Wednesday 30 January 2008

S03E12-The sound of drums

12)The sound of drums
Originally aired: Saturday June 23, 2007 on BBC-1
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Colin Teague
Show Stars: Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones (Season 3 - )), David Tennant (The 10th Doctor (Season 2 - )), John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness (Season 1, Episode 9 -13))
Recurring Role: Adjoa Andoh (Francine Jones)
Guest Stars: Johnnie Lyne-Pirkis (Sphere Voice) , Gerard Logan (Sphere Voice) , Zoe Thorne (Sphere Voice) , Daniel Ming (Chinese Newsreader) , Lachele Carl (US Newsreader) , Olivia Hill (BBC Newsreader) , Ann Widdecombe (Herself) , McFly (Themselves) , Sharon Osbourne (Herself) , Nicholas Gecks (Albert Dumfries) , Nichola McAuliffe (Vivien Rook) , Colin Stinton (President Winters) , Elize Du Toit (Sinister Woman) , Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Tish Jones) , Reggie Yates (Leo Jones) , Trevor Laird (Clive Jones) , Alexandra Moen (Lucy Saxon) , John Simm (Mr Saxon)
Production Code: NCFT092A

The Doctor, Martha, and Jack arrive in an alleyway in modern-day London and the Doctor explains he was able to fix Jack’s time manipulator to bring them away from the future. The Doctor believes he’ll know the Master as soon as he sees him, but they see a news broadcast of England’s new prime minister: Howard Saxon, the Master.

The Master and his new human wife Lucy are going into his new office when Tish Jones, who is working for him, wants to know what she should do. The Master simply tells her to look attractive then goes into his first meeting and is unconcerned about the seriousness of the situation. He insults his cabinet members and dismisses them as traitors. He then dons a gas mask and releases gas mask into the room, killing them all.

Martha takes the Doctor and Jack back to her apartment, and she discovers that Tish is working for the Master. Vivian Rook, a newspaper columnist, arrives to speak with Lucy Saxon. Once Rook dismisses Tish, she warns Lucy that her husband isn’t who he says he is, and his entire background is invented. He only reappeared after Harriet Jones was removed from office, and after his success with the Archangel project, a mobile cell phone network. Lucy chooses to remain faithful and Howard Saxon comes in. He admits everything she’s found out is true, proclaims that he is the Master, and causes several metal spheres to appear. He and Lucy step out of the room as the spheres brutally kill Rook.

The Doctor explains that he locked the TARDIS in so it could only travel between the distant future of Utopia and the 21st century. Both Martha and Jack were going to vote for Saxon, but had no idea why. The Doctor notices Martha tapping rhythmically but before he can follow it up, Saxon broadcasts a new speech announcing he has allied with the metal spheres, an alien race known as the Toclafane. He promises that the human race will assume their righteous place in the universe. The Doctor realizes a bomb has bee attached to the back of Martha’s TV and gets them out just before it blows up. She calls her mother, who says she’s resolving matters with her ex-husband and asks Martha to come meet them. Saxon’s men are listening in and her father Clive blurts out it’s a trap. He’s taken away while Martha drives the Doctor and Jack to the apartment. She tries to call Tish who is arrested. They get to the apartment but a mysterious blonde woman opens fire on them and they’re forced to drive away as the rest of Martha’s family is arrested.

They ditch the car and Martha calls her brother Leo. Saxon is listening in and notes he’ll find her no matter where she hides. The Doctor takes the phone and verbally spars with the Doctor, noting the Toclafane were a Gallifreyan bogeyman. The Doctor explains that Gallifrey is gone, destroyed in the Time War. The Master explains he was resurrected as the perfect warrior for the Time Lords, but he ran when the Dalek Emperor revealed the Cruciform, making himself human to disguise his existence. The Doctor tries to persuade him to take their fight away from Earth, but the Master refuses and mentions the “drumming” inside his head. The Doctor notices everyone is drumming to the same rhythm, while the Master announces that Martha, Jack, and the Doctor have all been labeled as terrorists. Jack’s “gang” have been sent off to the Himalayas so he’ll get no help from them. The Doctor realizes the Master is watching them on the surveillance cameras, and the Master tells them to run for their lives.

One of the Toclafane appears before the Master and asks if “the Machine” is ready. The Master informs it that it will reach critical the next morning. The Toclafane speaks of an approaching darkness, but the Master is unconcerned.

The Doctor, Martha, and Jack hide in an abandoned building, and the Doctor explains that young Time Lords are required to look into the Time Vortex. Some run away, and a few go mad… and the Master went mad. Jack explains that he rebuilt Torchwood after the Canary Pier incident, so that they were no longer hostile toward the Doctor. Vivien Rook has sent Jack an electronic file warning against Howard Saxon and the Archangel orbital network. The Doctor realizes the Master is using the system to send a rhythmic four-beat pattern to subconsciously force them to support him. The Doctor takes three TRDIS keys and reprograms them to release a subliminal signal to let them blend in as long as they don’t draw attentions to themselves.

Air Force 1 lands in England as U.S. President-Elect Winters arrives to speak with the Master. Winters orders him to stand down so UNIT can take control of the alien contact situation. The Master seems unconcerned and Winters orders them to have the meeting moved to a UNIT aircraft carrier, the Valiant. The Doctor, Jack, and Martha arrive and inconspicuously watch, and the Master seems unconcerned as long as the meeting is broadcast worldwide. After Winters leaves, the Master has Martha’s family transferred but the Doctor insists that he deal with the Master without killing him.

Jack uses his time manipulator to teleport them to the Valiant the next morning, hovering far above the surface. The Doctor seems to hear something and takes them to the TARDIS. Going in, he finds the control console cannibalized and rebuilt into a Paradox Machine.

Winters prepares for first contact while the Doctor explains that the Paradox Machine has enough power to destroy the solar system. Winters broadcasts worldwide while the Doctor tries to get close to the Master. If he can put one of the keys around the Master’s neck, the world will see him for what he really is. The Toclafane appear and demand to know where the Master is. He reveals himself and has the Toclafane kill Winters, then has his men capture the Doctor. The Master boasts he was immune to the perception filters then uses a laser screwdriver to temporarily kill Jack. The Doctor tries to get through to him but the Master talks about Lazarus’ genetic manipulation device. The Master has concentrated the technology into his laser screwdriver, along with the Doctor’s biological data code from the hand. He uses the laser screwdriver on the Doctor, aging him a hundred years. Jack and Martha look on as the aged Doctor crouches helplessly.

The Master has Martha’s family brought in, and the Doctor demands to know who the Toclafane are, but the Master declines. The aliens demand to know if the machine is finished and the Master announces its time. He activates the Paradox Machine in the TARDIS and a rift opens aboard the Valiant and six billion Toclafane pour out. They travel across the Earth, wiping out one-tenth of the population. Martha has no choice but to leave the Doctor and teleport away using Jack’s time manipulator. She looks on as the Toclafane decimate the planet, and resolves that she will return. The Master and Lucy hold the Doctor between them, forcing him to confront the slaughter below.

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