Doctor Who/Recap/S29/E06 The Lazarus Experiment: Difference between revisions

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The Doctor, wary of getting too attached to another human, or perhaps of getting another human killed, or maybe just enjoying the way he toys with Martha's emotions, drops Martha off back home. Her time in the TARDIS over. However, he realizes that that Martha's time period is in danger, and returns only seconds after he left for—ostensibly -- ''one'' more adventure with Martha.
The Doctor, wary of getting too attached to another human, or perhaps of getting another human killed, or maybe just enjoying the way he toys with Martha's emotions, drops Martha off back home. Her time in the TARDIS over. However, he realizes that that Martha's time period is in danger, and returns only seconds after he left for—ostensibly -- ''one'' more adventure with Martha.


The activity in question is that of Richard Lazarus ([[Mark Gatiss]]), a brilliant scientist, who has devised a way to reverse the aging process. The scientist tests his equipment on himself at a black tie affair (Martha and the Doctor were invited at the last minute, which will be explained in later episodes). [[When Things Spin Science Happens]], and Lazarus successfully turns himself into a young man. Martha's sister, who works at the center, just mysteriously got a huge promotion and is happy to see her boss now looking very young and handsome and snoggable indeed.
The activity in question is that of Richard Lazarus ([[Mark Gatiss]]), a brilliant scientist, who has devised a way to reverse the aging process. The scientist tests his equipment on himself at a black tie affair (Martha and the Doctor were invited at the last minute, which will be explained in later episodes). [[When Things Spin, Science Happens]], and Lazarus successfully turns himself into a young man. Martha's sister, who works at the center, just mysteriously got a huge promotion and is happy to see her boss now looking very young and handsome and snoggable indeed.


Meanwhile, Martha's mum is approached by a suit-wearing guy, who hints that the Doctor is dangerous. He is 100% right about that,<ref>heck, he could even have added that the Doctor has a history of absconding with young women, sometimes kidnapping them, and that they don't always come home</ref> but the soundtrack doesn't like him, so neither do we.
Meanwhile, Martha's mum is approached by a suit-wearing guy, who hints that the Doctor is dangerous. He is 100% right about that,<ref>heck, he could even have added that the Doctor has a history of absconding with young women, sometimes kidnapping them, and that they don't always come home</ref> but the soundtrack doesn't like him, so neither do we.
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* [[Unstable Genetic Code]]: Lazarus. And yes, Martha the med student [[Lampshade Hanging|points out]] the [[Artistic License: Biology|sheer impossibility of this trope]].
* [[Unstable Genetic Code]]: Lazarus. And yes, Martha the med student [[Lampshade Hanging|points out]] the [[Artistic License: Biology|sheer impossibility of this trope]].
* [[Up to Eleven]]: The Doctor invokes it by name.
* [[Up to Eleven]]: The Doctor invokes it by name.
* [[When Things Spin Science Happens]]
* [[When Things Spin, Science Happens]]
* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]: A central theme. Having barely survived [[World War Two|the Blitz]] as a child. Lazarus has been obsessed with conquering death all his life. However, the Doctor informs him that being immortal in a world of mortal things is not fun at all.
* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]: A central theme. Having barely survived [[World War Two|the Blitz]] as a child. Lazarus has been obsessed with conquering death all his life. However, the Doctor informs him that being immortal in a world of mortal things is not fun at all.
* [[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]]: Lazarus is carted away in an ambulance... and there's almost 15 minutes left of the episode. Hm.
* [[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]]: Lazarus is carted away in an ambulance... and there's almost 15 minutes left of the episode. Hm.
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Latest revision as of 18:38, 11 April 2017

Martha: "What'd he do?"
The Doctor: "Changed what it means to be human."

The Doctor, wary of getting too attached to another human, or perhaps of getting another human killed, or maybe just enjoying the way he toys with Martha's emotions, drops Martha off back home. Her time in the TARDIS over. However, he realizes that that Martha's time period is in danger, and returns only seconds after he left for—ostensibly -- one more adventure with Martha.

The activity in question is that of Richard Lazarus (Mark Gatiss), a brilliant scientist, who has devised a way to reverse the aging process. The scientist tests his equipment on himself at a black tie affair (Martha and the Doctor were invited at the last minute, which will be explained in later episodes). When Things Spin, Science Happens, and Lazarus successfully turns himself into a young man. Martha's sister, who works at the center, just mysteriously got a huge promotion and is happy to see her boss now looking very young and handsome and snoggable indeed.

Meanwhile, Martha's mum is approached by a suit-wearing guy, who hints that the Doctor is dangerous. He is 100% right about that,[1] but the soundtrack doesn't like him, so neither do we.

Then Lazarus surprises everyone by turning into a massive CGI scorpion monster thing! Martha's sister laments that she was going to snog him.

The Doctor kills the scientist with the polarity-reversed age-reversal machine. The scorpion beast turns out not to be dead after all and flees to a cathedral, where the Doctor kills it again with an organ. For real this time.

And finally, finally, the Doctor stops yanking Martha's chain and lets her come aboard full-time.

But as the TARDIS takes off, Martha's mum leaves a message on the answering machine not to be with the Doctor, saying the notice came from Harold Saxon...

Tropes

  • Arc Words: Lazarus's experiment has some involvement with Mr. Saxon, and the man who warns Martha's mother about the Doctor is revealed to be working for him as well.
  • Big Red Button: pressed with an unusual lack of ceremony.
  • Chekhov's Gun: The cathedral is mentioned in the roof scene.
  • Conspicuous CG: The monster itself looks pretty good, but its face looks almost two-dimensional.
  • Continuity Nod: Martha calls the Doctor her "plus one".
    • The Doctor muttering to himself over being slapped by his companion's mother.
    • The Doctor complaining that something bad always happens when he wears a tux.
  • Delayed Reaction: The Doctor sees Lazarus's press conference without commenting, leaves in the TARDIS, and then comes back to double-check what he just heard with Martha.
  • Digging Yourself Deeper: The Doctor puts his foot in it talking to Martha's mum and gives her the impression that he's sleeping with her.
  • Dying as Yourself
  • Follow the Chaos: Martha finds the Doctor by running towards the sound of the explosions.
  • Foreshadowing: The somewhat sinister agent of Harold Saxon who warns Martha's mother that the Doctor is dangerous.
    • The emblem hanging on most of the walls is the same as the one on the Master's ring. Guess who else Came Back Wrong?
  • Fountain of Youth
  • Game Face: Early on in Lazarus' mutation.
  • Gone Horribly Wrong
  • Insult Backfire

The Doctor: "A science geek?" What's that mean?
Martha: Means you're obsessively enthusiastic about it.
The Doctor: *happily* Oh, okay!

  • Innocent Innuendo: The Doctor causes a few awkward moments talking to Martha's mother by saying he and Martha haven't had much time to talk as they were "busy". Fortunately, their conversation is interrupted before he can dig himself deeper.

Francine: Busy? Doing what, exactly?
The Doctor: Oh... you know... stuff.

The Doctor: You can't control it, the mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool. A vain old man who thought he could defy nature, only nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!

  1. ↑ heck, he could even have added that the Doctor has a history of absconding with young women, sometimes kidnapping them, and that they don't always come home
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