Closing Time (TV story)

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You may be looking for the Torchwood Magazine short story.

Closing Time was the twelfth episode in the sixth series of Doctor Who. It saw the reappearance of the Mondasian Cybermen on present day Earth since Silver Nemesis instead of their Cybus counterparts. It also saw the return of Craig Owens from the previous season, but this time as an official companion. The question of who is inside the astronaut suit that kills the Doctor at Lake Silencio is also answered.

Synopsis

In the last few days of his life, the Doctor decides to pay a farewell visit to his old friend Craig Owens. However, he soon discovers a mystery in the local paper; people are going missing. Also, a silver rat has been seen scuttling around the shadows of a department store and somewhere close by, the Cybermen wait.[1]

Plot

At a department store, two workers, Kelly and Shona, are getting ready to close the shop. Shona goes to check the changing rooms for clothes left inside and finds a silhouette of a person in one of the changing rooms. She tells the person that the store is closing and that they will be given a few minutes. The lights begin to flicker and she wonders if the person is okay. Thudding footsteps come from the changing room and she decides to investigate. Pulling back the curtain, Shona doesn't find a person inside; it's a Cyberman. She screams in terror as the lights continue to flicker.

Elsewhere, Sophie is telling Craig that she has made several preparations for when she's gone, but Craig tells her that he can handle it and that she needs this vacation. Sophie leaves, but tells Craig that she phoned their parents, just in case Craig needs help. Craig begins making calls to those Sophie phoned, telling them that he can handle things. However, he then hears the doorbell ring. Thinking it's Sophie, Craig practices saying that he can handle himself. Much to his surprise, it's not Sophie at the door, but (comically) the Doctor. Amused Craig mistook him for someone else again, the Doctor greets Craig. Craig then wonders how Sophie could have phoned the Doctor, but the Doctor tells Craig that she didn't and that he is only there to say hello.

Commenting on his dislike of Craig's redecoration (he and Sophie have moved into a new home), the Doctor prepares to leave until he notices the lights flcikering. The Doctor then asks if Craig is sure that he's alone, forcing himself inside to begin scanning for life with his sonic screwdriver. Craig repeatedly tells the Doctor to be quiet and that he made sure that his neighbors were human, and that the upstairs was genuine. The Doctor tracks the signal to a room and opens it, demanding the occupant to leave the planet. However, instead of an alien, the Doctor finds it's Craig and Sophie's son.

In the kitchen, the Doctor tells Craig that he's been on a farewell tour, before wondering what they named their son. Craig tells the Doctor that they didn't name their son after him; his name is Alfie. The Doctor admits it's a good name before saying that Alfie prefers to be called "Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All". Confused, Craig wonders how the Doctor would know that; the Doctor speaks baby. The Doctor then tells Craig that he's off to see the Alignment of Exodor before noticing something in the local newspaper that makes his tone become darker. Craig wonders what the Doctor has realised, but is quickly told to forget it as he is leaving. Walking back to the TARDIS, the Doctor cannot resist the temptation to examine the power fluctuations, finding himself unable to resist investigating further.

The next day, the Doctor has gotten a job in the department store and is busy showing off a helicopter toy to kids, making jokes about how parents waste money on boring things. Craig pays a visit himself and finds the Doctor. The Doctor dismisses the kids and talks with Craig, explaining he works at the store as part of his investigation, noticing something small and silver whizz by them. The Doctor tries examining the spot where he found it, but finds nothing. Craig then wonders what he is investigating before being given a newspaper; several people have gone missing from the store, but a celebrity in the local paper is getting all the attention, making it hard for others to notice.

Walking with Craig, the Doctor explains that the power fluctuations are consistent with teleportation; since the power problems happen in this area, the teleporter is nearby. Craig then tells the Doctor that the safest place at the moment is with him, but the Doctor forces Craig into a disabled lift; he repairs it with his sonic screwdriver. Suddenly, the Doctor realises that the lift is what the teleporter is disguised as; they have been transported to an alien ship. The Doctor tells Craig not to look around, feigning attraction to him. However, a Cyberman marches towards them, causing Craig to notice their surroundings. The Doctor quickly reverses the teleport, taking them back to the shop.

The Doctor explains who the Cybermen are and explains that they must be taking power from the shop to help with their conversions. For the time being, they have been stopped from coming back to Earth. The Doctor and Craig go outside, where he tries locating the Cyber-Ship, but finds nothing. Deciding to ask around for clues, the Doctor sends Craig to help investigate. Talking with co-worker Val, the Doctor misinterprets her mistaking himself and Craig for a couple and finds she has nothing pertaining to the investigation to say. However, Val then mentions a "silver rat", getting his attention. Heading to the toy department, where she saw it, the Doctor tries tracking it with his sonic, but has no luck.

