History Recap / DoctorWhoS30E2TheFiresOfPompeii

* BrokenAesop: {{Downplayed}}. Donna, the Doctor and Evelina's dialogue clearly makes the former two's crisis about whether to engineer Vesuvius' historical destruction or allow the Pyroviles to change history and take over the Earth as if it's a SadisticChoice between the Pompeiians' lives and the rest of the world. But considering how the episode also indicates that the Pompeiians will share the exact same fate as the rest of the Earth in the latter scenario -- the population slowly and ''painfully'' converted into new stone vessels for the Pyroviles, with Pompeii only surviving in name as the namesake of the Pyroviles' new planetwide empire -- Pompeii is essentially screwed in both scenarios, and the heroes' choice to save the rest of the world comes across as ShootTheDog more than anything else. If anything, letting Pompeii die under the heat, ash and gases of Vesuvius over the course of two days at most seems like the more ''merciful'' fate for the inhabitants, when compared to the slow and explicitly-''painful'' conversion which the High Priestess of the Sybilline went through. That being said, the story's other aesop about how [[TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed history can't be changed]] remains intact.

* TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed: There's no saving Pompeii. It's a fixed point in history. The possible alternative of a Pyrovile-run Earth doesn't help much. And the only time the Doctor could visit Pompeii was of course the day before it was to be buried.

* MeaningfulName: Lucius Petrus Dextrus (literally translating to Lucius '''Stone Right Arm'''!). These were all deliberate -- Creator/RussellTDavies was channelling ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' and asked James Moran to put them in.
** The name "Lucius" is a [[SarcasmMode subtle]] hint that he's a bad guy.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Lucius Petrus, while under prophetic influence, informs Donna that [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E11TurnLeft "there is something on your back"]] and tells the Doctor that [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "she is returning."]]

'''Original air date:''' April 12, 2008

'''Production code:''' 4.3

Written by James Moran. This episode was inspired by the very similar ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho012TheFiresOfVulcan The Fires of Vulcan]]".

* {{Fanservice}}: Donna gets a Roman dress with a rather low-cut bodice, and also lesns forward quite often, thus showing plenty of cleavage.

* HappilyMarried: Caecilius and Metella look like a modern stereotype; bickering about household furniture, raising children, he can't find a pin because she's polishing it, and sticking together in tragic times.

JustForFun/{{The one w|ith}}here Creator/PeterCapaldi and Creator/KarenGillan appear early.

* ArtisiticLicenseHistory: Vesuvius, as is shown in this episode, had been rumbling and giving small eruptions for days before the final event. The people of Pompeii were actively evacuating the city even as the final eruption destroyed it.

The one where Creator/PeterCapaldi and Creator/KarenGillan appear early.

* BigBad: The Pyroviles.

To his horror, the Doctor finds out that Mount Vesuvius won't erupt if he just leaves; he needs to ''make'' it erupt. If Pompeii isn't destroyed, then since the [[MonsterOfTheWeek alien menace of the week]] hasn't also been destroyed, a race of lava golems will turn humans into more golems, boil the ocean and conquer the world. Donna realises for the first time that travelling with the Doctor can be very morally disturbing. They make the volcano erupt, both fully expecting to die, but it turns out the conversion device they used was inside an escape pod. Donna convinces the Doctor to go back and save Caecilius and his family. Because not everyone is an über-depressed near-suicidal Time Lord, and sometimes the Doctor forgets that. However, while its definitely a good thing that he saves them, he also forgets that changing history can unfortunately [[Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth have unexpected consequences]], and long down the line will [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied these consequences]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E6TheWomanWhoLived take a]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven toll on his hearts]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent his psyche, his very soul,]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent and nearly creation itself]]...

To his horror, the Doctor finds out that Mount Vesuvius won't erupt if he just leaves; he needs to ''make'' it erupt. If Pompeii isn't destroyed, then since the [[MonsterOfTheWeek alien menace of the week]] hasn't also been destroyed, a race of lava golems will turn humans into more golems, boil the ocean and conquer the world. Donna realises for the first time that travelling with the Doctor can be very morally disturbing. They make the volcano erupt, both fully expecting to die, but it turns out the conversion device they used was inside an escape pod. Donna convinces the Doctor to go back and save Caecilius and his family. Because not everyone is an über-depressed near-suicidal Time Lord, and sometimes the Doctor forgets that. However, while its a good thing that he saves them, he also forgets that changing history can unfortunately [[Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth have consequences]], and long down the line will [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied these consequences]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E6TheWomanWhoLived take a]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven toll on his hearts]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent his psyche, his very soul,]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent and nearly creation itself]]...

