The Zygon Inversion (TV story)
The Zygon Inversion was the eighth episode of the ninth series of Doctor Who produced by BBC Wales.
This episode saw the Twelfth Doctor describe the immense pain he felt while fighting in the Time War in an emotional and angry speech for the first time since his predecessor discovered that the War Doctor had not destroyed Gallifrey in The Day of the Doctor. It also revealed that there are two Osgood Boxes, and their design is based on that of the Moment; this symbolises how the Doctor nearly destroyed his entire race with a box in The Day of the Doctor, just as Kate and Bonnie were about to destroy theirs.
It did not elaborate if the human Osgood or Zygon double was still alive, instead having Bonnie fill the vacancy in the form of a replacement double for the one of the two who had been killed by Missy in Death in Heaven.
It also saw a new way of Zygon-transformation for the first time, showing the immense pain of a lengthy forced transformation from human-form into Zygon-form.
Synopsis
With the splinter group of Zygons now ahead of the Doctor, there is only one thing standing in their way of obliterating the human race and taking the Earth for themselves: a moral dilemma!
Is Bonnie willing to compromise the peace already in place, just for the sake of Zygons not needing to hide, even if it means making enemies not only of humanity, but of her own race?
Plot
Clara awakens in what seems to her apartment. However, she soon finds many inconsistencies with her home, such as the lack of windows and being unable to leave. Clara checks a magazine, finding it filled with gibberish; she's dreaming. She soon hears Bonnie's voice as the television in the living room turns on, showing exactly what she sees. Clara, realising that the Twelfth Doctor is in danger, forces minimal control over Bonnie, making her miss her first shot with a rocket launcher.
Bonnie pays no mind to this, thinking she slipped up; she fires another rocket at Boat One, this time destroying it. Though Bonnie thinks the Doctor is dead, Clara pauses the image on her TV, zooming in on the shadows of the Doctor and Osgood falling away from the smoke: the Doctor is alive!
On the ground, Osgood removes her parachute, only to find her glasses have been broken in the fall. The Doctor manages to free himself of his own, which has a Union Jack printed on it; he explains its for being incognito in the UK. The Doctor gives Osgood his sonic sunglasses, allowing her their use until she obtains a replacement pair of glasses. However, Osgood points out how silly sonic eye-wear is, comparing it to "visual hearing".
Elsewhere, Bonnie corners a peaceful Zygon called Etoine, zapping him; unable to maintain his form, the Zygon accidentally transforms in public. He runs off into a shop to hide, while Bonnie smiles at the act, posting a video of the transformation on the Internet.
The Doctor and Osgood trek on, talking about the Zygons' abilities; the Doctor is then left a bit shocked when Osgood tells him that she would shoot him between the eyes for each regeneration, if she wanted him dead, to keep him from talking his way out of the situation. At the same time, Clara subtly makes Bonnie text the Doctor with a simple message "I'm awake"; the Doctor is confused by this, wondering if the message is political. However, Osgood realises that it means that Clara is aware of what's going on, despite being asleep in a Zygon pod; the Doctor then notes his hope is getting worse.
Seeing a police car, the Doctor and Osgood attempt to get help. Passing himself off as "Dr John Disco", the Doctor tells the police officers that his plane blew up, but there's nothing to worry about. Worrying that they may be Zygons from the splinter group Truth or Consequences, the Doctor and Osgood begin walking away. However, another pair of officers begin approaching from where they came from. Bonnie video calls the Doctor, trying to get him to surrender; however, Clara makes Bonnie wink repeatedly, making the Doctor think the Zygon is flirting with him. "I'm old enough to be your messiah" the Doctor points out, but then realises that Clara is signalling him. Seeing an abandoned van, the Doctor has Osgood use the sonic sunglasses to open it; the Doctor manages to hot-wire the vehicle and they escape.
At the Zygon nest, Bonnie approaches the pod holding Clara and telepathically talks to her; Bonnie appears on the television screen in Clara's dream. Since they share a heart-beat, Bonnie will know when Clara's lying if her own pulse increases. Bonnie interrogates her, learning that the Osgood Box is at the Black Archive under the Tower of London, and that Clara has access. However, Clara taunts Bonnie, saying that even though she's given this information, the Zygon will still need her. "Kate" arrives, explaining that the Doctor is on his way; Bonnie orders that he be copied, if possible, but disposed.
Seeing the video Bonnie posted on the Internet, the Doctor and Osgood head to find the Zygon she attacked in the south London shopping centre the Fleet Estate Centre. They find Etoine, who is having trouble maintaining his human form due to the zap Bonnie gave him; he says all he wanted was to live in peace, but Truth or Consequences wouldn't let him. The Doctor and Osgood try calming him, but the Zygon kills himself out of fear.