Elsewhere, Craig tries asking Kelly questions, but stumbles on his words, causing her to mistake him for a weirdo. A security officer named George is called in to deal with Craig, whom he tries distracting by having them focus on Alfie. The Doctor hears the ruckus Craig is causing and runs over, clearing up the confusion. Kelly then mentions that Shona has been missing and she has to work harder to make up for her absence. The Doctor realises that he'd better investigate where she was last seen and explains to Craig that the silver rat that Val mentioned is a Cybermat. The Doctor tells Craig that they are going to stake out the store and capture one.

That night, the Doctor and Craig are successful in capturing a Cybermat. However, the sound of George screaming leads the Doctor to the basement, where he is knocked out by a badly damaged Cyberman. Upon regaining conciousness, the Doctor is found by Craig, who wonders why the Cybermen didn't take him for conversion. Explaining that he's not compatible for it, the Doctor becomes confused as to how the Cybermen got back to Earth so quickly. However, Craig then points out that the store is no longer safe; they should get back to base (Craig's house).

At Craig's, the Doctor begins working on the Cybermat, planning to reprogram it. Craig tells the Doctor that he's going out for milk and to take care of Alfie if he cries; the Doctor is left dumbfounded as to what to do with Alfie as the "shushing" only works once. Alfie begins crying and the Doctor tries calming him by telling about how dull adult life is. He then stops himself and tells Alfie how old he is. Alfie then wonders if the stars projected form his lamp actualy look like that. The Doctor augments the lamp to show genuine stars and tells Alfie that he was like him once, he accomplished his dreams. He then adds that he will die the next day.

Unbeknownst to the Doctor, the Cybermat had reactivated and crept up behind him. Realising the danger, the Doctor quickly runs outside with Alfie, placing him in a swing; however, he left his sonic screwdriver inside. Craig returns, not knowing that the Doctor and Alfie are not in. The Doctor tries calling Craig, only to look into the kitchen to find him fighting the Cybermat. Crashing through the door, the Doctor helps Craig pin the Cybermat under a cooking tray before frying it with the sonic.

The Doctor then begins working on reprogramming the Cybermat, with Craig finally able to lull Alfie to sleep. Knowing he can't keep running, the Doctor tells Craig that his time is running out, not for seeing the Alignment of Exodor, but for himself. He then realizes that Craig has fallen asleep with Alfie in his arms and places a blanket on them.

The next morning, the Doctor leaves with his new Cybermat and heads to the store. There, he meets Val, who jokes about being the only early one. The Doctor heads to the changing room and finds a secret entrance behind one of the mirrors. In the meantime, Craig wakes up and finds a note from the Doctor; angered, he runs off with Alfie to help.

Following the tunnel from the secret door, the Doctor finds a Cyber-Ship underground and enters it. There, he finds that it's badly damaged and most of the Cyberman parts are damaged; the power lines installed for the store accidentally leaked power down to the ship, awakening Cybermats to begin collecting more. He also finds Shona's nametag on the ground. A Cybeman enters and identifies the Doctor before the Doctor explains that the ship crashed there centuries ago and none of the crew survived. However, it and the other five plan on converting the entire human race when there is enough power. The Doctor then tells them that they should know he gives a choice: deactivate by themselves or he'll do it for them. They capture the Doctor and take his sonic screwdriver.

Elsewhere, Craig has just entered the store, asking Val where the Doctor is. Val tells him and Craig asks her to watch Alfie for him before running off the help; Val misinterprets what the two of them are doing. Craig reaches the changing room and finds a price scanner to use as a bluff and follows the tunnel down to the Cyber-ship.

Inside, the Cybermen acknowledge that a Time Lord cannot be converted into one of them, but some parts can still be useful. Just then, Craig enters, brandishing the scanner at them and demanding that th

Craig is almost turned into Cyber-Controller

ey leave the planet. The Cybermen are shocked that he found them and decide to make him the new Cyber-Controller. They disarm Craig and force him into a conversion machine. The Doctor urges Craig to fight, revealing that he's going to die. However, the process appears complete-- until the sound of Alfie's cries come from the closed-circuit television. Echoing through the ship, they awaken Craig's emotions and allow him to break free of the Cybermen parts on him. The Cybermen are then paralyzed with pain from the deactivation of their emotional inhibitors, which the Doctor knows will lead to a very big bang. The Doctor reverses the teleport again, taking himself and Craig back to the shop in the lift.

