TW: Glad to hear it. No, didn't know that.
Screw Loose: Honestly haven't seen much of the 12th Doctor era and really don't want to.
The past viewers tense, watching as the TV started up again.
"This is the story of our planet, earth," a voice said as a shot of the earth was seen. "Of the day a thousand years passed when we came to share it with a race known as humanity. It is the story of The Doctor who helped our races find common ground and the terrible losses he suffered. It is the story of our past and must never be forgotten."
"I don't like the sound of that. What losses?" Martha asked as a pit of dread entered the hearts of the past viewers.
"Just watch," Jane said, eying the recording with a sad look that made their blood run cold.
In the underground city, The Doctor and Nasreen walk around, looking around the city in awe. The Doctor notes it's deserted and realizes the majority of the Silurians are still asleep. The Doctor wants to find Amy and the others quickly while Nasreen wonders how this city can be here, looking in awe at the plants growing in the city. The Doctor notes they must be getting closer to the center of the city. Nasreen is uncertain if walking through the front door is the best way to enter and The Doctor assures her it is always the best way to approach. Suddenly, an alarm blares. "Hostile life form detected, area 17," a voice announces.
"You were saying Spaceman?" Donna said dryly as Jack pinched the bridge of his nose.
"So much for getting in undetected," Martha said with a sigh.
The Doctor turns to head the back way when a door opens and he looks over to see several warrior Silurians walk out the door. The Doctor raises his hands, saying they're there in peace. The Silurians gases the pair and The Doctor and Nasreen fall to the ground, uncurious.
"Well that could have gone better," Mickey muttered.
"Could have gone worse to. They'll probably be taken to whoever's in charge, which might allow The Doctor to negotiate. It all depends on if cool heads prevail," Jack mused.
"If Alaya is any indication, I wouldn't count on it," Martha said uneasily.
Amy struggles against her restrains as the Silurian surgeon approaches her, telling him not to touch her with the scalpel. The surgeon lowers his mask and turns a dial, noting Amy might be more resistant to the cold than Mo due to her state of dress. "I dressed for Rio!" Amy snaps angrily. Suddenly, two iron clamps snap down on Amy's wrists and the surgeon notes decontamination is complete, unaware Amy has taken the remote control from him.
"Oh she is good, very good," Jack said with a grin.
"If she can hold onto that, she might be able to get out," Wilf said optimistically.
"If. Very big if Gramps," Donna said lowly.
The surgeon prepares to start dissecting Amy when a voice comes over the intercom. "Area 17 incursion. Species Diagnostic requested." The surgeon quickly rushes out of the room. Once he's gone, Amy presses a button, releasing the clamps on her.
"Guess it was a good thing The Doctor and Nasreen got caught after all," Wilf said optimistically.
"At the very least, it saved Amy from being dissected," Martha said, shuttering at the thought. "How very Dalek of them."
Amy then heads over to Mo, releasing him as well. He asks in disbelief how she got the remote. "What, you've never picked a lizard man's pocket?" Amy joked. They then head out before the surgeon can return. Mo bombards Amy with questions about what's going on, none of which she has the answers to but she tells him she knows someone who might. As they walk, Amy notices a monitor of some kind. Pressing it curiously, it reveals vital signs. Glass on a nearby door lights up and Mo is horrified to see Elliot on the other side of the door, strapped to a table like they were with wires of some kind attached to him.
"Elliot," Donna breathed as they all stared horrified.
"He looks so…" Mickey trailed off, unable to help but imagine Matthew in such a scenario.
"He's not dead," Jack said certainly.
"How do you know?" Wilf asked.
"The technology around him is similar to some advanced cultures I've seen. I think they put Elliot in some kind of stasis," Jack mused.
"So those wires are probably monitoring vitals," Martha noted.
"Would make sense. So how do they get him out?" Donna wondered but no one had an answer.
Mo frantically presses the monitor to try and free Elliot but it won't accept any of his commands, as he's human. Amy tries to make him calm down, pointing out the monitor which is monitoring Elliot's vitals and the wires, pointing out he's still alive. Calming down for a moment, Mo demands they get weapons and force the surgeon to release Elliot. Amy agrees and they head off to search as the light around Elliot turns off.
"So their solution is to go to war for Elliot and fight their way out. That's a terrible plan," Jack said bluntly.
"The only one they feel they have available to them at the moment. Not that it goes the way they want," Jane said with a sigh and the feeling of dread returned to the room.
"Really wish you'd stop saying things like that," Mickey muttered.
Above in the village, Ambrose is sitting by her aunt's grave, holding Elliot's headphones. Rory approaches her and she points out he lied to her. Rory says it was a misunderstanding and she demands to know who he and The Doctor are and why this happening. Rory says with certainty The Doctor will get Elliot back and they take turns guarding Alaya until they can exchange prisoners. Ambrose is unsatisfied with this plan and Rory kneels down next to her, promising her he trusts The Doctor with his life and so they stick to his plan.
"Well they've come a long way in a short amount of time," Martha said a little surprised.
"Rory's just telling her what she needs to hear, and maybe what he needs to believe as well," Jane mused. "Trusting Dad is the only way Rory will get Amy back."
"That makes more sense," Donna mused.
"It would take more time for Rory and Dad to trust each other absolutely," Jane noted.
Below in the city, The Doctor screams as he's scanned.
"Spaceman," Donna said as the past viewers stared at the screen in horror.
"What are they doing to him?" Wilf asked horrified.
"It looks like they're scanning him like they did with Amy, although I'm not sure why it's causing him so much pain," Jack said, alarmed by the sight of his friend in so much pain.
Mickey and Martha looked ready to hijack the TARDIS and head to Wales when Jane spoke up.
"It's not really something they intended. It's explained in a moment," Jane promised, although she didn't look the scene was any easier for her to bear than for them.
Ignoring The Doctor's screams, a Silurian warrior asks the surgeon how Amy and Mo escaped, as military personal should have been standing guard and the surgeon accuses her of wanting to be in charge of everything, addressing her as Restac. He asks about Alaya and she informs him they haven't received word. The surgeon tells her it's okay to show concern, as they're from the same gene chain.
"So Alaya is what, her sister or something?" Mickey asked.
"Or the Silurian equivalent of a sister," Jack said, not sounding pleased by the information. "If the surgeon is right, Restac wants to be in command here. If she loses it now that she's personally involved…"
"This could end badly for everyone," Martha said horrified.
"Like you said Mickey, The Doctor might have bitten off more than he can chew," Jack said grimly as they all eyed the screen wearily.
The surgeon starts the decontamination process and The Doctor cries out in pain again, pleading for the surgeon to stop as his body vibrates at an uncontrollable speed.
"What is happening to him?" Wilf asked in horror.
"I'm not sure," Jack admitted as they all looked at the screen worriedly.
