Doctor Who/Recap/S30/E07 The Unicorn and the Wasp: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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[[File:The_Unicorn_and_the_Wasp_8507.jpg|frame]]
[[File:The_Unicorn_and_the_Wasp_8507.jpg|frame]]


{{quote| '''Agatha''': [[Agatha Christie (Creator)|Agatha Christie]].<br />
{{quote| '''Agatha''': [[Agatha Christie]].<br />
'''Donna''': What about her?<br />
'''Donna''': What about her?<br />
'''Agatha''':...That's me.<br />
'''Agatha''':...That's me.<br />
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The Doctor has brought Donna to [[Genteel Interbellum Setting|the twenties]] for a nice garden party. Meanwhile, [[Clue|a Professor Peach is murdered, in the library, with the lead pipe.]]
The Doctor has brought Donna to [[Genteel Interbellum Setting|the twenties]] for a nice garden party. Meanwhile, [[Clue|a Professor Peach is murdered, in the library, with the lead pipe.]]


Also at the party is [[Agatha Christie (Creator)|Agatha Christie]] herself. Pity she won't remember it: the date is 8 December 1926, and Agatha will mysteriously vanish and turn up ten days later, confused and with no memory of where she'd been. <ref>This really did happen, though possibly not the memory loss. She turned up on 18 December 1926 in a hotel not far away, where she'd checked in under a pseudonym, and never gave an account of her missing days. It's thought she might have suffered a fugue state.</ref> Which means that whatever freaked out (not-yet-Dame) Agatha is about to happen. But right now, there's a murder to be solved!
Also at the party is [[Agatha Christie]] herself. Pity she won't remember it: the date is 8 December 1926, and Agatha will mysteriously vanish and turn up ten days later, confused and with no memory of where she'd been. <ref>This really did happen, though possibly not the memory loss. She turned up on 18 December 1926 in a hotel not far away, where she'd checked in under a pseudonym, and never gave an account of her missing days. It's thought she might have suffered a fugue state.</ref> Which means that whatever freaked out (not-yet-Dame) Agatha is about to happen. But right now, there's a murder to be solved!


