I hope you all had a good Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate.
TW: Thank you. You as well.
The past viewers watched as the next recording started, curious as to what this set might bring.
Looming over a ruined city is a statue of a Dalek. A woman's voice talks about a man who fought the Daleks before dying. "There are a few, of course, who believe this man somehow survived and that one day, he will return." Inside the statue, a cloaked woman looks out through the Dalek's eyestalk. "For both our sakes, dearest Hannah, we must hope these stories are true." A shadow walks up behind the woman. Hearing footsteps, the woman turns. It is The Doctor, who tells her he got her message and notes not many people can send him messages. The woman tells him her daughter, Hannah, is in a Dalek prison camp and they said The Doctor could help.
"The Daleks, of course," Donna said dryly.
"They were barely in the last set. Makes sense they'd be in this one," Martha mused.
"A Dalek prison camp," Wilf said lowly, unable to imagine the horrors of such a place.
"Never will there be a more horrible place," Jane said grimly.
"You've been there?" Jack asked but Jane shook her head.
"No. Because once you go there, you never get out," Jane said darkly.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered as the past viewers all looked horrified at the thought.
The Doctor notes her strange choice of meeting place and the woman says she was told to intrigue him. The Doctor looks out at the city, noting this is Skaro, the Dalek's home planet. He makes a disdainful comment about its condition before asking the woman who told her about him. She is evasive and The Doctor notes how well informed she is.
"Too well informed," Jack muttered, alarm bells going off in his head. "It doesn't add up. How did she get all this information."
"It's a trap," Donna realized in horror.
"A trap by the Daleks on their home planet. Sadistic enough that it could only be a trap by them," Martha muttered grimly.
The Doctor asks why she isn't with her daughter in the camp and she claims she escaped. The Doctor laughs, knowing better than that. He feels the woman's hands and face, feeling how cold she is and realizing that she's a trap without even knowing it. The Doctor backs up before a Dalek eyestalk comes out of the woman's forehead.
"What the bloody Hell?!" Mickey exclaimed as the past viewers looked at the screen in shock and horror.
"What is she?" Jack asked in horror.
"Dad called them Dalek Puppets. They were humans that had been partially converted into Daleks. The Daleks used them for infiltration or traps like this, restoring their human memories temporarily until they served their purpose," Jane explained.
"Like a Dalek Sleeper Agent," Martha muttered.
"Oi," Donna said weakly.
"Just when I thought the Daleks couldn't sink any lower," Jack said in an almost growl.
A Dalek gun comes out of her hand and shoots The Doctor. He goes down to the ground, out cold. A Dalek ship then flies into view, declaring that The Doctor has been acquired.
"Doctor," Wilf said lowly as the past viewers stared, worried for their friend.
At Amy and Rory's house, Amy is doing a photo shoot when a young man walks up behind the photographers, gesturing for Amy. Amy tells the photographers she'll be a minute before walking up to the young man. He tells Amy that her husband is here and she says that she doesn't have a husband.
"What? Wilf said in surprise, something that was shared by the other past viewers.
"Okay, didn't see that coming," Jack admitted, wondering what could have happened.
"But…they were so in love," Donna said in disbelief and Jane grimaced.
"It'll make sense in a bit," Jane said lowly.
The young man says she still does and she shoots him a glare. Amy walks into her dressing room, where Rory is sitting at her makeup station. He holds up some papers, stiffly telling Amy he needs her to sign them. Amy asks if then they're not married and he says just like magic as Amy takes them and easily signs them.
"Well clearly something happened," Martha muttered, wondering what could have driven Amy and Rory apart if everything else hadn't already.
"Had to be something pretty big," Mickey noted, not having thought anything could tear the Ponds apart.
"You have no idea," Jane said darkly, thinking of what they would soon learn about what had actually happened at Demon's Run.
Amy hands the papers back to Rory, saying she has work to do. Rory calls it pouting at a camera before walking out. Amy looks hurt before calling out to Rory. But Rory ignores her, nearly bumping into a woman on his way out. Amy doesn't notice as a light bulb flashes behind her. The woman asks Amy if she was interrupting but Amy is dismissive. The woman says Amy's gone pale but promises she'll sort it out. Amy sits down at the makeup station and notices the flashing lights. Hearing a noise behind her, Amy turns around to see an eyestalk come out of the makeup artist's forehead. "Amelia Pond is acquired!" A Dalek's voice says before shooting Amy.
"And now they've got Amy to," Martha said horrified.
"Then this isn't just revenge," Jack said as he narrowed his eyes. "They need The Doctor for something."
"What makes you say that?" Wilf asked confused.
"Because Amy was out of the way," this came from Donna. "Whenever we've been in danger by the Daleks it's been because of their invasions or because we were with The Doctor. But they already have The Doctor, there's no reason to take Amy now."
"Except leverage," Mickey said, already having figured it out as well. "They know how much his companions mean to Boss. Taking Amy was a strategic move."
On the street, Rory walks onto a bus. He sits down, not noticing the driver eying him. Hearing a noise, Rory looks up to see an eyestalk in the rear view mirror. "Rory Williams is acquired," A Dalek says before light fills the bus.
"Whatever the Daleks want, they must be desperate to take both Amy and Rory," Jack mused.
"They're scared," Donna realized. "They're panicking and so they turned to the one thing they fear more, The Doctor."
"I almost don't want to know what could scare the Daleks so much," Mickey muttered but knew he was about to find out whether he wanted to or not.
Rory wakes up to find himself in a white room, Amy standing a few feet away. He asks where they are and Amy gestures towards a window. Rory walks towards it, stunned to see they're in space and a legion of Dalek ships are in front of them. Rory asks how much trouble are they in before the doors open. Amy and Rory whirl around as The Doctor is led in by two Dalek. The Doctor answers Rory's question by saying 11 out of 10. The ceiling then opens and the trio look around wildly as the floor begins moving up. When it reaches the top, the trio realized that they're surrounded by hundreds of Daleks.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered as the past viewers stared at the screen in horror.
"There's no way out and no way for The Doctor to get himself, Amy and Rory off the ship alive without the TARDIS," Jack immediately noticed.
"Even if he did have the TARDIS, the chance of The Doctor being able to get both Amy and Rory out of there without one of them getting killed is very slim," Martha pointed out. "The Daleks planned this out perfectly."
