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The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story): Difference between revisions
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The Talons of Weng-Chiang (TV story) (edit)
Revision as of 20:56, 25 November 2021
, 25 November 2021a little finetuning
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At the theatre, in the meantime, Chang overhears Jago and Casey discussing the imminent return of a Scotland Yard investigator, who he [[deduce]]s to be the Doctor. He readies a gun, then informs Weng-Chiang that to appease his wrath he will kill the Doctor. | At the theatre, in the meantime, Chang overhears Jago and Casey discussing the imminent return of a Scotland Yard investigator, who he [[deduce]]s to be the Doctor. He readies a gun, then informs Weng-Chiang that to appease his wrath he will kill the Doctor. | ||
That evening, the Doctor and Leela attend the first show at the Palace Theatre, where they are met by Jago. During his act, Chang performs a card trick with the Doctor's assistance, which involves firing a "magic bullet" through a selected card without hitting the others in the pack. Chang successfully completes this, without succumbing to the evident temptation to shoot the Doctor instead, then invites the Doctor onto the stage to participate in his "Cabinet of Death" trick (the ''vanishing lady'' illusion). Meanwhile, Weng-Chiang | That evening, the Doctor and Leela attend the first show at the Palace Theatre, where they are met by Jago. During his act, Chang performs a card trick with the Doctor's assistance, which involves firing a "magic bullet" through a selected card without hitting the others in the pack. Chang successfully completes this, without succumbing to the evident temptation to shoot the Doctor instead, then invites the Doctor onto the stage to participate in his "Cabinet of Death" trick (the ''vanishing lady'' illusion). Meanwhile, Weng-Chiang is lurking beneath the stage, where he encounters Casey preparing the Cabinet illusion and murders him. | ||
Two Chinamen arrive at Litefoot's house, killing the policeman on guard. The diminutive Mr Sin is already inside the house, having arrived earlier concealed in the laundry basket, and lets them in. | Two Chinamen arrive at Litefoot's house, killing the policeman on guard. The diminutive Mr Sin is already inside the house, having arrived earlier concealed in the laundry basket, and lets them in. | ||
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The Doctor escapes from the Cabinet of Death by the simple expedient of using the concealed door in its back, as Chang rotates the cabinet to show that it supposedly has no rear door, much to the amusement of the audience. Chang cracks a joke, in an attempt to recover the situation: "The bird has flown. One of us is yellow!" His Chinese assistant, Lee, steps inside the cabinet instead, and Chang continues the trick, which involves running a number of swords through the box. | The Doctor escapes from the Cabinet of Death by the simple expedient of using the concealed door in its back, as Chang rotates the cabinet to show that it supposedly has no rear door, much to the amusement of the audience. Chang cracks a joke, in an attempt to recover the situation: "The bird has flown. One of us is yellow!" His Chinese assistant, Lee, steps inside the cabinet instead, and Chang continues the trick, which involves running a number of swords through the box. | ||
Climbing down a concealed ladder beneath the stage to escape being run-through by the swords, Lee comes face-to-face with Weng-Chiang and faints with shock. "So... the great magician!", Weng-Chiang muses to himself, looking upwards. On-stage, Chang is handed the final sword by the Doctor and concludes the trick, but when he and the Doctor open the cabinet doors, Casey's lifeless body is revealed inside, which falls out onto the stage. Jago orders the curtain brought down quickly, while Chang, who is as surprised as everyone else, flees — as Jago frantically cancels the night's performance and offers refunds. | Climbing down a concealed ladder beneath the stage to escape being run-through by the swords, Lee comes face-to-face with Weng-Chiang and faints with shock. "So... the great magician!", Weng-Chiang muses to himself, looking upwards. On-stage, Chang is handed the final sword by the Doctor and concludes the trick, but when he and the Doctor open the cabinet doors, Casey's lifeless body is revealed inside, which falls out onto the stage. There are screams of horror from the audience and Jago orders the curtain brought down quickly, while Chang, who is as surprised as everyone else, flees — as Jago frantically cancels the night's performance and offers refunds. | ||
