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Doomsday was the thirteenth and final episode of series two of Doctor Who. It marked the final appearance of Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper as a regular companion, and introduced Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.
Narratively, the destruction of Torchwood London seeded the way for the spinoff Torchwood, where Torchwood Three eventually became all that remained of the Institute. The Cult of Skaro escapes at the climax of this episode, starting a string of Dalek stories that concludes with Journey's End.
Synopsis
As two mighty armies clash, the Doctor realises that saving the Earth might mean losing Rose.
Plot
Dr. Singh, Mickey Smith and Rose Tyler are trapped in a sealed room within Torchwood Tower as the four Daleks who have emerged from the void ship approach them, with a vaguely Dalek-shaped artefact following. As they cry out their intent to exterminate, Rose surprises them by calling out their name. She approaches the Black Dalek and offers to tell them how she knows about the Daleks and the Time War if they keep them alive, with Mickey and Mr. Singh playing along. The black Dalek decides that they are necessary and asks about the status of the artefact — which it calls the Genesis Ark. It orders the awakening to begin ("Jast" proceeds to monitor the Ark) and declares that the Ark must be protected above all else.
The black Dalek "Sec" then asks which one of the three is least important. Rose refuses to answer, but Dr Singh volunteers, knowing he is of no importance compared to the two time travellers. They ask him to kneel down and say they need to know everything they can. Dr Singh begins to respond but they say that speech is not required. "Sec", "Thay", and "Caan" place their plungers around his skull and stretch his brain. A few minutes later, his mutilated corpse drops to the floor. Rose yells at the Daleks that they didn't need to kill him, but "Thay" states they didn't need him alive either.
The Cybermen hold Jackie, Yvonne, and the Doctor hostage. The Cyber-Leader demands to speak to the world leader. Yvonne tells the leader they don't have one, and the Cyber-Leader tells her they have one now. It interrupts all television to make a message in which it promises to convert all humans into Cybermen. There appears to be Cybermen in every home on Earth, and Cybermen are said to be on every landmass. However, despite the call for surrender, the British Army mobilises and soon fighting & fire have spread across the whole of London (and by implication other places as well), with both sides taking losses. The Cyber-Leader is confused that humanity hasn't surrendered, to which the Doctor angrily snarls that mankind are not taking instructions; the Cybermen are "on every street, you're in their homes, you've got their children! Of course they're gonna fight!"
The Cybermen then notice other lifeforms in the building and send "Cyber units Ten-Six-Five and Ten-Six-Six" to the Void Room to investigate. At the same time, the Daleks notice lifeform readings and send Dalek "Thay" to investigate. The Cybermen and the Dalek meet in the corridor outside the Void Room. The Doctor, Jackie, Rose and Mickey can see them both through video transmissions and the Doctor is visibly horrified to see the Dalek.
The Cybermen ask that the Daleks identify themselves and the Daleks demand the same. Neither comply and there is a stand-off, which Mickey describes as "Stephen Hawking meets The Speaking Clock". The Daleks accidentally slip up with "Thay" saying that "Daleks do not take orders", but recognise the Cybermen from a previously unseen event, comparing them to their own universe's Cybermen. The Cybermen and the Daleks exchange insults until the Cybermen offer to form an alliance with the Daleks to overtake Earth, and eventually upgrade the universe, together. The Dalek refuses and the Cybermen open fire to no avail and are easily exterminated, resulting in the Cyber-Leader warning "Sec" that he declared war on the Cybermen, to which he replies: "This is not war, this is Pest Control!". "Jast" then spots the Doctor on the screen, and the Daleks register him as an enemy, but fail to recognise who he is exactly. Realising that Rose's heartbeat has increased (Sec states this causing Mickey to say: "Yeah, tell me about it!"), the Daleks demand to know who the man on the screen is, Rose tells them who he is and the Daleks move back terrified. Rose is then amused that five million Cybermen is easy, but one Doctor has got the Daleks scared.