"The only thing the Spaceman can do now is find out what the Daleks want," Donna muttered as they all watched uneasily.
"May God help him," Wilf said softly.
Amy asks if they're on a spaceship and The Doctor explains it's no ordinary ship, but the Parliament of the Daleks. The Doctor tells Amy and Rory to be brave and to make them remember them. The Doctor then walks forward, saying they have him at long last. The Doctor throws out his arms and closes his eyes, preparing to be killed. But, to his surprise a Dalek orders him to save them. The Doctor is confused and Dalek Supreme says he will save them, a cry which is then echoed by the other Daleks. "Well, this is new," The Doctor notes.
"Okay, I really was not expecting that," Jack said, all of the past viewers taken aback by this. "You were right Donna; they want The Doctor's help."
"But what could scare the Daleks this much?" Donna wondered uneasily.
"Spoilers," Jane said with a tight smile.
In an unknown room, music is playing. A young woman is boarding up a steel wall as she narrates, calling this day 363. She throws away a burned soufflé before checking the defenses, mentioning how the Daleks came again last night. The woman is then seen lying in a hammock, talking into a voice recorder. She wishes her Mum happy birthday before there is a banging on the door, a Dalek demanding to be let in. The woman turns up the music in an attempt to drown them out and holds her ears.
"What the bloody Hell is this?" Mickey asked as the past viewers looked at the screen in bewilderment.
"How did we get from the Spaceman and others being taken captive to…whatever this is? Who is this woman and why haven't the Daleks been able to burst down a door?" Donna wondered.
"Spoilers," Jane said and the way in which she said it spoke volumes.
"Not a fan I take it," Jack noted and she smiled tightly.
"Soon, neither will you Jack," Jane said, making them wonder what was so bad about this woman.
Amy and Rory are watching The Doctor pace, Rory wondering what he's doing. Amy explains The Doctor is calculating how many Daleks there and how many exits, along with the distance Amy and Rory are standing apart, which worries him. The Doctor frowns and Amy mockingly impersonates The Doctor wondering how he can fix Amy and Rory.
"If only it were that simple Spaceman," Donna sighed.
Jane managed a slight smile, unseen to the others. Why he couldn't fix everything, her father had at the least been able to force Amy and Rory to confront their issues.
The Doctor straightens his bowtie before a voice declares they have arrived. The woman The Doctor met earlier gestures him over to the Dalek Prime Minister.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered as they all caught sight of the Prime Minister.
"So this is the ultimate leader of the Daleks," Jack noted in a tone of disgusted fascination. "He's as horrifying as I imagined."
"I feel as though I'm staring into the face of the devil," Wilf muttered with a shudder.
"Probably the closest thing you'll ever get," Jane noted darkly.
On his way over, The Doctor asks the woman if she remembers her life before but she says her memories are only reactivated for missions. The Doctor reminds her she had a daughter but the woman is unmoved, gesturing again to the Dalek Prime Minister. The Doctor walks up to the Prime Minister, who asks what The Doctor knows of the Dalek Asylum. The Doctor notes it's a dumping ground for the Daleks that go wrong, according to legend. The Doctor notes it never made any sense to him, as the Daleks would just kill them. But the Prime Minster explains its offensive to them to extinguish such 'divine beauty'.
"They actually consider abominations that even they can't stand beautiful?" Jack asked with a humorless laugh, disgust rolling off him in waves. "I was wrong, they can sink lower."
"Daleks would see that as beautiful," Martha said with a scoff.
"Only truly evil beings such as them find hate beautiful," Wilf said in a surprisingly dark voice.
The Doctor scoffs and the Prime Minster asks if he's surprised they have a concept of beauty. The Doctor is disgusted that they consider hatred beautiful and the Prime Minister notes that may be why they've never been able to kill The Doctor.
"Oi! Now you're just trying to make him angry," Donna snapped as she glared at the screen.
"The reason you haven't been able to beat Boss is because he's better than you. Don't delude yourself," Mickey said angrily as he glared at the screen as well.
"They're taunting him, knowing how he can get when he's emotional. Let's just hope we don't get a repeat of when they were counting on that," Jack said uneasily, hoping The Doctor could control his emotions this time,
The Doctor stiffens when a hole opens up in the floor where Amy and Rory are standing. They step away from it as The Doctor makes his way over. The woman explains the Asylum occupies the entire planet as the trio looks into the hole. A planet is seen.
"So they lock up the Daleks so bad even they can't control them on another planet," Martha muttered.
"Which begs the question why they brought The Doctor there," Jack mused, all of them wondering the same thing.
The Doctor asks how many Daleks are in there and the woman says an account hasn't been made but they estimate millions at least. The Doctor asks if they're still alive and the woman says they assume so. The woman explains the Asylum is fully automated and without supervision. Amy asks if they're armed and the woman says a Dalek is always armed. Rory asks what color and they look over at him. "Sorry, there weren't any good questions left."
"Oh Rory," Martha said with a light laugh as Mickey snickered.
"Way to break the tension mate," Mickey snickered.
The woman explains they're receiving a signal from the heart of the Asylum when they hear the music the young woman was playing. A noise is then heard and a Dalek demands to know what it is. But it was merely The Doctor, playing the triangle after getting caught up in the music.
"Not the Time Spaceman," Donna muttered.
"So this woman is down on the planet with the worst of the worst of the Daleks," Martha muttered.
"Seems that way," Jack said lowly, feeling something off about this but unable to put his finger on exactly what.
The Doctor walks up to the Dalek's device, asking if they've considered tracing the signal back and talking to them. Silence greets him and The Doctor remembers who he's talking to. The Doctor traces back the signal and calls out to 'Carmen'. She quickly rushes over to the controls and The Doctor tells her to identify herself and give her status. She asks if he's real and he confirms he is. The woman identifies herself as Oswin Oswald, the entertainment manager aboard a starship that crashed into the Asylum a year ago.
"A year? She's been there a year?" Martha exclaimed as the past viewers looked at the screen in shock.
"That poor woman," Wilf said in sympathy.
"How did she survive for over a year?" Jack asked as he narrowed his eyes. "It should be impossible."
"And in a year, the Daleks haven't managed to bust down that door? It doesn't add up," Donna noted in bewilderment.
"It will," Jane said with a heavy sigh.