With Kate appearing with two guards, the Doctor and Osgood head into the apartment complex and find the secret elevator switch. Descending to the Zygon nest, they attempt negotiation with the fake Kate and her two guards. However, Kate shoots her guards, revealing that she's the real one; when the Zygon attacked her back in New Mexico, she emptied her gun into it. She took the Zygon's place to get close to Bonnie. Attempting to show the Doctor where Clara's pod is, Kate discovers that it's gone. The Doctor realises that Bonnie has taken her to the Black Archive.
At the Black Archive, Bonnie learns why the device is called the "Osgood" Box - there's two of them. Bonnie has Clara awakened, but finds that she doesn't know which of the boxes is the right one; Clara points out that Bonnie should have already known this because their minds are linked. The Doctor, Osgood and Kate arrive; Kate and Bonnie each stand before a box, discovering that under lids each has two buttons labelled "Truth" or "Consequences". Bonnie's box will either cause the Zygons to revert to their true forms for an hour or cancels their ability to change form, thus making them human for good; Kate's box will either release Z-67 (a gas poisonous to Zygons created by Harry Sullivan) into the atmosphere or detonate the nuclear warhead beneath the Black Archive.
Comparing her to a child having a tantrum, the Doctor points out Bonnie hasn't thought ahead about the destruction her desire for war will being; even if she wipes out humanity, there would still be trouble-making Zygons. With both Kate and Bonnie willing to press their buttons, the Doctor can't resist making fun of the situation in a game show announcer voice; he then snaps at them, saying this is a scale model of war. This situation is what it always boils down to: two sides sitting down to negotiation after too much suffering and death. After Bonnie says that the Doctor could never understand her situation, the Doctor launches into an agonised tirade, screaming at her that he fought in a war bigger than she could imagine and when he closes his eyes, he can still hear the screaming of the victims.
He tells Bonnie that what you do with this pain is to hold it tight until it burns your hands, and say: "No-one else will ever have to live like this. No-one else will ever have to feel this pain." Bonnie is swayed by the Doctor's words, telling him she's figured out that the boxes are empty. However, Kate is less than amused. Telling Kate that she's already scolded him fifteen times, the Doctor again wipes her memory with the device in the ceiling. However, Bonnie was allowed her memories, so as to prevent this disaster again.
Bonnie returns to her nest, telling her comrades the revolution is over and that they're safe. Outside the nest, the Doctor asks Osgood to travel with him; however, she turns him down, saying that she needs to be around to make the Nightmare Scenario work out like this again. Per the Doctor's request, Clara hugs Osgood on his behalf. However, the Doctor is left bewildered that Osgood never thought of what the TARDIS stood for; he tells her it stands for "Totally And Radically Driving In Space". However, at that moment, a second Osgood appears, saying that the day she will answer if she's human or Zygon is the day that nobody cares about the answer. the two of them explaining that it wouldn't be OK to use Clara's face when there's a vacancy for an Osgood. Both of them say that it doesn't matter which is Osgood and which is Bonnie, only that Osgood lives. The Doctor compliments the Osgoods that Osgood is a credit to her species. Both Osgoods reply that they're a credit to both species.
After the TARDIS departs, both Osgoods decide to get ice cream before heading back to work.
Cast
- The Doctor - Peter Capaldi
- Clara - Jenna Coleman
- Osgood - Ingrid Oliver
- Kate - Jemma Redgrave
- Etoine - Nicholas Asbury
- Zygons - Aidan Cook, Tom Wilton, Jack Parker
- Voice of the Zygons - Nicholas Briggs
Uncredited cast
- Bonnie - Jenna Coleman, Ingrid Oliver
- Police officer - Ben Nash[1]
- Police officer - Jon Davey[2]
Crew
| Executive Producers Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin |
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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
- The Fleet Estate Centre is visited.
- The block of flats that Etoine lives in is called Meelfe House.
- Spooner Minicabs is seen.
- Piacentini's barber shop is seen.
- A BBC News report is seen.
The Doctor
- The Doctor jokes to Osgood that his real name is "Basil".
- The Doctor jokes that as he is over 2000 years old, he is old enough to be the Messiah.
- The Doctor jokes around with Bonnie, using puns, calling himself "Doctor Pun-tastic".
- The Doctor escapes the plane in a parachute with a Union Flag on it. Similarly, James Bond used a parachute with a Union Flag on it to sky-dive in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me.
- The Doctor once created an invisible watch, which had an obvious terrible design flaw.
- The Doctor keeps a browser history in his sonic sunglasses, and advises Osgood not to look at it.
- Osgood says that if she wanted to kill the Doctor, she would do so quickly by shooting him in the head, twelve times if necessary, referring to his regeneration cycle.
- The Doctor apparently has question marks on his underwear.
Clara
- Clara has apparently unfettered access to the Black Archive.
- The newspaper in Clara's dream that she checks to ensure she's dreaming reads gibberish, indicating that to her it holds no significance.
Zygons
- The Zygons have a communication device that works the same way a phone do.
Bonnie
- Bonnie is compared to a child having a tantrum by the Doctor.
