After finishing their lunch, the group of six returned to the viewing room once more. They retook their seats as the TARDIS started the next recording.
In a cornfield, something seems to be moving through it, startling a few crows that fly away. A few feet away, a man is painting the cornfields, adding the crows. The scene then changes to a museum, the tour guard giving an exhibit on the now completed painting, revealing it is one of the last paintings by Vincent Van Gogh.
"So this one has something to do with Vincent Van Gogh. This should be interesting," Martha said intrigued.
"At this point, we should make a list of all the historical figures Boss has met," Mickey said dryly.
As the tour guide continues to give his tour to the group, The Doctor and Amy walk into the room. As they join the group, Amy thanks The Doctor for bringing her, inquiring why he's being so nice to her and reveals he's taken her to Arcadia and the Trojan Gardens.
"He feels guilty for what happened with Rory so he's trying to make up for it by taking Amy exotic places," Donna realized.
"And if he's not careful, he could tip off Amy that something's wrong," Jack noted.
"Would it be so bad if she found the truth?" Wilf wondered.
"What, that her fiancée died and was erased from existence and now she can't even remember him? How exactly do you think Amy would take that?" Martha inquired dryly and Wilf thought about it and shuttered.
"Good point."
The Doctor sharply tells her not to be suspicious and she reveals she was joking but is now serious, giving him an odd look. They start to pay attention to the tour guide as he talks about the lack of appreciation for Vincent Van Gogh at the time of his death, noting you could have only gotten enough money from his work at the time for some furniture.
"The greatest artists of all timeare usually underappreciated in their own times," Jack mused, having lived through some of those times.
"It's the curse of brilliance, not everyone always appreciates it," Wilf agreed sadly.
The tour group laughs at this as the group begins to move on. "Look, it's The Doctor!" a child cries. The Doctor turns around but the child is only talking of a painting of Vincent Van Gogh's physician. Amy drags The Doctor over to a painting, The Church at Auvers, excitedly, showing The Doctor the picture in her guide book. As they look at it, The Doctor is shocked to see something in the painting. The Doctor points Amy to a window in the church in a painting, where they can see a face, decidedly not human. "And not a nice face at all. I know evil when I see it and I see it in that window," The Doctor declares.
"And knowing him, he know has to go see it," Donna noted.
"He's Dad, what do you expect?" Jane asked with a shrug.
"I'm more curious about this face in the window," Jack said, watching the screen carefully.
"Anything you recognize?" Martha asked but Jack shook his head.
"Nothing I've seen as a Time Agent or part of Torchwood," Jack mused, something that unsettled him.
The Doctor walks back to the tour group, interrupting the tour guide. The Doctor uses his psychic paper to pass himself off as a member of the Ministry of Art and 'artiness' before asking the tour guide, Dr. Black, when The Church at Auvers was painted. Dr. Black, after some prodding by The Doctor, tells him it was likely between the 1st and 3rd of June, 1890, less than a year before Van Gogh's suicide. The Doctor thanks him, complimenting his bowtie. Dr. Black returns the compliment, the two bonding briefly over their love of bowties.
"Oh Spaceman," Donna said laughing as they all watched amused.
"Only he could bond with someone over their love of bowties," Martha said with a laugh.
The Doctor then begins dragging Amy off, despite her protests. "Art can wait. This is life and death. We need to talk to Vincent Van Gogh," The Doctor tells her.
"At the height of his creativity. It must have been a wonderful time for art," Martha muttered.
The TARDIS materializes in France, Auvers-sur-Oise in June 1st 1890, frightening a cat. The Doctor and Amy step out, The Doctor explaining they need to find Vincent Van Gogh and he can lead them to the face they saw in the painting. Amy thinks this will be 'easy-peasy' but The Doctor doubts it. The Doctor thinks Van Gogh will be found in his local café, describing it to Amy. Amy quickly finds a painting of said café in her guide book before looking and seeing the real thing. They walk up to a man at the café, asking about Vincent but the man sneers before walking inside.
"Well that's not a good sign," Mickey muttered.
"Van Gogh was an underappreciated artist. This is normal for that time," Jack said, the only person who had lived this era.
The Doctor then turns to two waitress, asking if they know Vincent Van Gogh. "Unfortunately," one says disdainfully. At Amy's prodding, the waitress describes him as 'drunk, mad and he never pays his bills'. "Good painter though, eh?" The Doctor asks and the two waitresses burst out laughing.
"I knew he wasn't a respected artist in his time, but blimey," Mickey muttered.
"Oh it was just worse back in that time," Jack told him.
The Doctor sits down as they hear an argument inside. A red haired man walks out with another man, clearly the café owner, trying to bargain for trading a painting to pay for his drink. Amy becomes excited as she realizes this is Vincent Van Gogh.
"So this is Vincent Van Gogh," Wilf mused as the past viewers all looked at the screen in interest.
"One of the greatest artists to ever exist," Donna said her voice barely more than a whisper.
Amy sneaks behind the men as the café owner refuses the deal, not finding Vincent's paintings any good. He insults Vincent before ordering him to pay or leave. The Doctor offers to pay for Vincent's drink or buy the painting, to the disbelief of both Vincent and the café owner. Vincent asks who he is and The Doctor says he's new in town. Vincent then tells The Doctor needs to know three things. "One, I pay for my own drinks, thank you," Vincent says and the bystanders laugh at him. "Two, no one in town buys my paintings or they'd be laughed out of town. So if you want to stay in town, I suggest you keep your cash to yourself. And three, your friend's cute," he says, flattering Amy. "But you should keep your big nose out of other people's business."
"Oi! No need to be rude," Donna snapped as most of her awe vanished. "He's only trying to help."
"Considering how most of the people in town seem to view him, it's hard to blame him for such a reaction," Jack noted.
"The curse of mental illness in a time like this," Martha sighed sadly.