In the church, Alaya is staring out the basement window, sitting in a meditative pose when Tony walks down into the basement. She looks over her shoulder, surprised to see him alive, as her venom should have killed him. At her request, Tony shows the venom spreading through his veins. Alaya gleefully asks how it feels and he admits it burns through his blood. He offers to help her escape if she helps him.
"Are you bloody kidding me!?" Donna exclaimed angrily, looking at the screen in disgust.
"Oh Tony," Wilf said, looking disappointed.
"He's desperate to save himself, he doesn't want to die. Doesn't make him a bad man, makes him human," Jack said, remembering when Gwen had been blackmailed into handing him over to who they had believed would be his executioners.
"But not the best of humanity, which The Doctor told them they needed to be," Martha noted.
"I said I understood, not that I agreed," Jack pointed out.
"He offered to betray them so easily," Mickey said, looking angry. "No matter what, I would never betray you guys, even to save my own life."
"That makes you a better man than him," Jack said as he and Mickey exchanged a nod.
"You see? You beg and offer betrayal so early. Why would I want to escape when I can watch you die? The first ape death of the coming war," Alaya says sadistically before turning away from him.
"And the sad thing is she's not wrong in this case," Martha said with a sad sigh.
"Every species has their bad eggs, trust me," Jack said grimy.
"And it's not like Alaya is unbiased either," Jane pointed out and Martha nodded.
The Doctor is still screaming as the surgeon says he'll be fine, he's merely neutralizing the 'ape bacteria'. But The Doctor says he's not an ape and begs him to look at the scans, as he has two hearts. The surgeon looks at the readings in disbelief as The Doctor explains if they remove the bacteria they remove half of what keeps him alive. The surgeon immediately stops the decontamination, ignoring Restac's protests.
"Oh thank God he listened," Donna sighed in relief.
"He seems rather reasonable as opposed to Alaya and Restac," Wilf pointed out.
"Which might help stop this from turning into a war," Jack noted although he didn't sound very hopeful.
The Doctor asks if they have any celery before realizing the climate wouldn't allow it. The Doctor introduces himself before looking over, seeing Nasreen strapped to another table, still unconscious. As the surgeon walks to Nasreen, examining her, she wakes up, drowsily calling him a 'green man'. The Doctor asks Restac her name and she introduces herself, revealing she is military personal. "There's always a military, isn't there?" The Doctor muttered.
"That sounds more like The Doctor I remember," Martha muttered.
"I think Dad was more worried about the fact that the Silurians had a military to fight with than disliking there was a military at all," Jane noted. "Like I said, he seemed to lose most of his distrust for military figures after Regeneration."
The surgeon explains the drill was attacking the oxygen pockets above the city, which The Doctor realizes is why they thought they were under attack. Restac demands where the rest of the invasion force is and The Doctor explains they're not invading, they came for the hostages they took. "And to offer the safe return of Alaya," The Doctor adds. Seeing Restac stiffen and the resemblance to Alaya, The Doctor realizes the two are related, assuring her Alaya is safe. Restac accuses him of taking Alaya hostage, contradicting his message of peace. She walks away as The Doctor tries to assure her they want the same thing.
"I don't think they do. Restac seems bent on fighting a war," Jack noted.
"Silurian bigots. Who knew?" Martha said dryly.
"Is it really that hard to believe?" Mickey asked. "They seem to think we're prey."
"Survival of the fittest and all that. They come from that time," Jack said uneasily. "Which means negotiating a peaceful solution won't be as easy as The Doctor thinks."
Restac tells the surgeon she's going to send a clear message to the surface: their execution she tells The Doctor when he asks, to his and Nasreen's alarm.
"Oh for the love of!" Donna groaned.
"Bent on a war, just like you said," Martha said darkly as she looked over at Jack.
"It just takes one person to fire the first shot to start a war. This might be the first shot," Jack said darkly,
"Come on Boss, you can find a way out of this," Mickey muttered, not sure if he was trying to convince himself or not.
Amy and Mo move through the city, coming across more chambers like the one they found Elliot in. Amy touches an access panel and a light turns on in one of the chambers, revealing two Silurians inside. Mo steps back in fright and Amy quickly turns off the light. Mo notes they're not moving and Amy realizes they might be asleep. She turns the light back on, opening the glass doors despite Mo's protests. Amy walks in, hearing the Silurians snoring and realizes they're in suspended animation.
"Just like Elliot," Donna realized.
"So you were right then," Wilf told Jack, who nodded.
"Looks like it."
Amy looks down, seeing the Silurians are standing on a kind of panel, curiously wondering what they are and wistfully noting The Doctor would know. Looking up, Mo spots an opening in the roof of the chambers and Amy realizes that's how they came up to the surface. "Some sort of power transport disks. It's our way out of here," Amy says happily.
"Okay, they have a way out. Now they just need to figure out how to get passed the army of Silurians," Mickey said dryly.
"Maybe not an army. Most of them are still asleep. The bigger concern is stopping Restac from waking the others and starting World War Three," Martha pointed out.
"Restac is the problem. They need to take her out of the equation somehow," Donna muttered.
Spotting a blaster in the Silurians thigh holster, Mo notes happily they have weapons and can now fight back. He and Amy each take one before Amy turns off the light and reseals the chamber. Mo asks where they go now and Amy says the door at the end of the corridor. Mo asks if she's sure and she says no. Walking out the door, Amy and Mo walk into a hanger. The lights turn on and the two are horrified to see hundreds of Silurian warriors.
"Blimey," Mickey breathed as the past viewers all stared at the screen in horror.
"If there is a war…" Martha trailed off but she didn't need to finish for the others to know what she was getting at.
"The Doctor needs to find a way to stop it from getting to that point," Donna said, although she wasn't sure how he could do that.
Mo notes in horror they don't stand a chance and Amy says they need to find The Doctor before they head out of the hanger. At the Church, Tony opens a cabinet, rummaging around until he finds a first aid kit. Finding some pain meds, he takes them out, nearly running into Ambrose. Sensing something is wrong; she asks if he's alright. He denies anything is wrong, taking his pain meds, insisting he's fine. But she knows he's not as he nearly falls over. Ambrose sits him down on a nearby stool, opening his shirt despite his reluctance, revealing the green veins.
"Well at least Ambrose knows now," Donna said trying to be optimistic. "Maybe they figure something out."
"Maybe," Jack said and they noticed the unease with which he spoke.
"You don't think so?" Martha asked.
"I'm more worried about what Ambrose might do. Her husband and son have both been kidnapped. Ambrose is clearly emotional, prone to making irrational decisions. And now her father has been poisoned," Jack narrowed his eyes. "And would any of us do to protect our families?"
Jack's words settled over the room before, one by one, the past viewers turned back to the screen, a pit of dream sitting on their chests.
