It's the 23rd century! New Vegas (no, not that one) on a colonized moon in an atmospheric bubble. A city of buildings without clocks, windows, and all those other things that distract you from having a good time!
And Rose Tyler is... A waitress in a Greasy Spoon. Well, the Doctor promised her the trip of a lifetime.
Her boss is actually Cyrus Wolfsbane, a wolf-like alien in a double breasted suit that has the mayor and the entire city's municipal system in his pocket. He is quite untouchable except for... The Whisper! A Vigilante Man with less than stellar practices, bringing criminals to justice, and anybody who stands in his way.
A failed attempt on Wolfsbane's life (and the mayor), leaves Rose running from a bad situation into the arms of Jack Harkness, star reporter of the Daily Galaxy and from there into police custody.
As Rose is getting interrogated by Commissioner McNeil, she gets welcome help from an inspector from New (New new new) Scotland Yard, George Dixon. (He might be someone else though). As he shows that Rose isn't a completely untraceable Mysterious Stranger. It must have been a glitch, right?
Jack gets a visit from a Femme Fatale called Daisy, that wants him to find out what happened to her friend Lillian. She disappeared mysteriously a short while ago, after her husband had gone missing. It was presumed suicide, but surely that couldn't be the case? While he follows some leads, the Doctor and Rose do a little Staged Shooting (involving a Spud gun) hoping to draw out the Whisper. It seems to work perfectly, if it wasn't for the fact the Whisper runs straight past them and takes out a graffiti artist. This leads to a bike chase where Wolsfbane and his heavies only want to have a civil word with the Doctor. With bullets. A suspenseful scene later leaves Rose and the Doctor in an alley and without a clue to follow.
The Doctor and Rose regroup at the police station, and the Doctor cobbles together a device that can trace the comm of the Whisper. McNeil, getting increasingly more frustrated with the Doctor's antics, slips out of the building...
As Jack and Daisy have stumbled upon secret files they shouldn't even know the existence of. Jack discovers Daisy's friend Lillian on security camera footage, which shows her confronting Wolfsbane about her husband's death. Wolfsbane, unimpressed, has her Thrown Out the Airlock. As Jack and Daisy are nearly discovered, Daisy pulls Jack into a closet, and then into a Big Damn Kiss of Distraction and one jolt later, he's out cold.
The Doctor and Rose track down the Whisper to "Whisper central" which seems to be just an apartment where they confront McNeil! AND the Whisper! In the following tussle, the Whisper loses his mask, correction, her mask! Beneath it, despite grey hair and pale skin, is the very recognizable face of Lillian. The Whisper makes it's getaway, and the Doctor confronts McNeil. He wants answers.
McNeil explains how his relationship with his daughter had been rocky, and when she returned recently, it was with a husband who then shortly afterwards went missing and then she was gone from his life again. He found her outside of the dome, but something had found her as well. A security drone, a mechanical life form of an alien race of a neighbouring galaxy. It too was dying, but by merging with her, saved both their lives, and yet neither of their's. A new being was born, brand new. In his grief McNeil took her home, and convinced her she was a Super Hero like the Comic Books she loved as a kid... And the Whisper was born, a being who considers All Crimes Are Equal and has just judged the entire city corrupt, and is en route to the atmospheric control plant.
As Jack comes to he learns he's being kept by Cyrus Wolfsbane, who is apparently well aware he's not a "star reporter", and knew he and his friends had arrived days after the first Whisper attack couldn't be just chance, and was hoping to employ them as a MacGuffin Delivery Service as to the Secret Identity of the Whisper. The very same Whisper that's up in the rafters!
As the Doctor, Rose and McNeil arrive at the plant, the Doctor becomes reluctant to let McNeil go any further. One because his daughter doesn't live anymore it's just the Whisper. Rose manages to convince the Doctor he's wrong, so the three head into the plant. Just in time as the Whisper has taken out the heavies and killed Daisy and while Jack has managed to stay alive, he's still tied to a chair (and flat out on the floor). Rose takes him away, as the Doctor and McNeil try to talk the Whisper down who's got Wolfsbane in a chokehold. McNeil pleads to his daughter's better nature and memories and says Wolfsbane has to face the authorities, to do the right thing. As her grip weakens, and her true self comes back ever so slightly...