Vincent pleads with the café owner for one more drink but he says no, repeatedly. Amy, annoyed, tells them both to shut up, ordering a bottle of wine which she will 'then share with whoever I choose', looking at Vincent pointedly. Vincent agrees to this and the café manager seems satisfied as well, giving Vincent his painting back.
"Well, that solves that problem," Wilf said optimistically.
"Now let's see if The Doctor can find out how the Church of Auvers plays into this," Jack mused as they watched with interest.
Later, Vincent shares the wine with Amy and The Doctor, noting their accents and asking if they're from Holland. The Doctor says yes while Amy says no. There is an awkward beat before The Doctor says Amy meant yes. The Doctor introduces himself and Vincent becomes agitated, believing The Doctor was sent by his brother. The Doctor quickly assures him he's not a physician before complimenting Vincent's painting. Amy slips up, calling it one of her favorites.
"Amy," Donna groaned as Martha face palmed.
"Even I didn't slip up when I met Shakespeare. And it was my first trip with The Doctor," Martha grumbled.
"Well Amy seems to be a big Van Gogh fan, so I think she's having a fangirl moment," Mickey noted.
"Don't worry, she covers herself. This isn't her first rodeo," Jane said with a slight smile.
Vincent is confused by this and Amy quickly amends it's one of her favorite paintings that she's ever seen. "You must not have seen many paintings then. I know it's terrible, but it's the best I could do," Vincent says with self-pity.
"That poor man. So brilliant and yet he believes he's worth nothing," Wilf said sadly.
"Hardly a wonder how he turned out," Martha agreed as they all looked at the screen sadly.
"The Doctor needs to tread carefully or he might push Vincent too far," Jack said, hoping The Doctor knew what he was doing.
Vincent notes Amy's hair is orange. She leans forward, agreeing and noting his is as well. The Doctor becomes annoyed as they begin flirting and asks if Vincent has painted any churches lately or anything of the like. Vincent says there's one church he's considering painting when the weather is right when they hear a scream. A woman runs into the café, screaming for help. The Doctor runs out, Amy and Vincent following after him. The woman leads them to an alley, several people gathered around the body of a young woman.
"My God," Wilf said as they all looked at the screen horrified.
"Who wants to bet this is connected to what was in the church?" Mickey asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"Seems likely," Jack said as he narrowed his eyes as well, filled with rage at whoever had killed this woman.
The Doctor sadly leans down to examine her and realizes she's dead. A woman runs up to the girl in tears, revealing she's her daughter. She wails in despair before spotting Vincent. Blaming him, she throws a shoe at him, soon joined by several others in the crowd. Amy begins getting pelted as well and The Doctor leads her and Vincent away from the scene.
"Oi! It's not his fault!" Donna snapped angrily.
"She's in pain from losing her daughter. It's not an uncommon reaction, I see the same thing happen all the time," Martha aid, sadly thinking of all parents who lost their children. "The rest of them just pointed in on the mob."
"Also not uncommon," Jack said darkly.
"It's not the nature of things," Jane mused and no one disagreed.
Once they're at a safe distance, the trio stop, The Doctor inquiring if Vincent is alright. Vincent says he's used to it and The Doctor asks if this is the first murder. Vincent reveals another murder happened a week earlier.
"So we have some kind of monster serial killer on our hands," Mickey muttered.
"In my experience, monsters are usually aliens of some kind," Jack mused.
"By what kind of alien could do this and remain undetected? And why?" Martha wondered.
"In this era without technology, it would be quiet simple for the killer to remain undetected. As for the why, I really don't know," Jack admitted.
The Doctor says they need to get Vincent home and Vincent asks where they're staying. "Ah, you're very kind," The Doctor says, clapping Vincent on the shoulder. Vincent stares after The Doctor in bewilderment as they begin to head to his house. Amy chuckles awkwardly, stopping when Vincent looks at her before following after The Doctor.
"Only you Spaceman," Donna said amused as some chuckles broke out at The Doctor's antics.
"It does make sense; he needs to stay close to Vincent to find out about the creature in the painting. What better way to do it than by staying with him?" Martha mused.
"Still not sure how this connects to a painting," Wilf muttered as they continued watching.
Something is watching Vincent's home as he leads The Doctor and Amy inside. He reveals he lives on his own and will offer them a place to stay for only one night.
"Who wants to bet that's our killer?" Martha asked sarcastically as they watched tense.
"Seems likely," Jack agreed, wishing he could get a good look at it.
Amy is uncertain about staying with Vincent but The Doctor says they need to until he paints the church. "Watch out, that one's wet," Vincent warns them. Amy is confused until she sees the freshly painted Bedroom in Arles hanging outside. Inside, Vincent lite a lantern, revealing his home. He apologizes about the clutter as The Doctor looks around, seeing various paintings placed around the room. Vincent says he's come to believe the only person who will love his paintings is himself as Amy looks around in awe.
"Bloody Hell," Martha breathed as they all looked at the paintings in a bit of awe.
"Some of the most famous paintings in history and they were just thrown around the room," Wilf said in disbelief.
"In his defense, it's not like Vincent knew where his works would end up," Jane shrugged.
Vincent mistakes Amy's awe for revolution at the mess as The Doctor inspects the paintings, not finding The Church at Auvers among them. Vincent begins to make coffee, putting the pot down on one of his paintings. The Doctor warns him to be careful as he takes it off, revealing a train of coffee that Vincent quickly wipes away.
"He used his paintings as coasters!?" Wilf exclaimed horrified.
"Well, that certainly never made it into the history books," Jack said in amusement.
The Doctor calls the paintings precious, which Vincent scoffs at. "They're precious to me!" Amy declares as she pokes her head in the door. Vincent calls her kind before The Doctor asks about the church. Vincent is confused by The Doctor's fascination with the church, calling him 'a strange one'.
"That's an understatement if there ever was one," Martha said in amusement.
"The Doctor makes me look normal," Jack said with a grin.
"Which is no easy task," Mickey joked, laughing when Jack reached over Martha and playfully shoved him.
