Midnight

Episode Location: Midnight, a diamond, "alien leisure planet"
Aliens/Enemies: Unknown
New Characters: Sky, Professor Hobbes, Dee Dee Blasco, Biff & Vale Cane, Jethro, Hostess
Gadgets Used: Unknown
Episode Objective: To visit the diamond glacier, and then to survive and escape the knocking on the bus.

A sapphire waterfall on the planet Midnight: this enormous jewel, the size of a glacier, reaches the Cliffs of Oblivion, and then shatters into sapphires, falling a hundred, thousand feet into a crystal ravine. But Donna Noble would prefer to sunbathe back at the Leisure Palace, so the Doctor boards the shuttle bus to the waterfall, alone...

Except, he's not alone for long.

There's Sky Silvestry, a businesswoman in her 40's, strong, but quiet.The shambolic Professor Hobbes, full of enthusiasm;
His young assistant Dee Dee Blasco;
Biff and Vale Cane, a nice couple on their holidays;










Their 18-year old son Jethro, a bit of a goth, sullen, moping;
And the Hostess, on duty in the aisle.
All of them are aboard the Crusader 50 shuttle bus as its sets off for the planets big attraction.

This episode is the biggest kept secret of the series! And the less you know before watching it, the more you'll enjoy it.

Its largely a Donna-lite
Its the "low budget" episode.
Features the line "Chicken or beef"
Its the 50th episode to be filmed of New Doctor Who

Donna only appears for the first 2 minutes and last minute. She decides to stay by the pool whilst The Doctor goes on a 4 hour shuttle journey to visit a remarkable sapphire waterfall. But, while Donna is sunbathing and not getting into copious amounts of trouble, bad things are install for the Doctor.

"Writer Russell T Davies takes a beautifully simple concept and turns it into something filled with menace and terror. It's a story that looks at different parts of the Doctor's personality, especially his never ending curiosity, while at the same time showing the risks and danger that that brings.
It also highlights, with Donna not around for most of the story, how important his companion is to him. But the most terrifying part is how it explores how human beings respond when they're under intense pressure."

(Lizo's review)

Donna: You be careful
The Doctor: Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight... what could possibly go wrong?!

Ooh! Foreboding words there!
But of course the Doctor needs to settle himself in and have a quick chat to the hostess:

HOSTESS: Enjoy your trip.
THE DOCTOR: Oh, I can't wait! Allons-y!
HOSTESS: I'm sorry..?
THE DOCTOR: It's French, for let's go!
HOSTESS: Fascinating.

Apparently we will hear another Allons-y and a Malto Bene at some point in the episode.









And theres the irony kicking in. What could go wrong?
Well... that for a start...

Looks like the shuttle bus is having a bit of difficulty there. So now our little team of tourists are trapped on a tiny bus in the middle of no where.

Well, at least the Doctor keeps his head.

"We're going to get out of here I promise"

So now what? Stuck on a bus in the middle of nowhere with only a strange man to rely on? No wonder tempers are raised.

Doctor: If we're going to get out of this, then you need me!
Vale: Oh, like you're so special

Hostess: Two people are dead!
Doctor: Don't make it a third!



Apparently theres a point in the episode which only works if the Doctor is alone. The affection between the Doctor and Donna shines in the couple of minutes they are together at the start and end of the episode.

But, moving on from that, the knocking begins. The knock-knock-knocking on the outside of the bus...

Sky: What the hell is making that noise?

Vale: Its trying the door!
Hobbs: There is no "it"!

Sky: What is it? Just tell me what the hell it is?!

"It's coming for me!"

"Get out of there!"

So, according to some review or other "Only Sky seems to know the truth – but as paranoia turns into a witch-hunt, Sky turns the Doctor's greatest strengths against him, and a sacrifice must be made..."

And who is this mysterious Sky, who apparently knows something or other? Well apparently whatever it is that is making the knocking manages to possess Sky... and "terrible things are said"


Lesley Sharp, interviewed on "Loose Women" said that at the end of the episode there won't be a lot left of Sky Silvestry

And although we know theres an alien threat, we don't know what it actually is. But we do know that its effecting the Doctor.