To his horror, the Doctor finds out that Mount Vesuvius won't erupt if he just leaves; he needs to ''make'' it erupt. If Pompeii isn't destroyed, then since the [[MonsterOfTheWeek alien menace of the week]] hasn't also been destroyed, a race of lava golems will turn humans into more golems, boil the ocean and conquer the world. Donna realises for the first time that travelling with the Doctor can be very morally disturbing. They make the volcano erupt, both fully expecting to die, but it turns out the conversion device they used was inside an escape pod. Donna convinces the Doctor to go back and save Caecilius and his family. Because not everyone is an über-depressed near-suicidal Time Lord, and sometimes the Doctor forgets that. However, he also forgets that changing history has consequences, and long down the line will these consequences take a toll on his hearts, his psyche, his very soul, and nearly creation itself...

* {{Imprinting}}: Because this is her first adventure with The Doctor, Donna keeps bringing up Pyrovilia during the series, even during the Season Finale.

** Because of the TARDIS, Donna (and we) hear the Romans' Latin as English, so if you speak to them in Latin, it's translated into a Celtic language. When the Doctor and Quintus are cornered by Lucius Petrus Dextrus and his men, the Doctor murmurs, "morituri te salutant" ("those who are about to die salute you") and Lucius Petrus Dextrus says, "Celtic prayers won't help you now."
** Caecilius mistakes the Doctor and Donna for a couple.

The casting for this episode turned out to be quite auspicious. Phil Davis (Lucius) would play the first antagonist in ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' (a series run by the same showrunners as ''Doctor Who''); Tracey Childs (Metella) had previously appeared as Dr. Elizabeth Klein in ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'', who would go on to become a regular Big Finish companion; Creator/KarenGillan (Soothsayer scout) would return as [[RecastAsARegular Amy Pond]], one of the two longest-serving companions of the new series; and Creator/PeterCapaldi (Caecilius) would have a supporting role in ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'' and later take the helm of the show as the Twelfth Doctor himself.[[note]]

* BeenThereShapedHistory: The Doctor is quick to deny that he had anything to do with the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E4TheRomans Great Fire of Rome]]. By the end of the episode, he and Donna are personally responsible for the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (as the alternative would be letting the Pyrovile race TakeOverTheWorld).

* BrokenAesop: {{Downplayed}}. Donna, the Doctor and Evelina's dialogue clearly makes the former two's crisis about whether to engineer Vesuvius' historical destruction or allow the Pyroviles to change history and take over the Earth as if it's a SadisticChoice between the Pompeiians' lives and the rest of the world. But considering how the episode also indicates that the Pompeiians will share the exact same fate as the rest of the Earth in that scenario -- the population slowly and ''painfully'' converted into new stone vessels for the Pyroviles, with Pompeii only surviving in name as the namesake of the Pyroviles' new planetwide empire -- Pompeii is essentially screwed in both scenarios and the heroes' choice comes across as ShootTheDog more than anything else. If anything, letting Pompeii die under the heat, ash and gases of Vesuvius over the course of two days at most seems like the more ''merciful'' fate for the inhabitants, when compared to the slow and explicitly-''painful'' conversion which the High Priestess of the Sybilline went through. That being said, the story's other aesop about how [[TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed history can't be changed]] remains intact.

* AlienInvasion: The Pyroviles are manipulating humans in Pompeii (who believe them the gods), and they seek to repopulate their numbers and take over the Earth by possessing and converting millions.

* HostileTerraforming: It's briefly indicated that the Pyroviles would've done this to Earth when making it their new home. Lucius shoots down the Doctor's pointer that the planet they're trying to invade is 70% water by stating water can boil.

** Because of the TARDIS, Donna (and we) hear the Romans' Latin as English, so if you speak to them in Latin, it's translated into a Celtic language. When the Doctor and Quintus are cornered by Lucius Petrus Dextrus and his men, the Doctor mutters, "morituri te salutant" ("those who are about to die salute you") and Lucius Petrus Dextrus says, "Celtic prayers won't help you now."

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Lucius Petrus, while under prophetic influence, informs Donna that [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E11TurnLeft "there is something on your back"]].

* {{Seer}}:

* CrazyAwesome[[invoked]]: "You fought her off! With a water pistol! I bloody LOVE you!"

* TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed: There's no saving Pompeii. It's a fixed point in history. The possible alternative of a Pyrovile-run Earth doesn't help much.