The Doctor asks what Vincent is interested in then and Vincent points out art. "It seems to me that there's so much more to the world than the average eye is allowed to see. I believe, if you look hard, there more wonders in this universe than you could ever have dreamed of," Vincent says passionately. The Doctor agrees.
"Another understatement. He's supposedly mad, yet he makes more sense than most sane people I know," Wilf mentioned.
"History truly has done him a disservice," Donna said sadly.
The Doctor and Vincent are sitting down as Vincent rants about his art, claiming he can hear the colors. "Every time I step outside, I feel like nature is shouting at me. "Come on, come and get me. Come on. Come on! Capture my mystery!" Vincent shouts, grabbing The Doctor by the shoulders.
"He doesn't seem mad. Passionate, a bit eccentric, but not mad," Martha noted.
"He's misunderstood in his time. The best ones always are," Jane sighed.
"At this time, mental illness wasn't as widely known and therapy wasn't an option back then," Jack told him.
"This was back before we understood things like bipolar disorder and anti-depressants existed," Martha agreed. "Back then, you just dismissed someone as mad."
The Doctor notes Vincent has had enough coffee, recommending some calming tea. The Doctor realizes Amy isn't in the room before they hear her scream from outside. They quickly rush outside, finding Amy on her knees, shaken. She explains she was looking at some of the paintings when something attacked her from behind. Vincent suddenly jumps back, seemingly terrified of something. The Doctor tries to calm him down as Vincent grabs a pitchfork, to The Doctor and Amy's confusion.
"Oh bloody brilliant. Something is out there attacking them and he's having a fit," Mickey groaned.
"Maybe not," Jack muttered to himself.
Everyone shot him an odd look but Jack didn't respond, watching the recording closely, wanting to see if he was right.
Vincent seems to rush at them and they jump apart. Vincent rushes right passed them, seeming to fight something as he tells them to run. The Doctor orders Amy to get back, thinking Vincent is having an episode. Vincent looks around wildly as The Doctor tries to calm him down before he's suddenly struck in the side by a tail, getting knocked on his back.
"He's not having a fit at all. Whatever it is is invisible and Vincent can see it somehow," Donna realized as the past viewers stared at the screen in disbelief.
"But how can he see it?" Martha asked.
"Honestly, not sure. That's really not something we ever get an answer to," Jane admitted, still confused by that.
"Figures," Mickey muttered.
Amy cries out in fear, asking what it is as Vincent tries to fight it. But The Doctor can't see it either. The Doctor picks up a nearby stick, trying to help Vincent. Vincent asks if he can see it and The Doctor admits he can't before he's struck again, sent flying and knocked onto his back once more. The Doctor gets back up, blindly trying to fight the creature off with the stick as Vincent manages to stab it with his pitchfork. The creature wails before it seems to flee. Vincent then looks back, seeing The Doctor blindly fighting it off. Amy walks out of the house as Vincent says the creature is gone.
"Well, at the very least we know what the killer is," Martha noted.
"And how it remained undetected. No one would see it and it could move on unseen after killing its victims," Jack said darkly.
"How can they fight it if The Doctor can't see it?" Wilf asked uneasily.
"If I know The Doctor, he's already putting together a plan," Donna said certainly.
The trio head inside, The Doctor asking what the creature looks like. Vincent paints over one of his paintings, to the horror of The Doctor and Amy.
"No!" Donna exclaimed in dismay as they looked at the screen startled.
"Imagine what he just ruined," Martha said with a groan.
"What history has lost," Wilf said in horror.
"It's unfortunate but nothing can be done about it unfortunately," Jane said with a heavy sigh. "It's a shame though, imagining what that painting could've been."
Vincent is confused by their reactions as he finishes painting over it, making it a blank canvas. Once it dries, Vincent draws what he saw on the canvas. It is the creature from the window in The Church at Auvers, now on full display.
"And who's surprised that the killer is what was in the window?" Martha asked dryly.
"Still no clue what that is?" Donna asked Jack, who shook his head.
"Not something I've ever seen. But at the very least, we have a face for the killer," Jack mused.
"Now we just need a name," Mickey muttered.
The Doctor grabs the picture, telling Amy to make Vincent comfortable. Realizing he plans to leave, Amy grabs his wrist, pointing out it could be outside. The Doctor asks what's the worse than can happen. "You can get torn into pieces by a monster you can't see," Amy points out.
"And that's more dangerous than usual?" Martha asked sarcastically.
The Doctor assures her he'll be back before they can say 'where's he gone to now'. The Doctor leaves the room, seemingly leaving them alone. "Not that fast!" The Doctor shouts as he jumps back in, frightening Amy and making her scream.
"Bloody Hell!" Mickey exclaimed as he, Martha, Wilf and Donna nearly jumped.
"Spaceman!" Donna snapped angrily.
"Not the time Doctor," Jack said, although he seemed amused.
"You couldn't have warned us?" Martha asked Jane annoyed.
"I wanted to see your faces," Jane said, laughing at their annoyed looks.
The Doctor laughs before promising he'll be back. Outside, the creature is watching as The Doctor heads out of the house. The Doctor begins walking down the road and passes by it.
"Amy might be onto something," Martha said as they began to feel worried about The Doctor.
"Boss'll be fine," Mickey said confidently, although he sounded worried himself.
As he heads towards the TARDIS, The Doctor looks over his shoulder uneasily as he hears the sounds of loud footsteps. The Doctor quickly heads towards the TARDIS and gets inside, quickly closing the door behind him. Tossing the painting aside, The Doctor opens a trunk and begins rummaging thought it, apologizing to what he's looking for for thinking it was a useless gadget from a 'dull two-headed godmother with bad breath'. "How wrong can a man be?" The Doctor said excitedly as he found what he was looking for.
"What kind of godmother did he have?" Mickey asked as they all looked at the screen in bewilderment.
"Honestly, even I don't want to know," Jack said.
"We're probably better off not knowing," Martha said and no one disagreed.