- Bonnie is nicknamed "Zygella" by the Doctor.
Conflict
- The Doctor likens Bonnie's proposed war on humanity to a game compared to the scale of the Time War.
Cultural references
- The Doctor affects an American accent and briefly impersonates a stereotypical game show host.
- The concept of a box containing a secret that was revealed after the contestant chooses which button to push was an aspect of the real-life Truth or Consequences TV game show.
Story notes
to be added
Ratings
- BBC One Overnight: 4.13 million
- BBC America Overnight: to be added
- Final UK ratings: 6.03 million
Filming location
to be added
Production errors
- When the Doctor, Clara, and Osgood arrive at the TARDIS, the Doctor is a few feet away from it. In the next shot, he is standing right next to it.
- When the pod lid is taken off you can see Clara's hair is messed up but when the Doctor is talking to Bonnie and Kate her hair is bushed and neat.
Continuity
- The painting of the First Doctor in the Unit Safe House opens to reveal a safe. (TV: The Zygon Invasion)
- Osgood's comment that killing the Doctor would require her to shoot him twelve times is both a reference to how a Time Lord can usually regenerate only twelve times. (TV: The Deadly Assassin, The Time of the Doctor)
- In her dream, Clara hears Bonnie's last words for the Doctor before firing the missile launcher, as well as the missile being fired. (TV: The Zygon Invasion)
- A government worker is sweeping some electrical wire-human-leftovers. Some leftovers are also seen in the Fleet Estate Centre. (TV: The Zygon Invasion)
- Kate Stewart explains that she survived her encounter with a Zygon by firing "five rounds rapid," a phrase used by her father. (TV: The Dæmons)
- The Doctor uses his iPhone again. (TV: The Zygon Invasion) He and Bonnie at one point communicate using Facetime. (TV: Before the Flood)
- Boat One is blown up again. (TV: Death in Heaven)
- The Doctor mentions Morse code. (TV: Under the Lake)
- The Doctor says he used the plane to "ponce about". (TV: The Zygon Invasion)
- The Doctor uses his psychic paper. (TV: The End of the World et.al.)
- The Doctor nicknames himself "John Disco", a mix of "Doctor Disco" (TV: The Zygon Invasion) and "John Smith". (TV: School Reunion)
- Bonnie watches the video filmed by the Osgoods. (TV: The Zygon Invasion)
- The naval surgeon who invented the anti-Zygon gas Z-67 is named Sullivan. (TV: Terror of the Zygons, The Zygon Invasion) The Doctor calls him an imbecile, just as he once did in his fourth incarnation. (TV: Revenge of the Cybermen)
- Osgood's glasses are broken. (TV: Death in Heaven)
- Clara urges Bonnie to kill her by saying "go on, then", when Bonnie threatens her. She previously did the same with the Half-Face Man, a trick she in turn learned from Courtney Woods. (TV: Deep Breath)
- Clara says she's a great liar. (TV: Death in Heaven, et al)
- The Doctor says he has spent a lot of time getting doomed to Extermination, but that doesn't mean he likes it.
- The Doctor's sonic sunglasses are used. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice et.al.)
- A new-design Cyberman head is seen in the Black Archive. (TV: The Age of Steel et.al.)
- The blackboard with previous companions is seen. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)
- The Doctor mentions how the TARDIS doesn't work properly. (TV: An Unearthly Child, et al)
- The Black Archive is revisited and the memory-eraser is reactivated. The beginning of the peace-treaty is also mentioned. (TV: The Day of the Doctor) The archive has been sealed and only the Osgoods, the Doctor and Clara Oswald are known to have access to it.
- The battle helmet of a Mire is in the Black Archive. (TV: The Girl Who Died)
- The Doctor recalls the intense pain of his experiences in the Last Great Time War. Furthermore, the Osgood Boxes are directly based off the Moment to reflect the way his wartime self struggled not to use its destructive potential. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)
- Osgood wears a facsimile of the Seventh Doctor's outfit, with a duffel coat. (TV: The Curse of Fenric)
- Clara performs a "dream check" to gauge the state of her reality when she wakes up. (TV: Last Christmas)
- The Doctor claims that one of the buttons in the blue Osgood Box would cancel the Zygons' ability to change form, making them human forever. An actual Zygon ability to take a permanent human form was revealed in AUDIO: The Zygon Who Fell to Earth.
- Clara again finds herself fighting back against someone who has taken over her mind. (COMIC: The Swords of Kali)
- The Doctor says "Gotcha" to Bonnie when she blinked Clara's location and when he knew he had convinced Bonnie to stand down. A second Osgood surprises the Doctor with a "Gotcha" as well. The Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond also said "Gotcha" to each other (TV: The Beast Below, The Big Bang)
Home video releases
DVD releases
to be added
Blu-ray releases
to be added
External links
- Transcript of The Zygon Inversion at Chrissie's Transcripts Site
Footnotes
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