History Recap / DoctorWhoS37E4ArachnidsInTheUK

** On a subtler note, he may be a TakeThat towards Neoliberal Corporatists in general, as he despises Trump despite being [[NotSoDifferent guilty of many of the same horrible things he is]], such as Howard Schultz, another businessman who is ostensibly running against Trump, but allegedly more motivated by keeping Progressive Leftists out of the Oval Office.

* RealityEnsues: The Doctor confronts the mother spider near the end of the episode, only to realise she's dying of suffocation because [[SquareCubeLaw her organs aren't efficient enough to maintain a body of her size]]. That they wouldn't be able to breathe through their exoskeleton is the main reason spiders and insects don't grow to that size in real life. In prehistoric times, there was a greater concentration of oxygen in the air and creatures with exoskeletons could grow larger than they can now, like the ''Meganeura'' dragonfly.

* SquareCubeLaw: The mother spider grows so massive she can't breathe efficiently and starts suffocating.

** The Doctor and Amelia Earhart once had to stop a plane with a rope made of spider web.

* BadBoss: Jack fires Yaz's mum on her first day for unknowingly walking in on a private conversation, [[DirtyCoward shuts his bodyguard Kevin in the bathroom with the mother spider and leaves him to die]], and [[NeverMyFault blames everyone but himself for what's happening]].

* TheChewToy: Robertson is a clear jab at Donald Trump (and Republicans in general) and every scene has him being despicable and cowardly.

** Yaz's reunion with her mum, where she gives Najia a huge hug and her mum is puzzled by the enthusiasm, noting that she only last saw her daughter a short time ago, nods to Martha's reunion with her mum in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E6TheLazarusExperiment "The Lazarus Experiment"]].
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS11E5PlanetOfTheSpiders "Planet of the Spiders"]]:

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E5TheGreenDeath "The Green Death"]]: This episode also has normally small creatures growing to enormous size due to waste disposed of by a corrupt businessman in a mine.

* ExactWords: Yaz promises to tell her mother about the Doctor "after she gets back".

* FailedASpotCheck: Ryan and Graham get so wrapped up in their conversation they don't notice that the ceiling is thick with giant spiders.

* HistoryRepeats: Much like in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E6TheLazarusExperiment "The Lazarus Experiment"]], after a few episodes of travelling, the Doctor is ready to return her companions home for good, only for them to discover another adventure there (connected with a family member, at that). After the adventure is over, the Doctor and companions decide to continue travelling together.

* MistakenForRomance: Yaz's mum and sister ask if Ryan is Yaz's boyfriend. They both answer by saying they're just friends and nothing else. Yaz's sister is pleased by this; apparently she's interested in Ryan. Yaz’s mum also asks if Yaz and the Doctor are seeing each other (see Mistaken for Gay). Apparently Najia is really interested in pairing Yaz up with someone.

* TakeThat: Jack Robertson is clearly a none-too-flattering nod to [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump another American businessman-turned-politician]] (whom Robertson absolutely despises).

* YearInsideHourOutside: The Doctor returns her companions to Sheffield half an hour after they left at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E1TheWomanWhoFellToEarth "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"]].

** Robertson is depicted as a very clear {{Expy}} of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump... until they quickly specify that he hates Trump and is aspiring to run against him in 2020. That said, other than that he's pretty much the same.

The one with giant spiders, a UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump parody and Stormzy.

* TakeThat: Jack Robertson is clearly a none-too-flattering nod to [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump another American businessman-turned-politician]] ([[EvenEvilHasStandards who Robertson absolutely despises]]).

* PetTheDog: Despite being a generally unlikable person, Jack Robertson is perfectly polite to the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham when he first meets them. Despite being a StrawmanPolitical {{Expy}} of Donald Trump, he's shown to not be homophobic, sexist or racist, taking his niece being married to a woman in his stride and not treating the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan or Graham any differently from each other or anyone else. He also shoots the mother spider, putting her out of her misery.

* BaitAndSwitch: Robertson initially appears to be an ally of the spiders, due to the forbidden area, firing Najia for walking in on a sensitive conversation and seemingly trapping her and Yaz in a room with a mutated spider. In reality, Robertson is arachnophobic and unintentionally caused the mutation through his illegal activities.

* HateSink: There's little likeable about Robertson, considering how he treats his employees and his activities although he has some moments of JerkassHasAPoint and PetTheDog.

* SpidersAreScary: When they are huge and angry and everywhere... ''Yup'', and everyone involved feels that way. Graham, Ryan, and Robertson are explicitly said to be arachnophobic.

** [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking We never learn if the Doctor found the Khans' missing parcel in Anna's flat]].

* HateSink: There's nothing likeable about Robertson, considering how he treats his employees, his activities, and his idea on how to deal with the spiders.

** However, the spiders are also treated fairly sympathetically, with both Jade and the Doctor noting that they are victims themselves and not acting the way they do out of malice (see Tragic Monster).

