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* CurbStompBattle: An interesting variation of it; [[spoiler:the Monk is willing to flee Earth as he has no means of stopping the Antoene, but after the Doctor blackmails him into restoring the original timeline, the Doctor reveals that he has developed a device that banishes the Antoene back to the sub-atomic realm they originally came from]].
Deleted line(s) 32 (click to see context) :
* KerbStompBattle: An interesting variation of it; [[spoiler:the Monk is willing to flee Earth as he has no means of stopping the Antoene, but after the Doctor blackmails him into restoring the original timeline, the Doctor reveals that he has developed a device that banishes the Antoene back to the sub-atomic realm they originally came from]].
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Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* HaveWeMetYet: The First Doctor, Steven and Vicki have [[spoiler:all met the Monk, but the companions are unaware of regeneration and the Fifth Doctor hasn’t met this incarnation of the Monk yet, so Steven in particular doesn’t recognise him at first]].
to:
* HaveWeMetYet: HaveWeMetYet:
** The First Doctor, Steven and Vicki have [[spoiler:all met the Monk, but the companions are unaware of regeneration and the Fifth Doctor hasn’t met this incarnation of the Monk yet, so Steven in particular doesn’t recognise him atfirst]].first]].
** The Doctor, Vicki and Steven have a moment of this themselves when they meet - when the Doctor explains who he is, they initially and quite naturally assume he's a younger version of their Doctor (Davison being the only one who even vaguely looks like a younger Hartnell) but are baffled by how he recognises them.
** The First Doctor, Steven and Vicki have [[spoiler:all met the Monk, but the companions are unaware of regeneration and the Fifth Doctor hasn’t met this incarnation of the Monk yet, so Steven in particular doesn’t recognise him at
** The Doctor, Vicki and Steven have a moment of this themselves when they meet - when the Doctor explains who he is, they initially and quite naturally assume he's a younger version of their Doctor (Davison being the only one who even vaguely looks like a younger Hartnell) but are baffled by how he recognises them.
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Not So Different has been renamed, and it needs to be dewicked/moved
Deleted line(s) 36 (click to see context) :
* NotSoDifferent: Considering that [[spoiler:the Monk’s goal is to take the Doctor’s place and the Doctor basically defeats him by using the Monk’s discarded equipment]], it’s hard to argue that this applies.
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Deleted line(s) 19 (click to see context) :
* CurbStompBattle: An interesting variation of it; [[spoiler:the Monk is willing to flee Earth as he has no means of stopping the Antoene, but after the Doctor blackmails him into restoring the original timeline, the Doctor reveals that he has developed a device that banishes the Antoene back to the sub-atomic realm they originally came from]].
Added DiffLines:
* KerbStompBattle: An interesting variation of it; [[spoiler:the Monk is willing to flee Earth as he has no means of stopping the Antoene, but after the Doctor blackmails him into restoring the original timeline, the Doctor reveals that he has developed a device that banishes the Antoene back to the sub-atomic realm they originally came from]].
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* FlyingFace: [[spoiler:The Ostardi manifest as giant floating heads before they possess hosts]].
to:
* FlyingFace: [[spoiler:The The Ostardi manifest as giant floating heads before they possess hosts]]. hosts.
Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
* ForTheEvulz: While he may not see it that way, at one point [[spoiler:the Monk offers a cure to the plague for a sick man but only if the Doctor administers it himself, wanting his enemy to compromise his principles as part of the Monk’s twisted attempt to make a point]].
to:
* ForTheEvulz: While he may not see it that way, at one point [[spoiler:the Monk Monk]] offers a cure to the plague for a sick man but only if the Doctor administers it himself, wanting his enemy to compromise his principles as part of the Monk’s twisted attempt to make a point]].point.
Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Sophia is part-Hetrodon, which gives her the ability to perceive the future and manipulate Time to a certain extent, with the Monk teaching her how to refine her abilities]].
to:
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Sophia [[spoiler:Sophia]] is part-Hetrodon, which gives her the ability to perceive the future and manipulate Time to a certain extent, with the Monk teaching her how extent even before she is taught to refine her abilities]].abilities.