The Doctor and Leela locate Chang in Weng-Chiang's cellar hideout, which is now abandoned, with all the equipment removed. Chang explains how his "god" appeared in China many years earlier, ill from his journey through time, and that they have been looking for the Time Cabinet — taken by the Emperor's soldiers — ever since. | The Doctor and Leela locate Chang in Weng-Chiang's cellar hideout, which is now abandoned, with all the equipment removed. Chang explains how his "god" appeared in China many years earlier, ill from his journey through time, and that they have been looking for the Time Cabinet — taken by the Emperor's soldiers — ever since. | ||
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As the Doctor returns with a pile of possible weapons, Weng-Chiang confronts him with the unconscious Leela. Weng-Chiang threatens to let Mr Sin kill Leela if he will not hand over the Cabinet's key, but the Doctor makes a deal with him. They will all go to the House of the Dragon. Weng-Chiang will release Jago and Litefoot, and then the Doctor will give him the key. They all go, leaving Leela behind at the Doctor's insistence, but she recovers and follows them. | As the Doctor returns with a pile of possible weapons, Weng-Chiang confronts him with the unconscious Leela. Weng-Chiang threatens to let Mr Sin kill Leela if he will not hand over the Cabinet's key, but the Doctor makes a deal with him. They will all go to the House of the Dragon. Weng-Chiang will release Jago and Litefoot, and then the Doctor will give him the key. They all go, leaving Leela behind at the Doctor's insistence, but she recovers and follows them. | ||
At the Tong headquarters, the Doctor realises that Chang's shoe clue referred to the ''tongue'' of his shoe — the "Tong". Mr Sin secretly climbs into the head of a large dragon statue, where there | At the Tong headquarters, the Doctor realises that Chang's shoe clue referred to the ''tongue'' of his shoe — the "Tong". Mr Sin secretly climbs into the head of a large dragon statue, where there are laser controls inside. The Doctor and Weng-Chiang talk, with Weng-Chiang revealing his real name — [[Magnus Greel]]. The Doctor knows of him: he is from the [[51st century]] and is a war criminal responsible for over one hundred thousand deaths — the "Butcher of [[Brisbane]]". Jago and Litefoot are brought out to the Doctor, who now also wants the two young girls freed. Greel, angered, orders Mr Sin to fire on them; laser beams come from the dragon's eyes to hit the Doctor, who realises the second clue from Chang — "beware the eyes of the dragon" — before passing out. The three men are put back into the locked room. When the Doctor has recovered, he sets a trap. After bringing the girls out of their hypnotic trance, he makes a gas bomb that blasts some of the Tong men. They all escape, with the girls running out of the building to safety. | ||
[[File:Ready_aim_sin.jpg|thumb|left|Mr Sin takes aim.]] | [[File:Ready_aim_sin.jpg|thumb|left|Mr Sin takes aim.]] | ||
Leela has made it to the House of the Dragon but is captured and put into Greel's distillation machine. He turns it on, but the Doctor has grabbed a hatchet and flings it at the machine, disabling it. Incensed, Greel orders Mr Sin to kill them, and they take cover behind a bench as Mr Sin fires the laser at everyone, including the Tong. The Doctor tries to convince Greel to not use the Time Cabinet, knowing it will cause a massive implosion that will kill them all. Leela finds a gun near a dead Tong and disables the dragon's laser eyes after a few bad shots ("I've never fired one of these before!" she protests when Litefoot complains). Greel pulls a gun on Leela, but the Doctor throws him into his own distillation machine; he undergoes a cellular collapse and crumples into dust. Mr Sin exits the dragon and jumps onto Leela, but the Doctor stops him by yanking his computer core out of him. He then smashes the lattice, bringing the Zygma experiment to a end. | Leela has made it to the House of the Dragon but is captured and put into Greel's distillation machine. He turns it on, but the Doctor has grabbed a hatchet and flings it at the machine, disabling it. Incensed, Greel orders Mr Sin to kill them, and they take cover behind a bench as Mr Sin fires the laser at everyone, including the Tong. The Doctor tries to convince Greel to not use the Time Cabinet, knowing it will cause a massive implosion that will kill them all. Leela finds a gun near a dead Tong and disables the dragon's laser eyes after a few bad shots ("I've never fired one of these before!" she protests when Litefoot complains). Greel pulls a gun on Leela, but the Doctor throws him into his own distillation machine; he undergoes a cellular collapse and crumples into dust. Mr Sin exits the dragon and jumps onto Leela, but the Doctor stops him by yanking his computer core out of him. He then smashes the lattice, bringing the Zygma experiment to a end. | ||