Nobody saw Wolfsbane grab that laser pistol. As the villain makes his hasty exit, the Doctor leaves McNeil to have his last moment with his daughter who just wanted to tell her daddy she was sorry.
As Jack, the Doctor and Rose meet up, the Doctor at least is happy McNeil is still alive. Because ... wait where is he? Oh shit.
The Doctor chases after McNeil all the while repeating to himself; McNeil must live..! McNeil must live!"
He finds McNeil with Wolfsbane in a chokehold over a catwalk without railing, determined to go down with him. The two struggle, and slip. The Doctor manages to grab him just in time. He pleads with McNeil to take his hand. For Lillian. As Wolfsbane tries to crawl over both McNeil and the Doctor, the three of them slip, and Wolfsbane to his death but the Doctor is caught just in time by Rose.The three of them climb back up, and the police arrive. McNeil asks the Doctor what he has to do. The Doctor replies with that it's his own choice.
McNeil has himself arrested for collaborating with the Whisper, and being an asset to murder of Cyrus Wolfsbane. The Doctor slips that McNeil will one day make a good mayor, leaving the poor man confused.Jack still woozy, and Rose somewhat happy, the Doctor wants to get a breakfast and then... And then?
- The Doctor: "There are worlds out there, so many worlds..."Jack: "What do you say, Rose?"Rose: "Trip of a lifetime?"The Doctor: "Trip of a lifetime." *grins* "Fantastic."
Tropes present in Night of the Whisper include:
- Ascended Fangirl: In a Be Careful What You Wish For variant, Lillian was a huge fan of superhero comics.
- Agony of the Feet: Daisy stomps on Wolfbane's feet at one point.
- All Crimes Are Equal: The Whisper deals out the same punishment for mob members as graffiti artists.
- American Accents: Nicholas Briggs as Captain Jack Harkness. The Doctor tries one briefly as well.
- Anti-Hero: The Whisper.
- Beast Man: Cyrus Wolfsbane is, as the name implies, a wolf-like alien.
- Big Damn Kiss: Between Jack and Daisy, but Daisy is playing him
- Bizarre Alien Sexes: Jack mentions New Vegas has dancing girls, dancing guys, and dancing ambiguous third genders.
- Blatant Lies: "I just want to talk to you!" *copious amounts of gunfire*
- Brief Accent Imitation: The Doctor does an American one, pretending to be a thug.
- Buffy Speak: The Doctor and Rose indulge in some.
- Call-Back: Rose mentions that she's been travelling and has seen Woman Wept and Raxacoricofallapatorius.
- Rose asks the Doctor if he has a gun (for a scene) and that he shouldn't pull a banana on her.
- The Doctor calls humans "Stupid apes".
- Jack's happy the Doctor didn't find his spare Sonic blaster.
- The Whisper-sniffer-outer shares a naming convention with the TARDIS-sniffer-outer.
- Kronkburgers, from "The Long Game", "The Iron Legion", etc.
- Call-Forward:
- The Doctor mentions the Judoon.
- This won't be the last time the Doctor has Rose take up a less-than-flattering food service job.
- The Doctor mentions he's from Scotland Yard, but drops in a couple of news.
- At one point a gigantic animated billboard is replaced with a big bowtied, tweed jacketed man holding a card reading "Calling the Doctor". Eleven then tells Nine to Set Right What Once Went Wrong and save Mc Neil.
- The Casino: This is New Vegas, so of course there are many. Wolfsbane owns one.
- Catchphrase:
- The Doctor says "Fantastic" twice. The first time he says it sarcastically, the first time Rose has ever heard him do that.
- The Whisper has "Justice will be served."
- Character Name Alias: The Doctor uses George Dixon as an alias, and then chastises Rose later on for not knowing the name.
- Chase Scene: Between a vigilante, the Doctor and Rose on a hoverbike, and a limo full of mobsters.
- Coat, Hat, Mask: The Whisper's outfit.
