Doctor Who (1963) s21e25 Episode Script

(DOCTOR WHO THEME) It worked.
It actually worked.
Oh, no, it's stopped.
(SIGHING) Doctor? Who are you? Doctor, where are you? (EXPLODING) Oh, no.
(CRYING) Oh, no.
Oh no, Doctor! (STUTTERING) Did you see that? I think so.
DocDoctor, are you here? What in heaven's name is going on? -You're flesh and blood at least.
-Leave me alone.
That stupid girl's watch.
How I hate these hit or miss performances.
Oh, Doctor, thank heavens.
Whatever happened? Your watch stopped.
I over-compensated, ended up in the wrong time zone.
I thought you'd been killed.
-You cared? -Of course I did.
You know, I'll never understand the people of Earth.
I have spent the day using, abusing, even trying to kill you.
If you'd behaved as I have, I should've been pleased at your demise.
It's called compassion, Doctor.
It's the difference that remains between us.
Earthlings! Would someone like to tell me what is going on? Corporal Lang, how are you? Lieutenant.
I was fine, I'm not sure any more.
My ship You were lucky to escape.
No one else did.
I'mI'm sorry.
What went wrong? I don't know.
The controls seized.
After that I don't remember anything till I came to in here.
What is this place? Who are you? I'm Peri and this is the Doctor.
He saved your life.
And we did not abduct the twins.
The twins.
What do you know about them? Never mind about that now.
Look, do put that thing away, will you? If you ever hope to see them again, your only chance is to come with us.
Where to? Well, at a guess Jaconda! Well, all right, you don't leave me very much choice, do you? Not really.
-He was your friend.
-That girl did you no harm.
You've left them there to die.
They will survive.
Now if you don't mind -And your name isn't Edgeworth.
-It's Azmael.
Yes, yes, I agree.
A small deception.
Now be patient and sensible.
-Master! -What is it? That blip on the scanner.
Yes.
Very far ahead.
They're on the same course.
Oh, some merchant van.
No concern of ours.
They will not survive.
I don't understand.
The safehouse, I set it to self-destruct.
You madman.
I gave no orders! That is perfectly correct.
But it's murder.
Why, Noma, why? It is what the Lord Mestor would've wished.
-But why would he want to kill us? -I don't know.
And if he's going to Jaconda, why stop off at Titan 3? Oh, that was just to put us off the scent.
No, no, no, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
Look, consider what we know.
Azmael, or whatever he happens to call himself, needs the genius of the twins.
He crosses galaxies to possess their minds.
He says he's no longer master of his planet, but he wants to save his people.
And that I cannot help him to do so.
(SCOFFING) Well, if he really does believe such unimaginable rubbish, he must be faced by some unimaginable disaster, which has unhinged his mind.
Well, we shall soon discover what it is.
(PRISONER PANTING) Who is this creature? A porter from the royal hatcheries, Master.
What is his crime? After a routine search following his tour of duty, he was found to have this concealed on his person.
MESTOR: What does it contain? Vegetables from the royal hatcheries, Master.
The penalty is death.
Have you anything to say? Mercy, great Master, mercy! My family are starving.
Here, many are starving.
It is no different.
Now your family will have to starve without your company.
Stand aside, guards.
You will suffer the maximum penalty, death by embolism.
(CRYING) No, no, not that.
Please, shoot me! (GASPING) (SCREAMING) Cold storage.
The carcass may be of use to our slaves if this famine continues.
-Azmael will soon be here.
-Yes, Master.
When he arrives, have him escorted to his laboratory with the Earthlings.
I will see him there.
(WHOOSHING) (DOCTOR SIGHING) Jaconda the beautiful.
You call this beautiful? Doctor, it's absolutely ghastly.
Oh, no, let it not be true.
The giant gastropods.
What are you talking about? Half-humanoid, half-slug.
Part of Jaconda mythology.
So? Oh, just look around you.
Look at the devastation.
What, gastropods did this? What else? Are you sure your mind isn't wandering again? Of course not.
So, it wasn't a myth after all.
Somewhere, somehow, their seed survived.
And now they have returned.
-Nonsense! -You think so? Well, of course it is.
I wish I could agree with you.
This was once a forest grove.
Look at the trees! Not a trace of foliage.
The very bark stripped from the trunks.
And the soil, barren.
Nothing but these tell-tale tracks.
The slime trails of the giant gastropods.
I fear the evidence is quite conclusive.
Doctor, you're beginning to scare me.
I'm beginning to scare myself, Peri.
Now what? Into the TARDIS.
I must think.
Freighter to Jaconda control.
(HISSING) Freighter to Jaconda control! MALE VOICE: Receiving you, Freighter.
Approaching re-entry.
Permission to touch down at Omega intersection.
You are clear to approach.
Thank you, control.
-On arrival, report to palace.