{{quote| '''Agatha:''' Someone should call the police.<br />
{{quote| '''Agatha:''' Someone should call the police.<br />
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* [[The Alcoholic]]: Mrs. Eddison spends a very good fraction of her screen time holding ''something'' alcoholic. [[Unreliable Narrator|Including that time she said it was tea]].
* [[The Alcoholic]]: Mrs. Eddison spends a very good fraction of her screen time holding ''something'' alcoholic. [[Unreliable Narrator|Including that time she said it was tea]].
* [[All the Good Men Are Gay]]: 'All the decent men are on the other bus.' 'Or Time Lords.'
* [[All the Good Men Are Gay]]: 'All the decent men are on the other bus.' 'Or Time Lords.'
* [[Big Creepy Crawlies]]
* [[Big Creepy-Crawlies]]
* [[Big Secret]]: ''Lots'' of them. Lady Eddison's [[Mysterious Past]], Colonel Hugh's [[Obfuscating Disability|able-bodiedness]], Miss Redmond's real identity, and Roger's relationship with the footman.
* [[Big Secret]]: ''Lots'' of them. Lady Eddison's [[Mysterious Past]], Colonel Hugh's [[Obfuscating Disability|able-bodiedness]], Miss Redmond's real identity, and Roger's relationship with the footman.
* [[Bizarre Alien Biology]]: The Doctor's ability to reverse cyanide poisoning using various substances. Actually some of the [[Techno Babble]] he spouts is vaguely plausible.
* [[Bizarre Alien Biology]]: The Doctor's ability to reverse cyanide poisoning using various substances. Actually some of the [[Techno Babble]] he spouts is vaguely plausible.
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** We find out where The Doctor [[Doctor Who/NS/Recap/S3 E2 The Shakespeare Code|put the Carrionites]]: In a chest for all things that start with the letter C, which also included a Cyberman logo.
** We find out where The Doctor [[Doctor Who/NS/Recap/S3 E2 The Shakespeare Code|put the Carrionites]]: In a chest for all things that start with the letter C, which also included a Cyberman logo.
* [[Enemy Within]]
* [[Enemy Within]]
* [[Elephant in The Living Room]]: Agatha's just learned of her husband's affair, but doesn't want to admit to it(see [[Stiff Upper Lip]]).
* [[Elephant in the Living Room]]: Agatha's just learned of her husband's affair, but doesn't want to admit to it(see [[Stiff Upper Lip]]).
* {{spoiler|[[Faith Heel Turn]]}}
* {{spoiler|[[Faith Heel Turn]]}}
* [[Flash Back Back Back]]: The interrogated suspects have flashbacks (complete with wavy line dissolve) while establishing their alibis, revealing that none of them are exactly truthful. Then played with when the Colonel has a flashback ''within'' a flashback. Then the Doctor has [[Noodle Incident|a flashback of his own]]....
* [[Flash Back Back Back]]: The interrogated suspects have flashbacks (complete with wavy line dissolve) while establishing their alibis, revealing that none of them are exactly truthful. Then played with when the Colonel has a flashback ''within'' a flashback. Then the Doctor has [[Noodle Incident|a flashback of his own]]....
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* [[Giant Flyer]]
* [[Giant Flyer]]
* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]
* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]
* [[Historical Domain Character]]: [[Agatha Christie (Creator)|Agatha Christie]].
* [[Historical Domain Character]]: [[Agatha Christie]].
* [[Historical In-Joke]]: Christie's historic disappearance.
* [[Historical In-Joke]]: Christie's historic disappearance.
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: Lady Eddison and Christopher the Vespiform.
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: Lady Eddison and Christopher the Vespiform.
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* [[NOT!]]: The Unicorn, in the [[Older Than Radio|more antiquated version]].
* [[NOT!]]: The Unicorn, in the [[Older Than Radio|more antiquated version]].
{{quote| Ever so nice to meet you, I ''don't'' [[Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping|fink]].}}
{{quote| Ever so nice to meet you, I ''don't'' [[Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping|fink]].}}
* [[The Noun and The Noun]]
* [[The Noun and the Noun]]
* [[Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping]]: After the [[Mistaken Confession]], Agatha, completely taken aback, slips from RP into Fenella Woolgar's Estuary English.
* [[Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping]]: After the [[Mistaken Confession]], Agatha, completely taken aback, slips from RP into Fenella Woolgar's Estuary English.
* [[Overly Long Gag]]: See [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]].
* [[Overly Long Gag]]: See [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]].
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** Hilariously enough, the [[She Is Not My Girlfriend|protestations]] turn out to be unnecessary; Christie noticed Donna didn't have a wedding ring.
** Hilariously enough, the [[She Is Not My Girlfriend|protestations]] turn out to be unnecessary; Christie noticed Donna didn't have a wedding ring.
* [[Shoot the Dog]]: Or rather, Drown the Giant Wasp.
* [[Shoot the Dog]]: Or rather, Drown the Giant Wasp.
* [[Shout-Out]]: Rusty and Gareth Roberts had a bit of fun with the script. Gareth would pop a reference in, send the draft to Rusty, and it'd come back with another one, and so forth. All told, there are about 15 titles of [[Agatha Christie (Creator)|Agatha Christie]] novels directly referenced in dialogue. Such as...
* [[Shout-Out]]: Rusty and Gareth Roberts had a bit of fun with the script. Gareth would pop a reference in, send the draft to Rusty, and it'd come back with another one, and so forth. All told, there are about 15 titles of [[Agatha Christie]] novels directly referenced in dialogue. Such as...
** [[And Then There Were None]]
** [[And Then There Were None]]
** N or M?
** N or M?
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** Appointment with Death
** Appointment with Death
** The Moving Finger
** The Moving Finger
*** They also have The Man In The Brown Suit solving the mystery of The Body In The Library. The reveal scene has the Doctor doing The Moving Finger. The Doctor also has a copy of [[Death in The Clouds]] edited in the year 5 billion and then some, no less.
*** They also have The Man In The Brown Suit solving the mystery of The Body In The Library. The reveal scene has the Doctor doing The Moving Finger. The Doctor also has a copy of [[Death in the Clouds]] edited in the year 5 billion and then some, no less.
** And in a non-Christie [[Shout-Out]], Colonel Hugh's getting up from his wheelchair is from [[Tom Stoppard|The Real Inspector Hound]].
** And in a non-Christie [[Shout-Out]], Colonel Hugh's getting up from his wheelchair is from [[Tom Stoppard|The Real Inspector Hound]].
** At the beginning, [[Clue (Tabletop Game)|a guy with a colour-related name is murdered in the library with a lead pipe]]. Lampshaded by Donna, even. (See [[Meaningful Name]])
** At the beginning, [[Clue (game)|a guy with a colour-related name is murdered in the library with a lead pipe]]. Lampshaded by Donna, even. (See [[Meaningful Name]])
* [[Stealth Pun]]: At the end of the episode the Doctor pulls things filed under 'C' from (what else?) a sea-chest.
* [[Stealth Pun]]: At the end of the episode the Doctor pulls things filed under 'C' from (what else?) a sea-chest.
* [[Stiff Upper Lip]]: "She's British and moneyed. That's what they do; they carry on."
* [[Stiff Upper Lip]]: "She's British and moneyed. That's what they do; they carry on."