Changed line(s) 30 (click to see context) from:
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The Doctor forces the Monk to restore him to his rightful place in history by setting a trap for his enemy with the aid of Sophia, the Monk’s former ally, and through the use of the Monk’s old TARDIS, which he left behind in Constantinople after he took the Doctor’s place]].
to:
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The Doctor forces the Monk to restore him to his rightful place in history by setting a trap for his enemy with the aid of Sophia, the Monk’s former ally, and through the use of the Monk’s old TARDIS, which he left behind in Constantinople after he took the Doctor’s place]].
Changed line(s) 32 (click to see context) from:
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Although [[spoiler:she initially aided the Monk, Sophia helps the Doctor restore himself to history when she looks into the future and sees that it is worse with the Monk than it would be with the Doctor]].
to:
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Although [[spoiler:she she initially aided [[spoiler:aided the Monk, Sophia helps the Doctor restore himself to history when she looks into the future and sees that it is worse with the Monk than it would be with the Doctor]].
Changed line(s) 36,37 (click to see context) from:
* NotSoDifferent: Considering that [[spoiler:the Monk’s goal is to take the Doctor’s place and the Doctor basically defeats him by using the Monk’s discarded equipment, it’s hard to argue that this applies, even if the contrasts are also made clear with the Monk’s conviction that he must act wherever he goes where the Doctor is content to travel and help out only if required]].
* PlagueMaster: To a degree; [[spoiler:the Monk’s plan involves unleashing a dangerous plague a year or so before a historically recorded outbreak]].
* PlagueMaster: To a degree; [[spoiler:the Monk’s plan involves unleashing a dangerous plague a year or so before a historically recorded outbreak]].
to:
* NotSoDifferent: Considering that [[spoiler:the Monk’s goal is to take the Doctor’s place and the Doctor basically defeats him by using the Monk’s discarded equipment, equipment]], it’s hard to argue that this applies, even if the contrasts are also made clear with the Monk’s conviction that he must act wherever he goes where the Doctor is content to travel and help out only if required]].
applies.
* PlagueMaster: To adegree; [[spoiler:the Monk’s degree, as the villain's plan involves unleashing a dangerous plague a year or so before a historically recorded outbreak]].outbreak.
* PlagueMaster: To a
Changed line(s) 40 (click to see context) from:
* SensorCharacter: As a [[spoiler:hybrid, Sophia is sensitive to the flow of Time, to the point that even on her own she can perceive at least the broad strokes of future history to confirm that reality is better with the Doctor as its guardian rather than the Monk]].
to:
* SensorCharacter: As a [[spoiler:hybrid, Hetrodon hybrid, Sophia is sensitive to the flow of Time, to the point that even on her own she can perceive at least the broad strokes of future history to confirm that reality is better with the Doctor as its guardian rather than the Monk]]. history.
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* TookALevelInKindness: Arguably used against the Fifth Doctor by [[spoiler:the Monk; where the First Doctor would have adhered strongly to the Laws of Time, the Fifth Doctor is more inclined to consider the human cost of his actions, with that delay allowing the Monk’s plan to succeed]].
* UnreliableNarrator: Not shown directly, but strongly implied for [[spoiler:the Monk, who tells Sophia about the Doctor’s actions but presented in a manner that is intended to make her perceive the Doctor as a villain who lets people die to prove he’s right, rather than as a traveller who helps where he can but leaves history alone]].
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler:The Monk convinced Sophia that he would bring about a perfect world once he replaced the Doctor, but she soon realises that his plans will fail, and his claims are undermined in his final confrontation with the Fifth Doctor when he starts ranting about how everything will die in the end anyway]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The Monk tries to present himself as this by arguing that he will actively help others where the Doctor lets them suffer according to history, but his argument falls apart as it is soon made clear that he will run away the moment things turn against him]].
* UnreliableNarrator: Not shown directly, but strongly implied for [[spoiler:the Monk, who tells Sophia about the Doctor’s actions but presented in a manner that is intended to make her perceive the Doctor as a villain who lets people die to prove he’s right, rather than as a traveller who helps where he can but leaves history alone]].