-Mmm? Transport will be waiting.
Out.
(WHIRRING) -What are you going to do? -Panic at any moment.
Where is Edgeworth likely to have taken the twins? -The palace.
-LANG: Well, shouldn't we go there? And be killed? Just give me directions and I'll go alone if you're afraid.
-Me? Afraid? -Well, aren't you? You have a nasty habit of pinpointing the truth, young man.
-Well, we can't let him go alone.
-Watch me.
Well, you know what's out there.
He doesn't.
Well, then let him go to the palace.
And he'll know as much as I do.
Oh, Doctor, you must help.
Oh, is this another attempt to teach me compassion? Just tell me where it is and I'll be happy to go alone.
Oh, it's all right for you.
You're young, strong, fit of limb.
You're confident in your mission, your energy's boundless, you're highly motivated to success.
You even have a gun to enforce your will upon others.
But look at me.
I'm old! Lacking in vigour.
My mind's in a turmoil.
I no longer know if I'm coming, have gone or even been.
I'm falling to pieces! I no longer even have any clothes sense.
-Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself.
-Self-pity is all I have left.
You've got the TARDIS, you still know how to operate it.
Take the lieutenant to the palace! Now, if you please.
(SIGHING) As you wish.
(WHOOSHING) That's the seediest looking stately home I've ever seen.
Well, you didn't expect me to materialise in the throne room? -Where are the twins likely to be? -Anywhere.
Well, I won't find them waiting around here.
-I'll come with you.
-No need.
-Thank you for bringing me here.
-You didn't give me much choice.
-Now, look, Sergeant.
-Lieutenant.
-Lieutenant.
-Lieutenant.
Don't be smug with me.
Now I've already explained my condition.
I may be behaving like a manic barometer, but don't shrug off help when it's offered.
You can't afford to.
I thank you for your offer, Doctor, but, frankly, I find you unreliable.
So is most currency.
Doesn't stop people spending money wisely.
The Doctor might be useful.
Well, all right.
But if you become unstable again, Doctor, I won't hesitate to kill you.
-Where are you taking us? -You'll see.
Why do you like to play the man of mystery? -It's a role you play very badly.
-You're so blatantly transparent.
Continue to provoke me and the matter that contains your genius will finish up as so much animal fodder! Hideous.
Utterly hideous.
(SIGHING) Are you sure this is the right place? Hmm? Oh, absolutely.
Azmael showed me once.
This passage leads to the centre of the palace.
Used to be an underground bolthole in times of danger.
Ah, seems to be clear.
Shall we go? Well, I just hope you don't get us lost.
DOCTOR: Oh, there's every possibility of that.
This is where I work.
The palace laboratory.
Greetings.
What's in there? Eggs.
You're looking at Lord Mestor's incubator.
-The future citizens of Jaconda.
-They're gastropod eggs.
-Oh, such knowledge.
-And who is this? One of Lord Mestor's lackeys.
Not quite, Azmael.
I am a humble servant of the Lord Mestor.
I'm his chamberlain.
Well, welcome to the planet Jaconda.
I will inform the Lord Mestor of your safe arrival.
If you must do so.
It's my duty.
He's commanded me.
Well, hurry then.
And you too, Noma.
No, I must remain.
I too have been commanded.
One day you will discover for yourselves that treason is universal.
Let it not concern you now.
And don't be afraid of what lies in store for us.
DOCTOR: This way, come along.
Ah! There we are.
I don't know how old they are, but they tell the whole story.
The queen of Jaconda offended the Sun God.
This way.
He inflicted a terrible revenge.
Sent a creature, half-humanoid, half-slug.
This creature's offspring were numberless.
They ravaged the planet.
The population starved.
When he saw what he'd done, the Sun God relented.
He sent a drought, which destroyed the slugs.
The people of Jaconda survived.
Well, that's the story as Azmael related it.
And now, what do you think? It was more truth than myth.
I think some dormant egg survived.
-For how long? -Too long it seems.
(DRONING) Switch off the torch.
Listen.
What is it? The sound of giant slugs.
(DRONING GETS LOUDER) (GAGGING) What a stench! (PERI COUGHING) Their gastric tracts.
Rotting vegetables.
Or rotting flesh.
Doctor! -Whatever's in that? -I'mI'm stuck.
DOCTOR: Oh, no, I should've thought of that.
Their slime trails harden like concrete, only far faster.
Well, never mind that.
Just get me out, would you? -Easier said than done.
-Oh, we can't leave him here.
Or maybe if I turn my gun down low, I could melt the stuff.
Oh, as you like, but try not to burn your feet off.
So these are your prodigies.
(SCOFFING) They seem quite insignificant.
-Well, their brains are not.
-We shall see.
Have you told them why we need them? Not in detail.
So far they've simply worked to orders.
I suggest that you do tell them.