- Cold Open: Unlike the previous Destiny of the Doctor audios, this one doesn't break into the theme tune and title until after the first monster attack. Because that's how modern Who works.
- Commissioner Gordon: Chief MacNeil has elements of this but is ultimately a subversion, manipulating the Whisper for his own ends. And the Whisper is equivalent to Babs.
- Continuity Nod: Part of the Arc Words for series 1, Wolfsbane's owes his business due to Bad Wolf holdings.
- The Cowl: The Whisper is described in terms deliberately reminiscent of The Shadow and Batman.
- Corrupt Politician: Implied with the Mayor, who is having a meal with Wolfsbane.
- Cyborg: The Whisper.
- Cynicism Catalyst: Lillian is Mc Neil's daughter.
- Deadly Euphemism
- Wolfsbane: "People get paid off... Permanently."
- Death Seeker: MacNeil towards the end.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The Whisper started out targeting Wolfsbane's criminal enterprises, but quickly escalates to killing graffiti artists, and finally trying to wipe out the city.
- Disney Villain Death: Wolfsbane.
- Domed Hometown: New Vegas is under a dome on an otherwise oxygenless world.
- The Don: Wolfsbane. Described as Al Capone with fur and fangs.
- Dying as Yourself: Lillian.
- Femme Fatale: Daisy Hewwit.
- Gadgeteer Genius: The Doctor whips up a "Whisper-sniffer-outer".
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Wolfsbane is obviously the kind of person who puffs on big, long cigars. Only, because he lives in a pressurised dome, it has to be a big, long e-cigar.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: The Whisper has one.
- Greasy Spoon: Where Rose Tyler ends up taking a job as a disguise.
- Half-Human Hybrid: The Whisper.
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight
- Immune to Bullets
- In Medias Res: We open with Rose working as a waitress, before getting a quick How We Got Here.
- In the Style of: The background music in this episode is a lot like Murray Gold's. The "Who is the Doctor" theme shows up, and a variant of "All the strange, strange creatures" show up.
- Intrepid Reporter: Jack Harkness goes undercover as one.
- It Is Dehumanising: When the truth about the Whisper comes out, the Doctor seems to make a point of saying "it", in contrast with MacNeil.
- Jurisdiction Friction: MacNeil is not happy that Earth has sent a New New Scotland Yard detective to take over his case.
- Knight Templar: The Whisper.
- Living MacGuffin: McNeil must live.
- Meaningful Echo: "Justice must be served."
- The Mole: Daisy.
- Narrator: This story doesn't feature any of the original cast, and is told more in a regular audiobook format.
- Not Quite Dead: The Whisper's identity.
- Odd Ball In The Series: It stands out as the only Destiny of the Doctor audio where the narrator isn't an actor who played one of the companions.
- Oop North: Nick Briggs's pitch-perfect impersonation of Christopher Eccleston. Also his hilarious impression of the Eleventh Doctor saying "'Ey up, Doctor lad!" in Matt Smith's usual RP.
- Our Graphics Will Suck in the Future: Graphics on a monitor are described as "blocky".
- Samus Is a Girl: The Whisper.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Wolfsbane as the head of the local crime syndicate is untouchable by regular authorities.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong:
- Shout-Out: Rose is apparently a big fan of Law & Order.
- The Doctor alludes the sentence "an offer you can't refuse" to local crime boss, Wolfsbane.
- The Doctor mentions having been in a couple of films with old Bogey.
- In Jack's role as a not-so-mild-mannered reporter, he "befriends" a redhead named Lana.
- MacNeil's second-in-command is named O'Hara.
- Space Police: The Star Marshals who maintain justice in an alien society on the borders of the Earth Empire. Also, New New Scotland Yard apparently claims jurisdiction over the whole Empire.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: Rose's excuses for why she doesn't show up in the system get echoed word for word by the Doctor later on.
- Taking You with Me: McNeil tries to commit murder / suicide by killing Wolfsbane.
- Thrown Out the Airlock: Lillian's fate.
- Vigilante Man: The Whisper, again.
- Viva Las Vegas!: Well, Space Vegas.
- Wretched Hive: New Vegas was voted the most debauched place ten years running. Jack should know, he was on the judging panel.