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler:The Monk convinced Sophia that he would bring about a perfect world once he replaced the Doctor, but she soon realises that his plans will fail, and his claims are undermined in his final confrontation with the Fifth Doctor when he starts ranting about how everything will die in the end anyway]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The Monk tries to present himself as this by arguing that he will actively help others where the Doctor lets them suffer according to history, but his argument falls apart as it is soon made clear that he will run away the moment things turn against him]].
to:
* TookALevelInKindness: Arguably used against the Fifth Doctor by [[spoiler:the Monk; Monk]]; where the First Doctor would have adhered strongly to the Laws of Time, the Fifth Doctor is more inclined to consider the human cost of his actions, with that delay allowing the Monk’s plan to succeed]].actions.
* UnreliableNarrator: Not shown directly, but strongly implied for [[spoiler:theMonk, Monk]], who tells Sophia about the Doctor’s actions but presented in a manner that is intended to make her perceive the Doctor as a villain who lets people die to prove he’s right, rather than as a traveller who helps where he can but leaves history alone]].alone.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler:The Monk convinced Sophia that he would bring about a perfect world once he replaced the Doctor, but she soon realises that his plans will fail, and his claims are undermined in his final confrontation with theFifth Doctor when he starts ranting about how everything will die in the end anyway]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:TheMonk Monk]] tries to present himself as this by arguing that he will actively help others where the Doctor lets them suffer according to history, but his argument falls apart as it is soon made clear that he will run away the moment things turn against him]].him.
* UnreliableNarrator: Not shown directly, but strongly implied for [[spoiler:the
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler:The Monk convinced Sophia that he would bring about a perfect world once he replaced the Doctor, but she soon realises that his plans will fail, and his claims are undermined in his final confrontation with the
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The
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* BigBadWannabe: Essentially applies to [[spoiler:the Monk; while he would argue that he just wants to be the hero and make things better, his former ally realises that his attempt to take the Doctor’s place in history have created a darker future for the universe because he isn’t thinking things through]].
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The [[spoiler:Monk arguably uses this to win Sophia’s initial loyalty, convincing her that the Doctor is evil because of the historical disasters he allows to happen]].
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The [[spoiler:Monk arguably uses this to win Sophia’s initial loyalty, convincing her that the Doctor is evil because of the historical disasters he allows to happen]].
to:
* BigBadWannabe: Essentially applies to [[spoiler:the Monk; Monk]]; while he would argue that he just wants to be the hero and make things better, his former ally realises that his attempt to take the Doctor’s place in history actions have created a darker future for the universe because he isn’t thinking things through]].through.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The[[spoiler:Monk [[spoiler:Monk]] arguably uses this to win Sophia’s initial loyalty, convincing her that the Doctor is evil because of the historical disasters he allows to happen]].happen.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
* CallForward: The Doctor muses that [[spoiler:he expects he’ll see the Monk again]].
to:
* CallForward: The Doctor muses that [[spoiler:he he expects he’ll see the Monk again]].[[spoiler:the Monk]] again.
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* ChekhovsGunman: The Antoene- the alien race pursuing Steven and Vicki into the TARDIS as the audio begins- initially seem like just another random threat, but [[spoiler:the Fifth Doctor later uses the Monk’s TARDIS to recruit their aid in attacking the Monk in Constantinople, putting his foe in a position where the Monk’s only option is to return to his original timeline so that the Doctor can stop the Antoene]].
to:
* ChekhovsGunman: The Antoene- the alien race pursuing Steven and Vicki into the TARDIS as the audio begins- initially seem like just another random threat, but [[spoiler:the Fifth Doctor later uses they play a key role in the Monk’s TARDIS to recruit their aid in attacking conclusion of the Monk in Constantinople, putting his foe in a position where the Monk’s only option is to return to his original timeline so that the Doctor can stop the Antoene]]. plot.
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* DirtyCowards: [[spoiler:Despite the Monk’s plans to replace the Doctor, the moment things get out of his control he is prepared to run away and abandon fifth-century Constantinople to be destroyed by a ruthless alien race who are actively trying to kill ''him'']].
to:
* DirtyCowards: DirtyCoward: [[spoiler:Despite the Monk’s plans to replace the Doctor, the moment things get out of his control he is prepared to run away and abandon fifth-century Constantinople to be destroyed by a ruthless alien race who are actively trying to kill ''him'']].