While she hated the Siren, Clara had ultimately just been another victim of the Siren, the same as her father had been. She didn't deserve what had happened to her.
The Doctor is impressed; asking if she's okay. She says she's been under attack by some local life forms but she's been keeping them out. She confirms she knows they're Daleks and The Doctor suspiciously asks what she's been doing on her own against Daleks for a year. Oswin says making Soufflés and The Doctor laughs before Dalek Supreme interrupts, calling the conversation irrelevant. Oswin loses the signal as The Doctor argues that if Oswin can get into the Asylum, then everything else can get out. The Doctor points out even they don't want the Daleks getting out of the Asylum.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey muttered as the past viewers all imagined the horrifying possibility.
"If those Daleks got…" Donna trailed off in horror.
"It would be the start of another Time War," Jack said paling at the thought.
"Even the Daleks can't want that," Wilf said in fear.
"Which is why they called The Doctor," Martha realized. "Who better to stop this than their most hated enemy?"
The Dalek notes the Asylum must be cleansed and The Doctor demands why it's still here, as they have enough power to destroy it. The woman explains the force field around the Asylum is impenetrable and The Doctor demands they turn it off. But the force field can only be turned off from the inside.
"Always a catch, isn't there?" Mickey grumbled.
"That's why they need The Doctor, so they can send him in and turn off the force field," Martha realized.
"And then kill him along with the planet," Donna said darkly.
"Typical Daleks," Jack said grimly.
The Doctor says a small task force can get in, telling them to send a few Daleks before he realizes the Daleks are too scared to go into the Asylum. He claps sarcastically and asks what a Dalek does when it's too scared. "The Predator of the Daleks will be deployed," A Dalek says. The Doctor says they don't have one but doesn't understand why it would turn off the force field. The Prime Minister says he will have no other means of escape and the woman clarifies that 'Predator' is the Dalek word for The Doctor.
"They really are afraid of him," Martha said, surprised by this although she wasn't sure why.
"Makes sense. The Doctor had gone hunting for them more than once, tried wiping them all out more times than even he could count. They would see him as a predator," Jack mused.
"But he won't like that," Donna noted.
The Doctor is in disbelief as a wristband is placed around his wrist. The woman explains it will protect him from the nanocloud. The Doctor is confused as two Dalek puppets escort him back to Amy and Rory. The woman explains the gravity beam will get them close to the source as it comes out of the hole in the floor. The Doctor is in disbelief that their plan is to fire him at a planet. Rory points out that's kind of The Doctor's MO and The Doctor tells him not to be fair to the Daleks. The Doctor then notices Amy and Rory are fitted with wristbands as well and a Dalek says they know The Doctor has companions.
"So this was their plan all along. Make sure The Doctor has no choice but to comply and then send Amy and Rory to die with him," Martha said as they all saw where this all headed.
"A final 'screw you' to Boss," Mickey said darkly.
"Doctor, you have your work cut out for you," Jack muttered, wondering how they would get out of this one.
Rory groans as The Doctor says not to be scared. "Scared? Who's scared? Geronimo," Amy quips. The Doctor laughs before the three of them are pushed into the hole. The three scream as they fall towards the Asylum, Amy crying for Rory as he falls face first below her. A man in a snowsuit is using a power tool on a piece of equipment when he sees three beams of light fall to the ground. He drops the tool and rushes towards the lights.
"Apparently there's another survivor on the planet," Wilf noted.
"Yeah, but how has he evaded the Daleks?" Jack wondered suspiciously. "Things just aren't making sense."
"It will," Jane repeated.
The man finds Amy lying in a heap of snow, unconscious. He nears her as Amy wakes up. He asks if she's okay and Amy gets up, looking around wildly for Rory and The Doctor. The man introduces himself as Harvey but Amy runs away from him. Harvey quickly follows her. Elsewhere, a robotic eye rises out of the ground, looking around. It spots The Doctor lying in the snow and he spots the eye before 'Carmen' begins playing.
"Well, on the bright side, Oswin seems to have found The Doctor," Wilf said optimistically.
"Yeah, but Amy's alone with, Harvey was it? I don't know, I just don't like it," Donna said, unable to shake the feeling.
"Me either. Too many things don't add up," Jack agreed.
"Let's just focus on the fact they're alive right now," Martha said, although she shared their feelings.
Things were not adding up.
The Doctor looks at the eye in confusion before the music stops and Oswin apologizes for hitting the wrong switch. The Doctor recognizes Oswin's voice and she tells him to call her Oswin. He asks if she's alright, noting this is Dalek technology and Oswin says it's easy to hack.
"Daleks, easy to hack? What is this girl?" Jack wondered, his suspicions growing.
"Spoilers," Jane said with a tight smile.
The Doctor argues with that, asking where she is. Oswin says the ship broke up when it hit and she's underground. She asks if The Doctor is coming to get her before they hear Amy's voice. The signal begins to cut out and Oswin tries to get it back. The Doctor turns around to see Amy and Harvey. The Doctor asks where Rory is and Harvey points them to the direction of the other beam. The Doctor and Amy begin running towards it and Harvey follows after them, asking if they're the rescue team.
"So apparently Harvey crashed there," Martha muttered.
"Could it be the same crash that brought Oswin there?" Wilf wondered.
"That would mean he also survived out there for a year. Oswin is one thing, but him? I don't see it," Jack dismissed, wondering what was going on.
"Well he had to get there somehow Immortal Man," Donna snapped.
"I'm not denying that, I'm saying things don't make sense," Jack said as he narrowed his eyes. "They need to find Rory, get Oswin and get out of there."
As Oswin tries to get the signal back, The Doctor, Amy and Harvey find a hole in the ground where Rory's beam struck. Amy worriedly calls out for Rory. Several miles below, Rory wakes up as something drips down onto him. Rory jumps up, realizing he's surrounded by Daleks.
"Bloody Hell!" Mickey exclaimed as the past viewers stared at the screen in horror.
"Rory," Wilf said worriedly.
"Why isn't he dead?" Donna wondered.
"I'm sure Rory appreciates your concern Donna," Mickey said sarcastically.
"No, she's right. Rory was unconscious and surrounded by Daleks. They had plenty of time to either take him captive or kill him. S0 why didn't they?" Jack wondered as they all stared at the screen curiously.