Some lucky people have already seen this episode, and the feedback they give, while sparse, is constantly rewarding. They say Tennant is amazing, and someone kindly gave away this info:

• The first 10 minutes has a lot of humour
  
  
• In the early part of the episode, The Hostess uses a very funny line when talking to the passengers
  
  
• Rafaella Carra (Italian singer) appears "in all her glory" as part of the in-shuttle entertainment package (briefly replaced by Rose)
  
  
• "Doctor, Doctor" is briefly mouthed by someone, via a monitor, but the Doctor doesn't see the message (Rose)
  
  
• Klicks
  
  
• Fear and paranoia reign supreme. Someone must make the ultimate sacrifice. By C=O's recollection, 10 people are aboard the Shuttle when it leaves. By the end only 6 are left.
  

Forest Of The Dead

The Forest of the Dead

Episode Location: The Library, 51st Century
Aliens/Enemies: Vashta Nerada, the suit creature
New Characters: The girl, Doctor Moon, Miss Evangelista, River Song, Lux, Anita, Other Dave, Ella, Lee, Joshua, Miss Evangelista
Gadgets Used: Psychic paper, Sonic screwdrvier x2, Squareness gun
Episode Objective: To find out why no one is in the Library, and then to help the explorers and escape the shadows.



As the shadows rise and march, the Doctor forges an alliance with the mysterious River Song. But can anyone stop the Vashta Nerada? While the Doctor discovers long-buried secrets and revelations about his own future, the sinister Nodes declare that Donna is doomed.

Right, we know theres a central intelligence that runs the Library, the "data core of a triple grid security processor" or something. And this is clearly something to do with the little girl.

The Library was sealed off 100 years ago, but all the people who were on it were saved (except there were no survivors) and the same thing has happened to Donna.

I propose this: the central computer thingy, in an attempt to save all the people, somehow created a world within the Library and put all the people there (maybe saved them as data files or something) which is where Donna and Miss Evangelista are now.

Set Reports
1st Report of Filming
Filming has taken place both in a children's playground and in a suburban street where a child called Ella is bundled into a car...










2nd Report of Filming
Donna and a mysterious woman wearing a veil were seen walking together in the park. Also with them, and playing in the playground were 3 boys and 3 girls

The kiddies were all dressed identically, almost like clones. And its now been speculated that they might not be real.











Two pieces of dialog was also overheard, both said by Donna:

• "Why are you wearing that stupid veil for?"
  
• "Stop talking about my children like that."

Just stop it! Why are you doing this?

And (thanks again to Scooty) we now know the face beneath the veil.











Gasp! Is that Evangelista? Why yes it is!

So perhaps the computer not only put the people in this world, but created a new life for them. Perhaps they're even in a story, one of the books? Who knows... but Donna certainly seems to have a new life:

Apparently, she gets married to a character called Lee (who stutters) and both live at 42 Palace Road with 2 children - there is a scene of him carrying Donna over the threshold

As well as this, filming took place at Dyffryn House - a scene with Donna being taken out of an ambulance on a stretcher... (?!)

So, if Donna is leading a "normal" life, then perhaps Miss Evangelitia is almost like a ghosts, or an echo of a memory long forgotten. Something poetic like that anyway.

Meanwhile, back in the Library, we still have the suit creatue/Vashta Nerada/Proper Dave wandering about as well... and maybe these shadow creatures are getting a little smarter, they seem to be trying to communicate.

The Doctor's having none of it though...

Don't play games with me.
I'm the Doctor, and you're in the biggest Library in the universe.
You just killed someone I liked, that is not a safe place to stand!

But somehow or other the Doctor, River Song and Lux (I don't know about the others, some of them might have survived, but then again, they could have been eaten) manage to escape.

It seems that the Vashta Nerada are ganging together or something, at least it gives our team a bit of time.

Doctor: It wont attack until there's enough of them.

And now they're trying to fix everything.

