Legend of the Sea Devils (TV story)
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Legend of the Sea Devils was the 2022 Doctor Who Easter Special, the second special of its kind, following Planet of the Dead in 2009.
It re-introduced the Sea Devils, last seen on television in 1984's Warriors of the Deep, into the BBC Wales revival series. Unlike the 2010 redesign of the Sea Devils' cousins, the Silurians, in The Hungry Earth, these returning enemies remained largely faithful to their original designs, with CGI augmentations mostly allowing for a greater variety of expressions. It also furthered the plotline about Yasmin Khan's infatuation with the Thirteenth Doctor, with the two finally discussing their feelings openly and the Doctor admitting that she also had a romantic interest in Yaz, although they ultimately decided not to pursue a relationship due to the Doctor living under the threat of time running out for her.
Synopsis
When the legendary pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao, alias "Madam Ching", awakens an antediluvian Sea Devil extremist, the Doctor's TARDIS is pulled off-course and Team TARDIS must try to work together with the historical rogue to save the entire Earth from global flood. But amidst the high-stakes, high-sea adventure, it soon becomes clear the stakes for everyone involved — even the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz — are much more personal than a legendary sunken treasure, or even the all-important Keystone...
Plot
funny you think that there is a plot
Cast
- The Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
- Yasmin Khan - Mandip Gill
- Dan Lewis - John Bishop
- Ying Ki - Marlowe Chan-Reeves
- Madam Ching - Crystal Yu
- Chief Sea Devil - Craige Els
- Ji-Hun - Arthur Lee
- Ying Wai - David K.S. Tse
- Sea Devils - Jon Davey, Simon Carew, Chester Durrant, Richard Price, Mickey Lewis, Andrew Cross
Uncredited cast
- Lei Bao - TBA
- Diane - Nadia Albina
Crew
| Executive Producers Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens | ||||||||||||
| Co-executive producer Nikki Wilson | ||||||||||||
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| Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources. |
References
Individuals
- The Doctor invokes her eleventh incarnation by using his rally cry of, "Geronimo".
- The Doctor tells Yaz of her wife, River Song, though mentions she was "a different man" during their marriage.
- Yasmin Khan reveals talents with swordsmanship.
- The Doctor, Yasmin, Zheng Yi Sao, and Sin Ji-Hun use dao, single-edged Chinese swords.
TARDIS
- While underwater, the Doctor reinforces the oxygen bubble with an aquashield.
History
- Madam Ching is after the lost treasure of Ji-Hun, known as the Keystone. Ji-Hun gave the keystone to Lei Bao, whose family handed it down the generations.
- The keystone is a plutonic crystal created by the Sea Devils.
Technology
- Dan has an app on his mobile phone for identifying the constellations in the night sky.
- The Sea Devils have a geomagnograph for measuring the current flow underwater, and a current regulator for controlling the flow.
- The Sea Devils also employ orbital electron stripping to keep their base airtight, and algae to keep the microclimate under check.
- The Sea Devils use cutlasses with hexo-toxic poisoning as a weapon.
- The Doctor, Yaz, Dan, Zheng Yi Sao, and Sin Ji-Hun fight with dao swords.
Popular culture
- The Doctor says Stephen King films, like history, are "never like the books".
- The Doctor sarcastically states "No ship, Sherlock" when Yaz fails to notice the conspicuous absence of Ji-Hun's ship from the ocean floor.
- The Doctor makes reference to Pimp My Ride, saying that the Sea Devils "really pimped [Ji-Hun's] ride". Yaz reminds her that referencing the show in 1807 is an anachronism.
Other
- Zheng Yi Sao spots Polaris and Ursa Minor in the sky before the constellations begin to be "disrupted" by the Sea Devils' activities.
Story notes
- This was the second Easter Special in Doctor Who history, following 2009's Planet of the Dead.
- Legend of the Sea Devils was also the shortest Doctor Who special up to that point, with a running time of 48 minutes; the average length of a regular episode.
- This episode was the first time that Chris Chibnall had his executive producer credit above Matt Strevens' credit. The entire Chibnall era, Matt Strevens was credited above Chris Chibnall as executive producer.