After a brief conversation with the Doctor about Rose's safety, Jackie is dragged away to be upgraded along with Yvonne Hartman. The Doctor promises he will save Jackie, and get her out alive before she is taken away. The Cyber Leader comments on how the Time Lord is proof of how emotions weaken humans. The Doctor replies by saying he still feels hope, and in that instant a team with guns suddenly appears and destroys all Cybermen in the Breach Room. The leader reveals himself to be Jake Simmonds. The Doctor is shocked to see him here, since he is from a parallel universe.
The Cybermen sense that the Cyber-Leader has been killed and begin to download his files into another Cyberman unit. This gives Jackie the chance to escape down the stairwell.
Meanwhile, the Doctor tells Jake that they cannot just hop from one universe to another. Jake shows the Doctor the disc-shaped devices they developed with their world's version of Torchwood, and before the Doctor can stop him, Jake transports the two of them. Jake explains that they found out what the parallel Torchwood was doing and the People's Republic took control. As the Doctor asks Jake to take him back, Pete Tyler steps out of the shadows, telling the Doctor that this is their world and for once, he is going to listen.
"Thay" returns to the Sphere room, assuming that the Cybermen are an inferior threat. "Sec" orders the Daleks to begin the awakening and all four Daleks atach the ends of their manipulator arms to four spheres which are positioned on the Ark's four sides.
Pete explains that they tried sealing up the Cybermen in the factories, but other people argued that the Cybermen were still people and needed help. As the debate went on, the Cybermen infiltrated the parallel Torchwood, found the Doctor's universe and vanished. The sheer mass of five million Cybermen is why it took them three years to cross while individuals could pop across in a second.
Mickey reveals to Rose that he has one of the dimension-jumping devices, but it can only transport him, saying the Daleks won't need him or Rose. Rose proceeds to wonder aloud why the Daleks would build something they couldn't open (Having realised that the Daleks need a time-traveler's touch to open the Ark). "Sec", having overheard the conversation, declares that the Daleks did not build the Ark, stating it is of Time Lord design, claiming the Ark is the last remnant of Gallifrey. When Rose asks what is inside, the Dalek only replies enigmatically "The future".
Pete shows off his world, where Great Britain is apparently enjoying a Golden Age, and where Harriet Jones is President. However, ambient temperatures are rising and the ice caps are melting. Pete correctly surmises that it has to do with the breach; the Doctor confirms that every time someone crosses over damage is done, and if it keeps up both worlds will fall into the Void. Pete believes the Doctor can close the breach, but when the Doctor says that doing so will leave the Cybermen and Daleks on his world, Pete replies that he is only interested in protecting his Earth. The Doctor points out there is a parallel Jackie who is still alive but Pete says that there are more important things at stake and asks the Doctor to help them. Seeing Pete's faith in him, the Doctor agrees to help.
The Doctor, Pete and Jake cross back. The Doctor calls up Jackie on her mobile phone, telling her to keep a low profile in the stairwell. The Doctor takes Jake's rifle and modifies it so it can affect polycarbide: the skin of a Dalek. He then surrenders to the Cybermen (Using a piece of white A4 paper on a stick) and the two sides work together.
The black Dalek demands that Rose activate the Ark, threatening Mickey's life. Rose steps forward to do so, but gleefully tells the Daleks how she met the Dalek Emperor and used the time vortex to turn him to dust. The furious black Dalek is about to exterminate her for this when the Doctor appears in the doorway.
The black Dalek asks how the Doctor survived the Time War. The Doctor says that he did that by fighting on the front lines, whereas these Daleks fled. Rose tells the Doctor that these Daleks have names, a fact which the Daleks confirm by declaring each of their names respectively: Dalek "Thay", Dalek "Sec", Dalek "Jast", and Dalek "Caan". The Doctor realises that these four Daleks are members of the Cult of Skaro, a secret order above even the Emperor. The Cult's purpose was to think as the enemy thinks, to find new ways of killing, including daring to take on individual identities. When Mickey asks the Doctor about the Genesis Ark, the Doctor replies that he does not know what it does; both sides had secrets.
