigh.
"Can it really do that?" Martha asked uneasily.
"It's certainly possible. It would kill a human, but I'm not sure what effect it would have on something like The Great Intelligence," Jack explained.
"Really don't want to find out," Donna muttered as they watched tense.
The Doctor argues it would destroy him but The Great Intelligence says while it would kill him, it would destroy The Doctor. "I can rewrite your every living moment. I can turn every one of your victories into defeats. Poison every friendship. Deliver pain to your every breath." The Doctor tries to reason with him once more but The Great Intelligence is willing to risk obliteration to get his revenge against The Doctor. It then enters The Doctor's time stream. The Whisper Men all vanish as the building trembles. The Doctor begins thrashing, crying out in pain. Clara asks what's happening and Vastra explains The Doctor is being rewritten.
"My Lord," Wilf said as the past viewers stared at the screen in horror.
"This is mad," Mickey whispered.
"For more reasons than you think," Jack said, a horrifying thought occurring to him. "Donna, you once visited an alternate reality where The Doctor died when you first met him, right?"
"Yeah. It was horrible," Donna said, shuttering at the thought.
"And that was only a few years without The Doctor. We're talking about over a thousand. He's saved most of our lives when we first met him. How many lives will be lost without him there to save them?" Jack asked and the other past viewers paled as they saw Jack's point.
"Oi," Donna breathed.
"This has to stop, we have to stop it," Martha whispered.
"I hope you will, once I send you home," Jane said as they all watched the screen intensely.
The Great Intelligence is seen at every one of The Doctor's incarnations as Vastra explains he is attacking The Doctor's entire timeline. Vastra mentions the Dalek Asylum and Clara remembers her encounter with The Doctor there. Vastra then mentions London and Clara remembers her Victorian life before Vastra realizes a universe without The Doctor will have consequences. Clara asks The Doctor about his past encounters with her but he is in too much pain to answer. Clara looks over at The Doctor's time stream.
"Not the time to be asking about you Clara," Mickey grumbled as they all watched tense.
Outside, Vastra is scanning local star systems, which are disappearing due to the Great Intelligence preventing The Doctor from saving them. Remembering The Doctor originally saved Jenny when they first met; Vastra turns around to see Jenny is gone.
"Jenny," Donna said horrified.
"It's starting. The people The Doctor saved are being erased from the timeline," Jack said as they all stared at the screen in horror. "Soon, none of us will exist."
As Vastra tries to figure a way to stop this, Strax begins attacking her, calling her an 'Affront to Sontaran purity'. Vastra tries to remind him they are friends but he will not be reasoned with. Vastra uses her device and Strax is vaporized.
"It's not just lives he's saved that are affected, but people he changed," Donna realized.
"Anything The Doctor had an impact on, no matter how small, is being undone," Jack realized, remembering what he was like when he first met The Doctor. "Any changes The Doctor made are being erased."
Inside, Clara realizes she needs to head into the time stream. The Doctor tries to convince her not to but Clara knows he's already seen her do, due to his past encounters with her.
"That's how it happened, that's how she keeps showing up," Donna realized.
"But I thought you said it would kill a normal human," Martha said as she turned to Jack.
"It should," Jack said in disbelief.
"But Clara's not just a human. She's a human possessed by a Space Siren," Jane reminded them and the pieces all fell into place.
"This is it, isn't it? While doing this will kill Clara, it will make the Siren stronger," Mickey said in disbelief and Jane nodded.
"All the pure Time Energy will be to the Siren what the Sun is to Superman. It allowed The Siren to gain complete control over Clara's body, wearing it like a second skin. Clara would die and the Siren would live on, now fully able to control my father," Jane explained as the past viewers stared at the screen in horror.
"My Lord," Wilf breathed.
River warns her not to and Clara asks what will happen if she does. River explains there will be a million versions of Clara, living and dying through time and space, echoes. Clara asks if the echoes could save The Doctor. River warns her that the real Clara will die and the echoes will be copies. But Clara points out they'll be real enough to save The Doctor. "It's like my Mum said: the soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is the recipe."
"Don't do this. Please, don't," Martha pleaded softly, although she knew it was useless.
No one else said a word, merely staring at the screen as a tension so thick you could cut it with a knife filled the room.