Heading towards the console, The Doctor plugs the device in. Testing it, he allows the device to scan him and the console prints out a picture of his first form and shows a picture of his second. Satisfied its working, The Doctor holds up the painting and it scans it, claiming its found a match.
"So now we can put a name to the face," Martha muttered as the past viewers looked at the screen closely.
But it shows a picture of a bird and then of a polar bear. "This is the problem with impressionists, never accurate enough. This would never happen with Gainsborough or one of those proper painters," he grumbles.
"Well that was anti-climactic," Mickey muttered as Donna and Martha sighed in disappointment.
"But The Doctor always has a backup plan," Jack pointed out, wondering what The Doctor would do next.
Noting he needs something better, The Doctor tosses the drawing aside. The next morning, he walks outside, the device now attached to his chest. From behind him, the creature looks over his shoulder, allowing the device to get a clear picture.
"I'm not sure whether to call him a genius or mad," Jack said as they all stared at the screen in disbelief.
"The lengths you go to Spaceman," Donna muttered.
"He's like Jack Sparrow, only his plans are mad enough to work," Mickey said with a grin.
"Hope you're right Mickey," Martha muttered.
The Doctor calmly waits as the device brings up the data on the creature. "You poor thing. You brutal, murderous, abandoned thing," The Doctor said as he looked at the data. "I hope we meet again soon so I can take you home." The creature then begins snarling at him. "Maybe not that soon."
"He knows what it is," Martha realized.
"Then hopefully he can let us in on the mystery," Mickey muttered as they watched the screen in interest.
The Doctor runs off, hearing the creature chasing after him. He jumps around the corner, using the mirror to look at the creature as it charges towards him. It knocks over a bike as The Doctor flees, knocking over some nearby items to stall it. The Doctor jumps behind another corner, using the mirror again, relieved to find the creature has gone another direction.
"I'd cheer, but now it might hurt someone else," Martha said uneasily.
"Well now that The Doctor knows what it is, he'll know how to fight it," Wilf said optimistically.
"And how to get it off earth," Jack said, wondering how The Doctor was going to manage that.
The Doctor lets out a sigh of relief before rounding the corner. He screams in surprise as he sees Amy, who lets out a yelp of surprise. He tells her not to do that, as she scared the living daylights out of him. Amy apologizes, saying she was bored, noting as much as she admired him as an artist, she's not a fan of Vincent's snoring.
"Like I said yesterday, these two could be a comedy act," Mickey said with a laugh.
"It would be a good one," Jack joined Mickey in laughing.
At his house, Vincent is indeed snoring when The Doctor enters his room, startling Vincent awake. The Doctor tells him they have breakfast in the courtyard, opening the door so sun can shine into the house. Vincent follows The Doctor outside as he says Amy has a surprise for him. Vincent walks out to see Amy has brought various sunflowers into the courtyard. Amy says it's a thank you for saving her and she thought he might want to paint them. Vincent reveals that he's not overly fond of sunflowers, to Amy and The Doctor's surprise. "It's not that I don't like them. I find them complex. Always somewhere between living and dying. Half human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting," Vincent says.
"That's an…interesting take on sunflowers," Martha said lamely.
"So if he doesn't like them, why did he paint them?" Donna wondered and Jane fought a giggle.
"You'll see," she said simply.
As he examines one, Vincent calls sunflowers a challenge. The Doctor says he needs to show Vincent something. Leading Vincent back inside, The Doctor shows him print out pictures of the creature. Vincent says this is what he saw. The Doctor explains it's a creature called the Krafayis. "They travel in space; they travel as a pack, scavenging across the universe. Sometimes one of them gets left behind and because they are such a brutal race, the others never come back. So, dotted all around the universe are utter merciless, utter abandoned Krafayis. And what they do is, well, kill until they're killed, which they usually aren't because other creatures can't see them," The Doctor explains.
"A Krafayis. I thought they were a myth, no one who encounters one ever lives to tell the tale," Jack said in disbelief.
"Okay, they know what it is. Now how do they fight a creature they can't see?" Martha asked uneasily.
"Carefully," Jane said vaguely and they looked at her in disbelief.
"That's bloody helpful," Donna said sarcastically.
Vincent notes he can see it and The Doctor says that's why they can end the Krafayis's reign of terror. The Doctor asks if Vincent can paint the church today. Vincent is confused and The Doctor assures him if he paints the church the Krafayis will come. Vincent agrees and rises to get his things. The Doctor tells him they'll be out of his hair by tomorrow and Vincent pauses before walking out of the room.
"I don't think he wants them to leave," Martha noted.
"Makes sense. They're the only people who seem to treat him like a person and not a mad drunk," Jack noted as they all felt sad for Vincent.
"But they'll have to eventually," Donna sighed. "And when that happens…"
"They might be making things worse, I know," Jack said grimly, hoping The Doctor and Amy's presence wouldn't change Vincent's history.
Once Vincent is gone, The Doctor notes this is risky. Amy points out its always risky but The Doctor says this is the middle of the year where Vincent's painting was at its best. If they don't take care, Vincent could die and half of the paintings in the museum will simply vanish.
"All those paintings, just gone," Wilf said in horror.
"Never mind the effects this might have on history.
Sometime later, The Doctor knocks on Vincent's door. Receiving no answer, The Doctor opens it and steps inside, finding Vincent lying face down on his bed, sobbing. The Doctor walks in, asking if he can help and Vincent says he cannot. "And when you leave, and everyone always leaves, I will be left alone with an empty heart and no hope," Vincent says sadly as he rolls onto his side. The Doctor tries to convince him there is hope, encouraging him to get up but Vincent pushes him away, shouting at him to get out, demanding to know what he's doing here. The Doctor, realizing he's making things worse, says he'll leave. Vincent curls into a ball, crying as The Doctor walks out.
"That poor man," Wilf said sadly as they all stared at the screen sadly.
"There are some people even The Doctor can't help," Jack said with a sigh.
