The Poison Sky (TV story): Difference between revisions
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{{Quote|We will ravage this planet!|[[Staal]]|The Poison Sky}} | {{Quote|We will ravage this planet!|[[Staal]]|The Poison Sky}} | ||
{{Infobox | {{Infobox NewTV | ||
|story name=The Poison Sky | |story name=The Poison Sky | ||
|image=[[Image:Skorr is shot.jpg|250px]] | |image=[[Image:Skorr is shot.jpg|250px]] | ||
|series= [[Doctor Who]] - [[Series 4 (Doctor Who)|Series 4]] | |series= [[Doctor Who]] - [[List of Doctor Who television stories|TV Stories]] | ||
|number= | |number= [[Series 4 (Doctor Who)|Series 4]] | ||
|story number= 5 | |||
|doctor= [[Tenth Doctor]] | |doctor= [[Tenth Doctor]] | ||
|companions=[[Donna Noble|Donna]]<br>[[Martha Jones|Martha]] (Reintroduction) | |companions=[[Donna Noble|Donna]]<br>[[Martha Jones|Martha]] (Reintroduction) | ||
|enemy=[[Sontarans]] | |enemy=[[Sontarans]] | ||
| | |setting= [[London]], [[2009]] | ||
|writer=[[Helen Raynor]] | |writer=[[Helen Raynor]] | ||
|director=[[Douglas Mackinnon]] | |director=[[Douglas Mackinnon]] | ||
| Line 22: | Line 23: | ||
== Synopsis == | == Synopsis == | ||
The [[Valiant]] clears the [[ATMOS]] gas as the Sontarans activate their | The [[Valiant]] clears the [[ATMOS]] gas as the Sontarans activate their master plan to turn [[Earth]] into their cloning planet. UNIT is left defenceless, with a traitor in their ranks. And as interplanetary war edges closer, Doctor has to fight to keep both Martha and Donna alive - but will he have to make the ultimate sacrifice? | ||
== Plot == | == Plot == | ||
Following from the previous episode, Sylvia Noble manages to free Wilfred Mott from the car by smashing the window. The Doctor sends Donna Noble back to the TARDIS while he sets off to figure out what the Sontarans are up to. After studying the gas, UNIT determines that it will need to reach 80% density to become poisonous. Elsewhere, Martha helps the Sontarans to seize the TARDIS. Realising that he is trapped, the Doctor attempts to goad the Sontarans into revealing their plan: the Sontarans are smart enough not to fall prey to this ploy, but the Doctor does trick them into | Following from the previous episode, Sylvia Noble manages to free Wilfred Mott from the car by smashing the window. The Doctor sends Donna Noble back to the TARDIS while he sets off to figure out what the Sontarans are up to. After studying the gas, UNIT determines that it will need to reach 80% density to become poisonous. Elsewhere, Martha helps the Sontarans to seize the TARDIS. Realising that he is trapped, the Doctor attempts to goad the Sontarans into revealing their plan: the Sontarans are smart enough not to fall prey to this ploy, but the Doctor does trick them into manoeuvring the TARDIS out of the main war room, placing Donna in a position to help. | ||
Against the Doctor's advice, UNIT decides to use nuclear weapons against the Sontarans; however, Martha's clone has covertly copied the launch codes, and stops every attempt they make to fire the weapons. This in itself shows a hidden agenda: nukes would not have harmed them in the first place, which combined with the unidentifiable elements in the gas, suggest that the Sontarans have an interest in keeping anything from disrupting the atmospheric conversion. At the same time, the Sontarans mobilize a contingent of troops to retrieve and protect the clone. With the Sontarans' ability to jam most conventional firearms by expanding the copper-lined bullets, the UNIT troops are quickly slaughtered and the factory is secured. | Against the Doctor's advice, UNIT decides to use nuclear weapons against the Sontarans; however, Martha's clone has covertly copied the launch codes, and stops every attempt they make to fire the weapons. This in itself shows a hidden agenda: nukes would not have harmed them in the first place, which combined with the unidentifiable elements in the gas, suggest that the Sontarans have an interest in keeping anything from disrupting the atmospheric conversion. At the same time, the Sontarans mobilize a contingent of troops to retrieve and protect the clone. With the Sontarans' ability to jam most conventional firearms by expanding the copper-lined bullets, the UNIT troops are quickly slaughtered and the factory is secured. | ||
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*The Doctor mentions the [[Rutan Host|Rutan]]'s and their war with the Sontarans. | *The Doctor mentions the [[Rutan Host|Rutan]]'s and their war with the Sontarans. | ||
*The [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier]] is mentioned to be stranded in Peru. | *The [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier]] is mentioned to be stranded in Peru. | ||
