History Recap / DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang

** The giant rat echoes a famous NoodleIncident in the Holmes canon: in "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire", Holmes mentions "the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared."
** The Doctor says at one point, "Elementary, my dear Litefoot".

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Greel's face is terribly disfigured due to his faulty time machine. He wears a mask to cover this, until [[TheReveal Leela rips it off in part 5 and exposes his horrible face.]]

* BigBad: Weng-Chiang aka Magnus Greel.

* DisposableSexWorker[=/=]DisposableVagrant: Greel identifies his victims as "a few contemptible slatterns who will never be missed"; Chang protests that they ''are'' being missed and it's getting people's attention.

** The giant rat echoes a famous untold tale: in "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire", Holmes mentions "the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared."

** Magnus Greel's lair beneath the theatre, his deformed face, the mask he uses to hide it, and the climactic scene in which the mask is torn off to reveal his true face, all derive from ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera''.

* NiceHat: The Doctor, Leela, Chang's thugs, and Greel each have one; Chang has two.

* BatmanGrabsAGun: He even actively asks for it. Not that he would use it on a human, but the Doctor does shoot a giant rat with it.

* CassandraTruth

* ChineseLaunderer: {{Justified}} by being set in VictorianLondon. Mr Sin smuggles himself in Litefoot's house inside a laundry basket.

* {{Expy}}: Li H'sen Chang was clearly based on ''Literature/FuManchu''.

* GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion: The 2020 Season 14 Blu-ray box set includes optional CGI giant rats.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Li H'sen Chang's eyes glow whenever he hypnotises someone.

* HeelRealisation / DeathEqualsRedemption: Chang.

* HypnoticEyes: Li H'sen Chang can hypnotise girls with just a look.

* {{Mooks}}: The Tong of the Black Scorpion.

* TitleDrop: When Magnus is about to kill Leela, he drops the serial name. (Actually, the serial was renamed using this line shortly before production began.)

* VictorianLondon

** Interestingly enough, not Leela. As [[http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/doctor-who-classic-the-talons-of-weng-chiang-63742 the AV Club]] noted, Jago and Litefoot fulfil the role of Watson - Jago behaves as the traditional film depiction of Watson being a pompous, boisterous, easily puzzled sleaze while Litefoot behaves as literature's Watson being a quiet, calm, observant gentleman.

* WholeCostumeReference: The Doctor dresses like Sherlock Holmes. Leela, not to be outdone, dresses at first as Tinker (the KidSidekick of British pulp hero Sexton Blake) and later more femininely as Eliza Doolitle.
* WholePlotReference: To the Film/HammerHorror film ''The Terror Of The Tongs'', but incorporating elements of Sherlock Holmes.
* WorldWarWhatever: Greel is described as having almost caused World War Six.

* {{Yellowface}}: A particularly noteworthy example, especially within the annals of Who. Lampshaded in the novelisation where Jago notes that Li H'sen is at least Chinese, unlike other 'Chinese' performers who look English enough when the makeup is off.

This story is markedly DarkerAndEdgier, HotterAndSexier, as well as BloodierAndGorier than most of classic ''Series/DoctorWho''.

The characters of Jago and Litefoot became quite popular with fans, and for years rumours abounded about a planned spin-off centred around the duo solving crimes in Victorian London, and it was even seriously considered by the BBC a couple of times. While the spin-off never made it to TV, Jago and Litefoot, along with PC Quick, eventually ended up getting their own ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' spinoff range, ''AudioPlay/JagoAndLitefoot''. It also occasionally features the Fourth and Sixth Doctors, as well as Leela.

** Li H'sen Chang uses this in his act and [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident tries to murder the Doctor with it]]. The Doctor walks out of the back of the cabinet, forcing Chang to proceed with his normal act. When he opens the box however a dead stagehand falls out, having been put there by Greel to humiliate his underling.

* EndOfAnEra: This story marked the GrandFinale of Creator/PhilipHinchcliffe's tenure as producer. Knowing this, he decided to end his era with a bang.