* ExpyCoexistence: Robertson is blatantly based on Donald Trump, (both are global hotel magnates, both have companies with terrible environmental records, both have a key advisor that married into their family, both have a business logo that is the first letter of their last name in gold, Robertson is an arachnophobe seen vigorously washing his hands for a prolonged period while Trump is known for being a germaphobe, etc., etc.) however Trump had been established to exist in the world of ''Doctor Who'' in the previous season, and when Trump is mentioned in this episode it's indicated that Robertson loathes Trump and is planning to run for President in 2020 almost entirely because of his desire to defeat Trump.

* MistakenForGay: Yaz's mum asks if she and the Doctor are seeing each other. The Doctor has to ask Yaz if they are.

* PissTakeRap: When Ryan raps to lure in the spiders, they are his biggest "fans". Graham can't believe they're drawn to it, but Yaz and the Doctor are more appreciative.

* MistakenForRomance: Yaz's mum and sister ask if Ryan is Yaz's boyfriend. They both answer by saying they're just friends and nothing else. Yaz's sister is pleased by this; apparently she's interested in Ryan. Not long after, Yaz’s mum asks if Yaz and the Doctor are seeing each other (see Mistaken for Gay). Apparently Najia is really interested in pairing Yaz up with someone.

* MistakenForRomance: Yaz's mum and sister ask if Ryan is Yaz's boyfriend. They both answer by saying they're just friends and nothing else. Yaz's sister is pleased by this; apparently she's interested in Ryan.

* HistoryRepeats: Much like in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E6TheLazarusExperiment "The Lazarus Experiment"]], after a few episodes of travelling, the Doctor is ready to return her companions home for good, only for them to discover another adventure there. After the adventure is over, the Doctor and companions decide to continue travelling together.

* ItsALongStory: Yaz's response when Najia asks her how she met the Doctor is this because she because she doesn't want to explain; it really is long.

* BigDamnHeroes: Subverted; in any other scenario Robertson coming in to kill the mother spider would be heroic. But, as the Doctor points out, the mother was already dying of suffocation and was more interested in escaping than harming them. Robertson instead calls the shooting a mercy kill and shows no remorse in front of an infuriated Doctor. It's clear that he was planning to kill the spider regardless.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Jack Robertson has a landfill site for a shoddily run waste disposal company hidden in the mine-shaft beneath his luxury hotel.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Robertson is more the villain than the spiders because of his lack of empathy and penchant for shooting problems, while the spider are "scared, confused, or angry" about their situation. His shooting of the mother spider is depicted as cowardly and evil.

%%%%% So she is, but that's only half the trope.
%%%* LipstickLesbian: Frankie is the wife of Robertson's niece.

* PissTakeRap: When Ryan makes a rap to lure the spiders, they are his biggest "fans". Graham can't believe they're drawn to it, but Yaz and the Doctor are more appreciative.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Robertson offers to buy off Najia and Team TARDIS with enough money they'll never have to work again, but Najia says she likes working.

* SpidersAreScary: When they are huge and angry and everywhere...''Yup'', and everyone involved feels that way. Graham, Ryan, and Robertson are explicitly said to be arachnophobic.

* TragicMonster: In the end, the Mother Spider manages to land in this territory, as she is only acting aggressive out of a mixture of natural instinct, fear, pain and confusion, since her own overgrown body is suffocating her and she cannot understand why or alleviate her suffering. Unfortunately, before the Doctor can do anything like transport her to a world where she can live in peace, she gets shot and killed by Robertson.

* TragicMonster: In the end, the Mother Spider manages to land in this territory, as it is only acting aggressive out of a mixture of natural instinct, fear, pain and confusion, since its own overgrown body is suffocating it and it cannot understand why or alleviate its suffering. Unfortunately, before the Doctor can do anything like transport it to a world where it can live in peace, it gets shot and killed by Robertson.

* PissTakeRap: When Ryan makes a rap to lure the spiders, they are his only "fans". The others can't believe they're drawn to it.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Robertson is more the villain than the spiders, and his shooting of the mother spider is depicted as cowardly and evil.
* ItsALongStory: Yaz's response when Najia asks her how she met the Doctor.

* LipstickLesbian: Frankie is the wife of Robertson's niece.
* MarriedToTheJob: Sonya Khan claims her sister Yaz is this. Yaz [[SnarkToSnarkCombat shoots back]] that at least she ''has'' a job.

** The Doctor was once a sister in an alien hospital that was actually a training ground for assassins. And this was presumably when she was male.

* PrimalFear: Massive spiders that wrap people in cobwebs until they starve or suffocate. Said spiders living in dark and cold areas.

* SpaceWhaleAesop: Don't dump toxic waste illegally or... [[GiantSpider you'll mutate the spiders?]]
* SpidersAreScary: ''Yup'', and pretty much everyone involved feels that way. Graham, Ryan, and Robertson are explicitly said to be arachnophobic.

* TragicMonster: In the end, the Mother Spider manages to land in this territory, as it is only acting aggressive out of a mixture of natural instinct, fear, pain and confusion, since its own overgrown body is suffocating it and it cannot understand why or alleviate its suffering. And unfortunately, before the Doctor can do anything like transport it to a world where it can live in peace, it gets shot and killed by Robertson.

* AccidentalMisnaming: Jack Robertson keeps referring to Najia as 'Nadia'. This is not deliberate. He is just a {{Jerkass}} who can't be bothered learning the names of his staff.