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Changed line(s) 85 (click to see context) from:
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[Series/EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
to:
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas "[[TwistedChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[Series/EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas [[TwistedChristmas ever had]]."
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Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
* WelcomeToHell: It's written on the wall.
to:
* WelcomeToHell: It's written on the wall.wall and something calling itself the devil is trapped here.
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Changed line(s) 46 (click to see context) from:
* EvilSoundsDeep: Overlaps with HeyItsThatVoice -- the Beast is voiced by Gabriel Woolf, who played Sutekh in "Pyramids of Mars".
to:
* EvilSoundsDeep: Overlaps with HeyItsThatVoice -- the Beast is voiced by Gabriel Woolf, who played Sutekh in "Pyramids of Mars".
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Changed line(s) 85 (click to see context) from:
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
to:
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[EastEnders [[Series/EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
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Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
* YouAreInCommandNow: The ship's original captain is only seen in the Tardisode preview. He died during the flight down the "gravity funnel", leaving Zach in charge. The others assure him he's doing a good job, but he's less than thrilled. "Needs must."
to:
* YouAreInCommandNow: The ship's original captain is only seen in the Tardisode preview. He died during the flight down the "gravity funnel", leaving Zach in charge. The others assure him he's doing a good job, but he's less than thrilled. "Needs must."" (Which is an abbreviated version of a very old English idiom, whose full form is "needs must ''when the devil drives''".)
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Whether or not he\'s first is irrelevant. What matters is if he dies at all.
Deleted line(s) 57 (click to see context) :
* KarmaHoudini: The man dealing with the Ood is degrading towards them, considering them slaves and idiots. You'd think he'd be the first target, but no.
Changed line(s) 59 (click to see context) from:
* MarkOfTheBeast / HumanNotepad: The stuff on Toby after he's possessed isn't Sharpie; it's demonic.
to:
* MarkOfTheBeast / HumanNotepad: MarkOfTheBeast: [[HumanNotepad The stuff on Toby Toby]] after he's possessed isn't Sharpie; it's demonic.
Changed line(s) 68 (click to see context) from:
* OhCrap: While Rose is laughing about the "welcome to Hell" sign, the Doctor's already freaking out about the fact that he can't read the language underneath it.
to:
* OhCrap: OhCrap:
** While Rose is laughing about the "welcome to Hell" sign, the Doctor's already freaking out about the fact that he can't read the language underneath it.
** While Rose is laughing about the "welcome to Hell" sign, the Doctor's already freaking out about the fact that he can't read the language underneath it.
Changed line(s) 83 (click to see context) from:
* SpeakInUnison: The possessed Ood. And it's damn creepy.
to:
* SpeakInUnison: The possessed Ood. And it's It's damn creepy.
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Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* CueCardPause: "We must feed... we must feed...[[[PercussiveMaintenance bonks translator]]] you, if you are hungry."
to:
* CueCardPause: "We must feed... we must feed...[[[PercussiveMaintenance ''[[[PercussiveMaintenance bonks translator]]] translator]]]'' you, if you are hungry."
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** The Doctor makes a remark that "[[Series/EastEnders This is gonna be the best Christmas Walford's ever had.]]"
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*** Particularly bad, since it's widely suspected that the stars in the Milky Way galaxy are orbiting a central supermassive black hole.
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* TemptingFate: Lampshaded.
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
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* DeadpanSnarker: One of the humans mocks the computer's automated messages. Then it starts saying things it wasn't programmed to...
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Among the possessed Ood statements is that The Beast has "woven himself into the fabric of your lives". The next episode expounds of that statement.
Changed line(s) 49 (click to see context) from:
* IHaveManyNames: Which will be listed, at length, in a CreepyMonotone.
to:
* IHaveManyNames: Which will be listed, at length, in by a whole crowds' worth of CreepyMonotone.
* MesACrowd: The Beast possesses all the Ood at once.
** Danny's reaction on seeing the Ood's telepathic field level increasing, right to level 100, where they should apparently be brain dead.