*He has been knighted as (Colonel [[Mace]] refers to him as "Sir | :*He has been knighted as (Colonel [[Mace]] refers to him as "Sir Alistair".) | ||
*The Doctor wears a gas mask and asks ''"Are you my mummy?"'' like the [[Jamie (The Empty Child)|Empty Child]] in [[Albion Hospital]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]''). | *The Doctor wears a gas mask and asks ''"Are you my mummy?"'' like the [[Jamie (The Empty Child)|Empty Child]] in [[Albion Hospital]]. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]''). | ||
*The Doctor addresses the Sontarans ''"under jurisdiction two of the intergalactic rules of engagement"'' which is very | *The Doctor addresses the Sontarans ''"under jurisdiction two of the intergalactic rules of engagement"'' which is very similar to the [[Shadow Proclamation]]. | ||
* | *The Doctor watches [[Tommy Zoom]] while waiting for the Sontarans to stop chanting. This is similar to when [[The Master]] watches other shows such as [[the Teletubbies]]. | ||
*UNIT use the ''[[Valiant]]'' to blow away ATMOS' gases. | |||
== Story notes == | == Story notes == | ||
*[[Helen Raynor]] wrote this episode. Her [[Series 3]] episodes [[Daleks in Manhattan]] and [[Evolution of the Daleks]] both occupied fourth and fith episode in the series. This two part episode also occupies episode four and five. | *[[Helen Raynor]] wrote this episode. Her [[Series 3]] episodes [[Daleks in Manhattan]] and [[Evolution of the Daleks]] both occupied fourth and fith episode in the series. This two part episode also occupies episode four and five. | ||
*This is part two of a two part story that began with [[The Sontaran Strategem]]. | *This is part two of a two part story that began with [[The Sontaran Strategem]]. | ||
*This | *This story and [[The Sontaran Stratagem]] are [[Douglas Mackinnon]]'s first stories as director. | ||
*When the Doctor cut's off Staal's speech on the video screen in mid flow, a clip from CBeebies cartoon Tommy Zoom is featured. The original plan to use a clip from [[Wikipedia:Shaun the Sheep|Shaun the Sheep]] fell through. | |||
=== Ratings === | === Ratings === | ||
| Line 76: | Line 79: | ||
=== Myths === | === Myths === | ||
''to be added'' | ''to be added'' | ||
=== Filming locations=== | === Filming locations=== | ||
| Line 99: | Line 100: | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/episodes/S4_05 Official BBC Website - Episode Guide for '''The Poison Sky'''] | |||
{{Sontaran stories}} | {{Sontaran stories}} | ||
Revision as of 11:45, 4 May 2008
We will ravage this planet!
Synopsis
The Valiant clears the ATMOS gas as the Sontarans activate their master plan to turn Earth into their cloning planet. UNIT is left defenceless, with a traitor in their ranks. And as interplanetary war edges closer, Doctor has to fight to keep both Martha and Donna alive - but will he have to make the ultimate sacrifice?
Plot
Following from the previous episode, Sylvia Noble manages to free Wilfred Mott from the car by smashing the window. The Doctor sends Donna Noble back to the TARDIS while he sets off to figure out what the Sontarans are up to. After studying the gas, UNIT determines that it will need to reach 80% density to become poisonous. Elsewhere, Martha helps the Sontarans to seize the TARDIS. Realising that he is trapped, the Doctor attempts to goad the Sontarans into revealing their plan: the Sontarans are smart enough not to fall prey to this ploy, but the Doctor does trick them into manoeuvring the TARDIS out of the main war room, placing Donna in a position to help.
Against the Doctor's advice, UNIT decides to use nuclear weapons against the Sontarans; however, Martha's clone has covertly copied the launch codes, and stops every attempt they make to fire the weapons. This in itself shows a hidden agenda: nukes would not have harmed them in the first place, which combined with the unidentifiable elements in the gas, suggest that the Sontarans have an interest in keeping anything from disrupting the atmospheric conversion. At the same time, the Sontarans mobilize a contingent of troops to retrieve and protect the clone. With the Sontarans' ability to jam most conventional firearms by expanding the copper-lined bullets, the UNIT troops are quickly slaughtered and the factory is secured.
Rattigan leaves the Sontaran mothership to gather his students. He plans to take them to another planet and begin the human race anew. The students merely laugh him off, even when he brandishes a gun. When he returns to report his failure, the Sontarans likewise ridicule his efforts, having never planned to take him or his students anywhere. Rattigan teleports back to his mansion before they can kill him, and the Sontarans lock the teleport pods behind him.