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Added DiffLines:
The Fifth Doctor finds himself in the TARDIS of his first incarnation, accompanied by Vicki and Steven and with no sign of his predecessor, just as they are about to arrive in the Italian city of Ravenna in 540. Forced to try and deal with the situation in the manner of his first incarnation, the Fifth Doctor finds himself caught up in local political turmoil, which swiftly becomes more dangerous when he realises that a dangerous plague has been unleashed, mythical alien healers have been awoken, and a particular old enemy is present…
This marks the third audio in the “Locum Doctors” trilogy, which began with “[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho198TheDefectors The Defectors]]” (the Seventh Doctor taking the place of the Third) and “[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho199TheLastOfTheCybermen Last of the Cybermen]]” (the Sixth Doctor replacing the Second), and reveals that the events of this trilogy were caused by [[spoiler:the Monk after his confrontation with the Eighth Doctor in “[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoNEDAS4E10ToTheDeath To the Death]]”]].
* ArcWelding: This serves as the conclusion to the “Locum Doctors” trilogy, and reveals that [[spoiler:the Monk is behind these events as revenge against the Doctor for the death of Tamsin Drew in “To the Death”]].
* TheBadGuyWins: Episode 3 ends with [[spoiler:the Monk successfully displacing the Doctor from history and taking his place in the universe]].
* BatmanGambit: It would appear that the “Locum Doctors” trilogy was essentially based on this; [[spoiler:the Monk caused the Doctors to switch with their past selves in the hope that the displaced Doctors would make some mistake in handling the threat compared to how their past selves dealt with it, thus changing history and allowing him to take the Doctor’s place when the Doctor was taken out of Time by the Time Lords. This plan failed in “Defectors” and “Last of the Cybermen” because Jo and Zoe helped the Seventh and Sixth Doctors realize what his past selves would have done, but here the Monk escalates the situation so rapidly that the Fifth Doctor is powerless to prevent the Monk’s plan succeeding]].
** At the conclusion of the story, [[spoiler:the Doctor does this himself, anticipating that the Monk will return to Constantinople and making arrangements to undermine the Monk’s plan so that he can force the Monk to reset history to what it was originally]].
* BigBadWannabe: Essentially applies to [[spoiler:the Monk; while he would argue that he just wants to be the hero and make things better, his former ally realises that his attempt to take the Doctor’s place in history have created a darker future for the universe because he isn’t thinking things through]].
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The [[spoiler:Monk arguably uses this to win Sophia’s initial loyalty, convincing her that the Doctor is evil because of the historical disasters he allows to happen]].
* CallBack: Steven and Vicki each remember [[spoiler:the Monk from “[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E9TheTimeMeddler The Time Meddler]]”, although his regeneration prevents them recognising him immediately]].
* CallForward: The Doctor muses that [[spoiler:he expects he’ll see the Monk again]].
* CaughtInTheRipple: Episode 4 opens with [[spoiler:Steven and Vicki treating the Monk as the Doctor and seeing nothing wrong with changing history in Earth’s past]].
* ChekhovsGunman: The Antoene- the alien race pursuing Steven and Vicki into the TARDIS as the audio begins- initially seem like just another random threat, but [[spoiler:the Fifth Doctor later uses the Monk’s TARDIS to recruit their aid in attacking the Monk in Constantinople, putting his foe in a position where the Monk’s only option is to return to his original timeline so that the Doctor can stop the Antoene]].
* CloseEnoughTimeline: In a sense; [[spoiler:the original timeline is restored at the conclusion, and while Sophia muses that it still isn’t a perfect future, history is better with the Doctor as its guardian than it would be if the Monk was doing the job]].
* ClosestThingWeGot: Steven is forced to become a charioteer for his new supervisor because all the regular charioteers are ill.
* CurbStompBattle: An interesting variation of it; [[spoiler:the Monk is willing to flee Earth as he has no means of stopping the Antoene, but after the Doctor blackmails him into restoring the original timeline, the Doctor reveals that he has developed a device that banishes the Antoene back to the sub-atomic realm they originally came from]].