As Rory gets up, he realizes they're not attacking him. Wearily, he touches one and jumps back but nothing happens. Rory pushes it and it rolls away slightly before stopping. It's deactivated. Rory then takes out a small light and begins walking.
"Rory caught a lucky break for once," Martha said as they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Landing in a room of discarded Daleks could only be a lucky break on this world," Jack said grimly.
"Which is why they need to find each other and get out as quickly as they can," Mickey pointed out and Jack nodded.
"I agree, but I doubt it will be that easy," Jack noted as they all watched the screen uneasily.
Harvey explains to Amy and The Doctor that he and twelve others came down 2 days ago as they reach the ship. He opens it up and Amy pushes aside some snow, revealing the name Alaska. Recognizing it as the same ship as Oswin, The Doctor realizes there's something wrong as Harvey climbs into the ship.
"So you were right, it is from the same crash," Mickey noted and Jack nodded.
"And it really doesn't make sense. Oswin said they'd been there a year but Harvey thinks it was days. Something is wrong," Jack said as the past viewers eyed the screen wearily.
"Be careful Spaceman," Donna whispered uneasily
The Doctor and Amy follow Harvey into the ship as Harvey begins looking for some equipment. The Doctor asks if he won't introduce them to his crew and Harvey does. However, the introductions are met with silence. The Doctor walks over to a crewmember and taps them on the head. It is only a skeleton.
"Oi!" Donna exclaimed as they all stared at the screen in shock and horror.
"Apparently it was a lot longer than two days," Jack noted grimly.
"How can he not remember?" Donna wondered before Martha's eyes widened in realization.
"Because it's a trap," Martha whispered. "Just like it was in the beginning."
"He's a Dalek puppet," Mickey realized.
"Brilliant," Donna grumbled. "Run Spaceman."
Harvey is horrified as The Doctor scans the crew; informing Harvey they're all dead. Harvey is in disbelief, insisting he spoke to them two hours ago. The Doctor pulls back the hoods of the crew, telling Harvey they've been dead for a very long time. Harvey still doesn't understand as Amy points out they didn't get like this in two hours. Harvey's demeanor then changes and he tells Amy he died outside and the cold preserved his body before an eyestalk comes out of his forehead.
"I hate being right," Martha grumbled.
"And I hate when you're right," Mickey muttered as they all watched tense.
The Doctor sprays Harvey with a fire extinguisher and he stumbles out of the room. At The Doctor's order, Amy pushes a button and a door comes down, locking Harvey outside. Amy asks how Harvey got 'Daleked' and The Doctor explains because he wasn't wearing a wristband. The Doctor realizes the nanocloud is microorganisms that convert any organic matter into a Dalek puppet, living or dead.
"The entire planet is designed to make sure no one gets out, even converting anyone that possibly arrives into Dalek puppets," Jack realized. "The Daleks went to extremes to make sure these Daleks weren't able to escape."
"Which is why they had to give The Doctor and the others those wrist bands," Martha noted and Jack nodded.
"If the nanocloud converts humans into Dalek Puppets, how is Oswin still here?" Wilf wondered.
"That…is a very good question Gramps," Donna mused.
"Can't be a trap. They would know that the Daleks would sooner blow up the planet," Mickey pointed out.
"Things aren't adding up. It's a puzzle with pieces that don't fit," Jack said as ne narrowed his eyes in concentration. "What is going on here?"
Amy becomes alarmed as The Doctor continues to ramble. She snaps at him to shut up, asking if it coverts dead things. The Doctor confirms it before realizing what Amy is getting at. They look over as the skeletons become reanimated, eyestalks coming out of their foreheads.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey breathed as they looked on in horror.
"It converts bloody skeletons?!" Donna exclaimed in alarm.
"Apparently. Even things that were once alive became Dalek Puppets," Jack said in horrified astonishment.
"The Daleks don't do anything halfway," Jane said with a shrug.
The Doctor frantically looks for a way out before spotting an exit behind the Dalek Skeletons. The Doctor jumps, kicking a skeleton and opening the door. Amy runs over as they exit the room only for one of the skeletons to grab Amy's wrist. The Doctor grabs onto Amy before kicking the skeleton. It goes back into the room and The Doctor closes the door.
"At least they're safe now," Mickey said with a sigh.
"As safe as they can be surrounded by insane Daleks and Dalek puppets," Martha said dryly.
"Just find Rory and figure a way out of this mess Spaceman," Donna muttered uneasily.
They take a moment to breath and Amy admits she's missed this. The Doctor and Amy laugh before Oswin's voice comes on the intercom. The Doctor tells her to shut up and she mocks his chin. The Doctor defensively asks what's wrong with his chin and she makes a sarcastic comment before saying they're in one of the escape pods of the Alaska and they have power. The Doctor wonders how she can hack into everything from a cracked ship.
"Another good question, another thing that doesn't make sense," Jack muttered.
"Hacking the Daleks is next to impossible under good circumstances, but it's a fool's errand under these," Donna agreed, some of The Doctor's knowledge on Daleks still remaining.
"It is quite a mystery," Wilf agreed, wondering how Oswin was doing all this.
Oswin asks if there's a word that means 'total screaming genius' that sounds sexy and modest. The Doctor says to call him The Doctor. Oswin laughs before receiving an alert. She tells them to check the floor, as she sees a breach which could be a way out. The Doctor moves some equipment aside to reveal a hatch. The Doctor notes it's been used already, realizing the Daleks tried block it off. The Doctor realizes the hatch goes straight down into the Asylum and Amy realizes that's where Rory is. Since she brought it up, The Doctor mentions what's going on between them. Incredulous that he wants to do this now, Amy admits they split up. The Doctor asks what he can do to help but Amy tells him this isn't something he can fix like his bowtie.
Despite the situation, Jane fought the urge to laugh. Because that was exactly what her father had done.
Amy should really know better than to doubt her father by now.
"After everything they've been through, it was life that tore them apart?" Donna asked in disbelief, breaking Jane out of her thoughts.
"No, a bit more than life," Jane said with a dark look on her face. "It'll make sense in a bit."
"So far, nothing is making any sense," Martha grumbled.