Meanwhile, the Doctor instructs Donna on how to reopen the teleport pods. As she makes her way through the ship, UNIT begins a counterattack, loading their weapons with non-copper bullets and using the aircraft carrier Valiant to clear the gas. The counterattack is a success, and the UNIT troops are able to put the Sontarans on the defensive. The distraction allows the Doctor to make his way to the cloning room where Martha is being held. Having figured out long before that the clone wasn't the genuine article, he severs its connection to Martha, leaving it to die. Martha convinces the clone to betray the Sontarans in its last moments, and the clone reveals that the poison gas is actually "food" for Sontaran clones: they are converting the planet into a giant breeding world. With Donna's help, the Doctor is able to reactivate the teleport pods, allowing him to rescue Donna, steal back the TARDIS, and teleport into Rattigan's mansion.
With the equipment Rattigan's students built, the Doctor builds his own atmospheric converter, igniting the atmosphere to clear out the poison gas as shown in the picture. However, he knows the Sontarans won't accept defeat so easily, and teleports to their ship with the converter, planning to give them the choice between retreat or death. The Sontarans choose the latter, but at the last moment, Rattigan teleports himself to the Sontaran ship and brings the Doctor back to Earth, sacrificing himself to destroy the Sontarans.
With the day saved, the Doctor and Donna say their goodbyes to Martha, only to have the TARDIS spring to life and begin piloting itself to places unknown before she can leave.
Cast
- The Doctor - David Tennant
- Donna Noble - Catherine Tate
- Martha Jones - Freema Agyeman
- Rose Tyler - Billie Piper
- Wilfred Mott - Bernard Cribbins
- Sylvia Noble - Jacqueline King
- General Staal - Christopher Ryan
- Commander Skorr - Dan Starkey
- Colonel Mace - Rupert Holliday Evans
- Luke Rattigan - Ryan Sampson
- Ross Jenkins - Christian Cooke
- Captain Price - Bridget Hodgson
- Private Harris - Clive Standen
- Private Gray - Wesley Theobald
- Newsreader - Kirsty Wark
- Mal Loup - Lachele Carl
Production crew
To be added
References
- The Doctor mentions the Rutan's and their war with the Sontarans.
- The Brigadier is mentioned to be stranded in Peru.
- He has been knighted as (Colonel Mace refers to him as "Sir Alistair".)
- The Doctor wears a gas mask and asks "Are you my mummy?" like the Empty Child in Albion Hospital. (DW: The Empty Child).
- The Doctor addresses the Sontarans "under jurisdiction two of the intergalactic rules of engagement" which is very similar to the Shadow Proclamation.
- The Doctor watches Tommy Zoom while waiting for the Sontarans to stop chanting. This is similar to when The Master watches other shows such as the Teletubbies.
- UNIT use the Valiant to blow away ATMOS' gases.
Story notes
- Helen Raynor wrote this episode. Her Series 3 episodes Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks both occupied fourth and fith episode in the series. This two part episode also occupies episode four and five.
- This is part two of a two part story that began with The Sontaran Strategem.
- This story and The Sontaran Stratagem are Douglas Mackinnon's first stories as director.
- When the Doctor cut's off Staal's speech on the video screen in mid flow, a clip from CBeebies cartoon Tommy Zoom is featured. The original plan to use a clip from Shaun the Sheep fell through.
Ratings
To be added
Myths
to be added
Filming locations
To be added
Continuity
- The Valiant last appeared in Last of the Time Lords.
- At the end of the episode, when the TARDIS fly's off, the Doctor says his "What, what, what" line from Donna's first appearence in The Runaway Bride.
- Rose Tyler appears on the TARDIS scanner screen for a split second, she appears to be shouting 'Doctor!' and was last seen in Partners in Crime.
- The Valiant's laser is similar to that of Torchwood 1's one used against the Sycorax. (DW: The Christmas Invasion)
- The Doctor is threatened by Luke Rattigan and by the cloned Martha with a gun. He was previously threatened by Mr Halpen in Planet of the Ood.
- The Doctor thanks Donna and Martha just before he sacrifices his life. He last said this to Donna in The Sontaran Strategem when she was supposedly leaving him.
- This is the first time a serial has continued onto the next one in the new series; as normaly happened in the classic.
Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors
- A corridor explodes with Sontarans inside it. This is the same corridor that exploded in the Torchwood episode Sleeper. The corridor in Sleeper was in Cardiff but the one in this episode is in London. A similar mistake occured in Partners in Crime. (Perhaps these buildings are built to the same design.)
- Commander Skorr is killed by Colonel Mace with a pistol, but minutes later he can be seen open skinned next to General Staal in the Sontaran ship. (The second Skorr, however, could simply be an identical-looking clone.)
DVD and other releases
- It will be released on the Series 4 boxset DVD in November 2008.