Clara knows it's the only way to save The Doctor, which River reluctantly nods to confirm. Vastra reenters the room, tearfully saying Jenny and Strax are dead and asking if there isn't something they can do. Clara gets up, noting she's soufflé girl after all. Ignoring The Doctor's pleas, Clara says to get out of here as fast as they can if this works and to spare her a thought. "Run. Run you clever boy. And remember me," Clara says before running into the time stream.
No one said a word, merely staring at the screen sadly. It seemed an injustice, that Clara's selfless act had ultimately killed her and doomed the universe.
"She's really not a bad person. Like Dad, she was just another tool of the Siren," Jane said gently.
"Just someone else we need to save," Donna whispered and Jane nodded.
The scenes of Clara's various encounters with The Doctor's incarnations, with the addition of Clara directing the First Doctor to steal a different TARDIS, claiming the navigation system is 'knackered' but he'll have more fun.
"I thought the TARDIS took him to where he needed to go?" Wilf asked in confusion.2
"It does. But not this one. She convinced him to steal another TARDIS, one that didn't have the same soul as this one, one that she could charmed and manipulate in a way she couldn't this one. That is the TARDIS he's buried in," Jane explained sadly.
"Wait, then how are we sitting in this one? I'm guessing it's the one we know," Mickey said confused and Jane nodded.
"I can't explain. After everything was over, after Dad was…it just showed up somehow. I guess even manipulation to the time stream weren't able to stop it from helping," Jane said with a soft smile.
"You really are the greatest ship in the universe," Jack said as he looked around the TARDIS in awe and it let out a 'vroowp' in response.
In the future TARDIS, Strax and Jenny are now back, Strax apologizing to Vastra for his attack but Vastra assures him they're all back, which is all that matters. But The Doctor points out they're not all restored. River warns The Doctor he can't enter his own time stream as he says he has to get Clara back. River pleads not like this as Jenny asks how and Vastra is skeptical that Clara is still alive, as it killed The Great Intelligence. But The Doctor points out Clara has one advantage over The Great Intelligence: him. River desperately tries to get The Doctor to hear her as The Doctor directs the others to take the TARDIS and use the fast return protocol to return home. Angrily, River tries to slap The Doctor but he grabs her arm, stopping her.
"Oi!" Donna exclaimed as the past viewers stared at the screen in surprise.
"I thought he couldn't hear her," Martha said in confusion.
"Apparently he can," Jack noted.
Shocked, River wonders how he can do that if she's not here. "You're always here to me. And I always listen. And I can always see you," The Doctor tells her. River asks why he didn't speak to her and The Doctor says he thought it would hurt too much. "I believe I could have coped," River says. "No. I thought it would hurt me. And I was right," The Doctor explains.
"Spaceman," Donna said softly as they all stared at the screen.
"He's right, it would be unbearable," Wilf said with a sigh, only being able to imagine how much it would hurt to have his wife before him but not be able to be with her.
Jack smiled tightly, remembering Estelle.
"You have no idea Wilf," Jack said darkly.
The Doctor and River share one final kiss before The Doctor wonders how that looked since no else can see River. Jenny, Strax and Vastra exchanged bewildered looks. The Doctor then explains that River is an echo and should have faded by now. "It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye," River points out. "Then tell me, because I don't know…how do I say it?" The Doctor asks. "There's only one way I'd ever accept. If you ever loved me…say it like you're going to come back," River tells him and The Doctor looks away for a moment. "Well then," The Doctor says as he backs up. "See you around, Professor River Song." "'Til next time, Doctor," River says with a smile. "Don't wait up," The Doctor said as he smiles back. River then points out she was mentally linked with Clara, asking how she can still be here if Clara's dead. The Doctor asks how. "Spoilers. Goodbye, Sweetie," River says before she fades.
No one said word, Donna and Martha both putting a hand to their face as they began to cry. Mickey silently pulled Martha into his arms, watching sadly as Jack lowered his head.
"River," Wilf said softly.
"Poor Doctor," Martha said, wiping her eyes. "Just when you think he can't lose anything else."
"He can still lose quite a bit," Jane said, a dark crossing her face. "Just keep watching."
"Brilliant," Mickey said, his voice gruffer than he intended.
The Doctor stares at the spot where River vanished for a moment before turning around and entering his time stream. There is a bright flash of light before Clara is seen once more in the fiery void, noting she had saved The Doctor and now her story is done. Clara then lands on her back in a misty, cave like place. Clara gets up, calling out for The Doctor. She begins crying that she doesn't know where she is before The Doctor's voice begins speaking to her, saying everything around her is him. The Doctor's different incarnations begin running passed her, which The Doctor explains are the ghosts of his past. Lightning flashes and The Doctor explains due to him being in his own time stream, it's beginning to collapse. She tells him to get out.
