History Recap / DoctorWhoS30E5ThePoisonSky

** Subverted. The Sontarans appear to be one of these until UNIT overcomes their weapons being disabled and gives them the ass-kicking of the century. The Doctor had just introduced them as the greatest soldiers in the universe, too. Despite all their talk of discipline they fought as individual warriors, and once their advanced technology (a field that made copper-jacketed bullets unfireable) was got around, they were immediately cut down by UNIT's organized fire-teams. It's stated that they could have easily destroyed Earth from orbit without much trouble, but on the ground UNIT was more than equal to the challenge, especially since the Sontarans weren't expecting any resistance and allowed themselves to be caught off-guard.

* OutGambitted: The clone-Martha prevented UNIT from launching nuclear weapons at the Sontarans, only to discover that was just what the Doctor wanted, having immediately recognised her as a fake.

* ShutUpKirk: A rare heroic example: "Thank you, Doctor, for your lack of faith, but unfortunately I've stopped listening." After two episodes of contempt and insults from the Doctor, whom he had treated with utter respect from the start, Colonel Mace finally stops listening and proceeds to prove the Doctor wrong and wipe the floor with the so-called "universe's greatest soldiers". However, the mothership would have wiped them out from space if it wasn't for the Doctor, so he was correct about them standing no chance against the Sontarans.

* RealPersonCameo: Newsreader and presenter Kirsty Wark.

** Rattigan's gives one to his Academy geniuses about how Earth doesn't appreciate them and how they can leave it behind to start again! The result is everyone walking out on him.

-->'''Doctor:''' You'll die, Staal!
-->'''Staal:''' Knowing you die too.

* ChekhovsGun: Chekhov's Hammer in this case as Donna uses one from the previous episode to bash a mook.

Considering this was coming from a TechnicalPacifist who views the word "soldier" as an insult and that Sontarans are obviously a MartyrdomCulture that believes WarIsGlorious this actually may have been a bit of FridgeBrilliance. And it was stated several times throughout the episode that the Sontarans were holding back since they could have killed everyone easily, but needed the planet intact and the Sontarans inside the factory were caught flat-footed since they expected no resistance since the solders' weapons were disable.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Colonel Mace can kill a sonataran with one shot ''without'' using the back of the neck weakness. No one else can do this.

* DontMakeMeDestroyYou: The Doctor puts his own life at risk to give the Sonatarans a chance to walk away. They're far too egocentric to surrender and decide it'll be worth it if he gets blown up with them.

* InJoke: When UNIT begins passing out gas masks, the Doctor dons his and asks the Colonel in charge "Are you my mummy?"

-->'''Doctor:''' General Staal, you know what this is. But there's one more option: you can go. Just leave. Sontaran High Command need never know what happened here.
-->'''Staal:''' Your stratagem would be wise if Sontarans feared death, but we do not.

* RedSkyTakeWarning: This one is burning with a global fire.

** Subverted. The Sontarans appear to be one of these until UNIT overcomes their weapons being disabled and gives them the ass-kicking of the century. The Doctor had just introduced them as the greatest soldiers in the universe, too. Despite all their talk of discipline they fought as individual warriors, and once their advanced technology (a field that made brass-jacketed bullets unfireable) was got around, they were immediately cut down by UNIT's organized fire-teams. It's stated that they could have easily destroyed Earth from orbit without much trouble, but on the ground UNIT was more than equal to the challenge, especially since the Sontarans weren't expecting any resistance and allowed themselves to be caught off-guard.

* ActingForTwo: Martha, as herself and [[NotHimself Not Herself]].

Considering this was coming from a TechnicalPacifist who views the word "soldier" as an insult and that Sontarans are obviously a MartyrdomCulture that believes WarIsGlorious this actually may have been a bit of FridgeBrilliance. And it was stated several times throughout the episode that the Sontarans were holding back since they could have killed everyone easily, but needed the planet intact and the Sontarans inside the factor were caught flat-footed since they expected no resistance since the solders' weapons were disable.

* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: At the climax, it turns out the only way to defeat the Sontarans is for one person to teleport themselves to the Sontaran ship and blow it up at the cost of a HeroicSacrifice. There are only four people nearby who could do it: the Doctor, his current companion, his former companion, and the guest star [[LesCollaborateurs who sold out all humanity to the Sontarans]] but [[HeelFaceTurn is now seeking]] [[RedemptionEqualsDeath to redeem himself.]] [[SarcasmMode It's just so suspenseful wondering who's going to do it.]] ([[GenreBlind The Doctor thinks it'll be himself.]])

** Subverted. The Sontarans appear to be one of these until UNIT overcomes their weapons being disabled and gives them the ass-kicking of the century. The Doctor had just introduced them as the greatest soldiers in the universe, too. Despite all their talk of discipline they fought as individual warriors, and once their advanced technology (a field that made brass-jacketed bullets unfireable) was got around, they were immediately cut down by UNIT's organized fire-teams. It's stated that they could have easily destroyed Earth from orbit without much trouble, but on the ground UNIT was more than equal to the challenge, especially since the Sontarans weren't expect any resistance and allowed themselves to be caught off-guard.