Changed line(s) 66 (click to see context) from:
* RedEyesTakeWarning: They mark Toby as possessed.
to:
* RedEyesTakeWarning: They mark Toby as possessed. And the Ood. All of them.
Deleted line(s) 78,79 (click to see context) :
* TemptingFate: Lampshaded.
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
* VoiceOfTheLegion: The possessed Ood, with the Beast's voice on top of their own.
Deleted line(s) 87,88 (click to see context) :
* YouJustHadToSayIt: "Did you have to? 'No turning back'?" The Doctor compares this to "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong Nothing can possibly go wrong]]," or "[[SoaplandChristmas the best Christmas Walford's ever had]]."
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Natter. Repair Dont Respond
Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The event horizon of the black hole is visible, but within it is visible a corona, flickering and jumping like a bonfire. Since light can't escape back beyond the event horizon, no such corona should be visible... [[RuleOfCool but damned if it isn't beautiful]].
to:
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The ArtisticLicensePhysics:
**The event horizon of the black hole is visible, but within it is visible a corona, flickering and jumping like a bonfire. Since light can't escape back beyond the event horizon, no such corona should be visible... [[RuleOfCool but damned if it isn't beautiful]].
**The event horizon of the black hole is visible, but within it is visible a corona, flickering and jumping like a bonfire. Since light can't escape back beyond the event horizon, no such corona should be visible... [[RuleOfCool but damned if it isn't beautiful]].
Deleted line(s) 29 (click to see context) :
*** This could be wrong, actually. Density plays half the role of gravity, and additionally, while this episode misses out on it too, black holes don't just pull everything in, they spit it out in a stream at both ends. We just can't see it because of the lack of light, hence ''black hole''. That would make orbiting a black hole rather problematic.
Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* MarkOfTheBeast / HumanNotepad: The stuff on Toby.
to:
* MarkOfTheBeast / HumanNotepad: The stuff on Toby.Toby after he's possessed isn't Sharpie; it's demonic.
Changed line(s) 72 (click to see context) from:
* ShoutOut: There's a lot of usage of the DoomDoors. Given that it involves around [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} a gigantic demon of Hell and an archeology dig into a hostile planet going horribly wrong]], it's most likely intentional.
to:
* ShoutOut: There's ShoutOut:
**There's a lot of usage of the DoomDoors. Given that it involves around [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} a gigantic demon of Hell and an archeology dig into a hostile planet going horribly wrong]], it's most likely intentional.
**There's a lot of usage of the DoomDoors. Given that it involves around [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} a gigantic demon of Hell and an archeology dig into a hostile planet going horribly wrong]], it's most likely intentional.
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Added DiffLines:
* LeakingCanOfEvil: The Beast is able to possess people and interfere with electronics while still imprisoned.
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Added DiffLines:
*** This could be wrong, actually. Density plays half the role of gravity, and additionally, while this episode misses out on it too, black holes don't just pull everything in, they spit it out in a stream at both ends. We just can't see it because of the lack of light, hence ''black hole''. That would make orbiting a black hole rather problematic.
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Changed line(s) 16,17 (click to see context) from:
Toby looks -- and sees nothing... until he looks in the mirror. The symbols from the shards he was inspecting have moved onto his skin, and his eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning bright red]]. When Trainee Maintenance Scooti Manista questions the computer about an unauthorized opening of the airlock (with no space-suit being logged out), she's astonished to see Toby walking on the planet's surface unprotected... before he telekinetically shatters the window, pulling her into space. The others find only a shell-shocked Toby and mournfully watch Scooti's corpse drift out of sight.
to:
[[ShmuckBait Toby looks looks]] -- and sees nothing... until he looks in the mirror. The symbols from the shards he was inspecting have moved onto his skin, and his eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning bright red]]. When Trainee Maintenance Scooti Manista questions the computer about an unauthorized opening of the airlock (with no space-suit being logged out), she's astonished to see Toby walking on the planet's surface unprotected... before he telekinetically shatters the window, pulling her into space. The others find only a shell-shocked Toby and mournfully watch Scooti's corpse drift out of sight.