Ambrose assures him that he'll be fine, telling him they need to bring his temperature down and make sure he's resting. Ambrose then walks off.
"She's about to do something stupid and reckless, isn't she?" Martha realized and Jane grimaced.
"What do you think?" Jane asked darkly, which was all the answer any of them needed.
"I hate being right," Jack sighed.
The Doctor and Nasreen are led through the city, The Doctor noting that the rest of the species must be the only ones awake. Nasreen wonders why they went into hibernation and The Doctor explains their astronomers predicted the earth was going to crash into another planet in the sky. They retreated underground to prevent the apocalypse, not realizing it was actually the moon. The Silurians are surprised by his knowledge of their kind and The Doctor explains he met another tribe a long time ago. Restac is surprised that others of their species have survived and The Doctor reluctantly reveals that humans attacked them and wiped them out.
"You dumbo," Donna groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"Sometimes, he really does talk too much," Martha sighed.
"And in this case, it might just get him killed," Jack said darkly, all of them worried about The Doctor.
"A vermin race," Restac sneers angrily before they continue leading The Doctor and Nasreen to their execution. At the church, Ambrose walks into the basement, demanding to know the cure for Alaya's venom. Alaya isn't interested in telling her and so Ambrose reveals a Taser, threatening to use it on Alaya if she doesn't tell her.
"I hate being right," Jack repeated as they all tensed.
"This is where things go wrong," Jane said lowly.
"When were they going right?" Martha muttered.
Ambrose pleads with Alaya to put things right, as she doesn't want to hurt her. But Alaya eggs her on, encouraging her to use the Taser.
"She is mad," Wilf said horrified.
"No, she just wants a war. And she's willing to throw her life away to start one," Jack said grimly. "I know the type."
Alaya taunts her, calling her too weak to protect her own child. As Alaya walks over to her, Ambrose puts it to Alaya's stomach and uses it. Ambrose is shock by this as Alaya doubles over, begging Alaya to tell her the cure for her venom. Alaya taunts her about how Tony deserves death. "I knew it would be you. The one with the most to lose, the weakest," Alaya taunts her. Ambrose uses the Taser again and Alaya cries out in pain, curling into a ball.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered as they all stared at the screen, the scene being difficult to watch.
"Alaya knew exactly which buttons to press," Martha muttered.
"It made an ordinary woman a torturer," Wilf said sadly.
"Even the most righteous person alive can be driven to extremes under the right circumstances," Jack noted. "These unfortunately were."
Upstairs, Rory is trying to treat Tony's infection, scolding him about not telling him when they hear Alaya's wails of pain. The two rush down into the basement, seeing Ambrose holding the Taser and Alaya on her back, letting out labored breaths. Rory rushes to Alaya as Ambrose continues training the Taser on Alaya until Tony yanks it out of her hands. "We have to be better than this!" he shouts.
"Like you're one to talk! You were willing to let her escape!" Donna snapped angrily.
"I think he realized how wrong he was to even consider it, now he's trying to stop Ambrose from repeating the same mistake," Jane noted. "Not that it makes it better."
Ambrose tearfully says she thought Alaya would give in and she just wanted her family back. Rory pleads with Alaya to tell them how to help her. "I knew this would come. And soon the war," she says gleefully. Rory says he won't let her die but can do nothing as Alaya takes her last breath. Rory looks over at Ambrose, who stares at Alaya in horror.
"The first shot," Jack said softly as they all stared at the screen in horror.
"There's nothing The Doctor can do to stop a war now," Martha said horrified.
"It was all for nothing." Donna said with a sigh.
"Not for nothing," Jane said firmly and they looked at her incredulously. "Just watch."
The Silurians lead The Doctor and Nasreen into the execution chamber, the surgeon arguing Restac has no authority to do this but she is determined. The Doctor compliments the room and Restac explains it's their court and place of execution. Amy suddenly emerges from the corner, holding a blaster and demanding they release The Doctor and Nasreen.
"So this was their plan? To barge in with two weapons and fight off an army of Silurian warriors?" Jack asked incredulously.
"I've heard some bad plans, this might be the worst one yet," Mickey said in a matching tone to Jack.
"To be fair, it's not like they had any better options," Jane pointed out.
The Doctor is pleased to see Amy as Mo emerges from the back, holding his own blaster. Amy tells Restac she'll shoot unless they release The Doctor and Nasreen. Restac, intimidated, steps over to Amy. Amy fearfully shouts a warning but Restac easily disarms her and tosses Amy on her back.
"That could not have gone worse," Jack said bluntly.
"Honestly, this whole thing could not have gone worse," Martha said and no one disagreed.
The Doctor shouts at her not to touch Amy as Mo finds himself surrounded, reluctantly surrounding his weapon. The surgeon tells Restac she's made her point. "This is now a military tribunal," Restac said as she walks up to him. "Go back to your laboratory, Malohkeh." He pleads with her that this is not the way but, reluctantly, he leaves.
"Well, there goes the last reasonable Silurian," Donna muttered.
"Wait for it," Jane said as a mysterious smile crossed her face and the others looked at her in bewilderment.
The Doctor, Amy, Nasreen and Mo are all chained up to pillars as Amy apologizes for the terrible rescue. The Doctor is just glad she's okay. Amy shares the sentiment but marvels at the 'lizard men'. The Doctor explains what the Silurians are and what they want, Nasreen adding they plan to wipe out the human race. "Preferred it when I didn't know to be honest," Amy says uneasily. As the Silurian warriors aim their blasters at them, Nasreen wonders why they're waiting and what they plan to do with them.
"That is a very good question," Martha mused.
"Whatever it is, with Restac calling the shots, it can only end badly," Donna said darkly and no one could disagree.
At the church, Rory stares down at Alaya's body as Ambrose tearfully says she didn't know it would go like that. "Oh my little girl, what have you done?" Tony asks as he hugs her. She asks what happens now when they hear static and the lights flicker before, on a computer monitor, Restac's face appears.
"Okay, wasn't expecting that," Jack admitted as the past viewers looked at the screen bewildered.
"So she's making contact. This cannot end well," Martha muttered, sure she wouldn't like whatever Restac was after.
Restac demands to know who their leader is. Ambrose frantically asks how they know they're there as she grabs a blanket, quickly covering Alaya's body. Restac asks who speaks for the 'apes' and the others exchange uncertain looks. Tony elects Rory, telling him not to say anything about Alaya. Rory uncertainly walks forward, saying he speaks for the human. Restac asks if he understand what they are. "Sort of. A bit. Not really," Rory says lamely.
"Not exactly instilling a lot of confidence Rory," Mickey said dryly.
"He's still probably the best person to do this. Ambrose is emotional and irrational while Tony can probably barely think straight with that venom in his veins," Jack noted.