The Doctor gives Amy a sad look and she tells him life goes on when he isn't there. The Doctor then opens the hatch and they see a ladder, realizing someone else has already gone down there. Hearing banging, Amy and The Doctor walk up to a monitor where they see the Dalek Skeletons banging on the other side of the door. They are confused when they see one of the skeletons has a wristband before Amy looks down to see hers is gone. The Doctor is horrified as Amy asks what's going to happen to her. They look over at the monitor and watch the Dalek Skeletons.
"No no no," Donna began pleading as they all realized what was about to happen.
"Amy," Wilf whispered horrified.
"What's gonna happen to her?" Mickey asked softly, although he had a good idea.
"She'll slowly start losing her memories, then her emotions save for anger and hate. And eventually…" Jane trailed off but they understood.
"No. She can't…" Martha trailed off, not wanting to believe it.
Jack remained silent, wondering if this was it. If this was the loss that had broken The Doctor.
Down below, Rory is walking when he comes across some more deactivated Daleks. He examines one curiously before backing up. He accidently knocks over a piece of metal behind him and one of the Daleks comes back online.
"Oh bloody brilliant!" Donna exclaimed as they all watched tense.
"Between this and Amy, this could not get worse," Mickey groaned.
It whirls its head and several of the other Daleks come back online as well. It repeats 'eggs' to Rory's confusion. Rory picks up a ball, thinking it wants it as another Dalek sputters and Rory drops the ball, realizing it means exterminate. The Daleks then begin firing at Rory. Rory dodges as he tries to outrun them. Oswin's voice then directs him towards the door at the end of the room and Rory makes a break for it. He dodges a few more beams as the door opens slightly. Rory slides under it, getting out before the door closes back up.
"Thank the Lord," Wilf said as they all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Rory's safe, for now at least. Which is more than we can say for The Doctor and Amy," Jack said grimly.
"You just had to remind us," Donna grumbled as tension returned to the room.
Rory breathes a sigh of relief before Oswin introduces herself. Rory introduces himself before Oswin begins flirting with him. She tells him she's doing it to keep Rory cheerful. Hearing banging on the door and the Daleks, Rory quickly moves on, telling Oswin she can start flirting with him again. The Doctor and Amy are climbing down the ladder, Amy demanding The Doctor tell her what's going to happen to her. The Doctor admits that now that Amy is unprotected, she's being rebuilt and Amy asks if she'll get an eyestalk. The Doctor says physical changes will come later and Amy pesters him about what comes first. The Doctor says her mind and memories will change and it's already started, as they've had this conversation four times.
"They're already losing her," Martha said softly as they all watched the screen in horror.
"Don't count Amy out just yet. She's come back from worse," Jane pointed out.
"Yeah, but now there's not a whole lot Boss or Rory can do to help her," Mickey muttered and Jane smiled. "…Boss has a plan, doesn't he?"
"Do you ever need to ask?" Jane asked with a giggle.
"Well hurry up and get to it then Spaceman," Donna grumbled.
Amy says she scared and The Doctor tells her to hold onto that, as Daleks can't feel fear. Elsewhere, Rory is walking down a corridor when his light starts going out. Oswin starts flirting with him again and Rory gives a sarcastic response. She calls Rory and The Doctor 'the nose and the chin', noting they could fence.
"Well that's rather rude," Wilf noted.
"I think she's just trying to distract him," Mickey noted.
Or the Siren was taunting Rory from within Clara's echo, Jane mused. But she really had no proof of that.
Rory becomes annoyed before Oswin directs him to a door behind him. The door opens up and Rory quickly heads inside. The door closes and Oswin tells him he's safe before telling him to take his shirt of. Rory asks what for and she asks if there has to be a reason.
"Oi!" Donna exclaimed, looking offended on Rory's behalf. "He's not a piece of meat!"
"What the Bloody Hell?" Mickey asked as he looked at the screen oddly.
"I think that's distracting a bit too far even for my taste," Jack said as he raised an eyebrow.
Yeah, he was a flirt, he knew it, and he wasn't opposed to stealing the occasional kiss from someone. But he'd never go out of his way to make someone uncomfortable like that.
"Is this usual in this day?" Wilf asked uncomfortably.
"No, it really isn't," Martha said with an angry look. "It's woman like her that make those of us who don't like being objectified look bad."1
Jane was silent, wondering whether or not this was the echo or the Siren before ultimately deciding it didn't matter.
The Doctor leads Amy into the room Rory had escaped earlier. Hearing the voice of the Daleks, The Doctor closes the door and tells Amy not to open it no matter what. He walks a bit away, calling out to Oswin as Amy clutches her temple. Oswin says she has a visual on him and The Doctor wonders why he can't see her. Oswin says she has limited power before directing him to a door on his left. The Doctor opens it to reveal a screen and Oswin says she's going to bring a map up on it. Oswin tells him she found Rory, to The Doctor's relief and she can get them to Rory. Amy looks into the room, seeing an unknown man. In a trance, Amy enters the room, whispering for The Doctor.
"This doesn't feel right," Donna muttered, unable to shake the uneasy feeling that had suddenly come over her.
"I agree. Things have felt off this whole but this…it feels like some sort of dream," Jack said before the realization hit him. "It's the nanocloud, it's messing with Amy's mind, playing tricks on her."
"It can do that?" Mickey asked startled.
"Apparently," Martha muttered as they watched the screen uneasily.
As Amy enters the room, she sees various people around her, dancing. Seeing a red haired girl dancing, Amy smiles.
Messing with Amy's mind or probing her subconscious, Jane thought with a scowl. The red haired girl was either Amy's version of a young Melody or a second daughter that Amy and Rory would never have.
Out in the corridor, The Doctor asks how many Daleks are ahead of them. Oswin says they were around ten or twenty, informing him some are catatonic but have firepower. The Doctor then sees Amy has entered the room and quickly runs over. Amy assures him it's just people but The Doctor says it's the nanocloud, telling her to look again. Amy does and is horrified to see multiple Daleks in front of her.
"Brilliant, and now they're surrounded," Donna groaned as they all watched tense.
"Run you two," Martha pleaded softly.
The Doctor and Amy run out of the room and towards the ladder only to see the Dalek Skeletons climbing down. But they turn back to see a Dalek beginning to head out of the room. The Doctor and Amy take cover behind a wall and the Dalek begins to lose power. The Doctor pokes his head out and realizes it's damaged. The Doctor steps out, demanding it identify him. Accessing its files, the Dalek identifies him as the Predator. The Doctor demands it access its orders concerning him and it declares he must be destroyed. The Doctor mocks it, calling it a tricycle with a roof. The Dalek then activates the self-destruct sequence.