Dalek "Sec" gloats that Time Lord science will ensure the supremacy of the Daleks, and orders the Doctor to open the Ark. The Doctor laughs off the suggestion and produces his sonic screwdriver ("Sec" calls it a Sonic Probe). He explains that, while it cannot kill, wound, or maim, it is very good for opening doors, a fact he demonstrates by using it to explosively open all the doors leading into the sphere chamber. The Cybermen enter and open fire on the Daleks using the modified energy rifles, temporarily disrupting the Daleks' shields and weapons and giving the Doctor and humans time to escape. However, the Daleks quickly regain control of their weapons and return fire without mercy, concentrating their attacks on the Cybermen. As the Doctor and the humans rush out of the chamber, Mickey is knocked into the Ark by a damaged Cyberman and his hand presses against its surface. The Ark is primed, steam gushing from the bottom vents, but Dalek "Sec" says that it needs a space of thirty square miles to activate. The Daleks begin to escort it out of the chamber.
The Doctor and the humans retreat towards the stairwell. Mickey apologises for his slip-up, but the Doctor tells him that he did them a favour because the Daleks would have destroyed the Sun in an attempt to open the Ark by force.
Jackie is found by two more Cybermen who lurch forward to capture her for upgrading but are shot from behind by Pete, with the Doctor, Rose and Mickey following him. Jackie and Pete see each other for the first time and have an awkward exchange as their parallel counterparts are dead. Although Pete tries to rationalise that Jackie is not really his wife, the two end up running into each other's arms and embracing.
The Daleks and the Ark move into the Torchwood storage area, battling another force of Cybermen. Some human soldiers break in and add to the chaos. The Doctor stumbles into the area as well, grabbing two magna-clamps before leaving. As the Daleks blast their way through all opposition, the new Cyber-Leader calls for reinforcements. "Sec" overrides the roof mechanism, and elevates upward with the Ark. As the Doctor and the others watch, the Ark opens above London and starts spinning, disgorging Dalek after Dalek. The Doctor realises that the "Time Lord science" Sec referred to was the fact that the Ark is bigger inside than outside: the Ark is a prison ship, containing millions of Daleks. As hundreds of Daleks line up in aerial formation, an army of heavily armed Cybermen appears and attacks the Daleks. The Daleks and Cybermen begin fighting all over the planet, with the human race caught in the crossfire.
Pete believes the situation to be hopeless, and prepares to escape back to his world while offering to take Jackie along with him. The Doctor, however, is more optimistic. Wearing his 3-D glasses, he explains that it allows him to see that everything that has crossed the Void between universes has picked up background radiation from it: "Void stuff". Since the Daleks and Cybermen have been hiding in the void, they will be saturated in it and will be pulled back into the Void if he re-opens the rift then seals it again.
Rose, however, points out that they are covered in "Void stuff" too. The Doctor explains that he will open the breach here, but if Rose and the others go back to Pete's world, they will be safe. The Doctor will hang on to the magnetic clamps so he will not be pulled in. Rose realises that if the breach seals she will never be able to return, and refuses to leave the Doctor despite the prospect of never seeing her mother again. While Rose and Jackie argue about who is leaving, the Doctor and Pete slip the devices around their necks and Pete transports them all across. However, Rose reactivates her device and returns, telling the Doctor she will never leave him.
Rose sets all the coordinates on the Void controls to six on the Doctor's instructions. As the Cybermen climb the stairs, they are met by a Cyberman with a female-sounding voice, that of Yvonne Hartman. She declares that they shall not pass and shoots them with an energy rifle. As she repeats that she did her duty for Queen and country, a tear of oil leaks from the duct below her left eye.
The Doctor and Rose fix the magnetic clamps on the walls. When they "push the red button", "Sec" senses the breach is active, deduces the Doctor is behind it, and sends a squad of four Daleks to exterminate him. Rose and the Doctor pull the levers, activating the breach, holding on as tightly as possible to the clamps. Outside, the Daleks released from the Ark, even the Ark itself, are drawn towards Torchwood Tower and are rapidly sucked into the breach. The Cybermen, still firing at the Daleks, are also pulled upward into the sky. However, "Sec" (along with the rest of the Cult) initiates an "emergency temporal shift" and vanishes.