"And he's making things worse by trying," Martha said uneasily.
Amy runs up to The Doctor and he tells her they're leaving, noting Vincent is a delicate man who will kill himself in months. Amy pleads with him not to say that and he looks at her sadly. They head into Vincent's studio, looking around. The Doctor says they'll have to do this on their own when they hear footsteps. The Doctor and Amy turn around to see Vincent, dressed and wearing a straw hat. "I'm ready," he says as he picks up a brush. "Let's go."
"Wasn't expecting that," Mickey said as they looked at the screen in surprise.
"I guess he's not as fragile as The Doctor thinks," Martha said, hoping this was true.
The three begin making their way to the church. As they walk down a hill, Amy tells Vincent she's sorry he's sad. "But I'm not. Sometimes these moods torture me for weeks, for months. But I'm good now. If Amy Pond can soldier on, then so can Vincent Van Gogh," he says confidently. Confused, Amy says she's fine. "Oh Amy, I hear the song of your sadness. You've lost someone I think," Vincent says as The Doctor listens, surprised. Amy says she's not sad and Vincent asks why she's crying. Amy reaches up to feel her face, surprised to find tears on her face.
"What?" Mickey asked as the past viewers were confused by this latest development.
"Somehow…she remembers," Martha realized. "Maybe on a subconscious level, she remembers Rory."
"But how is that possible?" Donna wondered.
"Amy was exposed to the crack in her wall for years. Her mind has a little resistance to its affects," Jane explained.
"It's more than that though, isn't it?" Jack asked. "You said Rory would be back. And if Rory was really gone for good, he should've been erased from the recordings and Amy wouldn't be able to remember him at all."
"It's complicated, all I can say is keep watching," Jane said, knowing she wouldn't even be able to begin explaining everything.
Vincent says he understands but Amy says she doesn't. The Doctor interrupts, saying they need to come up with a plan when they see the Krafayis. Vincent says they will fight it but The Doctor argues they got lucky last night, pointing out Amy could have been killed. This time, they need to make sure he can see the Krafayis as well. Amy asks how they can do that and The Doctor holds up a trunk, saying the answer is inside it. As they begin heading towards the church, they see a priests leading some pallbearers down the road. Vincent realizes it's the girl who was murdered. The three stand aside as the woman's family is led passed. Vincent notices sunflowers have been placed on the casket.
"Whatever The Doctor's plan is, I hope it works. Because people are going to keep dying otherwise," Jack said as they all watched uneasily.
Amy asks if The Doctor has a plan and he say he doesn't. "That's the thing, it's like a plan but with more greatness," The Doctor said as they resume their walk, Vincent looking back at the mourners.
"Really not inspiring confidence boss," Mickey said sarcastically.
At the church, Vincent gets set up as The Doctor tells him to warn them of any monsters. "I may be mad, but I'm not stupid," Vincent says. The Doctor tells him he's not sure whether Vincent is mad but rather depressed only for Vincent to shush him, as he's working.
"I wish there was some way to help him," Donna said sadly.
"You can't save someone from themselves sadly," Martha said with a heavy sigh.
As Vincent gets to work, The Doctor starts telling him about seeing Michelangelo working on Sistine Chapel, revealing he was afraid of heights before Amy shushes him. As Vincent continues to work, The Doctor tells a story about watching Pablo Picasso but Amy shushes him. That night, The Doctor sits on ground, bored as Vincent continues working. "Is this how time normally passes?" The Doctor asks. "Really slowly. In the right order."
"I'm not sure whether to tell him to be quiet or laugh," Martha said as her lips twitched.
"He's like a big kid," Donna said with a laugh.
"He can be, especially in this Regeneration," Jane agreed with a smile.
"Hard to believe he's the same guy who's saved the universe so many times," Jack noted amused.
The Doctor gets up, annoyed that the Krafayis hasn't arrived yet and Amy asks if he's alright, saying he seems nervous. The Doctor says there's something not right but he can't figure out what. "There! He's at the window!" Vincent suddenly shouts.
"And here we go," Jack said as they all tensed.
The Doctor asks where and Vincent points it out. The Doctor and Amy begin heading inside and Vincent starts to follow. The Doctor refuses to let him and Vincent protests he's not armed. The Doctor tells him he is armed: with overconfidence and his screwdriver. The Doctor says he can stun the Krafayis before ordering Amy not to follow him under any circumstances.
"Oh like that's gonna work," Jack said with a laugh.
"When will you learn Spaceman?" Donna asked amused.
Amy promises she won't and The Doctor heads inside. Vincent asks if she'll follow him. "Of course!" Amy says. "I love you," Vincent says and she smiles.
"Does any else find this really…" Martha trailed off, not sure for the word.
"Jarring?" Jack supplied.
"I was thinking weird, but yeah," Martha agreed.
"I know she doesn't remember him, but to see her flirting with Vincent feels really weird after seeing her relationship with Rory," Donna agreed.1
"Honestly, I think Amy was just subconsciously trying to fill the void. Not that you're wrong, it was weird to me to," Jane agreed with a shrug.
As he prepares to the church, The Doctor opens the trunk, revealing the device inside. The Doctor puts the device on his chest, turning it on. As he heads to the church entrance, he takes a moment to admire the designs above the door before entering the church. The Doctor enters the church, looking around for the Krafayis, hearing its growls. He uses the mirror, trying to locate it, spotting it hanging up in the corner of the window. He scans it with his screwdriver while outside, Vincent informs Amy the Krafayis hasn't moved. Amy turns around in frustration when Vincent suddenly shouts that it's turning.
"Be careful Spaceman," Donna muttered as they tensed.
"This is even more stressful than the Angels. At least I could see them," Wilf muttered, placing a hand over his chest.
Inside, The Doctor discovers the Krafayis has moved and looks around for it. He captures its image in the mirror before it strikes, knocking the mirror out of his hand.
"Oh Bloody brilliant!" Martha snapped annoyed as they all groaned.