* DirtyCowards: [[spoiler:Despite the Monk’s plans to replace the Doctor, the moment things get out of his control he is prepared to run away and abandon fifth-century Constantinople to be destroyed by a ruthless alien race who are actively trying to kill ''him'']].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Sophia was genuinely close to [[spoiler:the Monk, but in the end this works against him as the Monk’s failure to comprehend Sophia’s attachment towards him drove her to learn that his actions were making history worse, as well as leading Sophia to realise that she was manipulated into perceiving the Doctor as a villain when he’s the better of the two]].
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[spoiler:The Monk’s plan fails because he didn’t anticipate that Sophia would want to confirm that he was all right after his plan succeeded, allowing her to look into the future, realise that he was making things worse, and bring the Doctor back to existence so that he could make things right]].
* FlyingFace: [[spoiler:The Ostardi manifest as giant floating heads before they possess hosts]].
* {{Foil}}: Once [[spoiler:the Monk’s plan succeeds, it is intriguing to see the contrast between him and the Doctor, as the Monk travels specifically to interfere in events where the Doctor just enjoys the opportunity to see history unfold and only gets directly involved if he has to]].
* ForTheEvulz: While he may not see it that way, at one point [[spoiler:the Monk offers a cure to the plague for a sick man but only if the Doctor administers it himself, wanting his enemy to compromise his principles as part of the Monk’s twisted attempt to make a point]].
* GrandTheftMe: Essentially applies to [[spoiler:the Monk, as his plan involves basically taking the Doctor’s place in the timeline so that even Steven and Vicki believe he has always been the Doctor; earlier, the Ostardi manifest by possessing Justinian and Theodora, and the Doctor later convinces them to possess Steven and Vicki in the new timeline]].
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Sophia is part-Hetrodon, which gives her the ability to perceive the future and manipulate Time to a certain extent, with the Monk teaching her how to refine her abilities]].
* HalfwayPlotSwitch: At first it seems as though the plot is a straightforward historical (barring the obvious question of what caused the Fifth Doctor to replace the First), but expectations shift drastically once it is confirmed that [[spoiler:the Monk is present]].
* HaveWeMetYet: The First Doctor, Steven and Vicki have [[spoiler:all met the Monk, but the companions are unaware of regeneration and the Fifth Doctor hasn’t met this incarnation of the Monk yet, so Steven in particular doesn’t recognise him at first]].
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The Doctor forces the Monk to restore him to his rightful place in history by setting a trap for his enemy with the aid of Sophia, the Monk’s former ally, and through the use of the Monk’s old TARDIS, which he left behind in Constantinople after he took the Doctor’s place]].
* MortonsFork: [[spoiler:The Monk’s plan succeeds because he puts the Doctor in a position where he can either allow a dangerous plague to spread across the country or let an advanced alien race heal this plague at the cost of making humanity immune to another plague that was meant to affect them the following year; either way, history will be changed and the Time Lords will become aware that the Doctor is involved]].
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Although [[spoiler:she initially aided the Monk, Sophia helps the Doctor restore himself to history when she looks into the future and sees that it is worse with the Monk than it would be with the Doctor]].
* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:The Monk blames the Doctor for the death of Tamsin- describing her as someone close to him- because he can’t accept the Doctor’s accusation that she only died because of the Monk’s own alliance with the Daleks]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Arguably applies to [[spoiler:the Monk, as he attempts to take the Doctor’s role in history, but Sophia observes that history is far worse off with the Monk actively interfering however he wishes compared to the Doctor’s more discreet role in events]].
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:The Monk’s actions once he has succeeded in replacing the Doctor help Sophia realise that she was wrong, prompting her to rescue the Fifth Doctor and help him restore his timeline]].
* NotSoDifferent: Considering that [[spoiler:the Monk’s goal is to take the Doctor’s place and the Doctor basically defeats him by using the Monk’s discarded equipment, it’s hard to argue that this applies, even if the contrasts are also made clear with the Monk’s conviction that he must act wherever he goes where the Doctor is content to travel and help out only if required]].
* PlagueMaster: To a degree; [[spoiler:the Monk’s plan involves unleashing a dangerous plague a year or so before a historically recorded outbreak]].