"Rory's also been trained to keep his head under high stress situation, so that should help," Martha mused before sighing. "Not that it'll matter once they find out about Alaya."
Restac says they have human hostages, the monitor zooming away from her face to reveal The Doctor, Amy, Mo and Nasreen. Rory and Ambrose express their relief at seeing their loved ones. Mo assures Ambrose he knows where Elliot is and he'll bring him home as Rory says he thought he'd lost Amy. "What, because I was sucked into the ground? You're so clingy," Amy jokes as she smiles at Rory. Nasreen and Tony greet each before The Doctor interrupts, warning them to stay calm. Restac then demands to see Alaya.
"And this is where things start to go badly I take it?" Wilf asked and Jane grimaced.
"They could go better, yeah," Jane admitted.
Rory, Ambrose and Tony pause, uncertain what to do as Restac demands they release Alaya or they will kill the hostages. Tony pulls Ambrose back as she begins to panic. The Doctor urges Ambrose to let Rory deal with this but Ambrose ignores him. "We are not doing what you say anymore. Now give me back my family!" Ambrose shouts.
"Would someone shut her the bloody Hell up before she gets someone killed?!" Donna snapped worriedly.
"I think it's too late for that," Jack said grimly, knowing the likely consequence someone like Restac would bring upon.
Everyone pauses, waiting for Restac's response. "No," she finally says. "Execute the girl." Rory immediately protests as the monitor turns to show Amy. Amy calls out for Rory as Tony yanks Ambrose back. Rory quickly says Ambrose does not speak for them, The Doctor pleading for them to listen. Rory promises to do whatever they want even as the warriors aim their blasters at the terrified Amy. Amy calls out for Rory again as The Doctor pleads for them not to do this. "No!" Rory cries out as the monitor goes to static.
Donna put a hand to face, horrified as Wilf, Mickey, Martha, and Jack, much more restrained and trained in this kind of thing than Donna, stared at the screen grimly, no illusions about what would happen to Amy now.
"Don't count Amy out just yet," Jane said, smiling slightly as they all looked at her bewildered. "Just watch."
The warriors are preparing to fire when a voice suddenly shouts for them to stop. Everyone turns to see a Silurian male in distinguished robes enter the room, Malohkeh behind him. "You want to start a war while the rest of us sleep Restac?" he asks.
"I'm guessing the leader of the Silurians?" Mickey asked and Jane nodded.
"He was the voice from the beginning of this recording," Donna remembered.
"Well now, let's see how this goes with him in charge," Jack said, hoping there could be a peaceful solution to all this.
Restac tries to defend herself but the Silurian points out she is their protector, not their commander and orders her to unchain the prisoners. "I do not recognize your authority at this time Eldane," she sneers. Eldane says she must shoot him then.
"And to do so in a room of witnesses would not reflect well on her. He has her now," Jack said with a smirk.
"Still, I doubt Restac will just stand aside and let Eldane let them all go," Martha pointed out and Jack nodded.
"Probably not."
Restac angrily accuses Malohkeh of trying to undermine her by waking Eldane. "We're not monsters and neither are they," Malohkeh says calmly. Restac demands why he loves the humans so much and Malohkeh explains humanity has evolved while she's slept and he had born witness to it. "We used to hunt apes for sport. When we came underground, they bred and polluted this planet," Restac sneered. Eldane dismisses her, telling her he will let her know if he needs her. She promises he will need her before storming off.
"And she's going to do something completely reckless," Donna said knowingly, The Doctor's instinct to understand this kind of thing something she seemed to still possess.
"Probably. But with Alaya dead, it probably won't matter," Martha said with a wince.
In the church, Rory is frantically trying to get the connection back, about to try and head down there when he hears The Doctor's voice. The Doctor's face comes upon the monitor and Rory worriedly asks about Amy. The Doctor shows them the rest of the hostages, unharmed and Rory sighs in relief. The Doctor then instructs Rory to head to the storeroom, explaining the Silurians will send up transport disks to bring them all down and to bring Alaya for an exchange.
"And that's when things will go to Hell," Mickey said darkly.
"No matter what happens now, once they know Alaya is dead, it's all over," Donna said sadly.
"Like you said Jack, the first shot starts a war," Martha said as she looked over at him.
"It's the way of things in the universe," Jack said with a sigh.
The monitor goes static and Tony argues everything will go wrong once they see Alaya is dead. "We have to return her," Rory says and Tony and Ambrose look at him in disbelief. "They deserve at least that."
"Ambrose and Tony might not be the best of humanity, but Rory is," Jack mused as they all gained new respect for Rory.
"If there were more people like him, the world would be a better place," Wilf said and no one disagreed.
In the city, Amy and Nasreen are sitting at the table opposite Eldane as The Doctor explains they both have a genuine claim to earth. Eldane inquires whether The Doctor is authorized to negotiate on behalf of humanity. The Doctor admits he isn't but claims Amy and Nasreen are, to their disbelief.
"I'm sorry, you guys heard that right?" Martha asked as they all looked at the screen in disbelief.
"Does The Doctor really think that Amy and Nasreen can make promises to the Silurians that the politicians and world leaders will keep?" Wilf asked incredulously.
"It's an unusually idiotic move on The Doctor's part. I hope he has a plan," Jack said, wondering what The Doctor was going for her.
Amy protests they aren't qualified either but The Doctor assures them humanity 'couldn't have better ambassadors'. Amy gets to her feet and rushes to The Doctor, inquiring if the planet being shared happens in the future. Nasreen is confused as The Doctor explains he and Amy are time travelers. Nasreen takes this in stride, asking if there's anything else. "There are fixed points in time where things must stay the way they are. This is not one of them. This is an opportunity, a temporal tipping point. Whatever happens today will change future events, create its own timeline, its own reality. The future pivots around you. Here, now. So do good. For humanity, and for Earth," The Doctor tells them.
"He's definitely up to something," Donna determined easily.
"He always is. He's playing a long con, just wish I knew what his plan was," Jack said, sure The Doctor had some trick up his sleeve.
Amy walks over to the table, grumbling about no pressure as Nasreen argues no one on the surface will agree to share the planet. "Come on. Be extraordinary," The Doctor tells her. Despite herself, Nasreen is inspired and joins Amy at the table. The Doctor declares the meeting in session, laughing at being able to say that before calling Mo to go get Elliot with him. As The Doctor leaves, Amy smiles awkwardly at Eldane, who looks uncertain.
"Well, negotiations are open at least," Martha noted.
"And that'll last only as long as they don't know about Alaya," Jack pointed out. "I just hope The Doctor's plan comes through."
At the drilling site, Rory lays Alaya's body near the crack as he; Tony and Ambrose prepare to jump on the Transport Disks. Ambrose notes they sent four, moaning that Alaya was their only bargaining chip. As they get ready to get on, Ambrose stops them, saying she needs to do something before they go down and that she needs Tony's help.