Val is confused as to how they got there and the Doctor tells Craig that Alfie is now proud of his dad, deciding not to call himself Stormageddon any more as well. Craig buys a new shirt and Val informs him that there's a discount for partners. Craig realises what Val means and tries explaining that the Doctor is his friend until they both realise he is gone again.

Getting back home, Craig finds the damage from their fight with the Cybermat is gone. The Doctor walks in and tells him that he gave up on seeing the Alignment of Exodor to make sure Sophie wasn't cross with him when she gets back. Craig wonders where the Doctor will go next and he tells him; America. The Doctor then tells Craig that he is taking some TARDIS blue envelopes before being stopped from leaving for a moment; Craig gives the Doctor a stetson, a gift from one of Craig's football friends. The Doctor then leaves when Craig turns his back to the sound of a knock on the door. Craig answers it to find Sophie lost her key; she is shocked at how much Alfie is getting along with his dad. She then wonders if anything weird happened while she was gone; Craig lies. Alfie then says his first words "Doctor who". Outside, the Doctor has reached the TARDIS, telling her that it's their last trip together. He then notices three kids playing in the alley next to him. He introduces himself, saying that he was there to help. One of the kids thought he was a cowboy going to a fight, another liked his hat, and the third saw that he was happy, yet sad.

In the far future, these eyewitness accounts are being read by River Song at the Luna University. She then hears a woman singing and looks up to find Kovarian. Kovarian is surprised that River has been made a doctor and asks if she knows if the song is about the Doctor. River then wonders if she knows the Doctor before sensing she knows her. Kovarian tells River not to bother as "they" have been too thorough with her memory. River then looks behind her to see two of the Silence. Upon wondering who they are, Kovarian tells River that they are her "owners" before pointing to information in her diary, asking River if she knows what it means. River explains that in some theories, it's the day the Doctor dies; it's just a story. Kovarian then tells Rive

River under Lake Silencio, waiting for the Doctor

r "and this is where it begins" just as two soldiers from the Church arrive with an astronaut's suit.

Kovarian then tells Melody Pond that she never really escaped them, causing River to panic and wonder how she knows who she is. River is then drugged and begins losing conciousness as Kovarian makes a cruel rhyme about River's love (the Doctor) about to die. River then wakes up to find herself inside the astonaut suit, which has been submerged in Lake Silencio, 2011 to await the Doctor.

Cast

Crew

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



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 Doctor

  • The Doctor mentions that a robot dog is "not as much fun as I remember" referring to K9.
  • The Doctor can make people quiet by simply saying "shh!" Craig suggests this is hypnosis.
  • The Doctor tells Craig that he has forgotten his identity before. (DW: Doctor Who (1996))
  • The Doctor says "Oh you've redecorated, I dont like it." That was previously said by the second Doctor in DW: The Three Doctors and again in DW: The Five Doctors.

Cybermen

Cultural references from the real world

  • When the Doctor tries to deactivate the Cybermat and discovers it has shielding, he says to Craig "Don't worry. I have an app for that", parodying the slogan used by Apple to advertise the iPhone's versatility.
  • When the Doctor is flying the toy helicopter, he says "It goes up-diddley-up, it goes down-diddley-down." This is a line from the theme song of the movie Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.

Fashion and clothing

  • Craig gives the Doctor a Stetson as a parting gift. The Doctor is later shown wearing this in DW: The Impossible Astronaut when he brings everyone together in America before his death.

Individuals

  • It seems Amy has become famous; she is seen giving an autograph to a little girl.
  • Sean and Melinda are mentioned.
  • Kovarian does not appear to be affected by the Silence's ability to make people forget their existence. This will be later shown to be because of her eye drive. (DW: The Wedding of River Song)
  • River Song does not remember Kovarian or the Silence from her childhood.

History

Television series

  • Craig asks if the Cybermen's teleport is like "beam me up" from Star Trek. This is the second consecutive episode to feature a reference to Star Trek.

Theories and concepts

  • Posters seen by the Doctor in the department store indicate that Amy has taking up a modelling career. She is seen advertising a fragrance named "Petrichor".