* ResetButton: Hit multiple times; first the Fifth Doctor taking the First Doctor’s place means that the Fifth Doctor now has no memory of the events that are about to happen once he, Steven and Vicki leave the TARDIS, [[spoiler:then the Monk is able to insert himself into the Doctor’s timeline and redoes at least this trip and possibly others, and then the Doctor forces the Monk to remove himself from the Doctor’s role in history so that the Doctor can take it back, which apparently erases these events from history so that the First Doctor, Steven and Vicki can do it all ‘again’ for the first time]].
* RippleEffectProofMemory: After [[spoiler:the Monk has taken the Doctor’s place, the Doctor, the Monk and Sophia still remember what originally happened (although it takes Sophia a while to remember the exact details), and the Monk’s original TARDIS is still in Constantinople after the Monk took the Doctor’s ship, even though there is no clear reason for a TARDIS to be there in the new timeline]].
* SensorCharacter: As a [[spoiler:hybrid, Sophia is sensitive to the flow of Time, to the point that even on her own she can perceive at least the broad strokes of future history to confirm that reality is better with the Doctor as its guardian rather than the Monk]].
* TimeyWimeyBall: As the conclusion to the “Locum Doctors” trilogy, where future Doctors temporarily replaced their past incarnations, this trope obviously applies, particularly when it is revealed that [[spoiler:the Monk is attacking the Doctors because of the consequences of his last encounter with the Eighth Doctor]].
* TookALevelInKindness: Arguably used against the Fifth Doctor by [[spoiler:the Monk; where the First Doctor would have adhered strongly to the Laws of Time, the Fifth Doctor is more inclined to consider the human cost of his actions, with that delay allowing the Monk’s plan to succeed]].
* UnreliableNarrator: Not shown directly, but strongly implied for [[spoiler:the Monk, who tells Sophia about the Doctor’s actions but presented in a manner that is intended to make her perceive the Doctor as a villain who lets people die to prove he’s right, rather than as a traveller who helps where he can but leaves history alone]].
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler:The Monk convinced Sophia that he would bring about a perfect world once he replaced the Doctor, but she soon realises that his plans will fail, and his claims are undermined in his final confrontation with the Fifth Doctor when he starts ranting about how everything will die in the end anyway]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The Monk tries to present himself as this by arguing that he will actively help others where the Doctor lets them suffer according to history, but his argument falls apart as it is soon made clear that he will run away the moment things turn against him]].
This marks the third audio in the “Locum Doctors” trilogy, which began with “[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho198TheDefectors The Defectors]]” (the Seventh Doctor taking the place of the Third) and “[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho199TheLastOfTheCybermen Last of the Cybermen]]” (the Sixth Doctor replacing the Second), and reveals that the events of this trilogy were caused by [[spoiler:the Monk after his confrontation with the Eighth Doctor in “[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoNEDAS4E10ToTheDeath To the Death]]”]].
* ArcWelding: This serves as the conclusion to the “Locum Doctors” trilogy, and reveals that [[spoiler:the Monk is behind these events as revenge against the Doctor for the death of Tamsin Drew in “To the Death”]].
* TheBadGuyWins: Episode 3 ends with [[spoiler:the Monk successfully displacing the Doctor from history and taking his place in the universe]].
* BatmanGambit: It would appear that the “Locum Doctors” trilogy was essentially based on this; [[spoiler:the Monk caused the Doctors to switch with their past selves in the hope that the displaced Doctors would make some mistake in handling the threat compared to how their past selves dealt with it, thus changing history and allowing him to take the Doctor’s place when the Doctor was taken out of Time by the Time Lords. This plan failed in “Defectors” and “Last of the Cybermen” because Jo and Zoe helped the Seventh and Sixth Doctors realize what his past selves would have done, but here the Monk escalates the situation so rapidly that the Fifth Doctor is powerless to prevent the Monk’s plan succeeding]].
** At the conclusion of the story, [[spoiler:the Doctor does this himself, anticipating that the Monk will return to Constantinople and making arrangements to undermine the Monk’s plan so that he can force the Monk to reset history to what it was originally]].
* BigBadWannabe: Essentially applies to [[spoiler:the Monk; while he would argue that he just wants to be the hero and make things better, his former ally realises that his attempt to take the Doctor’s place in history have created a darker future for the universe because he isn’t thinking things through]].
