The Sontarans try to force their way into the Time War by abducting Cardinal Ollistra and the Dalek Time Strategist, and the War Doctor is required to stop them. But what is the secret to the Sontaran attempt?
Tropes:
- And I Must Scream: The Time Lord at the heart of the Eternity Cage has been stuck in it the whole time, mid-regeneration and conscious.
- Bullying a Dragon: Thanks to both of them being captive, Ollistra snarks at the Time Strategist.
- Cliffhanger: Helena reveals she was the traitor all along, and kicks the Doctor out of the battle TARDIS.
- Dream-Crushing Handicap: The Sontarans, being a race of Blood Knights, would kill to fight in the Time War, and are pretty miffed that neither side will allow them. However, as the Time Strategist informs them, they simply lack the ability to do so. It's not a question of will, just biology.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: At the climax, Helena meets up with Ollistra, having supposedly gotten lost. When the Doctor finds her, Ollistra's out, apparently having been knocked out by rubble. Not so.
- Foregone Conclusion: The show already confirmed the Sontarans never got to fight in the Time War, so their efforts here were obviously never going to succeed.
- Improperly Paranoid: Muren suspects there's a traitor in the party. At the very end, he turns out to be right, but it's one of the people he didn't suspect.
- Last-Second Chance: The Doctor tries offering one to the Sontarans before the Dalek war fleet shows up and the Daleks do what they do, but it doesn't work.
- Lured into a Trap: The Time Strategist gets a message from General Fesk, offering an alliance. It has no intention of allying with the Sontarans, and just plans to kill them when it gets there. Then the Sontarans kill its bodyguard and take it captive.
- Powered by a Forsaken Child: The Sontarans equip themselves with artron energy leeched from an Eternity Cage, or more accurately the Time Lord stuck inside it, stuck in perpetual mid-regeneration.