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* INeedAFreakingDrink
-->'''Jefferson:''' Come on. I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink.
-->'''Jefferson:''' Come on. I don't often say this, but I think we could all do with a drink.
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Changed line(s) 20,21 (click to see context) from:
"'''[[EvilSoundsDeep The Pit is open]]... and I am FREEEE.'''"
to:
"'''[[EvilSoundsDeep The Pit is open]]...opened]]... and I am FREEEE.'''"
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Added DiffLines:
** The idea of being kept in orbit around a black hole by a powerful artificial energy source is reminiscent of Disney's Film/TheBlackHole.
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* OhCrap: While Rose is laughing about the "welcome to Hell" sign, the Doctor's already freaking out about the fact that he can't read the language underneath it.
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* {{Redshirt}}: There are two members of the crew who don't get names at all. A possessed Ood kills one of them.
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* SpeakInUnison: The possessed Ood. And it's damn creepy.
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* InSpaceEveryoneCanSeeYourFace: The spacesuits include internally lit helmets, naturally. The way the lighting casts shadows on the wearer's lower face gives the impression of a skull.
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* DeathGlare: Once the Ood get possessed, they start doing this en masse.
Changed line(s) 43 (click to see context) from:
* HappinessInSlavery: The Ood supposedly live only to accept orders. If they are not given them then they do nothing.
to:
* ExplainExplainOhCrap: The TARDIS is parked in a storage cupboard a few sections away, the section that was hit by the earthquake. Cue a mad dash from the Doctor, to find the TARDIS is in fact gone.
* HappinessInSlavery: The Ood supposedly live only to accept orders. If they are not given them then they do nothing. Rose is naturally disturbed by this.
* HappinessInSlavery: The Ood supposedly live only to accept orders. If they are not given them then they do nothing. Rose is naturally disturbed by this.
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Changed line(s) 2 (click to see context) from:
to:
[[caption-width-right:350:Here's hopin' those marks aren't Sharpie...]]
Deleted line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) :
'''WARNING! THERE MAY BE UNMARKED SPOILERS!'''
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Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
** Also, there is nothing impossible about the concept of orbiting a black hole. Black holes usually have the same mass as suns, just a lot denser, so they only become inescapable as you get so close that you'd be inside the former sun. Granted, it is possible for the black hole to have enough mass to make their current orbit impossible, but the doctor, who really should know better, reacts to the ''concept itself'' of ''ever'' orbiting a black hole with "But that's impossible!".
to:
** Also, there is nothing impossible about the concept of orbiting a black hole. Black holes usually have the same mass as suns, just a lot denser, so they only become inescapable as you get so close that you'd be inside the former sun. Granted, it is possible for the black hole to have enough mass to make their current orbit impossible, but the doctor, The Doctor, who really should know better, reacts to the ''concept itself'' of ''ever'' orbiting a black hole with "But that's impossible!".
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Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
** Also, there is nothing impossible about the concept of orbiting a black hole. Black holes usually have the same mass as suns, just usually a lot denser, so they only become inescapable as you get so close that you'd be inside the former sun. Granted, it is possible for the black hole to have enough mass to make their current orbit impossible, but the doctor, who really should know better, reacts to the ''concept itself'' of ''ever'' orbiting a black hole with "But that's impossible!".
to:
** Also, there is nothing impossible about the concept of orbiting a black hole. Black holes usually have the same mass as suns, just usually a lot denser, so they only become inescapable as you get so close that you'd be inside the former sun. Granted, it is possible for the black hole to have enough mass to make their current orbit impossible, but the doctor, who really should know better, reacts to the ''concept itself'' of ''ever'' orbiting a black hole with "But that's impossible!".
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Added DiffLines:
** Also, there is nothing impossible about the concept of orbiting a black hole. Black holes usually have the same mass as suns, just usually a lot denser, so they only become inescapable as you get so close that you'd be inside the former sun. Granted, it is possible for the black hole to have enough mass to make their current orbit impossible, but the doctor, who really should know better, reacts to the ''concept itself'' of ''ever'' orbiting a black hole with "But that's impossible!".
