The Idiot's Lantern (TV story): Difference between revisions

Meanwhile, Magpie has gone back to his shop and talks with the TV announcer, telling her that he has completed her instructions, before begging her to go away and leave him alone as her presence makes his insides and memories hurt. But she mockingly scoffs at his plea, and tells him that the time is almost ripe, finishing with the comment "cometh the hour, cometh the man... or lady."

Rose and the Doctor decide to investigate the abduction: posing as royal inspectors, with the help of the Doctor's [[psychic paper]], they arrive at the home of the Connollys, where [[Eddie Connolly|Mr Connolly]] has bullied his family into ignoring [[Grandma Connolly|Gran]] after her face was stolen. The Doctor convinces [[Rita Connolly]] to bring him to Gran. As the Doctor examines Gran, two men burst into the house, knock out the Doctor and hustle Gran away. The Doctor gives chase, but Rose stays behind. She notices the television set is giving off electrical sparks. Later at the dump site, the Doctor finds people whose faces have been stolen locked in a cage. As they begin to surround him, the investigators shine a light into the cage.

Rose reads the name on the television's tag: Magpie. She heads for the television shop where Mr Magpie, who seems to be extremely stressed, tries to get her out the door before [[the Wire]] is alerted to her presence. Rose insists on asking Magpie about the televisions he's selling. The announcer appears on one of the TV screens, looking to Rose like a broadcast was being played, but the image declares it is sentient by telling Rose its name is the Wire — and it's hungry. The Wire begins sucking Rose's brainwaves and face into its television as Rose desperately pleads for help. Magpie only apologises, claiming Rose brought it upon herself.

Detective Inspector [[Bishop (The Idiot's Lantern)|Bishop]] begins to interrogate the Doctor, asking what he knows. The Doctor childishly tells the inspector that he knows that one can't put their hand on their elbow and make their fingers meet. Bishop becomes shocked that the Doctor addressed him by name; the Doctor explains "It's written in the collar of your shirt. Bless your mum." He then turns the tables by asking Bishop questions he can't answer, offering his assistance in solving this mystery. As the two reach a truce, an agent brings in another victim, much to the Doctor's horror: Rose. Enraged, the Doctor tells Bishop "Now there is nothing that can stop me!"

The Doctor and Bishop return to [[Florizel Street]] for answers, with the Doctor roaring in anger to silence the uncooperative Mr Connolly. They ask Tommy about what happened to his Gran the night her face was stolen. She was watching television, which was pretty cheap to afford thanks to Mr Magpie being generous due to the coronation. Despite Mr Connolly's objections, Tommy is encouraged by his mother to join the investigation; she wants him to do good, unlike her husband.

The three head to Magpie's shop, but Magpie is gone. The Doctor discovers a handheld portable TV, which should not exist yet on [[Earth]]. He also discovers the televisions in the shop are holding the people's missing faces, silently calling out for help. On one of the screens is Rose's face, calling over and over for the Doctor. Magpie enters, and the Doctor demands to know who is really in charge. The Wire appears, briefly turning the black-and-white television to colour, telling the Doctor that it was executed by its own people, but fled to Earth, where there is enough mental energy for it to reconstitute its physical form. The Doctor then sourly notes that the Wire has been taking more than it should, gorging itself "like a great, overfed pig."

Bishop calls Magpie out for allowing the Wire to feed on innocent people, but Magpie declares that he had no choice; the Wire allowed him to keep his face and has promised to release him at "the time of manifestation." Tommy asks what the time of manifestation means, and the Wire cryptically says it will be her "crowning glory"; Bishop then immediately realises it is talking about the coronation. The Doctor adds that the coronation will be the first time in history that millions of people will be gathered around a television set; thus giving the Wire the perfect opportunity to feast on them all. The Wire then begins to feed on Bishop, the Doctor and [[Tommy Connolly]]. It revels in feeding off the Doctor, calling him "delicious" and declaring that it will have "lashings of him". However, the Doctor is able to stop the Wire by brandishing the higher alien technology: [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|his sonic screwdriver]]. Realising the Doctor is "armed and clever", the Wire withdraws from its feeding after completely draining Bishop, but not the Doctor and Tommy. The Wire transfers itself into the portable TV and orders Magpie to take it to [[Alexandra Palace]].

The Doctor and Tommy regain consciousness; together, they construct a device with parts in the shop. They race to [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] to pick up one more part then run to the Palace's broadcast centre. The Doctor orders Tommy to keep the device he's plugged into the broadcasting system operating no matter what. Grabbing a spool of wire, he heads for the top and begins to climb the tower. He manages to get past security with the [[psychic paper]]; to his own shock, it says he's the King of [[Belgium]]. Magpie is at the top, begging the Wire to stop the pain in his head, as it promised him peace after its physical reconstitution. Complying with Magpie's wish for peace, the Wire disintegrates him with a bolt of electricity. At the same time, people watching the coronation, and even animals in the room are having their faces sucked off.

The Doctor reaches the Wire, grabbing the portable television, and tells the Wire that it wasn't smart to take a shot at Magpie, as it has overexerted itself. The Wire tries to fry the Doctor using the tower as a conductor, but the soles of the Doctor's shoes are rubber, keeping him safe. The Doctor attaches the wire he's been trailing to the portable, but a fuse shorts and the machine Tommy is keeping an eye on stops. The Wire taunts the Doctor for his failure, for now, it will be able to live again. Tommy quickly changes the fuse and the machine operates again. Screaming in horror, the Wire is transferred from the portable into a [[Betamax]] cassette the Doctor built with parts from the TV shop. The Doctor jokes he made the home video over 30 years earlier than it should have been. Elsewhere, all of the Wire's victims have regained their faces and minds and are released from holding. Those who were in the mid-process are left wondering what happened to them but dismiss anything odd happened.

The Doctor reunites with Rose on Tommy's street, which is now throwing a party to celebrate the coronation. Rose asks the Doctor what he'll do with the Wire trapped in the tape. The Doctor explains that he'll use his unrivalled knowledge of transtemporal extirpation methods to neutralise the residual electronic pattern. Confused as to what the Doctor means, Rose asks him to dumb it down. "I'm gonna tape over it," the Doctor explains; Rose offers to do that as she's always taping over her own movies. As a gift for helping him, the Doctor gives Tommy the keys to his scooter, telling him to wait until he's old enough to drive. At the same time, Mr Connolly is being kicked out by his wife for only thinking about his family's status over their well being. Tommy is glad that his father is going, but Rose tells him even an idiot like Mr Connolly deserves a second chance. Tommy runs off to talk to his father. The Doctor and Rose toast with [[orange juice]] and enjoy the party.