"This just gets better and better," Mickey said sarcastically.
Hearing The Doctor cry out, Amy rushes inside, ignoring Vincent's protests. Vincent uncovers his chair as The Doctor runs towards the door. Opening it, he's startled to see Amy on the other side. The Doctor is annoyed she didn't listen to him but ushers her into a confessional booth. As the Krafayis sniffs around for them, The Doctor whispers for Amy to be absolutely quiet. Running his hand on the side of the booth, The Doctor tells Amy to breath quieter.
"Oh she'll just stop breathing, no problem Spaceman," Donna said sarcastically.
"He's nervous and they don't stand a chance if the Krafayis starts to attack. They're trapped like rats," Jack noted as no one made a sound, nervously waiting to see what would happen next.
As the Krafayis stalks the booth, Amy pauses before saying he's gone passed. The Doctor shushes her before it attacks Amy's side of the booth, causing her to scream in fright.
"Oh brilliant!" Donna groaned as they all watched tense.
"I think he heard us," The Doctor said as the Krafayis attacked Amy's side again. "That is impressive hearing he's got." The booth begins trembling and Amy screams again. "What's less impressive is our chances for survival." Suddenly, they hear Vincent shout. Amy moves aside a cloth in the booth to see Vincent wielding a chair, egging on the Krafayis.
"What is he doing there!? Him being there could change history?!" Jack exclaimed in horror.
"Not like he knows that. He's brave, I'll give him that," Martha noted.
"Lot of good it'll do if it gets him killed," Mickey muttered.
Amy watches as Vincent fights the creature, although he appears to her to be fighting air. As he fights it off, Vincent tells them to get behind him. The Doctor and Amy run out of the booth and The Doctor attempts to use his screwdriver on the Krafayis. To his surprise, it has no affect. The Doctor and Amy run out of the church, Vincent following after shortly. The Doctor asks where the Krafayis is. "Where do you think you idiot? Use your head," Vincent snaps. The Doctor tries to use his screwdriver once more and asks Vincent if it does anything. "Nothing. In fact, he seemed to rather enjoy it."
"Great, so the sonic has some kind of tickling effect on the thing. This could not get worse," Martha groaned.
As they hear the creature moving around, Vincent gives The Doctor instructions on how to avoid the Krafayis as it tries to attack him. The Doctor moves to run but is struck in the chest and thrown into a wall.
"You had to say it," Donna grumbled.
"It gets worse no matter what we say!" Martha shouted in exasperation.
"Would you two stop bickering like little girls?!" Wilf snapped.
The Doctor falls to his knees as Vincent apologizes for getting the directions wrong. The Doctor notes this is no good as Amy leads them to another part of the church. She opens the door and they step inside, the Krafayis trying to attack as they attempt to close the door. Seeing its leg pushing its way inside, Vincent kicks it. It's leg retreats and they manage to close the door. The Doctor then begins to tell them his plan, accidently referring to Vincent as Rory. Amy is confused as The Doctor corrects himself. Amy asks what the plan is and The Doctor admits he doesn't have one aside from only using his screwdriver for screws. Getting an idea, Vincent runs off, telling them to give him a second. The Doctor muses on the merits of talking to the Krafayis, to Amy's disbelief.
"Talking to it. That's his big plan?" Mickey deadpanned.
"Well, it seems like he's run out of other options. Might be the only thing they haven't tried yet," Jack mused.
"Brilliant. So their only hope of survival is a creature who has no mercy being reasoned with," Donna said sarcastically.
"Never said it was a good plan," Jack pointed out.
The Doctor notes the Krafayis probably isn't up for conversation as it bangs against the door and deciding to try it anyway. "Listen. Listen!" The Doctor shouts and the Krafayis stop. "I know you can understand me, even though you won't understand why you can understand me. I also know no one's talked to you for a pretty long stretch but please, listen. I also don't belong on this planet. I also am… alone. Trust me; I am sure we can come to some kind of understanding. And then….and then, who knows?" The glass windows on the other side of the chamber then shatter. The Doctor and Amy hear the Krafayis snarl as it enters the room.
"So much for talking to it," Martha said dryly.
"Not one of Dad's better plans," Jane admitted with a grimace.
Vincent then rushes back in, wielding his easel. The Doctor asks what the Krafayis is doing and Vincent says it's moving around the room. The Doctor is confused as Vincent and Amy take cover behind a table, Vincent noting it's as though the creature is trapped. Amy complains that she can't see as Vincent watches the Krafayis stumble around the room. The Doctor says he's stupid as he realizes the truth.
"Not fallowing," Mickey said as Donna's eyes widened in realization.
"No," she said in disbelief.
"Donna? Are you alright?" Wilf asked as he looked at her in concern.
Donna did not answer, staring at the screen. Everyone but Jack and Jane looked at her confused. Jane looked at the screen sadly as Jack stared at it carefully, having come to the same realization as Donna. Could it be?
Amy snaps at him, thinking he's feeling sorry for himself but The Doctor says he's stupid and growing old. The Doctor points out the Krafayis never eats its victims, was left by its pack to die and is now helplessly moving around the room. The Doctor reveals the Krafayis is blind. "Which is why it has such PERFECT HEARING!" The Doctor suddenly snaps.
"It's blind?" Martha asked as she, Wilf and Mickey looked at the screen in disbelief.
"It makes sense. The Krafayis are a brutal race; they would have no use for a blind member of the pack. So once a Krafayis grows so old it loses its sight, they abandon it on a planet they deem unimportant," Jack mused.
"They leave it behind, just like that?" Mickey asked horrified.
"Just like that," Jane said sadly.