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* PercussiveMaintenance: There is a RunningGag of the Ood saying something unsettling, then bonking their translator before saying something much ''less'' unsettling.
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Changed line(s) 35 (click to see context) from:
* CueCardPause: "We must feed... we must feed... you, if you are hungry."
to:
* CueCardPause: "We must feed... we must feed... [[[PercussiveMaintenance bonks translator]]] you, if you are hungry."
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Added DiffLines:
'''WARNING! THERE MAY BE UNMARKED SPOILERS!'''
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
->''"He is awake. '''[[color:white:And you will worship him.]]'''"''
to:
->''"He is awake. '''[[color:white:And '''And you will worship him.]]'''"''
'''"''
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Moving to proper recap title.
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/devil_5944.jpg]]
->''"He is awake. '''[[color:white:And you will worship him.]]'''"''
Rose and the Doctor find themselves in a space base, but the TARDIS seemed strangely reluctant to materialise (bad sign number one). Rose points out that they can hop back in and go somewhere else if they think there's going to be trouble, but neither of them can keep a straight face at the idea. They venture inwards and find a wall with "Welcome to Hell" written on it (bad sign number two), along with a series of symbols that not even the TARDIS can translate, which means the language must be impossibly old (bad sign number three). To top it all off, Rose's super work-anywhere mobile phone has no signal (bad sign number four).
They're soon introduced to the Ood ("We must feed... we must feed... you, if you are hungry"), a "slave race" linked by a telepathic field who communicate with others via orb-shaped translators. Next in line are the base's human crew, who are suitably astonished at these two strangers appearing out of nowhere and having no idea where they are. It turns out the planetoid they're on is far too close to a black hole to still be intact: something at its center is creating a gravity field (complete with a funnel for the ship to fly down) which holds it in place, and the crew are drilling to the core to find out what. The Doctor is ''delighted'' at the idea of a bunch of humans choosing to live in such a desolate place just "because it was there" and promptly hugs the ship's captain. However, the place also turns out to have massive earthquakes... one of which has just sent a chunk of the base's storage space falling into a chasm, including the TARDIS.
The Doctor and Rose deal with the idea of being trapped in that time and place forever. They discuss mortgages and whether or not they'd live together. Suddenly, they and everyone else start to notice strange glitches with the intercoms and the Ood's translator devices. When they investigate, the Ood's telepathic field goes berserk -- they're screaming inside their heads. Or something's screaming at them. Right on cue, they all start chanting ominously in unison.
Toby, the crew's archaeologist, is busy examining some artefacts when he gets singled out for special treatment by a strange, whispery voice.
->'''Voice:''' ''Don't'' turn around... if you look at me, you will die. Don't look, don't look at me. I'm reaching out, Toby... oh, ''I can touch you''.
Toby looks -- and sees nothing... until he looks in the mirror. The symbols from the shards he was inspecting have moved onto his skin, and his eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning bright red]]. When Trainee Maintenance Scooti Manista questions the computer about an unauthorized opening of the airlock (with no space-suit being logged out), she's astonished to see Toby walking on the planet's surface unprotected... before he telekinetically shatters the window, pulling her into space. The others find only a shell-shocked Toby and mournfully watch Scooti's corpse drift out of sight.
When the drill finally reaches the planet's core, the Doctor talks his way into being allowed to go down in the capsule along with science officer Ida. They find the ruins of an ancient civilization and an enormous, imposing [[SealedEvilInACan seal]] covered with the same markings. Right on cue, it starts to open, as the Ood rise up as the "Legion of the Beast" and the planet starts trembling in its orbit.
"'''[[EvilSoundsDeep The Pit is open]]... and I am FREEEE.'''"
----
!!Tropes:
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: The Doctor and Rose discussing what they'll do if they can't get the TARDIS back.
* AdventurerArchaeologist: Toby is a aversion. He's not a soldier or anything like that. He's just here to translate the weird language.