If they know that our purpose is benevolent, they may prove to be less intransigent.
EDGEWORTH: Very well.
-How far advanced are you? -We need another day.
Very well.
I will leave you.
-Mestor? -What is it? -Do not monitor my thoughts.
-Why not? It interferes with my concentration.
There may be treasonable thoughts.
There can be no treason without fellow conspirators and I have none.
You control the minds of all my most faithful subjects.
-I do not trust you! -A mistake, Mestor.
The last hope for my people is the success of this undertaking.
I wouldn't allow my personal loathing for you to interfere with that.
-Very well.
-Remove Noma, too.
Master.
Until your work is done.
They don't trust you either.
That's why they've left you here to see the measure of your treachery.
But I'm not a traitor.
True, but I believe they think you are my friend.
-I would value your friendship.
-It might cost you your life.
I can think of worse reasons for dying.
Thank you.
Now, pay attention.
(CLEARING THROAT) That is our sun.
That is Jaconda.
Those are two lesser planets.
Now I once ruled Jaconda, but now Mestor has usurped me.
His kind takes all and gives nothing.
There's nothing left for my people.
What are we supposed to do? Help me to provide the only possible solution.
-You'd better tell us what it is.
-We need new sources of supply.
Now we're going to bring those two planets into orbit around Jaconda.
-BOTH: What? -EDGEWORTH: Oh, yes.
And then they will have the same atmospheres and climates.
They will be the larders of Jaconda.
Everything is in readiness.
All we lack is what you two possess.
That mathematical delicacy that will stabilise those two planets in their new orbit.
Now, let me see.
We follow this passage to the end.
Flight of steps up to the palace hall.
Doorway at the left just before the top.
Yes, that's it.
Private doorway to the back of his laboratory.
-That's where he's bound to be.
-Who? -What? -Who'll be there? Me! Once I can get away from this fool.
Will you hurry up? -I'm doing the best I can.
-Well, it's not good enough.
Oh, look what you've done, you stupid girl, you've ruined everything! It wasn't my fault.
Of course it was your fault! Sheer carelessness.
Switching off the torch when you did.
Don't argue with me.
I will! I'm not letting a manic-depressive, paranoid personality -like you shut me up! -Manic depressive? Me? Well, can't you hear yourself? You're having another of your fits.
-Right, that's it! I'm off.
-Calm down, Doctor.
Calm down? Calm Calm down? The fate of a whole planet hanging in a balance and he tells me to calm down? Look, I'll be free in a moment.
-Oh, fend for yourselves.
-Oh, Doctor! Don't waste your breath, we'll manage.
Everything is controlled from this panel.
When the information you provide has been fed into the computer, we shall operate this switch.
What happens if we refuse to help? Then I shall have to kill you.
I've already told you that is the only way we can save my people.
Aren't you forgetting the consequence of what you're asking? Look, everything has been considered.
How many times must I tell you? -He's mad.
-Quite mad.
Azmael, Edgeworth -TWINS: We won't do it.
-EDGEWORTH: You'll do as I tell you.
Still bullying children, eh? -Villain! Murderer! -Doctor! A thousand neurons on your head! -Get away.
-Out of the way.
Now, that's enough, Doctor.
(EDGEWORTH GRUNTING) (SIGHING) I apologise.
However I still would like to know why you tried to murder us? -He didn't.
-He didn't know.
It was Noma.
Look, I can't believe it.
How did you escape? Oh, that doesn't matter now.
I think you'd better tell me what's going on here.
(BOTH SIGHING) -(LAUGHING) Pity about your boots.
-Never mind.
Where to now? -Find the Doctor.
-All right.
(GRUNTING) (PERI SCREAMING) No! Let go! No, no! No, no, no.
Who are these aliens on Titan 3? A Time Lord and an Earth girl.
-And Azmael would have let them live? -Yes.
-But now he knows them to be dead? -He does.
I told him so.
-MESTOR: You have done well, Noma.
-No more than is my duty.
(PERI WHIMPERING) MESTOR: What have we here? Impossible! She must've died.
Is this the Earth girl you say you killed? It seems you have not done so well after all.
-Where did you find her? -In a passage underneath the palace.
-Alone? -There was another with her.
We left him half dead.
This is a dangerous complication.
Fetch him to me.
At once! At once! That is the plan.
Now what is your opinion? You really intend to put it into operation? You know what will happen, don't you? -We've already told him.
-But risks must be taken.
This is not a risk, Azmael.
This is Doomsday.
One tiny error in your calculation, you'll blow a small hole in the universe! Doctor! Doctor, they've got Peri.
-Peri? They'll kill her! -EDGEWORTH: Stop him! No, leave me, I must go to her.
And tell Mestor everything, condemn my planet to certain death? -But I must help her! -No, Doctor, if necessary she must die.
No! Peri!