"And Ambrose is going to do something drastic, isn't she?" Mickey said dryly.
"Rory may be the best of humanity, but she isn't," Jane said grimly. "And she's desperate. That makes her dangerous."
"Those with everything to lose always are," Jack said as they watched the screen uneasily, wondering what Ambrose was about to do.
Later, after Ambrose explains her plan to Tony, he refuses. She pleads with him, claiming it's a precaution and Tony argues it's not about them. She agrees, saying it's about his grandson, pleading with him to do it for Elliot. "I know I did wrong. But I can't lose him Dad," Ambrose pleads. Reluctantly, Tony nods and she begins walking off.
"And Tony can't think straight with that venom in his system, it's clouding his judgment and allowing Ambrose to manipulate him," Martha said in dismay.
"This can only end badly," Mickey said grimly.
Underground, The Doctor and Mo watch as Malohkeh takes Elliot out of suspended animation. Mo threatens Malohkeh if he harmed Elliot but Malohkeh assures him he would never harm a child, he only stores the young. The Doctor asks why and Malohkeh explains he took samples of the young, slowed their growth so he could study them. The Doctor realizes Malohkeh has been down here all alone by himself. "My family through the millennia. For the last 300 years, just me," Malohkeh confirms.
"All alone in all that time. How did he not go mad?" Martha wondered.
"I'm honestly not sure. Maybe it gave him time to think," Jane shrugged.
"At least The Doctor had his companions through the years. Malohkeh had no one," Wilf said as they all felt sad for Malohkeh.
Malohkeh assures Mo had no intention of harming Elliot. "Malohkeh, I rather love you," The Doctor says before the pair perform some kind of fist bump. Malohkeh determines its finally safe to wake Elliot.
"And I think Boss has found a new best mate," Mickey said with a grin.
"I'd be surprised if he didn't ask him to come along on the TARDIS," Donna said with a smile before frowning. "Not that he'll get the chance."
Malohkeh walks into the chamber, removing the wires from Elliot before gesturing Mo inside. Mo walks in and Malohkeh exits as Elliot begins to come around. Once Elliot is awake, he and Mo happily reunite before sharing a fierce hug.
Donna put a hand to her face, wiping a tear from her eyes, unable to help but think of her own father. As if sensing where her thoughts were headed, Wilf placed a hand on her shoulder as everyone else watched the scene happily, oblivious to Donna's feelings.
Elliot asks where they are and Mo explains the situation. Elliott looks over and sees Malohkeh, taking it rather well. The Doctor then apologizes for taking his eye off Elliot but Elliot easily forgives him and he and The Doctor shake hands. As they exit the chamber, Malohkeh tells them to go ahead and that they'll catch up. As they leave, an automated voice says storage facility 19 is operation. Malohkeh then heads in the opposite direction as the others.
"Uh-oh," Jack said as they tensed.
"That can't be good," Mickey muttered and Jane grimaced.
"Because it isn't," Jane sighed.
At the drilling site, Tony sits at the controls for the drill before pressing a button.
"And that's worse. He's done something to the drill," Donna said in growing horror.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Mickey muttered.
"Me to," Jack said uneasily.
In the underground city, Eldane and Nasreen are arguing about the complications of the Silurians coming up to the surface. "As I sat there across the table from the humans, the future of both species and of our beloved planet earth rested in our hands," Eldane's voice narrates as he and Nasreen argue, Amy putting her head down in her arms on the table. "But as the discussions went on, I began to wonder whether we would ever find common ground. As ambassadors of our species, we all had too much to lose." Amy and Nasreen seem to argue as Eldane pushes a button, displaying a holographic image of the earth. Amy asks about the areas that aren't habitable to humans, proposing using The Australian Outback, Sahara Desert and the Nevada Plains as places the Silurians can relocate. Nasreen argues the population will grow beyond that and asks what benefit humanity gets and how they can convince people on the surface of this. Eldane promises if they give the Silurians space, they can give them new sources of energy, medicine, water supply and scientific advances. "We were a great civilization. You provide a place for us on the surface; we can give you knowledge and technology beyond humanity's dreams. We work together, this planet could achieve greatness," Eldane promises.
"I'm still not sure the earth can sustain such a rapid growth in population. Our resources are already spread thin as it is," Donna said uneasily.
"We have more food than we know what to do with and people still go hungry because of things like war and poverty interfering with supply chains," Martha agreed with a sigh. "This is a lot more complicated than any of them seem to realize."
"So why is The Doctor making them do this if it's so impossible?" Wilf wondered.
"Not sure yet. But he's got an angle he's not sharing just yet," Jack mused.
Nasreen seems to come around and The Doctor applauds as he, Mo and Elliot enter the room. The Doctor is pleased by this development when they hear the sound of the transports arriving.
"And here we go," Martha muttered as tension filled the room.
Malohkeh walks into storage facility 19, seeing Restac has freed various other warriors. He asks what she's doing and she tells him protecting their race from apes. He pleads with her that she can't do this. "You're a good scientist Malohkeh, but this is war," she says coldly. She then shoots him with his blaster and he cries out as he is struck in the chest before his body drops to the ground.
"Blimey," Mickey said horrified as Donna and Martha both put a hand to their mouths. "She killed him."
"She's so deadest on war she killed a member of her own kind," Wilf said in a mix of horror and disgust.
"Everyone is always the hero of their own story. She's so convinced war is the only way that she's willing to take out anyone who gets in her way," Jack said grimly.
"And I can't imagine finding out about Alaya will help any," Martha said uneasily.
Rory and Ambrose enter the council chamber and Elliot immediately runs to his mother. Amy happily greets Rory before Tony walks in, carrying Alaya's wrapped body. The smiles leave everyone's faces as they realize what has happened. "No. Don't do this. Tell me you didn't do this," The Doctor says in horror as Tony lays the body on the floor. In dismay, The Doctor unwraps the blanket slightly, revealing Alaya.
"And there goes the peace talks," Donna sighed miserably as they all watched, waiting to see what would happen next.
The Doctor places the blanket back on Alaya before he looks up at Tony, who looks down. "What did you do?" The Doctor demands. Ambrose declares it was her and Elliot looks at her in horror. Ambrose tries to explain but he steps back in disgust. She looks pleading at Mo but he seems horrified.
"They're terrified of her now," Mickey noted.
"She did all this for them, but they didn't want this in their name," Jack said grimly. "They didn't want her to become a murderer for them."
"Once you cross that line, there's no coming back from it. Taking a life does change you," Jane said and Jack nodded in agreement. "Those you love never really see you the same way again."
"Tell me about it," Martha muttered, seeing the looks on her family's faces after they learned what she had done in the fight against Davros.
