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Sunday, 15 November 2015

The Waters of Mars


Mars, 2059, and Adelaide Brooke catches up with her daughter and granddaughter.

 Adelaide's been there for 2 years, meaning she's never met her granddaughter.

The TARDIS arrives on Mars, much to the Doctor's delight.

Crewmember Yuri needs to complete his work before sunset...

The Doctor is captured by a "funny robot"!

I do think this arrangement of the theme is Murray Gold's best effort, as drum-heavy as it is.

Name, rank and intention: The Doctor, Doctor, Fun!

"Gadget, Gadget!"

The Doctor hates "funny robots". Poor old K9.

In the Biodome, Maggie and Andy are desperate for news of the newcomer...

Bad Carrots...

Maggie is terrified by Andy's sudden transformation.

The Mars Base is named after David Bowie! Hurrah!

As the Doctor reels off their names, he remembers what they have in common...

He's honoured to have met them all - so honoured that Adelaide even gets a salute - but he must go.

But the chain of events he fears has already begun...
Tim@parks8472 And if he'd had a Companion he was responsible for, he'd have got out of there.
John Mark Frankland@JMFrankland Would this be better as a slow burn - with Doctor Who only realising where he was at the last minute? Though, if they did do it that way, I'd be saying that they should have been more upfront about it...

In a 2-parter version maybe, but I think this is a very economic shortcut for a 60 minute special - concentrate on the scares.

John Mark Frankland@JMFrankland Agreed, but perhaps it could have been a little more subtle...

Adelaide wants the Doctor where she can see him so drags him down to the Biodome to investigate.


They find Maggie, unconscious on the floor...

What's the history between Ed and Adelaide? Why doesn't she trust him?

Someone's turned the lights off in the Biodome. "Are you the Doctor or the Janitor?"

Maggie is awake...

Tarak finds Andy. 

Big mistake.

As Yuri talks watches a video message from his brother, something happens to Maggie...

Her sudden interest in the sea goes unnoticed till her voice changes...

The Doctor and Adelaide have troubles of their own with Andy... and now Tarak.
Tim@parks8472 Someone hasn't been moisturising... rookie mistake in that harsh Martian environment

They make it to the safety of the outer lock...


...but Tarak & Andy blast water at them.

Maggie too is gushing water as she's possessed by the same mysterious alien influence.

Can they run fast enough to escape the possessed crewmembers?

Maybe with a little help from a sonic-ed up Gadget!
Tim@parks8472 Trying to recapture the majesty of him and Donna on the segues in Runaway Bride me thinks.

The Doctor tries to communicate with whatever is using Maggie as a host...

Adelaide gives the order to evacuate the base, but The Doctor knows they can't leave...
John Mark Frankland@JMFrankland Ooh, its a bit like The Massacre, isn't it?

But a combination of curiosity and wanting to help Adelaide makes him stay...

With the base on red alert, Maggie frees herself and calls to her fellow hosts...
Tim@parks8472 Oooh, they're like Raptors... martian Raptors... ooh, think I've just stumbled onto the plot for Jurassic World 2

Name-drop for the Ice Warriors, as The Doctor guesses it was them that froze the water virus...

"What happens here must always happen..." I miss the no-cheating days of fixed points.
Tim@parks8472 Yeah, it would be nice for something to be fixed with absolutely no wiggle-room or get-out-of jail-free card again

Adelaide was a little girl during the events of The Stolen Earth...

A lone Dalek had her in its sights - but inexplicably spared her...

The Doctor guesses that it could feel her importance to the web of time.

The future of humanity is very much based on the achievements of her granddaughter who was inspired by Adelaide... and her mysterious death.

Suddenly, hope - the rest of them aren't carrying the infection.

The evacuation begins...

...but the hosts are on top of them - literally.

Water is patient; water waits...

It seems there's no escape from fate.

Can The Doctor really leave them behind?

Not when he's locked in the airlock...

Adelaide wants answers, so he tries to explain.

"Imagine you were in Pompeii..."

So The Doctor tells her. History records she activated the self-destruct, and no-one ever knew why.

She was destined to die here, to save Earth, for her granddaughter to build the spacefaring future of humanity.
Tim@parks8472 I would love a call back to this; maybe 12 meeting her granddaughter but not being able to tell her the truth about it.

The point of no return; the water gets in...

And the Doctor keeps on walking...
Tim@parks8472 That look on his face though... properly chilling.

If they can just make it to the rocket they can escape. Ed starts the ignition sequence.


Adelaide never gave him a chance, and now their last chance is gone...

When Ed self-destructs the escape shuttle...

...The Doctor is thrown to the ground.

Voices ring in his ears, including his own voice, reminding him...

He's the last of the Time-Lords. He makes the rules now.

Much to Adelaide's disbelief, he's soon rallying them into making a fight of it.

"Three knocks is all you're getting!"

"The laws of time are mine, and they will obey me... and I'm gonna win!"

"Who needs atom clamps? I've got a funny robot!"

As the Doctor throws Gadget at the TARDIS with all his might...

...Maggie summons the Flood...

...so Adelaide does what she always had to do, and activates the self-destruct.

Surely they're out of time?

Surely...

BOOM!

The Doctor has brought them to Adelaide's house. 

They're on Earth, in the snow.

Adelaide knows this is wrong.

"No-one should have that much power." The Doctor's answer? "Tough."

"I thought I was just a survivor, but I'm not. I'm the winner. The Time-Lord Victorious."

So Adelaide puts time right for her granddaughter the only way she can...

As he realizes he's gone too far...

...and time rights itself...

...an Ood appears.

"Is it time? Is this it? My death?" 

But even as the cloister bell rings, he refuses to give in...

He can run, but he can't hide...

...from the End of Time. 
Tim@parks8472 I love that he does what he always does... he runs as far and fast as he can.

John Mark Frankland@JMFrankland HUBRIS.

Tim@parks8472 I was really excited to see the End of Time after this... shame it didn't hold up as a story.


TTFN! K.
Coming Soon... The Claws of Axos

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