Doctor Who/Recap/S13/E03 Pyramids of Mars: Difference between revisions

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"Deactivating a generator loop without the correct key is like repairing a watch with a hammer and chisel. One false move and you'll never know the time again."

—The Doctor

As the TARDIS lands in 1911 England, the Doctor gets involved in a plot that wouldn't have been too out of place 20 years later on Stargate SG-1.

Egyptologist Marcus Scarman has been possessed by Sutekh, last survivor of the ancient Osiran race who appeared to the Ancient Egyptians as gods. Sutekh is trapped in an Egyptian pyramid, his prison maintained by a signal from another pyramid on Mars. Sutekh has Scarman build service robots, (badly) disguised as Egyptian mummies, then with their help he builds a rocket to destroy the Martian pyramid. The Doctor destroys the rocket, but falls under Sutekh's control himself and transports Scarman to Mars in the TARDIS to disconnect the signal trapping Sutekh.

That done, Sutekh's hold on the Doctor is released and he realises there will be a delay before it has an effect on Earth, and makes it back in the TARDIS just in time to use the TARDIS' time controls to push the exit to Sutekh's time/space tunnel far into the future, and Sutekh dies of old age before he ever reaches it.

Tropes

Adam Westing: Gabriel Woolf reprises his role as Sutekh in a mockumentary on the DVD release titled Oh, Mummy. Hordes of well-deserved Nightmare Retardant ensues.
Ancient Astronauts
Awesome McCoolname / Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Doctor Warlock. Who isn't half as cool as his name leads one to assume.
Big No: Sutekh lets one of these rip before his death.
Call Back: Sarah Jane remarks on the similarity of the successive puzzle rooms to the ones encountered in the city of the Exxilons.
- The Doctor absent-mindedly calls Sarah-Jane, "Vicky" when she enters the Control Room wearing one of Victoria's old dresses.
Everybody's Dead, Dave: Only the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith survive.
The End of the World as We Know It: The Doctor takes Sarah Jane to an alternative 1980 to show her the effect their non-intervention would have. Basically Earth is a volcanic wilderness.
- An Homage to this scene was planned for "The Unquiet Dead", surviving several early drafts before it became clear that it wouldn't flow.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: If Sutekh's last stab at bargaining with the Doctor is any indication -- he offers to spare the planet Earth (just Earth) and give it to him as "a plaything".
"I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Laurence Scarman tries to do this for Marcus when he shows up at his house. It doesn't work, and he ends up paying the ultimate price for it.
Kneel Before Sutekh: Repeat after me: KNEEL! KNEEL BEFORE THE MIGHT OF SUTEKH!
- "I call him Neil! Neil before the might of Sutekh!"
Mind Over Matter: Sutekh uses telekinesis throughout the story to counter his own paralysis; at one point, he even uses his mind to contain the blast from a gelignite explosive. Doubly impressive considering the explosion is occurring in England and Sutekh's pyramid is in Egypt!
Omnicidal Maniac: Sutekh.

Sutekh: "The alien who dares to intrude, the humans, animals, birds, fish, reptiles...all life is my enemy. All life shall perish under the reign of Sutekh the Destroyer!"

Only Smart People May Pass
Organ Dodge: The Doctor's previously unrevealed 'respiratory bypass system'.
Sufficiently Advanced Aliens: The Osirans.
Smart Ball: Sarah Jane suddenly gains a lot of knowledge on how to fire a rifle and on Egyptian mythology.
Sorry I Left the BGM On: Namin's organ-playing.
Special Effect Failure: A hand can be seen holding down Sutekh's throne as he stands up.
Stock Puzzle: In the story's defence, the ol' Knights and Knaves stumper might have been new when Sutekh's prison was made. 7000 years ago.
Tranquil Fury: Sutekh is this, creepily and effectively whispering every word, even when torturing The Doctor, until he's freed, when, predictable characterization developments occur.
What Is Evil?

Sutekh: "Evil"? Your evil is my good. I am Sutekh the Destroyer. Where I tread, I leave nothing but dust and darkness. I find that good.

What Year Is This?
The X of Y
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: When Sutekh's Dragon arrives on the scene, the first thing he does is dispose of the minion who did all the preliminary work.

Namin: Master, spare me. Spare me. I am a true servant of the great Sutekh.
Dragon: I am the servant of Sutekh. He needs no other. [kills him]

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 Egyptologist Marcus Scarman has been possessed by Sutekh, last survivor of the ancient Osiran race who appeared to the Ancient Egyptians as gods. Sutekh is trapped in an Egyptian pyramid, his prison maintained by a signal from another pyramid on Mars. Sutekh has Scarman build service robots, (badly) disguised as Egyptian mummies, then with their help he builds a rocket to destroy the Martian pyramid. The Doctor destroys the rocket, but falls under Sutekh's control himself and transports Scarman to Mars in the TARDIS to disconnect the signal trapping Sutekh.
 That done, Sutekh's hold on the Doctor is released and he realises there will be a delay before it has an effect on Earth, and makes it back in the TARDIS just in time to use the TARDIS' time controls to push the exit to Sutekh's time/space tunnel far into the future, and Sutekh dies of old age before he ever reaches it.
 ----
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 * [[Awesome McCoolname]] / [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Doctor Warlock. Who isn't half as cool as his name leads one to assume.
 * [[Big No]]: Sutekh lets one of these rip before his death.
-* [[Call Back]]: Sarah Jane remarks on the similarity of the successive puzzle rooms to the ones encountered in [[Doctor Who/Recap/S11 E3 Death to The Daleks|the city of the Exxilons.]]
+* [[Call Back]]: Sarah Jane remarks on the similarity of the successive puzzle rooms to the ones encountered in [[Doctor Who/Recap/S11/E03 Death to the Daleks|the city of the Exxilons.]]
 ** The Doctor absent-mindedly calls Sarah-Jane, "Vicky" when she enters the Control Room wearing one of Victoria's old dresses.
 * [[Everybody's Dead, Dave]]: Only the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith survive.
 * [[The End of the World as We Know It]]: The Doctor takes Sarah Jane to an alternative 1980 to show her the effect their non-intervention would have. Basically Earth is a volcanic wilderness.
-** An [[Homage]] to this scene was planned for "[[Doctor Who/NS/Recap/S1 E3 The Unquiet Dead|The Unquiet Dead]]", surviving several early drafts before it became clear that it wouldn't flow.
+** An [[Homage]] to this scene was planned for "[[Doctor Who/Recap/NS/S1/E03 The Unquiet Dead|The Unquiet Dead]]", surviving several early drafts before it became clear that it wouldn't flow.
 * [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]]: If {{spoiler|Sutekh's last stab at bargaining with the Doctor}} is any indication -- {{spoiler|he offers to spare the planet Earth (''just'' Earth) and give it to him as "a plaything".}}
 * [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight]]: Laurence Scarman tries to do this for Marcus when he shows up at his house. [[Averted Trope|It doesn't work,]] and [[Tear Jerker|he ends up paying the ultimate price for it.]]