"Of course the Daleks have a self-destruct sequence," Mickey groaned.
"The Doctor has to know that, why egg it on?" Martha wondered uneasily.
"Isn't it obvious?" Jack asked, grinning when they all turned to him. "Just watch, I think it'll become clear soon enough."
Amy is horrified as The Doctor scans the Dalek, explaining it's the only weapon it has left. He lifts the dome as the Daleks says self-destruct can't be countermanded. But The Doctor isn't looking for a countermand; he's looking for a reverse. The Dalek suddenly flies back; crashing into the other Daleks before it explodes. The building rocks and Rory and Oswin both look around startled. Rory asks what that was before running out of the room. He finds the destroyed Daleks and calls out for Oswin, wondering who killed the Daleks. The Doctor then walks into the room, carrying the unconscious Amy. "Who do you think?"
"Of course, now it makes sense," Martha said as they realized The Doctor's plan.
"He couldn't outrun them, so he decided to take them all out. Brilliant Spaceman," Donna said with a smile.
"That's one problem taken care. But they still need to save Amy and get out of there," Jack noted, not relaxing as the recording continued.
The Doctor and Rory move Amy to the room Oswin had directed Rory to. They lay her down, Rory wondering if sleeping will slow down the process. Oswin points out they better hope because Amy will try to kill them. Amy comes to with a groan and Rory asks if she remembers him. In response, Amy slaps him.
"She's fine," Mickey said with a slight grin.
"Same old Amy. Now they just have to keep it that way," Martha muttered, wondering how The Doctor was going to do that.
Rory and The Doctor agree Amy is fine as Oswin says to create a Dalek you subtract love and add anger. She notes Amy seems angry and Amy says Oswin has obliviously never been to Scotland. The Doctor wonders why Oswin hasn't been converted by the nanocloud and Oswin says she's shielded in her room.
"So she was able to come up with a shield with the nanocloud messing with her head?" Martha wondered skeptically.
"No one can do it that quickly," Donna declared and Jack nodded his agreement.
"I agree. Either Oswin is keeping something from them, or something else is going on here," Jack narrowed his eyes, wondering what he was missing.
The Doctor points out this place is a wreck despite the Daleks telling him it was fully automated. Oswin says she's had a year to do little else but mess with the Daleks. The Doctor, impressed, asks where she gets the milk to make her soufflés, to Amy and Rory's disbelief.
"How does she get the milk? How did she survive a whole year on nothing but soufflés?" Martha wondered, the unease returning. "It doesn't make sense."
"It will soon enough," Jane promised, a dark look crossing her face.
The Doctor asks if anyone else is wondering about that and Rory says no. Oswin says the Daleks have The Doctor all over their database and asks why he's called the predator. The Doctor says he's merely a man with a plan. The Doctor then explains they need to neutralize the Daleks, save Oswin and fix Amy and Rory's marriage. Amy calls them all lost causes and Rory looks away.
"Ouch Amy," Mickey muttered.
"She seems completely hell-bent on pushing Rory away," Jack narrowed his eyes. "Aside from that moment at the beginning, she's done everything she can to kill any hope either Rory or The Doctor had of fixing things between her and Rory."
"What's your point Jack?" Martha inquired.
"My point is something happened that made Amy determined to destroy her marriage. I think the question we need to be asking is what," Jack said as they all looked at the screen curiously.
"It'll make sense soon enough," Jane said with a sad smile.
The Doctor points out there's a Dalek ship in orbit, which Oswin has on the sensors. The Doctor reveals the Daleks are waiting for him to turn off the force field so they can burn the planet with them on it. He asks how quickly Oswin can drop the force field. Oswin says pretty fast but wonders why she would. The Doctor points out this is a teleport and The Doctor walks over to the center, using his screwdriver to boost the power. Once the force field is down, they can use the teleport to get off this planet.
"They can get off the planet before it blows and then get to the TARDIS. Not a bad escape plan," Jack said impressed.
"Except it depends on Oswin's cooperation. And she'll want to leave," Martha pointed out.
"So Boss has to get passed any remaining Daleks and get to her and get back so she can do this," Mickey summed up.
"Spaceman, really hope you can pull this off," Donna muttered hopefully.
"He's The Doctor. If anyone can, it's him," Wilf said confidently.
"Let's hope so," Jack muttered,
Rory argues that the Daleks will burn the planet and The Doctor agrees they'll have to be quick. Amy asks where they'll teleport to and The Doctor says the only option is to teleport to the Dalek ship.
"Okay, now that's a horrible plan," Jack immediately said.
"So they can survive a second longer only for the Daleks to kill them? Spaceman, what are you thinking?" Donna asked in exasperation.
"The TARDIS," Jane said and they look over at her. "The Daleks took that to, it's on the ship."
"I understand now," Martha said as The Doctor's plan became clear. "Teleport to where the TARDIS is and get off the ship before the Daleks can come after them."
"It's only a matter of timing then. Good luck Doctor," Jack muttered, hoping The Doctor would be able to pull it off.
Amy and Rory disagree with the plan but The Doctor ignores them, asking Oswin how fast she can drop the force field. She says she can do so as soon as they come and get her. The Doctor tells her to drop it and come to them but she refuses, not believing they'd wait for her before activating the teleport. She sends The Doctor a map, telling him to come get her. Rory argues the place is crawling with Daleks and Oswin points out that's why she's anxious to leave. The Doctor receives the map and Rory asks if they're going to go get Oswin. The Doctor notes it doesn't look like they have a choice. Owsin sits down in her room and waits.
"Exactly as we thought. Only way out of this is to get Oswin," Martha muttered.
"Brilliant. Doctor, how do you always end up in these situations?" Donna asked in exasperation.
"Part of the job description," Jack noted dryly as they watched the screen uneasily.
The Doctor hands Rory the controls to the teleport and tells them to leave if it gets 'too explodey'. Rory argues against leaving The Doctor but The Doctor points out Rory will be the one on a Dalek ship. Rory sarcastically says he loves this plan as The Doctor does some work on the teleport. Rory asks about Amy and The Doctor tells him to keep her remembering as it'll hold back the conversion. Amy asks what she does and he reminds her what Oswin said about subtracting love, telling her not to let them. As The Doctor begins making his way through the ship, Rory paces back and forth before telling Amy he's going to be cold and logical for both of their sakes. He tells her that he's going to take his wristband off and put it on hers.