Revision as of 12:56, 8 April 2014

 Agatha: Agatha Christie.

Donna: What about her?

Agatha:...That's me.

Donna: No.

The Doctor has brought Donna to the twenties for a nice garden party. Meanwhile, a Professor Peach is murdered, in the library, with the lead pipe.

Also at the party is Agatha Christie herself. Pity she won't remember it: the date is 8 December 1926, and Agatha will mysteriously vanish and turn up ten days later, confused and with no memory of where she'd been. [1] Which means that whatever freaked out (not-yet-Dame) Agatha is about to happen. But right now, there's a murder to be solved!

 Agatha: Someone should call the police.

The Doctor: We don't have to! Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard. Known as "The Doctor". Miss Noble is the plucky young girl that helps me out.

But who murdered Professor Peach? Was it The Flapper? The Vicar? The Colonel? The mother? The two secretly gay men? The Doctor and Donna are both delighted to be solving a murder mystery together with Agatha, but Agatha reminds them that (a) she only writes books and she knows nothing about actual crime solving, and (b) murder is not funny and could they please stop squeeing.

Over the course of an afternoon of wacky hijinks that cleverly recall the titles of many of Christie's works (seriously, try it as a drinking game!), the Doctor, Donna and Mrs. Christie all piece together a story of forbidden love, murder, secret identities, abandoned babies and alien bling. In the end, it turns out that the killer (a giant alien wasp) was telepathically linked with someone reading a Christie book, which explains why the world suddenly started behaving like a Christie book.

Also, Donna snogs the Doctor, but it makes sense in context and he tasted like anchovy.

Tropes

 Professor Peach: I say... what are you doing with that lead piping?

 Butler: I beg your pardon?!?

 Donna: I mean... Professor Peach, in the library, with the lead piping?

  • Mistaken Confession: As Christie and the Doctor expose the house's secrets, the Colonel cracks and admits he doesn't need his wheelchair... much to their surprise.

 Agatha: Actually, I was going to say you're completely innocent. Sorry.

  Ever so nice to meet you, I don't fink.

 Agatha Christie: The Unicorn. He’s here!

The Doctor: The Unicorn and the Wasp...

  • Troperrific: And the Doctor clearly knows, and is loving every moment of it.
  • Unreliable Narrator: About half of the "Where were you at a quarter past four?" flashbacks don't really match what the character says they were doing. Usually hilariously.
  • Unstoppable Rage: Murder at the vicar's rage (*ahem*) when the boys are stealing things from the church.
  • Vertigo Effect: On Lady Edison when she realizes that the reverend is the child she gave up forty years ago.
  • The Vicar: Subverted; he starts out looking like the embodiment of the trope, but then...
  • Wazzzzptalk: "Put thozzzzzze thingzzzzz back where you found themzzzzzzzzzZZZZZ!"
  • What the Hell, Hero?

  The Doctor: Donna, that thing couldn't help itself.

  1. ↑ This really did happen, though possibly not the memory loss. She turned up on 18 December 1926 in a hotel not far away, where she'd checked in under a pseudonym, and never gave an account of her missing days. It's thought she might have suffered a fugue state.
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