Vincent says the Krafayis is turning around and heading for them, walking around the table and using his easel defensively, telling The Doctor the Krafayis is charging at them. He tells them to get back as the creature attacks him. Vincent is lifted into the air before he stabs the Krafayis. Vincent is thrown to the ground as the Krafayis collapses. The three of them approach the wounded Krafayis, Vincent filled with remorse as he realizes the creature was never trying to hurt anyone, it was merely blind and helpless. The Krafayis begins to bleed out as The Doctor says it's trying to say something. Doing his best to translate, The Doctor thinks it's saying 'I'm afraid'. The Doctor places a hand on it, comforting the Krafayis as best he can before it dies.
"Oh you poor thing," Jack said as they felt sorry for the creature.
"It's not a killer, it's an invalid, it can't see and doesn't realize what it's doing," Martha muttered, having seen many similar instances in her work.
Donna was silent, feeling tears well in her eyes. Beside her, Wilf took her hand, not faring much better. Jane and Mickey just stared at the screen sadly, pity for the Krafayis filling all of them.
"He was frightened, and he lashed out, like humans lash out when they are frightened," Vincent said sadly as The Doctor stands up. "Like the villagers who scream at me. Like the children who throw stones at me." The Doctor tells him that winning is no fun at all sometimes.
"Because there is no winner here," Jack said with a heavy sigh.
"Sometimes there are winners," Jane said sadly and no one disagreed.
Sometime later, the three of them lay down in the grass outside the church in a circle, staring up at the crescent moon. At Vincent's encouragement, The Doctor and Amy each take one of his hands. "Try to see what I see. We're so lucky to be alive to see this beautiful world. Look at the sky," Vincent says as Amy and The Doctor join hands. "It's not dark and black and without character. The black is in fact dark blue. And over there, lighter blue. And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air, and then shinning, burning bursting through! The stars! Can you see how they roar their light?" a shot of the stars was shown, the designs of Starry Night being revealed. "The complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes," Vincent declares.
"Starry Night," Donna muttered as everyone looked at the screen mesmerized.
"To see such beauty where others do not, he truly was an amazing man," Wilf said and no one could disagree.
"It's really a shame," Martha sighed sadly.
The Doctor says he's seen many things but Vincent is right: there is nothing as wonderful as how Vincent sees things. Vincent says he will miss them. The next morning, Vincent gives The Doctor and Amy a painting of himself in a straw hat, saying he wishes he had something of value to give them. The Doctor says he cannot accept it. Vincent accepts his refusal graciously before saying goodbye to Amy. They hug, Amy kissing him on both cheeks as she says to take care of himself. Amy then jokes he should trim his beard before he kisses someone else and they laugh, asking her to return to him should she tire of The Doctor and they will 'have children by the dozen'.
"Still feels weird," Donna noted.
"Well, people with mental illness did experience highs like this. He might have had bipolar disorder," Martha noted. "He seems to show a lot of signs."
"Maybe. But I don't think we'll ever know for sure," Jack pointed out.
Amy is not crazy about that as The Doctor and Vincent shakes hands, saying goodbye. Vincent admits he may not do as well on his own. "Nah," The Doctor says as he pulls Vincent into a hug. But behind Vincent's back, The Doctor has a dark look in his eyes.
Donna sighed but no one said a word. It was the tragedy of being a time traveler, not being able to change history, even when you wanted to.
As they walk away from Vincent's house, The Doctor asks Amy if she's thinking what he's thinking. She says she was thinking of getting something but The Doctor had something else in mind. The Doctor calls out to Vincent and he pokes his head out a window, in the process of painting. The Doctor says he wants to show him something.
"What's he planning?" Martha asked as the past viewers looked uneasy.
"Something only Dad would think of," Jane said with a slight smile.
Once Vincent has put on some regular clothes, The Doctor and Amy lead Vincent to the TARDIS, which is now covered in flyers. The Doctor tells Vincent to brace himself before unlocking it. He opens the doors and Vincent steps inside, looking around in amazement. Vincent steps back outside, looking around at the TARDIS before heading back inside. He looks back at The Doctor and Amy, asking how he's mad when they've stayed sane.
"Is he about to do what I think he is?" Donna asked as the realization hit them all.
"What do you think?" Jane asked with a smile.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered.
"Won't this change the future?" Martha asked worriedly.
"Maybe. But at the very least, it'll give Vincent a reason to keep going for now," Jack said, not seeing the harm." Besides, what harm is there to show him his work will one day be appreciated?"
"It all depends on how you do it," Jane noted.
They laugh before entering the TARDIS. Vincent asks what everything does as The Doctor walks up to the console, turning on some music. The Doctor and Amy begin to dance as The Doctor puts the TARDIS in drive, warning Vincent there will be a lot of noise. The room shakes to Vincent's surprise as the TARDIS takes off. Vincent stumbles around as Amy and The Doctor laugh. Grabbing onto something, Vincent moves to push a button but The Doctor quickly stops him, saying it's a friction contrafibulator. Vincent stops, asking about two red and yellow buttons, which The Doctor calls ketchup and mustard. Vincent wants to go back to the café to learn about the wonders of the universe but The Doctor wants to show him something. The Doctor and Amy lead Vincent outside. The flyers have all been burned off as Vincent looks around in awe at present day Paris. The Doctor introduces him to the Musée d'Orsay. Vincent is in awe before seeing two teenagers walking out with a radio. The Doctor tells him to ignore that before they lead Vincent inside.
"Only The Doctor would think of doing something like this," Jack said with an amused smirk.
"Let's just hope this doesn't backfire," Martha muttered, unable to shake the uneasy feeling about this.
Vincent looks around at all the art in awe as he is led upstairs. The group head into the Van Gogh exhibit and Vincent is in awe as he sees all his work on display. Seeing Dr. Black, The Doctor walks up to him, dragging him close enough to where Vincent can hear. The Doctor asks Dr. Black to rank Vincent in the history of art. "Well, big question. But to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly the most popular great painter of all time, the most beloved. His command of color the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy of our world; no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the cornfields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but one of the greatest men who ever lived," Dr. Black says. Vincent, having been listening, is moved to tears by this.
"He finally got the recognition he deserved," Wilf said with a smile.