"And that helps how exactly?" Donna asked as several pairs of eyes stared at the screen in disbelief.
"That is not a solution Rory," Martha muttered, wondering what Rory was playing at.
Jane grimaced. While she understood Rory's thought process, especially given the current state of his and Amy's relationship, this was undoubtedly Rory at his most self-righteous.
Amy argues Rory converting isn't better but Rory says it will take longer with him. Amy is confused as Rory reminds her it subtracts love. Amy still doesn't understand and Rory stammers. "Amy, basic fact of our relationship is that I love you more than you love me," Rory finally says.
"Ouch mate," Mickey muttered.
"Considering that Amy seems determined to push him away, I can't blame him for feeling that way. But still," Martha muttered, wondering how Amy would react to that.
"I'm not sure the nanocloud works like that anyway," Jack mused. "But points for effort Rory."
Rory says this will save both of their lives as Amy, hurt, demands to know how he can say that. Rory reminds her of waiting 2, 000 years waiting for her before trying to take Amy's wrist. She yanks it back before slapping Rory, tearfully telling him to never say that. Rory argues that she kicked him out. "You want kids! You have always wanted kids! Ever since you were a kid! And I can't have them!" Amy sobs.
"Oi! What?!" Donna exclaimed as the past viewers looked at the screen in shock and disbelief and Jane grimaced.
"Wait for it," Jane muttered.
Amy confesses that whatever they had done to her at Demon's Run had left her unable to carry a child. "I didn't kick you out, I gave you up," Amy says, cutting off Rory's attempts to speak. "Don't you dare talk to me about waiting outside a box because that is nothing Rory, nothing compared to giving you up!"
"I guess it makes sense now," Martha said as the pieces all clicked into place. "Amy felt like Rory would resent her one day, so she pushed him away instead."
"And she didn't think she should talk to him about this?" Donna said in disbelief, not sure whether to be angry or just sad.
"Women who suffer fertility issues experience feelings of depression and inadequacy. And I'm not a therapist, but I think Amy is also showing some signs of PTSD," Martha noted, having seen many people who had suffered from it while working with UNIT.
"Her abandonment issues probably don't help," Mickey muttered and Martha nodded.
"I can't say I agree with Amy's action, but from an outside perspective, I can understand it as a doctor," Martha said with a sigh. "My heart just breaks for both of them."
"Rory felt she didn't love him enough and Amy felt like she couldn't make him happy," Wilf said softly, his own heart breaking it two.
As everyone else merely felt sad for Amy and Rory, a dark look crossed Jack's face as he felt his rage at Kovarian increase. It wasn't enough that she had taken Melody, she had also taken any future children Amy and Rory might have as well. It was time to revisit his ideas about what he would to her upon their return to their own time.
Rory once again tries to take Amy's arm but she tries to push him off. However, they both freeze as they realize something. They look down to see Amy already has a wristband on her wrist.
"What the Bloody Hell?" Mickey exclaimed as the past viewers looked at the screen in shock.
"How…what?" Donna exclaimed in bewilderment.
"Just wait," Jane said with a smile.
They realize that The Doctor had put his on Amy while she was sleeping and Amy realizes he never even needed it. Rory wonders why he didn't just tell them as Amy looks at a monitor, which shows The Doctor fixing his bowtie.
"Spaceman, you are brilliant," Donna laughed as they all put it together.
"Who wants to bet he knew exactly what Rory would do?" Jack asked with a smirk.
"He's Dad. Of course he did," Jane said with a smile.
"That is one way to force them to talk about their issues. Well done Doctor," Martha smiled.
The Doctor calls out to Oswin, saying he's close. Oswin looks at the monitor and tells him he's less than twenty feet away, calling this good news. The bad news is that he's about to pass through Intensive Care. The Doctor walks into a room where he sees several deactivated Daleks. The Doctor asks what's so special about these Daleks and Oswin says they're survivors of particular wars, listing some of them. The Doctor realizes these are the Daleks who survived him.
"Blimey. So these are the survivors of some of Boss's encounters with the Daleks," Mickey muttered as the past viewers looked at the screen with new eyes.
"Really puts it in perspective how long The Doctor and the Daleks have been fighting each other," Jack noted softly.
The Daleks then blare to life, confusing Oswin. The Doctor notes he's a special visitor as he heads towards the door Oswin directed him to. But it won't open for him.
"Always a problem, isn't there?" Donna said as she, Martha and Mickey groaned.
"So what now?" Jack muttered.
Oswin remembers there's a release code and tries to remember it as The Doctor hears the Daleks approach him. One breaks free of its chains as The Doctor tells Oswin frantically to open the door. But she can't. As the Daleks reach him, Oswin does something on her console and they shut down just before the arm of a Dalek reached The Doctor.
"Oh thank Lord," Wilf said as the past viewers all breathed a sigh of relief.
"What did she do?" Jack wondered.
"Who cares as long as she did it," Donna said in relief, not seeing the dark look cross Jane's face.
The Doctor pauses as the Daleks turn away. Oswin gloats as The Doctor asks what she did. She goes back to trying to open the door but The Doctor is more interested in what she did to the Daleks. Oswin says the Daleks have a telepathic web, a sort of hive mind. The Doctor calls it the path web and Oswin says she hacked into it and deleted all information connected to The Doctor. The Doctor is shocked as the door begins to open. The Doctor says he's been unable to hack into the path web and Oswin says to meet the girl who can.
"Now this really isn't making sense. How can she accomplish something in less than a minute that The Doctor hasn't in centuries?" Jack wondered, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "It's not adding up."
"It will in a second," Jane said grimly and the tone she said it in caused a feeling of unease to spread through the room.
The Doctor walks into the room and freezes, staring in horror. As Oswin begins unboarding her door, she notices The Doctor isn't moving. She tells him to come in but he says there's a problem. Oswin tells him not to say that, pleading with him to rescue her. The Doctor asks if where she's standing looks real to her and Oswin, confused, says it is real. But The Doctor tells her it's a dream, a dream Oswin's mind made up to escape the truth. Oswin asks where she is as The Doctor stares at a Dalek, chained to the floor.