* ForTheEvulz: Sin seems to end up like this, killing for the sake of it. He even gets so bloodthirsty he shoots the Tong working for his master.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* HostageForMacguffin: The Doctor refuses to give the Time Key before Jago and Litefoot are freed. Later, he adds that he wants the girls that are to be Magnus's next meal freed as well. This is the final straw for Greel who orders Sin to open fire.

* InstantSedation: Possible subversion -- the title villain uses an unspecified knockout drug on a cloth to capture Leela, and she goes down fast... but she has enough time to [[NightmareFace tear the villain's mask off]].
** Given the time period, it was probably either chloroform or ether.

* MistakenForServant: Jago mistakes Litefoot for a servant when they first meet. In this case, the misunderstanding arises because Jago arrives at Litefoot's house and sees him with a dustpan and brush in his hands. However, Litefoot is quick to correct him.

* RacialFaceBlindness: Chang sarcastically says, "I understand we all look alike," when the Doctor asks if they've met before.

* ShutUpHannibal: When Greel talks about how he is remembered as a villain due to the other side writing the history and how the people he killed helped his time travel experiments the Doctor tells him the people were slaughtered and that the experiments came to nothing.

** Interestingly enough, NOT Leela. As [[http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/doctor-who-classic-the-talons-of-weng-chiang-63742 the AV Club]] noted, Jago and Litefoot fulfil the role of Watson - Jago behaves as the traditional film depiction of Watson being a pompous, boisterous, easily puzzled sleaze while Litefoot behaves as literature's Watson being a quiet, calm, observant gentleman.

Written by Creator/RobertHolmes. This serial first aired February 26-April 2, 1977.

The racist one.

* GodGuise: Magnus Greel posing as Weng-Chiang, though he doesn't try to hide his identify from Chang to whom it makes no difference anyway, as [[FromNobodyToNightmare Greel has raised him up from his humble life as a peasant to a man who performs before royalty]].

* ConcealmentEqualsCover: A [[NoBudget flimsy wooden table]] is enough to shield the protagonists from [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]]. The laser beams at least start punching holes through the table, though.

* YellowPeril: Which along with the Yellowface led to the story being [[BannedInChina Banned In Canada]].

''Doctor Who'' goes all ''Literature/SherlockHolmes''[[JustForFun/XMeetsY -Meets-]]Film/HammerHorror in this tale set in VictorianLondon. Police pathologist Professor George Litefoot is investigating a body found floating in the Thames, and, with help from the Doctor, determines that hairs found on the body come from a giant rat. Also, Leela has to wear period clothing and learn table manners.

Written by Creator/RobertHolmes, this story is markedly DarkerAndEdgier, HotterAndSexier, as well as BloodierAndGorier than most of classic ''Series/DoctorWho''.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Magnus Greel is one for the Master, as the story originally followed up on his escape in "The Deadly Assassin". Remnants of that idea include both being hammy, vampiric serial killers on the run with a time machine, dying and desperately looking for a way to cheat death. Magnus even talks about ''regeneration'' a few times.

* SpotOfTea: Litefoot attempts to example the etiquette of tea to Leela, who gets very confused.

* AIIsACrapshoot: Mister Sin is so AxeCrazy he ends up gunning down the Tong [[NiceJobFixingItVillain just when they've got our heroes caught in a crossfire]], and [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters shooting at his own master]].

** The Doctor quotes from the monologue ''The Green Eye of the Yellow God'', incorrectly attributing it to Henry Champion.

* OpiumDen: Though Li H'sen actually only uses opium to numb the pain from his rat-chewed leg.

* JabbaTableManners: When Professor Litefoot has [[NubileSavage Leela]] for dinner, she ignores the cutlery and eats a leg of lamb with her bare hands. Being a QuintessentialBritishGentleman who would never make a guest uncomfortable, Litefoot proceeds to do likewise.

* MoodWhiplash: Moments after all the villains have been killed, the Doctor cheerfully offers to buy everyone muffins.