"Yes, get out. Just turn around and get out," Donna pleaded, although she knew he wouldn't do that.
Clara begins crying and The Doctor tells her he's sending her something from Clara's past. She looks up to see the leaf that hit her father fall down. Clara takes it as The Doctor explains it will take her home if she holds it tight. Clara then stares at something in the distance as The Doctor appears behind him, urging her to trust him and let him save her. Clara walks over to him and they embrace. As The Doctor looks over her shoulder, he freezes as he sees a man with his back to Clara standing in the shadows.
"You guys are seeing that, right?" Mickey asked, the dark mood that had filled the room lifting slightly as they stared at the screen in confusion.
"Yeah, not sure what I'm seeing. Who is that?" Donna wondered as a sad look crossed Jane's face.
"You wanted to know what the secret Dad took to his grave was? This is it," Jane said.
"I don't understand," Jack said as they all looked at her in confusion.
"You will," Jane said with a sad smile
Clara lets go of The Doctor and asks who the man is. The Doctor tries to urge Clara to leave but she wants to know who the man is. The Doctor admits it's him but Clara argues she'd seen all eleven Doctors. "I said he was me. I never said he was The Doctor," The Doctor said, unable to look at the man. The Doctor explains the name he chose was The Doctor and, to Time Lords, the name you choose is like a promise you make and the man is the one who broke the promise.
"I still don't get it," Mickey said in confusion.
"You will," Jane said with a heavy sigh.
"How can it be him but not The Doctor? He is The Doctor," Donna said in confusion.
"Unless that version of him did something terrible. Did something so horrible The Doctor tried to repress his memory of it," Jack said as a cold feeling filled him.
"You get it then," Jane noted and Jack nodded.
"It's exactly how I felt after the 456. God," Jack breathed.
"Get what? What are you talking about Jack?" Martha demanded as the other past viewers looked at Jack in bewilderment.
"It's not The Doctor because that version of him did what no other version of him could. What he's swore he'd never do. He's not a Doctor, he's a warrior. And he did what all warriors do: he fought in a war. The biggest war the universe has ever seen," Jack explained as they all got it then.
"You mean that's…" Mickey trailed off and Jack nodded.
"The version of The Doctor that fought in the Time War. That did something so horrible The Doctor can never stand to talk about it," Jack said darkly.
"Dad referred to him as the warrior in his journals, or just War," Jane said with a sigh.
"Good God," Wilf said, speechless, as were the rest of them.
Clara then seems to pass out and The Doctor catches her, alarmed. The Doctor pulls the unconscious Clara into his arms, explaining the man is his secret. "What I did, I did without choice," the man says. "I know," The Doctor says. "In the name of peace and sanity," the man says. "But not in the name of The Doctor," The Doctor says icily. The Doctor then turns around and begins walking off as the man turns around, stepping into view before the screen goes black.
The room was silent for a moment as the past viewers all processed this.
"So that was…" Mickey trailed off and Jane nodded.
"Yeah," Jane said simply.
"The Siren, it's in complete now," Martha noted and a dark look crossed Jane's face.
"Yeah. Clara never woke up after that. It may have looked like her, but it was evil, down to its core," Jane said darkly.
"Oi," Donna said, all of them disturbed.
"And there's still one left to go," Martha noted.
"Yeah. You've seen what causes Dad to do what he does. Now it's time you see what he does," Jane explained.
The past viewers were silent, staring at the screen as the final recording started.
An overall solid conclusion to an uneven season, in spite of a few things that do annoy me and a rather convoluted explanation to how the many Clara's that show up.
1: One thing that really did annoy me in this episode was Moffat making River dumb to try and set up the Doctor/Clara romance. River, who made a career out of studying The Doctor, somehow doesn't know what he calls the people who travel him. Sure. Real subtle there Moffat.
2: And here's a perfect example of how much Moffat doesn't care about his own canon when it comes to propping up his precious Mary-Sue. Completely ignoring the fact that it was established just a season ago that the TARDIS takes The Doctor where he needs to go, now Clara directs him to the 'right' TARDIS with a faulty navigation. Of course compared to Clara convincing The Doctor to go the Academy, this was tame.