"My God," Wilf breathed as they all stared in horror.
"She's a Dalek," Martha breathed.
"How could she not know?" Mickey breathed.
"It was a fantasy, a dream, like The Doctor. She couldn't cope with reality, so she made up a fantasy to escape," Jack said as it all fell into place. "The reason the Daleks couldn't get in was because there were no Daleks. Or there was one. Her."
"The Daleks she heard was herself, trying to wrestle control away from her," Donna breathed softly, tears springing to her eyes. "Poor Oswin."
The Dalek asks where it is and The Doctor growls that Oswin is a Dalek. Oswin denies this both in human and Dalek form. The Doctor tells her that she was human when she crashed here; she was the one who crawled out of the pod and used a ladder to climb down the hatch. Oswin remembers doing so before being captured by a Dalek. Oswin softly says she's human but The Doctor says not anymore. The Doctor explains because Oswin is a genius, the Daleks didn't make her a puppet, they did a full conversion. Oswin remembers this as The Doctor apologizes before asking where the milk and the eggs for the soufflés came from. Oswin looks around her room, remembering being converted. The Doctor tells her it was never real. Oswin starts to say eggs but slowly, the Dalek takes over. "Exterminate!" The Dalek cries as it breaks free of the chains. The Doctor tries to reach Oswin, backing up into the door. In her room, Oswin sobs.
There was not a single person who was not moved by this. Mickey wrapped an arm around Martha as they both shed tears. Jack sighed, lowering his head as Wilf openly wept. Donna put a hand to her mouth, trying not to cry.
Jane sighed, looking away. Clara did not deserve this, had never deserved what happened.
Oswin asks why the Daleks hate him so much. The Doctor says they've fought many times and Oswin says they've grown stronger in fear of him. "I know," The Doctor says darkly. The Doctor says he's tried to stop it. Oswin tells him to run, to his surprise. Oswin takes down the force field and tells him the Daleks have begun to attack, so he needs to run. The Doctor is shocked as Oswin declares she fought the Daleks and she is human. "Remember me," the Dalek says. The Doctor thanks her before running out of the room. Oswin sits down, telling him to remember. The planet begins to explode as The Doctor runs.
"In the end, she was human. In the end," Wilf said softly.
No one else said a word, merely watching the recording.
Amy and Rory look around worriedly as the ship rocks. Rory wonders how long they can wait for The Doctor. Amy says the rest of their lives and Rory agrees after a beat. Amy then pulls him into a kiss.
"Well, if one positive thing came out of this, it's that Amy and Rory resolved their issues," Martha said with a sigh.
"A bit too quickly if you ask me," Donna muttered.
"It's their marriage, who are we to judge how they solve their problems?" Jack shrugged.
"Guess you have a point," Donna noted.
The Doctor then runs into the room, telling them it's time to go. He steps onto the teleport, trying to get them to go but Amy and Rory ignore him as they kiss. Annoyed, The Doctor takes the control from Rory and activates it.
"I guess some things never change," Mickey said, managing a smile as they all remembered Amy and Rory doing the same thing when they had been reunited at the end of the first set of recordings.
"Guess not," Donna said with a soft smile.
The Asylum is destroyed by the Dalek weapons. On the Dalek ship, the Dalek Prime Minister is informed they are under attack. As Dalek Supreme moves the other Dalek's into position, The Doctor's voice echoes through the ship, mocking the Daleks for not seeing this coming. The Doctor steps out of the TARDIS but the Daleks no longer have any idea who he is, demanding he identify himself.
"What?" Donna asked in disbelief before Jack's eyes lit up in realization.
"Oswin. She erased all data on The Doctor. They have no idea who he is," Jack said with a laugh.
"They won't be coming after him anymore," Mickey realized with a smile.
"In the end, Oswin did do something good," Jane noted although they noticed she seemed reluctant to admit it.
"Not bad for a Dalek then?" Martha asked but Jane shook her head.
"Has nothing to do with her being a Dalek," Jane said with a sigh.
"I don't understand," Wilf said in confusion and Jane smiled tightly.
"You will," Jane said ominously.
The past viewers looked at each other in confusion before shrugging and turning back to the screen, musing that they'd get more answers by watching that probing Jane.
The Doctor is surprised, trying to remind them of who he is but the Dalek puppet asks Doctor who. This is then echoed by the other Daleks as The Doctor realizes what has happened. The Doctor then heads back into the TARDIS, telling the Daleks they'll never stop asking. The TARDIS then dematerializes. Later, outside Amy and Rory's house, they wave as the TARDIS takes off after dropping them off. Rory and Amy then look at each other. Amy smiles before heading into the house. Rory laughs, cheering until she says she can see him. Rory then follows her into the house.
"At the very least, they're back together," Martha said with a sigh.
"Seems like the best result The Doctor and they could have hoped for," Jack noted.
On the TARDIS, The Doctor dances around the console, repeating 'Doctor Who' before pulling a lever. The screen goes black.
"After the Christmas one, that one was surprisingly intense," Martha noted.
"This set has a few like that," Jane said as she checked the time. "I think we'll do one more and then stop for the day. That sound agreeable?"
No one voiced any objections, so they sat back and watched as the next recording started.
And another one down. All things considered, this was a decent start to the season. The study of the Doctor's war with the Daleks was interesting and the twist with Oswin was brilliant, even if I'm not a fan of Clara. Unfortunately, the episode was dragged down by the poorly executed Amy/Rory subplot.
This subplot was not inheritably a bad idea, and Amy's reasons do make sense once you put yourself in her position. The problem was Moffat forced it into one episode. Such a storyline should never have been resolved in a single episode; it should have been stretched out for at least two or three. As a result, the storyline feels rushed, poorly executed and not a whole lot of time was spent explaining what drove Amy and Rory to this point.
1: Oswin's joke is played as exactly that, a joke. But let's flip the roles for a minute; let's imagine Rory is the one telling Oswin to take off her shirt. Not so funny now, is it? The same people who will cry about women being objectified are the same people who will shrug this kind of thing off or think it's funny. And my issue is not with women not wanting to be objectified, my issue is with the hypocrisy. You can't be for equality between genders and then go around doing something to a man you find sexist if its done to a woman.