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The event horizon of the black hole is visible, but within it is visible a corona, flickering and jumping like a bonfire. Since light can't escape back beyond the event horizon, no such corona should be visible... [[RuleOfCool but damned if it isn't beautiful]].
* BeyondTheImpossible: Lots of impossible things happen on "The Impossible Planet".
** The Doctor can't read the writing on the wall which means the TARDIS can't translate it. This should be impossible and the Doctor says that the writing is "impossibly old".
** The planet itself is hovering above a Black Hole, which The Doctor can't figure out either.
** The Ood's telepathic field reaches "Basic 100", itself impossible, and it doesn't kill them.
* CallBack: The Ood are like a mix of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E6TheArk the Monoids]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E7TheSensorites the Sensorites.]] They even come from the same star system as the Sensorites.
* CreepyMonotone: "He is awake." "He bathes in the black sun."
* CueCardPause: "We must feed... we must feed... you, if you are hungry."
* DemonicPossession: The Beast possesses Toby; there's the red eyes, the creepy markings, VoiceOfTheLegion, the only thing missing is talking in tongues.
* DoomDoors: It happens every time one of the doors are opened and closed. It lends to the eerie atmosphere.
* DugTooDeep: ThePlan is to find the power source beneath the surface. To do that they're digging.
* EEqualsMCHammer: Various (including Maxwell's equations of electrodynamics) scribbled on the tables in the canteen.
* EldritchLocation: The planet, Krop Tor, which is Valtino for "The Bitter Pill". The laws of physics are not working right; neither the local scientist nor the Doctor can make sense of it.
* EvilPhone: Rose's upgraded phone fails to work for the first time... until she gets a call from something that calls itself the devil.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Overlaps with HeyItsThatVoice -- the Beast is voiced by Gabriel Woolf, who played Sutekh in "Pyramids of Mars".
* HappinessInSlavery: The Ood supposedly live only to accept orders. If they are not given them then they do nothing.
* HumansAreSpecial: The Doctor in general (and the Tenth Doctor more specifically) usually feels this way, but the use of the trope in this episode is too [[http://phenommark.xanga.com/videos/953e9293992 adorable]] to leave out. He loves how they came out to this EldritchLocation "because it was ''there''". He also says they're ''mad'' and should leave right away.
* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: The planetoid is called "The Bitter Pill". Not even a ''black hole'' wants to swallow it.
* IHaveManyNames: Which will be listed, at length, in a CreepyMonotone.
* InternalHomage: This story is a loving homage to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E7TheSensorites "The Sensorites"]]: the appearance of the aliens, a starship crew stuck in circles around an unexplained celestial body, the Doctor and his companion(s) almost being forced to live out their lives there, etc. The Tenth Doctor would [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E3PlanetOfTheOod later]] confirm that the Ood and the Sensorites are from neighbouring planets.
* KarmaHoudini: The man dealing with the Ood is degrading towards them, considering them slaves and idiots. You'd think he'd be the first target, but no.
* MarkOfTheBeast / HumanNotepad: The stuff on Toby.
* NoodleIncident:
-->'''Possessed:''' Mr Jefferson, tell me, sir: did your wife ever forgive you?\\
'''Jefferson:''' ...I don't know what you mean.\\
'''Possessed:''' Let me tell you a secret. She never did.
* NumberOfTheBeast:
-->'''The Doctor:''' ...you'd need a power source with an [[TechnoBabble inverted self-extrapolating reflex]] of six to the power of six every six seconds.\\
'''Rose:''' That's a lot of sixes.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: They mark Toby as possessed.
* RetroRocket: The base's rocket was designed with the ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' moon ship in mind.
* {{Satan}}: One of the many names the evil voice is supposedly known by.
* SchmuckBait: "Don't turn around... if you look at me, you will die... I'm so close, Toby. I can touch you..."
* SealedEvilInACan: There is some evil creature trapped on "point zero".
* ShoutOut: There's a lot of usage of the DoomDoors. Given that it involves around [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} a gigantic demon of Hell and an archeology dig into a hostile planet going horribly wrong]], it's most likely intentional.
