History Recap / DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars

* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: The whole of the episode, the Doctor struggles with the taboo of changing Fixed Points in history, how his attempts to save them might doom then instead, and how he's only ''one'' Time Lord because the others are all gone. Then he realizes that, as the last Time Lord, he is Time Lord Victorious, so if he wants to save these people then he's going to and no one's going to stop him!

* ForWantOfANail: Everything could have been avoided by filtering the water. In fact, they ''were'' filtering the water, but it turns out the spares they brought along didn't fit, and one of the filters failed just before this all started.

* ExtyYearsFromNow: The story takes place on 21 November 2059. RTD gambled on the episode airing on 21 November 2009 and lost, but it's close enough.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The Flood turns humans into water zombies. They've got the blank stare and the infected status, but absolutely no zombie gait. They're faster than you are.

* CreatorProvincialism: Averted, for once; though there seem to be a disproportionate number of Britons around (and the base is named after a [[Music/DavidBowie British musician]]), there is a realistic international representation, including the major space powers of the United States and Russia. Many countries that are currently not too important on the world stage are described as being major powers after an "oil apocalypse" [[NoodleIncident which is never really explained]] (it only gets a brief mention from Adelaide in which she describes that the human race was almost wiped out). Two of these are Spain and the Philippines.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Doctor, out of a desire to save people, becomes mad with power and violates the laws of time.

* CreatorProvincialism: Averted, for once; though there seem to be a disproportionate number of Britons around, there is a realistic international representation, including the major space powers of the United States and Russia. Many countries that are currently not too important on the world stage are described as being major powers after an "oil apocalypse" [[NoodleIncident which is never really explained]] (it only gets a brief mention from Adelaide in which she describes that the human race was almost wiped out). Two of these are Spain and the Philippines.

* BorrowedCatchphrase: The Doctor in the midst of his HeelFaceTurn uses the Master's "You will obey me", but applies it to the laws of time.

* AGodAmI: The Doctor starts thinking of himself as the Time Lord Victorious and talking in such a way that suggests he thinks all of time and space is going to bend to his will. For those who didn't get the point, bear in mind that the Doctor's comment about how the laws of Time will obey him is eerily similar to the Master's old CatchPhrase of "I am the Master, and you will obey me!"

-->'''The Doctor:''' And they will ''obey me''!

'''Adelaide:''' ''[noticeably angry]'' This is wrong, Doctor! I don't care who you are! [[TheConscience The Time Lord Victorious is wrong!]]
'''The Doctor:''' [[ShutUpKirk That's for me to decide.]]\\

* CoolOldLady: Adelaide is of the ReasonableAuthorityFigure mold. While she gets to know the Tenth Doctor only for a short time, he fails to intimidate her even when he goes off on his unnerving MotiveRant about enjoying the thought of becoming the Time Lord Victorious.

* BigDamnHeroes: The Doctor's return to save Captain Adelaide, Yuri and Mia from the Flood, [[ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike whether the Captain wants it anymore or not]].

* ConscienceMakesYouGoBack: The Doctor is unable to resist Adelaide's pleading for him to save her and her crew, and breaks the rules in an attempt to do so.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Despite how unhinged the Doctor becomes over breaking the rules, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Captain Adelaide DID beg for his intervention]], and doing so does save her, Yuri and Mia by the end of the episode, where before everyone else at the base died. Even after her suicide Yuri and Mia are still alive thanks to him.

* UngratefulBastard: Captain Adelaide has shades of this after tearfully begging the Doctor to intervene, break the rules of time and save her and her crew. When he gives in, saves her, Yuri and Mia, only then does she suddenly worry about the timeline, regret it and throw away the Doctor's efforts to save her.

Adelaide simply glares at the Doctor and enters her own home. A blue flash through her windows [[HeroicSacrifice makes it perfectly clear just how the Doctor's hubris will be repayed]].

* HeroicSuicide: In the end, Adelaide does it as a defiant gesture of resistance against the Doctor's increasingly deranged toying with the idea of shedding responsibilities and changing history in whatever way it pleases him. Her suicide acts as proving a point that he can't just rewrite certain events as it suits him, even if it would result in ''averting'' the deaths of others.

* KirkSummation: Adelaide gives a brief but effective one to the Doctor after he interferes in events that could radically alter the future of the earth and her own family.

* DangerTakesABackSeat: How Ed and the shuttle are lost; Maggie slips in behind him.

* AbortedArc: Yuri's relationship with Mia is mostly removed in the final draft, except for a single moment when they hold hands.