This planets going to crack like an egg.

We need to stop this, we've gotta save Cal!

What is it? What is Cal?

Um... the name of the central computer/the girl maybe? I dunno, its all just guesswork here.
BUT, we must remember the important thing here:

Spoilers

Yup, the Library is full of books and spoilers. RTD said himself that they play a key part and so far they haven't done much. The spoilers are very important...

Could thus mean that one of the suggestions by DigitalSpy is true?
"The Shadows take hold of River Song's diary and coerce The Doctor into using a gun because of what they discover."
Its sounds very interesting if it does happen. But it could just be a red herring.

Spoilers!

Of course, these scenes will probably be spread out between the ones with Donna and the little girl, but putting them all together makes them look neat.

And then of course theres the big big question that we all really really want to know:

Who are you?!

Yes! Please tell us who you are!
You know the Doctor, it sounds like you were very close, he gave you his screwdriver, AND his book to look after (can we assume its his?) and all you're telling us is:

"I trust that man to the end of the universe. And actually... we've been."

Helpful.
But since the synopsis says "the Doctor discovers long-buried secrets and revelations about his own future" then I'm gonna assume that we do find out. And their relationship seems to pick up well...

I hate you sometimes!

I know!

And, while Donna is liver her new crazy life, and the Doctor and River Song are running about and arguing all over the place, we also have the girl who's desperately trying to understand what the flip is going on.

I don't think Doctor Moon is helping...

...And then, you forgot

What did she forget? Is Doctor Moon trying to explain the incident where he told her the Library was real? Is he even a good guy?

I don't know, but apparently both the Doctor and Donna meet Doctor moon as well... so I hope he'll help them, or at least explain some things.

Meanwhile, the girl is not having a very good time as the Library in her head is breaking up (or "cracking like an egg") and people keep trying to talk to her via TVs

No, no don't tell! You mustn't tell!

Daddy! No, Daddy!

She really doesn't look like she's having a good time. But, as Doctor Mood said, she's the only one who can save everyone, and fix everything.

No pressure...

And then theres probably a huge dramatic finale where this happens:

At least I hope its part of the dramatic finale... its certainly looks interesting. And maybe it has something to do with this:

Is that a hole to the centre of the Library... to the big computer thingy perhaps? And we can see River Song and 2 figures wearing helmets. But one of them is standing is a quite awkward way.. perhaps its the Vashta Nerada/suit creature?

Who knows... and wheres the Doctor? Hes he already gone down the hole? Well, he's a Time Lord after all.. I'm sure he's got some fiendishly clever plan. Or he's just making it up as usual.

We shall have to wait and see!

Speculation:
These hints are from Digitalspy, but there are also two red herrings lurking in the spoiler shadows this week.

• River Song sometimes shows The Doctor a little respect and asks him about erasure.
  
  
• The Shadows have a proper vocalist that's not Cliff Richard.
  
  
• Doctor Moon challenges someone to a game of chess on which millions of lives depend.
  
  
• The Shadows take hold of River Song's diary and coerce The Doctor into using a gun because of what they discover.
  
  
• A Gareth Gates-style affliction prevents Cupid from firing his arrow.
  True according to another digitalspy report, Donna soon gets "a stuttering spouse"
  
  
• River Song tells The Doctor that he is not The Doctor.
  
  
• The little girl destroys every idiot's lantern to prevent the shadows seeping into present day Earth.
  
  
• A familiar female face from the past returns to give Donna some advice.
  
  
• Donna ties a very important knot.
  
  
• The Doctor is stunned by something River Song whispers in his ear.
  True according to another digitalspy report "To say that, by the end of the episode, we find out what she said would only be a half-truth."

And here be some quotes. You can see the full article here
"I trust that man to the end of the universe - and we've been."
"There are no ***** (books? Souls?) in a library."
"The world is wrong."
"Nobody can open a TARDIS by ******** (clicking?) their ******* (fingers?)"
"If he **** (dies?), I'll kill him."
"I've been treating you since you came here two years ago."
Thanks Planet Gallifrey.