* SlasherSmile: Toby has these when possessed.
* SoundtrackDissonance: A creepy, possessed Toby standing on the planet's barren surface, beckoning a woman to her death, is accompanied by a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMwomsJ9MR0 hauntingly beautiful violin]].
* TemptingFate: Lampshaded.
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
* ToServeMan: Subverted. Ood surround the Doctor and Rose chanting "We must feed", but they mean to feed them, not feed on them.
* UnrealisticBlackHole:
** Black holes are [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin black]]. The corona of light does not make much sense. WordOfGod says the original special effects were closer to reality, but they changed it to a corona of orange light to look more ominous. On the other hand, the scientist says that stuff's being pulled in. An accretion disk would have made perfect sense and given them exactly the imagery they wanted.
** They also claim there are no stable orbits around a black hole which isn't really true. Stable orbits don't exist ''within a distance of three times the radius of the event horizon''. Unstable orbits exist even below that, down to 1.5 times the event horizon, but any disturbance (like a rocket full of humans landing on the planet) would cause the planet to drop into the black hole. As the black hole seems really close, the planet might be inside that unstable region. If we give them the benefit of the doubt and say they're inside the event horizon they might have an excuse to show anything they want. There is also the possibility that the planetoid is not in a true orbit, but that it is rather being suspended in place relative to the surface but below the geostationary altitude by whatever device is generating the gravity cone that the ship used to land. If the device were to fail, or if the planet were to shift in such a way that the gravity tether isn't facing the right way, it could cause the planetoid to fall in a black hole crossing orbit.
* WelcomeToHell: It's written on the wall.
* WhamLine: "The Beast and his armies shall rise from the pit to make war against {{God}}." This is stated mid-episode by an Ood in a cheerful tone while he serves Rose her lunch. It's jarring and announces a plot different from the "space exploration" theme.
* YouAreInCommandNow: The ship's original captain is only seen in the Tardisode preview. He died during the flight down the "gravity funnel", leaving Zach in charge. The others assure him he's doing a good job, but he's less than thrilled. "Needs must."
* YouJustHadToSayIt: "Did you have to? 'No turning back'?" The Doctor compares this to "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong Nothing can possibly go wrong]]," or "[[SoaplandChristmas the best Christmas Walford's ever had]]."
----
->''"He is awake. '''[[color:white:And you will worship him.]]'''"''
Rose and the Doctor find themselves in a space base, but the TARDIS seemed strangely reluctant to materialise (bad sign number one). Rose points out that they can hop back in and go somewhere else if they think there's going to be trouble, but neither of them can keep a straight face at the idea. They venture inwards and find a wall with "Welcome to Hell" written on it (bad sign number two), along with a series of symbols that not even the TARDIS can translate, which means the language must be impossibly old (bad sign number three). To top it all off, Rose's super work-anywhere mobile phone has no signal (bad sign number four).
They're soon introduced to the Ood ("We must feed... we must feed... you, if you are hungry"), a "slave race" linked by a telepathic field who communicate with others via orb-shaped translators. Next in line are the base's human crew, who are suitably astonished at these two strangers appearing out of nowhere and having no idea where they are. It turns out the planetoid they're on is far too close to a black hole to still be intact: something at its center is creating a gravity field (complete with a funnel for the ship to fly down) which holds it in place, and the crew are drilling to the core to find out what. The Doctor is ''delighted'' at the idea of a bunch of humans choosing to live in such a desolate place just "because it was there" and promptly hugs the ship's captain. However, the place also turns out to have massive earthquakes... one of which has just sent a chunk of the base's storage space falling into a chasm, including the TARDIS.
The Doctor and Rose deal with the idea of being trapped in that time and place forever. They discuss mortgages and whether or not they'd live together. Suddenly, they and everyone else start to notice strange glitches with the intercoms and the Ood's translator devices. When they investigate, the Ood's telepathic field goes berserk -- they're screaming inside their heads. Or something's screaming at them. Right on cue, they all start chanting ominously in unison.
Toby, the crew's archaeologist, is busy examining some artefacts when he gets singled out for special treatment by a strange, whispery voice.