The Doctor immediately heads to the solemn Eldane, trying to assure him he didn't know and they are better than this. Ambrose shouts that this is their planet and The Doctor snaps they had a chance here. She tells him to leave them alone. "In the future, you will tell people there was a chance but you were so much less than the best of humanity!" The Doctor snaps as he storms over to her. Hearing the sounds of footsteps, everyone turns as Silurian warriors head into the chamber. Before they know it, everyone is surrounded, blasters aimed at them. Restac then storms into the room, demanding to see her sister. Seeing the blanket on the floor, Restac walks over and kneels down, uncovering Alaya's face. She lets out a sound of grief.
Despite everything she had done, there wasn't anyone in the room who didn't feel sympathy for Restac. She may be an evil, bigoted monster who wanted to kill them, but losing someone you loved was something they could all understand. Jack looked at the screen sadly while Martha and Mickey held hands and Wilf wrapped an arm around Donna, all of them lost in memories of loved ones lost.
Covering Alaya's face, Restac glares at The Doctor. "And you want us to trust these apes Doctor?" she sneered. The Doctor points out it was one woman, scared for her family and that she is not typical of most humans. Restac declares that she is typical as she glares at Ambrose. The Doctor tries to convince them not to throw away what they were building here and that an alliance could work. Ambrose says it's too late and, seeing the guilty look on Tony's face, The Doctor asks why. Ambrose checks her stop watch, revealing the drill will start burrowing again in 15 minutes.
"Bloody Hell. She's completely lost it," Mickey said as they all stared at the screen in disbelief.
"I get wanting to protect your family, but this…" Martha trailed off, unable to put her thoughts into words.
"She wanted to protect her family from the monsters, but her desperation and fear ended up turning her into one," Jane said sadly.
"Oi. She's as bad as Restac," Donna said in disgust.
"I wouldn't go that far, but she's not someone I'd ever want involved in this kind of situation," Jack noted.
Nasreen is horrified as Tony tries to defend himself but is clearly ashamed. The Doctor pleads for them to call their bluff and Ambrose pleads with them to let them go and never come to the surface again and they will leave the Silurians alone.
"After this, she honestly thinks they'll take that deal? Is she scared or stupid?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"Just desperate," Jack noted, seeing the desperation on Ambrose's face.
Enraged, Restac orders Ambrose's execution. The Doctor quickly rushes to Ambrose, pushing her out of the way and barely getting her out of range of a blaster. A beam strikes where Ambrose had been standing and The Doctor orders everyone back to the lab. As everyone else rushes out, The Doctor uses his screwdriver to take out the blasters. He warns them this is a deadly weapon and to stay back, dodging a strike from a Silurians tongue before following after everyone else.
"And now they need to make their escape," Mickey muttered.
"Where can they run? Even if they get back above ground, the Silurians will come out in full force to stop them," Jack pointed out.
"Just watch," Jane said, not moving her gaze from the screen.
The group ran through the corridor, dodging strikes from blasters. The Doctor pulls out his screwdriver, telling the others to run as he covers them. As Restac and two other Silurians rush out, The Doctor takes out their blasters and warns Restac to stay back unless she wants to have her brains everywhere. "One warning. That's all you get. If there can be no deal, you go back into hibernation. All for you, now," he orders. "This ends here." "No, it only ends with our victory!" Restac snarls. "Like I said, one warning," The Doctor says coolly.
"So they all go back into sleep and wake up again and make peace somehow," Donna muttered.
"Doubt they'll go quietly," Mickey pointed out.
"Well I'm sure The Doctor did something to make them," Jack noted as he watched curiously.
The Doctor takes out their remaining weapons before running after the others. He enters the lab, using the screwdriver to seal the door before he begins giving orders, telling Elliot and Mo to watch the screens. He tosses Amy Ambrose's stop watch, telling her to keep him updated on how much time they have. She says they have twelve and a half minutes as The Doctor walks over to Tony, immediately realizing that something is wrong with him. He opens his shirt, revealing the poison had spread over his entire chest. Nasreen is horrified as Tony explains what happened. The Doctor uses his screwdriver on Tony and realizes Tony isn't dying, he's mutating. He realizes the decontamination process will save Tony, asking Eldane to help him.
"So Tony may not actually die," Wilf said hopefully.
"There's always a chance he can be saved," Jack assured although he wasn't sure there was time.
Mo warns that a whole group of Silurians is heading for them, surrounding the outside. The Doctor wonders how they can take out the drill and get out while surrounded, asking Nasreen how she feels about an energy pulse sent through the tunnels to the base of the drill. Nasreen realizes he plans to blow up her life's work but reluctantly agrees, telling him he has to do it before the drill hits the city.
"Okay, so that saves the Silurians. Now how about the humans?" Jack mused.
"Wait for it," Jane said with a grin.
Amy says they have ten minutes and forty seconds left as The Doctor prepares to send the pulse but Nasreen says they have to be on the surface by then. Rory points out they can't get passed Restac's troops. "I can help with that," Eldane says and they all turn to him, seeing he has helped Tony to the decontamination chamber. "Toxic fumigation, an emergency failsafe meant to protect my species from infection. A warning signal meant to occupy cryo chambers. After that, city wide fumigation by toxic gas. Then the city shuts down."
"So that's how they go back under," Martha said fascinated.
"But why wait a thousand years? It doesn't make sense," Jack said confused.
"Like I keep saying, wait for it," Jane told them.
Amy points out he could kill his own people and Eldane notes only those who are foolish enough to follow Restac. The Doctor asks if he's sure and Eldane says his priority is making sure his race survives, noting the earth isn't ready for their return. The Doctor agrees but noted it should be as Amy says they have ten minutes. The Doctor then orders Eldane to set the shutdown alarms for 10,000 years from now, giving humanity a thousand years to sort out the planet, telling the others to pass on the story of the Silurians so they can be ready when the time comes that the planet is to be shared.
"Of course. Genius!" Jack laughed as he finally figured out The Doctor's plan.
"Not getting it. Humans will be no more likely to accept sharing earth the Silurians in a thousand years than they would be today," Mickey pointed out.
"Not quite true. By then, Earth will have contact with many peaceful aliens. But that's not The Doctor's plan." Jack said and they looked at him curiously. "Remember, most of the humans would have left Earth in the Starships and those left behind would have to adapt to the new temperature."
"So they wouldn't have the numbers to fight back, meaning they would have no choice but to accept the Silurians," Donna said as she caught on. "The Spaceman knew all along that the Silurians wouldn't be able to return in the present day."
"But there was a time that they would be, were humans would be less hostile and less inclined in fighting a race to extinction. But he needed to lay the groundwork with the Silurians for that time," Jack said, all of them impressed with The Doctor's plan.