The power lever on Rose's side begins to shift to the off-line position, threatening to abort the process. Unable to reach her lever while still holding on, Rose lets go of her clamp to do so. She pushes the lever back up and power is restored, but Rose is left clinging on as the void tries to consume her. The Doctor yells at her to hold on.
As the last of the Daleks fall into the breach, Rose can no longer hold on and lets go, flying towards oblivion. The Doctor screams in anguish, but at the last moment, Pete materialises in front of the breach, grabs Rose, and vanishes again. The breach ripples, and seals itself. On the parallel world, Rose beats the wall, sobbing hysterically as Pete notes that his device no longer works. On both sides of the breach, the Doctor and Rose lean against the wall, resting their cheeks against it for a moment as if sensing the other's presence. The Doctor then walks away sadly, alone.
Some time later, Rose has a dream where she hears the Doctor's voice calling her. Rose, Jackie, Pete and Mickey follow the voice to fifty miles outside Bergen, Norway, on the coastline of Dårlig Ulv Stranden roughly translated to Bad Wolf Bay. There, an image of the Doctor appears; he tells her that he found the last of the breaches, and is transmitting the signal by using the TARDIS to harness the power of a supernova, commenting that he is burning up a sun to say good-bye. Rose tells him that he looks like a ghost, and the Doctor increases the image of himself to maximum projection — making it look as if he is really standing there, but he regretfully tells Rose that he is still just an image, and that she cannot touch him. With only two minutes left, the two share their final farewell. Rose tells the Doctor that her mother is three months pregnant. At first, Rose jokes that she is now back working as a shop girl, but then reveals that she is with the parallel Torchwood, which has re-opened, as they could use her expertise with aliens. The Doctor smiles proudly and says, "Rose Tyler: Defender of the Earth."
The Doctor tells Rose that she is officially listed among those that died on that day. Rose tearfully asks the Doctor if she will ever see him again, and the Doctor replies regretfully, "You can't." Breaking down, Rose asks what the Doctor will do, and he says he will go on, alone. Weeping, Rose tells the Doctor she loves him. As it is his last chance to do so, he begins to reply, "Rose Tyler..." but his image fades. Rose, still in tears, turns and runs back into Jackie's arms.
In the TARDIS, the Doctor stands for a minute, lips still parted, about to mouth the word "I" and a single tear rolls down each cheek. He regretfully starts to work the console. Suddenly, he looks up to see a woman in a wedding dress standing in the console room. Dumbfounded, all the Doctor can repeat is "What?" as the bride demands sharply that he tell her where she is...
Cast
- The Doctor - David Tennant
- Rose Tyler - Billie Piper
- Jackie Tyler - Camille Coduri
- Mickey Smith - Noel Clarke
- Pete Tyler - Shaun Dingwall
- Jake Simmonds - Andrew Hayden-Smith
- Yvonne Hartman - Tracy Ann Oberman
- Dr. Rajesh Singh - Raji James
- Cyber Leader - Paul Kasey
- Dalek & Cybermen Voices - Nicholas Briggs
- Dalek Operators - Barnaby Edwards, Nicholas Pegg, Stuart Crossman, Anthony Spargo, Dan Barratt, David Hankinson
- and introducing Catherine Tate as the Bride
Crew
| Executive Producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner |
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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
Daleks
- Dalek Sec is leader of the Cult of Skaro along with; Dalek Caan, Dalek Thay and Dalek Jast.
- The Cult of Skaro recognise the Cybermen.
- The Cult perform an Emergency Temporal Shift.
- The Daleks use rels to measure time.
- The Daleks come out of their void ship.
Species
- Cyber-Leader One
- The Cybermen attempt to negotiate with the Daleks.
Gallifreyan artefacts
- The Genesis Ark can only be opened by a time traveller.
21st century Earth-based conflicts
- The events of this episode come to be known as Battle of Canary Wharf.
Last Great Time War
Human leaders
- Harriet Jones is President in the alternate Earth London.
Bad Wolf
- The Doctor and Rose say their final goodbyes at Dårlig Ulv Stranden which translates as Bad Wolf Bay.