->'''Voice:''' ''Don't'' turn around... if you look at me, you will die. Don't look, don't look at me. I'm reaching out, Toby... oh, ''I can touch you''.
Toby looks -- and sees nothing... until he looks in the mirror. The symbols from the shards he was inspecting have moved onto his skin, and his eyes are [[RedEyesTakeWarning bright red]]. When Trainee Maintenance Scooti Manista questions the computer about an unauthorized opening of the airlock (with no space-suit being logged out), she's astonished to see Toby walking on the planet's surface unprotected... before he telekinetically shatters the window, pulling her into space. The others find only a shell-shocked Toby and mournfully watch Scooti's corpse drift out of sight.
When the drill finally reaches the planet's core, the Doctor talks his way into being allowed to go down in the capsule along with science officer Ida. They find the ruins of an ancient civilization and an enormous, imposing [[SealedEvilInACan seal]] covered with the same markings. Right on cue, it starts to open, as the Ood rise up as the "Legion of the Beast" and the planet starts trembling in its orbit.
"'''[[EvilSoundsDeep The Pit is open]]... and I am FREEEE.'''"
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!!Tropes:
* ActionFilmQuietDramaScene: The Doctor and Rose discussing what they'll do if they can't get the TARDIS back.
* AdventurerArchaeologist: Toby is a aversion. He's not a soldier or anything like that. He's just here to translate the weird language.
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: The event horizon of the black hole is visible, but within it is visible a corona, flickering and jumping like a bonfire. Since light can't escape back beyond the event horizon, no such corona should be visible... [[RuleOfCool but damned if it isn't beautiful]].
* BeyondTheImpossible: Lots of impossible things happen on "The Impossible Planet".
** The Doctor can't read the writing on the wall which means the TARDIS can't translate it. This should be impossible and the Doctor says that the writing is "impossibly old".
** The planet itself is hovering above a Black Hole, which The Doctor can't figure out either.
** The Ood's telepathic field reaches "Basic 100", itself impossible, and it doesn't kill them.
* CallBack: The Ood are like a mix of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E6TheArk the Monoids]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E7TheSensorites the Sensorites.]] They even come from the same star system as the Sensorites.
* CreepyMonotone: "He is awake." "He bathes in the black sun."
* CueCardPause: "We must feed... we must feed... you, if you are hungry."
* DemonicPossession: The Beast possesses Toby; there's the red eyes, the creepy markings, VoiceOfTheLegion, the only thing missing is talking in tongues.
* DoomDoors: It happens every time one of the doors are opened and closed. It lends to the eerie atmosphere.
* DugTooDeep: ThePlan is to find the power source beneath the surface. To do that they're digging.
* EEqualsMCHammer: Various (including Maxwell's equations of electrodynamics) scribbled on the tables in the canteen.
* EldritchLocation: The planet, Krop Tor, which is Valtino for "The Bitter Pill". The laws of physics are not working right; neither the local scientist nor the Doctor can make sense of it.
* EvilPhone: Rose's upgraded phone fails to work for the first time... until she gets a call from something that calls itself the devil.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Overlaps with HeyItsThatVoice -- the Beast is voiced by Gabriel Woolf, who played Sutekh in "Pyramids of Mars".
* HappinessInSlavery: The Ood supposedly live only to accept orders. If they are not given them then they do nothing.
* HumansAreSpecial: The Doctor in general (and the Tenth Doctor more specifically) usually feels this way, but the use of the trope in this episode is too [[http://phenommark.xanga.com/videos/953e9293992 adorable]] to leave out. He loves how they came out to this EldritchLocation "because it was ''there''". He also says they're ''mad'' and should leave right away.
* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: The planetoid is called "The Bitter Pill". Not even a ''black hole'' wants to swallow it.
* IHaveManyNames: Which will be listed, at length, in a CreepyMonotone.