Story notes

  • Working titles were Carry-On Lodging, Everything Must Go, The Last Adventure and Three Cybermen and a Baby. (REF: The Brilliant Book 2012)
  • Given that in The Impossible Astronaut the different versions of the Doctor give their ages as 909, and 1103, the Doctor has lived for approximately one hundred and ninety four years between these two episodes. Writer Gareth Roberts confirmed in an interview that this is indeed two hundred years after DW: The God Complex for the Doctor, and that he spent these years "waving" at Amy and Rory through history books. (DW: The Impossible Astronaut)
  • Taking in consideration that during the next episode (DW: The Wedding of River Song), time actually seems to pass (since events take place) unregarding of the fact that it nominally remains 5:02 PM on 22 April 2011 it may be that it was 5:02 PM on 22 April 2011 for a relative time of 200 years and the Doctor, being a Time Lord, is aware of that fact.
  • Part of the nursery rhyme that was heard DW: Night Terrors is sung by Madame Kovarian, with some new lines added.
  • Closing Time is the first episode produced by Denise Paul, who has been Associate Producer for several Eleventh Doctor stories.
  • This is the first time since the series revival in 2005 that episode 12 has not been part of a multi-part story written by the head writer, although the end of this episode does set up the series finale.
  • This is the first television story to feature a Cybermat since the Fourth Doctor story DW: Revenge of the Cybermen. They had been redesigned though, with human-like teeth.
  • This is the first single-parter episode in which River Song appears. Her appearance, however, does link directly into the next episode.
  • This is also the first regular-season episode since the series revival in which the Doctor does not have an ongoing companion with him at some point.
    • Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill were, however, credited in the opener as they had been during the rest of the season. This marks the first time in the series that any actor's name has appeared in the opening credits for less than one minute of on-screen appearance.
    • The BBC America and Space broadcasts also retained the opening sequence narrated by Amy Pond.
    • Arthur Darvill (Rory) doesn't have any lines in this episode.
  • Based on interpretations of dialogue in the episode, a case can be made for Craig to be considered a companion, as the Doctor indirectly refers to him as one.
  • The "app" for disabling the Cybermat used one of the "bonus sounds" found on the toy version of the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver, unheard on the show until now.
  • During one of the scenes, BBC Radio 1's Greg James was visible behind Craig. Greg James named his character "Carlos".
    File:GREGJAMES.png
    To the left of Craig, BBC Radio 1's Greg James
  • This is the first television story since the series revival in which the Cybermen are not armed with any type of weaponary. The Cybermen who are seen have visible gaps in their forearm armour where they would normally have blasters and they are not seen electrocuting anyone.
  • This is the second time where Craig's affection for someone has saved the day. In DW: The Lodger , Craig's love for Sophie motivates his desire to stay where he is, enabling him to destroy the alien Time Machine. In this case, his love for his son enables him to defeat the Cybermen.
  • When the Doctor asks if the Cyberman would take the humans out with six Cybermen, they claim they could take them out with one Cyberman.
  • The date on Craig's newspaper is 19 April 2011, three days before the events of DW: The Impossible Astronaut. This has caused confusion regarding Amy and Rory's appearance in the episode. The name of Amy's perfume, Petrichor, and her celebrity status imply that the events take place after DW: The God Complex. If the paper is correct, then for Amy and Rory this would be three days before they are supposed to meet the Doctor in Utah. Given the time needed to cross the Atlantic and find Lake Silencio, it seems unlikely that this is the case. Alternatively, the Doctor may have dropped off Amy and Rory at their new home (presumably near Colchester) at a point in time prior to when their younger selves had left Leadworth for Utah.
  • This is the third time that the Cybermen have appeared in the penultimate episode of a series.
  • Lynda Baron (Val) previously played Captain Wrack in DW: Enlightenment. Years earlier, in 1966, she recorded the original song "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" for the soundtrack of DW: The Gunfighters.

Ratings

  • UK Overnight: 5.3 Million
  • Final: 6.93 million

Myths

  • Craig Owens may travel in the TARDIS.[2]This proved false.
  • Craig Owens has had a baby.[3]This proved true.
  • The events in the department store, etc. take place on or about 21st April 2011. A blow-up of the newspaper seen in the episode has the date of April 19, 2011.

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.

Continuity

Prequel

A brief prequel was filmed featuring Craig, Sophie and Alfie. However, unlike other Series 6 prequels this one wasn't released online prior to the episode. Instead, it was given the title Up All Night and released as the fifth chapter of the DVD/Blu-ray exclusive mini-episode DW: Night and the Doctor in the Series 6 DVD/BD box set in November 2011.

Timeline

For the Doctor

For River Song

For Amy and Rory

Home video releases

Series6.2DVD.jpg

The episode will be released on DVD and Blu-ray shortly after the airing of episode 13.[4]


Footnotes

  1. ↑ http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-who-series-6-autumn-preview-20767.htm
  2. ↑ http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/little-shop-of-horrors-16182.htm
  3. ↑ http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/hello-cyber-matt-16302.htm
  4. ↑ http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/series-6-dvd-releases-15635.htm


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