Story notes
- The working title for this episode was Torchwood Falls.
- Doomsday and the 2006 World Cup finale aired in the same week. Radio Times did variant covers of a team of a Cybermen and a team of Daleks on a football pitch, the lead holding a football.
- Julie Gardner, Executive producer for the new series, said that the Doctor was going to "say it back", he gets another chance in DW: Journey's End.
- Besides resonating throughout Series 3 and into Series 4, the events of Doomsday, or specifically Rose's fate, would be referenced in two original songs related to the series: the extended version of "Song for Ten" recorded for the Series 1 and 2 soundtrack album, and "Love Don't Roam", which would be introduced during the next episode, The Runaway Bride.
- This is the only finale in the revived series that features the Tenth Doctor but not Captain Jack Harkness. (DW: The Parting of the Ways, The Last of the Time Lords, Journey's End, The End of Time)
- According to commentaries and discussion on the Series 2 DVD release, secrecy was very tight surrounding the filming of the two final scenes of the episode. According to Tennant and Davies, only Tennant and Piper were given the script for their farewell scene in advance, with the director receiving his copy soon before filming. According to Tennant, the filming of the Catherine Tate cameo was a rare example of a surprise being kept without getting spoiled; the scene was shot with minimal crew while the rest of the production team were having their wrap party. As such, the Tate scenes were actually shot long after the Doctor and Rose's farewell scene, which was filmed during an earlier production block.
- At this point, Tate's character is identified only as "The Bride". She wouldn't be officially identified by the name Donna Noble until months later as publicity for the Christmas special began to circulate.
- Army of Ghosts/Doomsday is the only multi-part series finale written by Russell T Davies not to feature a regeneration scene. The Ninth Doctor regenerates in The Parting of the Ways, the Master regenerates in Utopia, the Tenth Doctor almost regenerates in The Stolen Earth/Journey's End, and then does so for real in The End of Time.
- This story is marked by one of the few attempts in the television series, modern or classic, to introduce humourous elements to the Daleks; Dalek Sec is uncharacteristically witty for a Dalek, a fact explained in-universe by the special status of the Cult of Skaro. It tells the Cyberleader, 'you are superior to us in only one respect...you are better at dying'. There is also the comical dialogue between a Dalek and Cyberman. Each orders the other to identify themselves. They refuse, until the Dalek retorts that Daleks need not identify themselves. The Cyberman then says, 'you have identified yourselves as Daleks'. Other examples of humour in Dalek stories can be found in The Chase and Destiny of the Daleks. It also introduces some humorous elements to the Cybermen, as when Cybermen state that the design of the Daleks is "inelegant", the Daleks respond that they have no concept of elegance, the Cyberman dryly responds with, "This is obvious."
- When Rose and the Doctor put their heads against the wall, as if listening for each other, it is very similar to the way the wolf and the Doctor listened to each other through the door in Tooth and Claw.
- The Doctor tells Rose to set all the coordinates to "6". This would be "666", or the number of the Beast. This further correlated to the story as sending the Dalek and Cybermen to "hell", which is what some people call the Void.
Ratings
- 8.22 million
Myths
- This is the first Doctor Who episode in which both the Cybermen and Daleks appeared together. While it is true that this is the first episode in which they have interacted, there have been several episodes in which Cybermen and Daleks have appeared separately, most notably The Five Doctors (the only other story in which both races were physically present and functioning). The Ninth Doctor found the head of a Cyberman during the events of Dalek, and the Doctor conjured up images of both Cybermen and Daleks during his trial before the Time Lords in The War Games.
- When the episode first aired, there was wide fan speculation indicating that the Genesis Ark may contain Davros. Ultimately, fans would have to wait two more years for Davros to return.
Production errors
- When the Dalek shoots the Cybermen for proposing an alliance the dead Cybermen land on a black floor. In the shots before the ground was beige.
- The fires outside London are not present when the Daleks fly out of the Genesis Ark.
- In the ending scene after the Doctor has faded and Rose is hugging her mum, if you look at the back wheel of the jeep in the background a foot steps out from behind the wheel and then steps back.
