Doctor Who
Doctor Who

Episode Report Card
Jacob Clifton: C | 1174 USERS: B-
YOU GRADE IT
Solving For Pi

Mickey and Jake enter the control room of the zeppelin and settle down to looking for the transmitter controls. What do they look like? "Well, I don't know -- they might have TRANSMITTER CONTROLS written in big red letters -- just look!" In searching, Mickey comes across a Cyberman, standing in a dark alcove, and gasps. Jake immediately pulls a gun on it, even though that's dumb, but it doesn't move. They are confused. Oi, these two. Jake steps closer, and then Mickey, and they imagine the Cyberman, which is clearly not active. "It's dead. I don't think it was ever alive." He taps it on the head. "Sounds hollow." They dismiss it -- "It's empty. No brain. It's just a robot suit. It's for display" -- and resume looking for the transmitter. But the camera lingers.

The Doctor and Mrs. Moore edge along a dark corridor, and are surprised by a Cyberman, who steps out and makes them both jump. "You are not upgraded," it says, and Mrs. Moore throws a small device at it -- "Well, upgrade this!" -- which sticks to its chest. The device quickly begins to spark, and electrocutes the Cyberman, which shakes and jerks and a clanking fall. The Doctor is delighted by the device, which Mrs. Moore calls an electromagnetic bomb: "Takes out computers, I figured it might stop the cybersuit." The Doctor opens up the chest plate on the Cyberman and shows Mrs. Moore its metal heart: "But look." The Doctor pulls out some clearly organic tissue as well, saying, "Central nervous system. Artificially grown, then threaded throughout the suit so it responds like a living thing -- well, it is a living thing -- but look..." He touches an electronic chip: "Emotional inhibitor. Stops them feeling anything." It's still got a human brain. "Imagine its reaction if it could see itself. Realize itself inside this thing. They'd go insane." So, Mrs. Moore realizes, they've cut out the one thing that makes them human. The Doctor: "Because they have to." And that's when the Cyberman speaks: "Why am I cold?" it says clearly. Mrs. Moore chokes. "Oh, my God. It's alive. It can feel." The Doctor leans in, touching the Cyberman's steel cheek. "We broke the inhibitor. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Pity is the Bad Wolf of the season. "Why so cold?" The Doctor asks the Cyberman's name, and learns that it's Sally Phelan. Mrs. Moore realizes that Sally was a woman. "Where's Gareth? He can't see me. It's unlucky the night before." Sally was taken on her wedding day, so a man's fantasies of living a forever parody and world control could come close to working out. "I'm cold. I'm so cold," says what's left of Sally Phelan. "You sleep now, Sally. Just go to sleep." The Doctor points the sonic screwdriver just inside the suit; the light inside goes out.

Doctor Who

Comments

SHARE THE SNARK

X

Get the most of your experience.
Share the Snark!

See content relevant to you based on what your friends are reading and watching.

Share your activity with your friends to Facebook's News Feed, Timeline and Ticker.

Stay in Control: Delete any item from your activity that you choose not to share.

The Latest Activity On TwOP