"Yeah. But I'm not sure it'll make a difference," Jack said doubtful.
"The simplest things can make the biggest difference Jack. You know that better than anyone," Jane pointed out and Jack nodded, conceding her point.
"I'm not sure that it'll have the effect The Doctor wants though," Martha muttered.
"He knows it probably won't change anything. But, at the very least, for this moment, he gave Vincent hope," Jack said certainly.
The Doctor apologizes to Vincent, thinking this is too much but Vincent says they are tears of joy. Vincent then walks up to Dr. Black, thanking him and kissing him on the cheek. Vincent then hugs him and, perplexing Dr. Black. Vincent apologizes for his beard before walking off. Dr. Black looks confused before looking back at a self-portrait of Vincent before dismissing it and walking off.
"You have no idea mate," Mickey said with a chuckle.
"If only he knew," Donna agreed with a laugh.
The TARDIS materializes back in 1890 and the trio gets out. Vincent is giddy, feeling like a new man, although is embarrassed his painting of a haystack was in the museum. The Doctor hugs him and Vincent excitedly says The Doctor is the first doctor to make a difference in his life. The Doctor promises not to forget Vincent before heading towards the TARDIS. Vincent asks if he can't change Amy's mind and she hugs him, saying she's not the marrying kind.
"Did losing Rory really change her that much?" Donna asked startled.
"There are certain connections in our lives, connections that bind us, some that define us. Amy didn't feel like she could be a wife for anyone, but she was willing to try for Rory, because she loved him that much," Jane said as she thought of Amy's following Rory into the past.
"She loved him enough that the thought of spending her life without him was something that terrified her," Jack noted, remembering Amy's actions in the dream world.
"Seems that way. And now he's gone," Martha said sadly.
"If what you've said is true, not for long," Wilf noted as he looked over at Jane, who merely smiled.
"Just keep watching."
Amy kisses Vincent on the cheek before following after The Doctor. They wave at Vincent before heading inside the TARDIS. Amy urges The Doctor to head back to the museum as the doors close. Vincent puts on his hat and walks away as the TARDIS vanishes. Vincent looks back to see it gone and smiles. Back at the museum, Amy and The Doctor step out of the TARDIS. Amy is certain time can be rewritten as they head inside, leading The Doctor back up to the Van Gogh exhibit, sure Vincent lived a long life and there will be hundreds of new paintings. The Doctor tries to caution Amy but she ignores him, urging him up the stairs. They reenter the exhibit as Dr. Black is giving another tour, revealing Vincent still killed himself at 37.
"They didn't make a difference after all then," Wilf said sadly
"No matter how much you try, sometimes you can't save everyone. Even Dad can't," Jane said with a sigh.
"Mental illness is an enemy some people have to face every day. And sometimes, you can't win against it," Martha said with a heavy sigh.
"Still, poor Vincent," Donna muttered sadly.
"Poor Vincent," Jack echoed, staring at the screen sadly.
The Doctor watches sadly as the realization washes over Amy. Amy sadly notes The Doctor was right and they didn't make a difference. "I wouldn't say that. The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things," The Doctor says before hugging Amy. "The good things don't always soften the bad things but vice versa, the bad things don't always spoil the good things or make them unimportant. And we've definitely added a pile of good things."
"It's the tragedy of life. There are good days and bad days. You just have to try and bear it," Jack noted.
"It's not always easy, but it's always worth it," Wilf agreed.
"Okay you two old men, feel like sharing anymore pearls of wisdom?" Martha joked and Jack smiled as Wilf chuckled.
"Not right now," Jack quipped.
The Doctor then leads Amy over to Church at Auvers, where they find no sign of the Krafayis. Amy turns around and begins walking away when she sees something that makes her smile. The Doctor turns around to see her walking towards Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers. Painted on the vase was 'For Amy' with 'Vincent' painted below it.
"They made an impact after all," Donna said with a smile.
"Like The Doctor said, the bad things outweighed the good in the end, but the bad didn't spoil the good things," Jack noted with a slight smile.
"They did indeed make a difference. It may not have changed history, but they made a difference," Wilf said with a beaming smile.
"Yeah," Martha said with a slight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as Mickey wrapped an arm around her.
They'd made a difference, but it didn't change anything. Martha wasn't sure if that was worse than not making a difference at all.
The Doctor walks up next to Amy, who notes if she'd had kids with Vincent, they would have had very red hair. "The ultimate ginger," The Doctor notes. "The ultimate ginge," Amy jokes as she cries and The Doctor laughs. "Brighter than sunflowers." The Doctor then wraps an arm around Amy and the screen goes black.
"Well that was…interesting," Martha said lamely.
"That's one word for it," Jack agreed, not sure how else to describe it.
"Pretty emotional one for sure," Jane agreed.
"Between that and Rory's death, I feel emotionally beat," Donna said tiredly.
"Well the next one isn't quite as intense, so we'll finish that one up and then call it a day. That good with you guys?" Jane asked.
"I think that would be best," Wilf said and no one could find it in them to disagree.
Jane nodded as the next one started.
Well, that happened.
I know a lot of people like this episode but honestly, I do not. To give credit where it's due, there are some very moving scenes like Dr. Black's speak and I applaud the writers for their handling of mental health. But there are a lot of things about the script that just don't make sense when you stop to think about it. And overall, the episode just feels out of place this late in the series. It feels like it would have done better in the first half of this series tbh.
1: Had it aired earlier in the series like I said, maybe I'd look on this aspect of the episode far more kindly. But after all the development of Amy and Rory's relationship in the previous episodes, to have Amy flirting with Vincent, even knowing that she doesn't remember Rory, feels weird and very jarring to me as a viewer, all shipping preferences aside. It also doesn't help that Amy and Vincent have very few significant interactions in this episode, making it feel like another example of 'Strangled by the red string' and furthering the feeling of this episode being out of place. And I really do have to wonder what went on in the writing room that anyone thought doing this the episode after Rory's death was a good idea.