* ShutUpKirk: A rare heroic example: "Thank you, Doctor, for your lack of faith, but unfortunately I've stopped listening." After two episodes of contempt and insults from the Doctor, whom he had treated with utter respect from the start, Colonel Mace finally stops listening and proceeds to prove the Doctor wrong and wipe the floor with the so-called "universe's greatest soldiers".

** Subverted. The Sontarans appear to be one of these until UNIT overcomes their weapons being disabled and gives them the ass-kicking of the century. The Doctor had just introduced them as the greatest soldiers in the universe, too. Despite all their talk of discipline they fought as individual warriors, and once their advanced technology (a field that made brass-jacketed bullets unfireable) was got around, they were immediately cut down by UNIT's organized fire-teams. It's implied that they still could have easily destroyed Earth from orbit without much trouble, but on the ground UNIT was more than equal to the challenge.

Considering this was coming from a TechnicalPacifist who views the word "soldier" as an insult and that Sontarans are obviously a MartyrdomCulture that believes WarIsGlorious this actually may have been a bit of FridgeBrilliance.

* {{Squick}}: In-universe, as disgusted as Rattigan's fellow students are by his plan to destroy the Earth and move the school off-planet, what ends up making them leave is that he planned a ''[[GeniusBreedingAct breeding program]]'' for them. (What's worse is that you'd need about 200 people to repopulate humanity without a lot of incest, and there are nowhere near 200 students at Rattigan's academy.)

* GenreSavvy:
-->'''General Staal:''' A general would be unwise to reveal his strategy to the opposing party.

* HeroicSacrifice: Luke "does something clever" by swapping himself with The Doctor and blowing up with the Sontarans.

->''"You might as well have worn a T-shirt saying "clone".... Although, maybe not in front of Captain Jack."''

* AtmosphereAbuse

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Colonel Mace

* TheBrigadier: Mace again; Sir Lethbridge-Stewart himself also gets a ShoutOut and is explained as being "stranded in Peru".
* ChekhovsGun: Chekhov's Hammer.

* ColonelBadass: Colonel Mace proves he's one not only by inspiring UNIT to put some steel-jacketed rounds in Sontaran heads, he himself double-taps Commander Skorr with a pistol.

** Also the ''Valiant'' from the end of series 3.
** ''And'' Torchwood's Sunrider weapon from "The Christmas Invasion".

** The whole Brig-stranded-in-Peru thing harkens back to the classic run and ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', where it's a RunningGag for the Brig to be "stranded in Peru" with important things are happening with UNIT.

* DefconFive: Averted, the DEFCON status is used correctly.

** Also, for a fraction of a second, Rose Tyler appears on the screen of the TARDIS when the Doctor sends his message to the Sontarans.
* FunWithAcronyms / RecursiveAcronym: Taken to its logical conclusion with ATMOS, which stands for "'''Atm'''ospheric '''O'''missions '''S'''ystem". The final S has to come from System, or Rattigan's whining makes no sense. One would think "omissions" is a misspelling of "emissions", but it's actually a pun: the system takes the dangerous chemicals out of the car's emissions; it's an emission omission system. That's just the kind of joke somebody like Rattigan would think was clever.

* GlorySeeker: The Sontarans, who would rather get blown up than let the Doctor win.

* HeelFaceTurn: Rattigan

* HeroicSacrifice: Luke

* MauveShirt: Ross Jenkins ends up dead anyway.

* [[NotHimself Not Herself]]: Martha. The Doctor suspects this almost immediately -- one of the first things he asks the clone is if she's called her family. "No, what for?"

* RedSkyTakeWarning
* RousingSpeech: Mace gets one of these. Rattigan's goes less well.

** Also, the ''Valiant'''s death star laser.

* StuffBlowingUp: The Doctor lights the ''upper atmosphere'' on fire. [[NoEndorHolocaust Somehow this doesn't cause rampant worldwide destruction]]. If the crossed fingers and "Please, please..." muttering are any indicator, the Doctor wasn't sure it wouldn't destroy the Earth.

* WorldHealingWave: Setting the sky on fire.

-->'''General Skaal:''' A general would be unwise to reveal his strategy to the opposing party.

* {{Callback}}:
** The Doctor, who Donna can see and hear on a monitor, secretly communicates with her the same way he did with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E6TheAgeOfSteel Mickey in a previous episode.]] He gets her attention by saying "noble", while with Mickey he repeatedly used the word "idiot" (which is what he frequently called him).
** When the Doctor puts on a gas mask, the first thing he says is "Are you my mummy?", which was the MadnessMantra of the gas mask zombies from "Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances".
** The whole Brig-stranded-in-Peru thing harkens back to the classic run and ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', where it's a RunningGag for the Brig to be "stranded in Peru" with important things are happening with UNIT.

* TakingYouWithMe:

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[Music/JeffersonStarship Will you light the sky on fire?]]'']]

'''WARNING! THERE MAY BE UNMARKED SPOILERS!'''