* InternalHomage: This story is a loving homage to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E7TheSensorites "The Sensorites"]]: the appearance of the aliens, a starship crew stuck in circles around an unexplained celestial body, the Doctor and his companion(s) almost being forced to live out their lives there, etc. The Tenth Doctor would [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E3PlanetOfTheOod later]] confirm that the Ood and the Sensorites are from neighbouring planets.
* KarmaHoudini: The man dealing with the Ood is degrading towards them, considering them slaves and idiots. You'd think he'd be the first target, but no.
* MarkOfTheBeast / HumanNotepad: The stuff on Toby.
* NoodleIncident:
-->'''Possessed:''' Mr Jefferson, tell me, sir: did your wife ever forgive you?\\
'''Jefferson:''' ...I don't know what you mean.\\
'''Possessed:''' Let me tell you a secret. She never did.
* NumberOfTheBeast:
-->'''The Doctor:''' ...you'd need a power source with an [[TechnoBabble inverted self-extrapolating reflex]] of six to the power of six every six seconds.\\
'''Rose:''' That's a lot of sixes.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: They mark Toby as possessed.
* RetroRocket: The base's rocket was designed with the ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' moon ship in mind.
* {{Satan}}: One of the many names the evil voice is supposedly known by.
* SchmuckBait: "Don't turn around... if you look at me, you will die... I'm so close, Toby. I can touch you..."
* SealedEvilInACan: There is some evil creature trapped on "point zero".
* ShoutOut: There's a lot of usage of the DoomDoors. Given that it involves around [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} a gigantic demon of Hell and an archeology dig into a hostile planet going horribly wrong]], it's most likely intentional.
* SlasherSmile: Toby has these when possessed.
* SoundtrackDissonance: A creepy, possessed Toby standing on the planet's barren surface, beckoning a woman to her death, is accompanied by a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMwomsJ9MR0 hauntingly beautiful violin]].
* TemptingFate: Lampshaded.
-->'''The Doctor:''' Oh, come on, "no turning back"? That's almost as bad as "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong nothing can possibly go wrong]]" or "[[SoaplandChristmas this is gonna be the best Christmas]] [[EastEnders Walford's]] [[SoaplandChristmas ever had]]."
* ToServeMan: Subverted. Ood surround the Doctor and Rose chanting "We must feed", but they mean to feed them, not feed on them.
* UnrealisticBlackHole:
** Black holes are [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin black]]. The corona of light does not make much sense. WordOfGod says the original special effects were closer to reality, but they changed it to a corona of orange light to look more ominous. On the other hand, the scientist says that stuff's being pulled in. An accretion disk would have made perfect sense and given them exactly the imagery they wanted.
** They also claim there are no stable orbits around a black hole which isn't really true. Stable orbits don't exist ''within a distance of three times the radius of the event horizon''. Unstable orbits exist even below that, down to 1.5 times the event horizon, but any disturbance (like a rocket full of humans landing on the planet) would cause the planet to drop into the black hole. As the black hole seems really close, the planet might be inside that unstable region. If we give them the benefit of the doubt and say they're inside the event horizon they might have an excuse to show anything they want. There is also the possibility that the planetoid is not in a true orbit, but that it is rather being suspended in place relative to the surface but below the geostationary altitude by whatever device is generating the gravity cone that the ship used to land. If the device were to fail, or if the planet were to shift in such a way that the gravity tether isn't facing the right way, it could cause the planetoid to fall in a black hole crossing orbit.
* WelcomeToHell: It's written on the wall.
* WhamLine: "The Beast and his armies shall rise from the pit to make war against {{God}}." This is stated mid-episode by an Ood in a cheerful tone while he serves Rose her lunch. It's jarring and announces a plot different from the "space exploration" theme.
* YouAreInCommandNow: The ship's original captain is only seen in the Tardisode preview. He died during the flight down the "gravity funnel", leaving Zach in charge. The others assure him he's doing a good job, but he's less than thrilled. "Needs must."
* YouJustHadToSayIt: "Did you have to? 'No turning back'?" The Doctor compares this to "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong Nothing can possibly go wrong]]," or "[[SoaplandChristmas the best Christmas Walford's ever had]]."
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