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: The [[spoiler:Monk arguably uses this to win Sophia’s initial loyalty, convincing her that the Doctor is evil because of the historical disasters he allows to happen]].
* CallBack: Steven and Vicki each remember [[spoiler:the Monk from “[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E9TheTimeMeddler The Time Meddler]]”, although his regeneration prevents them recognising him immediately]].
* CallForward: The Doctor muses that [[spoiler:he expects he’ll see the Monk again]].
* CaughtInTheRipple: Episode 4 opens with [[spoiler:Steven and Vicki treating the Monk as the Doctor and seeing nothing wrong with changing history in Earth’s past]].
* ChekhovsGunman: The Antoene- the alien race pursuing Steven and Vicki into the TARDIS as the audio begins- initially seem like just another random threat, but [[spoiler:the Fifth Doctor later uses the Monk’s TARDIS to recruit their aid in attacking the Monk in Constantinople, putting his foe in a position where the Monk’s only option is to return to his original timeline so that the Doctor can stop the Antoene]].
* CloseEnoughTimeline: In a sense; [[spoiler:the original timeline is restored at the conclusion, and while Sophia muses that it still isn’t a perfect future, history is better with the Doctor as its guardian than it would be if the Monk was doing the job]].
* ClosestThingWeGot: Steven is forced to become a charioteer for his new supervisor because all the regular charioteers are ill.
* CurbStompBattle: An interesting variation of it; [[spoiler:the Monk is willing to flee Earth as he has no means of stopping the Antoene, but after the Doctor blackmails him into restoring the original timeline, the Doctor reveals that he has developed a device that banishes the Antoene back to the sub-atomic realm they originally came from]].
* DirtyCowards: [[spoiler:Despite the Monk’s plans to replace the Doctor, the moment things get out of his control he is prepared to run away and abandon fifth-century Constantinople to be destroyed by a ruthless alien race who are actively trying to kill ''him'']].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Sophia was genuinely close to [[spoiler:the Monk, but in the end this works against him as the Monk’s failure to comprehend Sophia’s attachment towards him drove her to learn that his actions were making history worse, as well as leading Sophia to realise that she was manipulated into perceiving the Doctor as a villain when he’s the better of the two]].
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: [[spoiler:The Monk’s plan fails because he didn’t anticipate that Sophia would want to confirm that he was all right after his plan succeeded, allowing her to look into the future, realise that he was making things worse, and bring the Doctor back to existence so that he could make things right]].
* FlyingFace: [[spoiler:The Ostardi manifest as giant floating heads before they possess hosts]].
* {{Foil}}: Once [[spoiler:the Monk’s plan succeeds, it is intriguing to see the contrast between him and the Doctor, as the Monk travels specifically to interfere in events where the Doctor just enjoys the opportunity to see history unfold and only gets directly involved if he has to]].
* ForTheEvulz: While he may not see it that way, at one point [[spoiler:the Monk offers a cure to the plague for a sick man but only if the Doctor administers it himself, wanting his enemy to compromise his principles as part of the Monk’s twisted attempt to make a point]].
* GrandTheftMe: Essentially applies to [[spoiler:the Monk, as his plan involves basically taking the Doctor’s place in the timeline so that even Steven and Vicki believe he has always been the Doctor; earlier, the Ostardi manifest by possessing Justinian and Theodora, and the Doctor later convinces them to possess Steven and Vicki in the new timeline]].
* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Sophia is part-Hetrodon, which gives her the ability to perceive the future and manipulate Time to a certain extent, with the Monk teaching her how to refine her abilities]].
* HalfwayPlotSwitch: At first it seems as though the plot is a straightforward historical (barring the obvious question of what caused the Fifth Doctor to replace the First), but expectations shift drastically once it is confirmed that [[spoiler:the Monk is present]].
* HaveWeMetYet: The First Doctor, Steven and Vicki have [[spoiler:all met the Monk, but the companions are unaware of regeneration and the Fifth Doctor hasn’t met this incarnation of the Monk yet, so Steven in particular doesn’t recognise him at first]].