- Although great pains were taken to keep David Tennant's hair from blowing in the wind during the last scene (since he's supposed to only be a projection), you can still see his hair moving slightly.
- When the Daleks and Cybermen talk to each other via communication channel, when the Cyberleader is talking Dalek Sec is seen clearly shaking and ears light as if he is talking.
- When the Daleks shout "Exterminate" when they burst through some doors to fight forces of Cybermen, their lights do not flash when they speak.
- One of the Cyberman that alerts the Cyber-leader of the "Unknown technology", the Cybus "C" on its chest is on backwards/upside-down.
- At the end when the Void opens and the Daleks and Cybermen are sucked in you don't actually see any Cybermen on the shots. They go back through the cracks.
- When the Daleks identify their names, Dalek 'Thay' says his name at the start, but it is actually Dalek Jast, in the shots before this part you clearly see that Thay is behind Sec, so if it was the real names it would be, "I am Dalek Jast, Dalek Sec, Dalek Jast, Dalek Caan"
- At one point in the battle between the Daleks, Cybermen, Torchwood and the Preachers. A Dalek fires, narrowly missing a Preacher standing up and hitting a CGI Cybermen whose hand lands on the crouching Preacher as it falls, being CGI, this causes no effect on the Preacher.
- If everything that has gone through the Void gets sucked back into the Void, why did the TARDIS not get sucked into it?
As with The Runaway Bride
Because the final scene of Doomsday is narratively continuous with The Runaway Bride, a couple of production inconsistencies can be said to exist, which are not, in themselves, errors within this episode, if viewed by itself.
- In The Runaway Bride, Donna finds Rose's top hanging on the rail closest to the "open" side of the TARDIS set (that is, the left-most rail if facing the TARDIS doors). This rail is, however, plainly seen in a wide shot in Doomsday, and Rose's top is plainly absent.
- It's not exactly an "error", but there is a noticeable difference in the way the scene with Donna is lit in Doomsday versus its reprise in The Runaway Bride. See this discussion on cinematography for more information.
Continuity
- Arcadia is mentioned in NA: Deceit.
- Several companions have departed in Dalek stories; Susan (DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth), Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright (DW: The Chase) and Tegan Jovanka (DW: Resurrection of the Daleks).
- Rose now calls the parallel Earth's Pete Tyler "Dad".
- There is a flashback sequence to the events of (DW: Dalek)
- Rose refers to the events of DW: The Parting of the Ways.
- Donna Noble (known as the Bride in the credits) appears at the end of this story, leading straight into DW: The Runaway Bride.
- TW: Cyberwoman features a partially cyberconverted person who escape the events of this episode.
- When Pete Tyler takes the Doctor to see his world, he mentions several things that could be vital to the plot of Series 4: Harriet Jones is President in that world, "Who's President now?". "A woman named Harriet Jones". "I'd keep an eye on her!" The reference to Harriet Jones leading a golden age in the parallel world directly correlates to the Doctor's earlier prediction of Harriet Jones leading three successive terms as a leader in Britain's Golden Age.
- Daleks and Cybermen would later appear together in DW: The Pandorica Opens. Coincidentally they do form an alliance in The Pandorica Opens episode despite refusing to in this episode.
Timeline
For the Doctor
- This story takes place after DW: Army of Ghosts
- This story takes place before DW: The Runaway Bride
For Donna
- This story takes place before DW: Partners in Crime
For Mickey and Jackie
- This story takes place after DW: Army of Ghosts
- This story takes place before DW: Journey's End
For the Daleks
- This story takes place after DW: Army of Ghosts
- This story takes place before DW: Daleks in Manhattan
For the Cybermen
- This story takes place after DW: Army of Ghosts
- This story takes place before DW: The Next Doctor
DVD releases
- This episode was released as a 'vanilla DVD' together with Army of Ghosts and Fear Her on 25th of September 2006.
- This was also released as part of the Season 2 box set. Due to scheduling decisions made by the show's Canadian broadcaster, the CBC, the North American release of the box set occurred several days before Doomsday was broadcast in that country.