- This was the first episode since Revolution of the Daleks to include the old BBC logo in the title sequence. On the DVD and Blu-ray releases, it was replaced by the new one.
- The sets for this episode were particularly ambitious and included a full sized pirate ship. Executive producer Matt Strevens said that they were "probably" the biggest sets that had ever been made for the show, while Mandip Gill said they were the biggest sets she had ever worked on.[1]
- This was the first episode of the Chibnall era that played the "Coming Soon" trailer before the end credits. This is also the first episode of the Chibnall era not to include the Doctor Who theme over the "Coming Soon" trailer; a special rendition of the Thirteenth Doctor's theme by Segun Akinola was played instead.
- John Friedlander is credited as originally designing the Sea Devils from the story The Sea Devils and Warriors of the Deep.
- With overnight ratings of 2.2 million, this story is officially the story with the lowest on the day viewing figures since Battlefield in 1989.
- Tailor Steven Ricks (who made Marsissus’ coat)[2] helped conceal the Sea Devils’ return by using his own code name, calling them the Green Gilberts in reference to a line in The Sea Devils.[3]
- This was the final episode to air during the lifetime of Queen Elizabeth II, who had reigned since before the creation of Doctor Who. She was said to be a longtime fan of the series, though this was according to tabloid rumours and has not been confirmed by any official sources.
Ratings
Myths
- The Sea Devils' pet sea creature was a Myrka. This was not confirmed. At least this individual creature is called the Hua-Shen.
- The Spy Master was going to appear at the end of the episode as a cliffhanger. This was proven false.
Filming locations
to be added
Production errors
If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
- The end credits misspelt Malcolm Hulke's name as "Malcom Hulke". (This mistake was fixed for the DVD/Blu-ray release)
Continuity
- The TARDIS team are on the hunt for the Flor de la Mar, just as the Doctor had planned to do after escaping the Dalek Executioners. Yaz also reminds the Doctor that she "keeps promising [her and Dan] a beach". (TV: Eve of the Daleks)
- Yaz recalls the Doctor's intention to take the TARDIS to sentient beaches of San Munrohvar. (TV: Eve of the Daleks)
- The Doctor tells Yaz that she's crossed paths with the Sea Devils "once or twice". (TV: The Sea Devils, Warriors of the Deep) However, one account posits that Yaz has also encountered them once before as well. (COMIC: Alternating Current)
- Dan claims he is "forty-two". However, he is seemingly discounting the four years he was trapped in the 1900s with Yaz and Eustacius Jericho, and indeed, he noticeably stumbles before saying "two". (TV: Survivors of the Flux, Eve of the Daleks)
- The TARDIS is able to sustain being underwater with the doors open without flooding, (TV: Listen) using an oxygen bubble. (TV: The Runaway Bride, The Beast Below, Oxygen)
- The Doctor gets angry at Sin Ji-Hun for killing an enemy after they had been dealt with in a non-lethal manner, as she had with Karl Wright and General Logan. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth, War of the Sontarans)
- Dan states that "his mum" taught him how to effectively deal with his enemies, and, indeed, surpasses him in ruthlessness. (TV: War of the Sontarans)
- Yaz and Dan recall their earlier conversation regarding Yaz's romantic feelings for the Doctor, with Yaz correctly guessing that Dan told the Doctor about her crush on her. (TV: Eve of the Daleks)
- Diane gets back in touch with Dan, who remembers that they were "not at where [they] were at" when they last spoke. (TV: The Vanquishers)
- The Doctor is aware that her time is running short. (TV: The Vanquishers)
Home video releases
DVD and Blu-ray releases
The story, along with the preceding story, Eve of the Daleks, was released on Region 2 DVD and Region B Blu-ray on 23 May 2022 and will be released on Region 1 DVD and Region A Blu-ray on 28 June 2022.
Region 2 DVD cover
Region 1 DVD cover
UK Blu-ray cover
US Blu-ray cover
Digital releases
to be added
External links
- Official Legend of the Sea Devils page on the Doctor Who website
Footnotes
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