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:The Doctor forces the Monk to restore him to his rightful place in history by setting a trap for his enemy with the aid of Sophia, the Monk’s former ally, and through the use of the Monk’s old TARDIS, which he left behind in Constantinople after he took the Doctor’s place]].
* MortonsFork: [[spoiler:The Monk’s plan succeeds because he puts the Doctor in a position where he can either allow a dangerous plague to spread across the country or let an advanced alien race heal this plague at the cost of making humanity immune to another plague that was meant to affect them the following year; either way, history will be changed and the Time Lords will become aware that the Doctor is involved]].
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Although [[spoiler:she initially aided the Monk, Sophia helps the Doctor restore himself to history when she looks into the future and sees that it is worse with the Monk than it would be with the Doctor]].
* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:The Monk blames the Doctor for the death of Tamsin- describing her as someone close to him- because he can’t accept the Doctor’s accusation that she only died because of the Monk’s own alliance with the Daleks]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Arguably applies to [[spoiler:the Monk, as he attempts to take the Doctor’s role in history, but Sophia observes that history is far worse off with the Monk actively interfering however he wishes compared to the Doctor’s more discreet role in events]].
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:The Monk’s actions once he has succeeded in replacing the Doctor help Sophia realise that she was wrong, prompting her to rescue the Fifth Doctor and help him restore his timeline]].
* NotSoDifferent: Considering that [[spoiler:the Monk’s goal is to take the Doctor’s place and the Doctor basically defeats him by using the Monk’s discarded equipment, it’s hard to argue that this applies, even if the contrasts are also made clear with the Monk’s conviction that he must act wherever he goes where the Doctor is content to travel and help out only if required]].
* PlagueMaster: To a degree; [[spoiler:the Monk’s plan involves unleashing a dangerous plague a year or so before a historically recorded outbreak]].
* ResetButton: Hit multiple times; first the Fifth Doctor taking the First Doctor’s place means that the Fifth Doctor now has no memory of the events that are about to happen once he, Steven and Vicki leave the TARDIS, [[spoiler:then the Monk is able to insert himself into the Doctor’s timeline and redoes at least this trip and possibly others, and then the Doctor forces the Monk to remove himself from the Doctor’s role in history so that the Doctor can take it back, which apparently erases these events from history so that the First Doctor, Steven and Vicki can do it all ‘again’ for the first time]].
* RippleEffectProofMemory: After [[spoiler:the Monk has taken the Doctor’s place, the Doctor, the Monk and Sophia still remember what originally happened (although it takes Sophia a while to remember the exact details), and the Monk’s original TARDIS is still in Constantinople after the Monk took the Doctor’s ship, even though there is no clear reason for a TARDIS to be there in the new timeline]].
* SensorCharacter: As a [[spoiler:hybrid, Sophia is sensitive to the flow of Time, to the point that even on her own she can perceive at least the broad strokes of future history to confirm that reality is better with the Doctor as its guardian rather than the Monk]].
* TimeyWimeyBall: As the conclusion to the “Locum Doctors” trilogy, where future Doctors temporarily replaced their past incarnations, this trope obviously applies, particularly when it is revealed that [[spoiler:the Monk is attacking the Doctors because of the consequences of his last encounter with the Eighth Doctor]].
* TookALevelInKindness: Arguably used against the Fifth Doctor by [[spoiler:the Monk; where the First Doctor would have adhered strongly to the Laws of Time, the Fifth Doctor is more inclined to consider the human cost of his actions, with that delay allowing the Monk’s plan to succeed]].
* UnreliableNarrator: Not shown directly, but strongly implied for [[spoiler:the Monk, who tells Sophia about the Doctor’s actions but presented in a manner that is intended to make her perceive the Doctor as a villain who lets people die to prove he’s right, rather than as a traveller who helps where he can but leaves history alone]].
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler:The Monk convinced Sophia that he would bring about a perfect world once he replaced the Doctor, but she soon realises that his plans will fail, and his claims are undermined in his final confrontation with the Fifth Doctor when he starts ranting about how everything will die in the end anyway]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler:The Monk tries to present himself as this by arguing that he will actively help others where the Doctor lets them suffer according to history, but his argument falls apart as it is soon made clear that he will run away the moment things turn against him]].