"Just when I think you're done surprising me Doctor, you pull something like this off," Martha said with a bright smile.
Elliot agrees as Amy announces they have nine minutes and seven seconds. The Doctor immediately heads to the controls, setting up the sonic pulse, canceling out the energy barricade as well. Rory points out they don't have much time to get from here to the surface. "Super squeaky bum time. Now, get ready to run for your lives," The Doctor orders making Elliot laugh. Eldane points out the decontamination program on Tony hasn't started yet.
"Can't the TARDIS get him the help he needs?" Donna worried.
"Maybe, but by then the effects might be too late to reverse," Jane said sadly.
"So either he has to stay, or go up there, knowing he might never be the same. Either way, Tony has a choice to make," Jack noted, all of them feeling sympathy for him.
Tony tells them to go, Ambrose immediately protests as Elliot runs to Tony. Tony hugs him tightly, telling him to look after Ambrose and not to blame her, as she only did what she thought was right. Elliot realizes he won't see Tony again but Tony promises he'll always be in his heart. Tony hands Elliot off to Ambrose as she cries that this is her fault. He assures her that if he went back up there, he'd be a freak show and that the Silurian's technology is his only hope. They hug each other one last time before he tells them all to go. Tony steps back into the chamber before Eldane activates the shutdown.
There was not a single person who was not moved by this. In spite of how they felt about Ambrose or Tony, to see a family so forcibly separated was not something that was easy to see. They all watched sadly, feeling sympathy for all of them.
The alarms go off and the other warriors begin heading back to the cryo chambers, despite Restac's protests. Amy watches this on the screen and tells them they're in the clear. The Doctor heads over to the door, using his screwdriver to unlock it. He orders everyone to follow Nasreen and look for the TARDIS. The Doctor opens the door before walking up to Eldane, apologizing. The two lament on the loss of a peaceful coexistence for humans and Silurians as Amy tells him they have less than six minutes. He tells them to go and that he's right behind them. They take off and The Doctor nods to Eldane before telling Nasreen they need to go. "I'm not coming either," she says and he stopped short.
"Oh Bloody Hell. They do not have time for this," Martha groaned.
"This isn't a free for all Nasreen," Donna snapped as they looked at the screen worriedly.
As the others are running, Amy realizes The Doctor isn't coming and runs back for him. Nasreen tells The Doctor she plans to stay with Tony, hibernate with him. Tony notes they have all the time in the world. "It's okay; I don't want to go," Nasreen says as she walks up to The Doctor. "I've got what I was digging for. I can't leave when I've only just found it."
"She can't turn her back on her life's work. I guess I can respect that," Martha said begrudgingly.
"Plus there's Tony," Mickey noted and Martha nodded.
"She has everything she wants down there, her work, her love. Can't blame her for not leaving," Jack said wistfully.
Amy then runs in, shouting for The Doctor. Nasreen thanks The Doctor and they hug before he checks his watch. He lets her go and he and Amy run from the lab, Nasreen telling him to look for them when they wake. He gives her a thumbs up before running off, the doors closing behind Nasreen. "So the Doctor sent our warriors back to their rest on the promise of future harmony with humans," Eldane's voice said as the warriors were shown entering their cryo chambers and entering suspended animation. As the gas was seen spreading throughout the city, The Doctor and Amy were running towards the TARDIS. Rory, having realized they weren't behind him, passed them on his way back before seeing them. "Other way idiot!" she tells him.
"Okay, so now they're all together. Now get the bloody Hell out of there!" Donna snapped as they all felt the tension rise.
Jane watched the screen silently, knowing what was coming now. And she was not looking forward to it.
The trio rejoins the rest of the group, The Doctor leading them to the TARDIS. He gives instructions to Ambrose on where the sickbay is as he unlocks it. Ambrose and her family head inside as Amy and Rory run up to the Doctor. The Doctor turns around and freezes. Amy follows his gaze, as shocked as him. "Not here," The Doctor mutters as they stare at the crack from Amy's wall, which has widened. "Not now. It's getting wider."
"It's back," Wilf said horrified as they all tensed.
"Well, Boss did say it would be," Mickey muttered.
"He's right, it's getting wider," Jack said as he eyed the crack uneasily. "They must be getting closer to the explosion."
"Bloody brilliant," Martha said sarcastically.
Amy is shocked it's here as The Doctor remembers his first encounter with it, a brief flashback shown before he approaches it. The Doctor notes they keep seeing it all through the universe and that it's the result of an explosion big enough to put cracks in the universe but wonders what that is. Amy tells him that they have four minutes but The Doctor is focused on the crack, noting how the Weeping Angels and Prisoner Zero knew but he didn't. Amy pleads with him to leave it. "But where that's an explosion, there's shrapnel," The Doctor says as he pulls out a handkerchief.
"Oh please tell me he's not about to do what I think he is," Donna pleaded as they all realized The Doctor's intentions.
"He's the madman with the box. What did you expect?" Jane asked calmly and got several groans in return.
"Doctor, this is insane, even for you," Jack said as they eyed the screen worriedly.
Ignoring Rory's protests, The Doctor wraps the handkerchief around his hand before reaching into the crack. It lights up and The Doctor lets out a wail of pain, to Amy and Rory's alarm. Finding something, The Doctor pulls his hand and jumps away from the crack, landing face first on the ground. Looking up, he sees something wrapped in the handkerchief but he doesn't know what it is.
"Okay, you've got it. Now get out of there Spaceman!" Donna snapped tense.
Amy and Rory see Restac crawling on the ground a few feet away, alerting The Doctor. He gets to his feet as Amy realizes she must have gotten poisoned by the gas. The Doctor orders Amy and Rory to the TARDIS as Restac aims her blaster at him. Before she can fire, Rory quickly rushes over, jumping in front of the Doctor as she pulls the trigger. Rory pushes The Doctor out of the way but is hit in the chest by the beam.
"NO!" Donna exclaimed in horror as the past viewers looked on in Rory.
"Rory," Wilf said horrified.
"Not again," Martha said softly, thinking of the long list of people The Doctor had lost and that Rory had just been added to it.
"No. Rory was on the hill in ten years," Mickey said in denial.
"Everything is in flux Mickey. Nothing is certain," Jack said as he stared at the screen sadly.
"RORY!" Amy wails as Rory falls to the ground. She immediately rushes to his side as he lets out moans of pain. As Restac dies, The Doctor rushes over to Rory, using his screwdriver on him. Rory weakly says they were on the hill and so he can't die here. Amy pleads him not to talk like that. "You're so beautiful," Rory says weakly before closing his eyes in pain. He apologizes before he dies.
"No. No… He can't…" Donna said in a state of shock and denial.
Tears ran down Martha's face as she clutched Mickey's hand tightly, unable to imagine being in Amy's shoes. Mickey himself was not much better, clutching Martha's hand. Wilf lowered his head, remembering losing his wife while Jack stared at the screen sadly, taken back to when Ianto had died in his arms.
And Jane just watched the scene sadly. It had been a temporary separation, but definitely a painful one for Amy. Even without memory, she'd been in pain to the point even a man who barely knew her had picked up on it.
Amy pleads with The Doctor to help Rory but he sees Time energy beginning to touch Rory's feet and remembers his warning to Amy when guiding her though the Oxygen Factory. The Doctor gets to his feet, telling Amy to get away from the light but Amy is only focused on Rory. "No! I am not leaving him! We have to help him!" Amy almost snarls.
Donna stared at scene, remembering her doubts about Amy's feelings for Rory. Such doubts seemed foolish now and made Donna feel guilty for having them in the face of Amy's obvious pain.
The Doctor says the light already has Rory and they can't help. Amy still refuses to leave Rory so reluctantly, The Doctor drags her away. He drags her back towards the TARDIS, apologizing as Amy wails, kicking and screaming, trying to get back to Rory.
Everyone winced, the scene hard to watch for all of them. They understood The Doctor had no other choice, but it didn't make it any easier.
The Doctor throws her back into the TARDIS, using his screwdriver to look the doors. Amy rushes back, trying to get back to Rory but The Doctor pushes her away. Once he's done, he walks towards the console as Amy tries to get out, hitting the door futilely as she cries, begging to be let out. Amy sees the scanner, showing the light surrounding Rory's body. Realizing she'll forget him, Amy pleads with The Doctor not to let that happen but he merely puts the TARDIS into drive. Amy angrily rushes over to the console, demanding to know what he's doing. She tries to stop him but it is too late. The TARDIS vanishes as Rory's body is consumed by the crack.
"He's gone. Every memory of him…" Martha trailed off in horror.
"So how are we seeing this? It should have been erased from the TARDIS databanks along with Rory," Jack realized.
"Sometimes, death doesn't always mean goodbye," Jack said vaguely and they looked at her in confusion.
"You mean Rory might not actually be dead?" Donna asked hopefully.
"Spoilers," Jane said simply, to their annoyance.
But, as one, they turned back to the screen, hoping to get some answers.
Amy wails, fighting The Doctor even as he grabs onto her. She pleads with him to help Rory. "Keep him in your mind, don't forget him. If you forget him, you lose him forever," The Doctor warns her. Amy tearfully reminds him that he told her she remembers the Clerics but he tells her this is different, as it's her personal history. "Don't tell me it's gonna be okay Doctor. Make it okay!" Amy wails. The Doctor tells her to tell him about Rory, sitting her down. "Amy, do exactly as I say. Amy, please. Keep concentrating. You can do this," The Doctor says. But Amy says she can't.
"God," Donna said horrified, unable to imagine this. "To lose him, then to lose her memories of him…"
"It's worse than losing him," Jack said softly, thinking of Ianto.
At least after Ianto had died, Jack had still had his memories of him. Amy was being robbed of even that. It was even crueler in Jack's eyes.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey muttered, summing up how they were all feeling.
The Doctor pleads with her that she can still keep Rory's memory alive even as she begins losing her memories. The Doctor tells her not to let anything distract her as she desperately tries to hold onto her memories. "Remember Rory. Keep remembering. Rory's only alive in your memory. You must keep hold of him," The Doctor tells her. "Don't let anything distract you. Rory still lives in your memory." Suddenly, the TARDIS rocks and the two of them fall to the floor. The Doctor sees Amy's ring on the floor as she sits up, asking what he was saying, having lost all memory of Rory.
"God," Martha muttered as they stared at the screen in utter horror and sympathy.
"She wasn't even able to keep her memories of him," Donna said, her heart breaking for Amy and Rory.
The room was silent, all of them suddenly feeling emotionally drained.
The Doctor sits up, staring at her silently and she gets to her feet. Mo and Elliot walks down the stairs, Mo in disbelief over the TARDIS. Amy warns The Doctor they have five seconds. They all exit the TARDIS, miles from the drill site and see it explode.
No one made a comment. While a few minutes ago it would have seemed like a victory, after what had happened to Rory, it now seemed insignificant.
Later, they stand at the church, Amy and Mo talking about Tony and Nasreen as Ambrose notes The Doctor could have let her die. "An eye for an eye. It was never the way," The Doctor says. "Now you show your son how wrong you were. How there's another way. You make him the best of humanity. In the way you couldn't be." They exchange a smile before The Doctor walks off.
"He has every reason to condemn her. Instead, he offers her advice and hope for the next generation," Martha muttered, her respect for The Doctor growing even more.
"Revenge only breeds more violence and death," Jack said, thinking of Grey. "The Doctor always knew that, which is why he knows it's not the way."
As they return to the TARDIS, Amy notes The Doctor is rather quiet before seeing her future self. The two Amys wave at each other as The Doctor asks if Amy is okay. She says she thought she saw someone else there for a second as she watches the other Amy walk away.
Jack narrowed his eyes, a suspicion forming in his mind. Did part of Amy remember Rory?
But Jack was silent on these musings as the others stared at the screen sadly.
Amy then says she needs a holiday, saying they should go to Rio. The Doctor tells her to go ahead while he works on the TARDIS doors, which keep jamming. She heads into the TARDIS as Eldane's voice is heard. "Now, as my people awaken from their 1,000 year sleep, ready to rise to the surface, my thoughts turn to The Doctor, the loses he suffered then and the greater loses that were to come." The Doctor unfolds what he took out of the crack. To his shock, it is a piece of the outside of the TARDIS. He holds it up to the TARDIS in disbelief as the screen goes black.
"What the bloody Hell?" Donna exclaimed as they all looked at the screen in utter disbelief.
"The thing that causes the explosion, it's the TARDIS," Jack realized.
"How…why…" Martha trailed off, at a loss for words for once.
"That is a very long story, one that cannot be answered in this set," Jane said before getting to her feet. "I know you probably have a lot of questions. So, who feels up for lunch?"
None of them felt much like eating. But they figured Jane would be more likely to answer their questions over lunch, so they agreed. So they got up and allowed Jane to lead them from the room.
And another one down. And it was terrible, easily my least favorite episode of series five. All the potential from the first episode is thrown out the window because Chibnall wanted to show us his half-baked and heavily idealized idea of what is politically and economically possible, making The Doctor look like an idiot as a result. I honestly had to think for a bit to come up with a plausible explanation for The Doctor's actions in this episode.
Whoever looked at this episode and went 'yeah, let's put this guy in charge of the show' needs to have their head examined.
Anyway, Friday will actually be a double update, with both the break and the next viewing chapter because, by pure coincidence, it's my birthday on Friday so I wanted to do a little something with this.