Cold Blood (Doctor Who)
Encyclopedia
"Cold Blood" is the ninth episode in the fifth series of British
science fiction
television series Doctor Who
, which was broadcast on Saturday 29 May 2010. It was written by Chris Chibnall
, best known for his work on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood
.
It is the second episode of a two-part story, the first episode being "The Hungry Earth
", which features the return of the Silurians
.
and Nasreen arrive by TARDIS
in the massive Silurian
underground civilisation, they are captured and taken to the Silurian doctor, Malohkeh. Meanwhile, Amy
and Mo, already strapped to tables, manage to escape; Mo discovers his son, Elliot, sedated in a chamber and under observation. The Doctor is subjected to excruciating pain by Malohkeh until he realizes the Doctor is not human. The leader of the Silurian warrior caste, Restac, arrives and insists the two be destroyed, and escorts them to a Silurian court; though Amy and Mo interrupt the trial with stolen weapons, they too are captured.
Eldane, Restac's superior, is called in by Malohkeh and demands a halt to the hostilities. The Doctor makes contact with Rory
, Ambrose (Mo's wife) and Tony (her father), reminding them to keep their captive Silurian, Alaya, alive, unaware that Ambrose has already killed Alaya because she wouldn't help Tony (he was infected with Silurian venom in the previous episode). The Doctor arranges a "conference" between the Silurians (represented by Eldane) and the humans (represented by Amy and Nasreen); the three discuss how both species can co-exist on the surface of the Earth. Ambrose and Tony, worried about the Silurian reaction when they discover Alaya's death, set the drill to burrow further and self-destruct fifteen minutes after they depart, which would destroy the Silurian oxygen supply and kill them all.
Meanwhile, Restac has killed Malohkeh for his betrayal and awakened other members of the warrior caste, intending to stage a coup against Eldane. When Rory and the others arrive with Alaya's corpse, Restac becomes furious and orders the humans' death; the Doctor disables their weapons to give him, Eldane, and the humans time to escape; they bar themselves into Malohkeh's lab. The Doctor and Eldane realize they can use Silurian technology to destroy the drill before it detonates, but it will cause their exit route to collapse if they cannot reach the TARDIS in time. Eldane returns the warriors to hibernation by initiating a "toxic fumigation"; the humans escape, and Eldane hopes that in a thousand years, peace between humans and Silurians can occur. Tony, still affected by Silurian venom, opts to stay behind to be cured, and Nasreen also remains behind to study the earth from below and help improve human-Silurian relations.
The Doctor, Amy, Rory, and Ambrose's family escape to the TARDIS. There, they find a crack in the cavern wall similar to those they have seen before. The Doctor surmises that the crack was caused by an explosion in time, which might have left "shrapnel" behind. He reaches in and pulls out an object which he wraps in a handkerchief. Before he can explain, Restac, dying from the toxic exposure, crawls around the corner. She fires at the Doctor, but Rory pushes him out of the way and takes the shot. Rory dies in Amy's arms, unable to understand how this could happen, because he saw a future version of himself and Amy when they first arrived. As the crack begins to absorb Rory's body, the Doctor realises that Rory will be written out of history. The Doctor forces Amy to board the TARDIS before the drill explodes and tries to help her concentrate on remembering Rory; a jolt from the TARDIS causes her to lose concentration, and her memories of Rory are lost. The Doctor finds Amy's engagement ring, which Rory had stowed before the events, on the floor of the TARDIS.
On the surface, Ambrose thanks the Doctor for not letting the Silurians execute her for killing Alaya; the Doctor asks her to help prepare humanity for their next encounter with the Silurians. The Doctor and Amy return to the TARDIS, this time seeing only a vision of future Amy on the nearby hillside. Before leaving, the Doctor takes out the object he pulled from the crack: a burnt piece of the TARDIS sign. He worriedly compares it to the real thing. Aside from the damage, they appear identical.
After his "decontamination", the Doctor asks the Silurians whether they have any celery. The Eleventh Doctor expressed similar food cravings early in his regeneration in "The Eleventh Hour
", whilst the Fifth Doctor
wore celery on his jacket and in The Caves of Androzani
claimed it had restorative powers.
was contacted by executive producers Steven Moffat
and Piers Wenger
about writing a two-part Doctor Who episode about Silurians and a drill. Chibnall had previously written the Doctor Who episode "42
" as well as episodes of the spin-off series Torchwood
.
"The Hungry Earth" and "Cold Blood" made up the fourth production block
of the series and were filmed in late October and November 2009 in the Upper Boat Studios
and Llanwynno
, Wales
. The jungle walkway leading to the Silurian city was filmed in the Plantasia
botanical garden in Swansea
on 13 November 2009.
. The episode was ranked 11th for the week across all UK channels. For Saturday 29 May, "Cold Blood" was the top rated show on BBC1 and 2nd for the day behind Britain's Got Talent
on ITV, which rated 10.39 million. All chart placings exclude the BBC & ITV HD channels.
" and "The Hungry Earth
" was released on 2 August 2010.
, said that the episode was similar to previous Silurian stories in Doctor Who, though he said he loved the "tense, mad and thoughtful story". He expressed "delight" at Amy and Nasreen negotiating for the humans, though he thought the diplomacy scenes were "broadly drawn". Overall, he considered the strength of the episode was "giving you something big and moral to chew over, in a way that nothing else this series has yet". Gavin Fuller of The Daily Telegraph
also compared "Cold Blood"'s concept and ideas to the original 1970 Silurians story
but considered this story made "less of an impact" due to a "black and white depiction" and the one-dimensional Restac. He was also critical of Matt Smith's Doctor, whose portrayal "lacked gravitas and conviction and was altogether too light-hearted". However, he praised both Smith and Gillan's "strong" performances in the final scene where Rory is killed.
IGN
's Matt Wales rated the episode 8 out of 10, and thought that "even less actually happened" than the previous episode, though he enjoyed the "atmospheric build-up and more thoughtful tone". While he considered it predictable, he said that it "still offered plenty in the way of entertainment with its brisk pace, beautifully-realised underground world and a convincing cast of rounded characters". He praised Smith and Gillan's performances in the ending, but thought it was "a surprisingly downbeat denouement". Ian Berriman of SFX magazine gave "Cold Blood" four and a half our of five stars, positively comparing the emotional ending to episodes from the Russell T Davies era. He also had some "nitpicks" about the episode, such as the abrupt character change of Malohkeh.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, which was broadcast on Saturday 29 May 2010. It was written by Chris Chibnall
Chris Chibnall
Chris Chibnall is a British playwright, television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series Torchwood....
, best known for his work on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
.
It is the second episode of a two-part story, the first episode being "The Hungry Earth
The Hungry Earth
"The Hungry Earth" is the eighth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 22 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Chris Chibnall, who had previously written for Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood...
", which features the return of the Silurians
Silurian (Doctor Who)
The Silurians are a fictional race of reptile-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The species first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians...
.
Plot
As the DoctorEleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
and Nasreen arrive by TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
in the massive Silurian
Silurian (Doctor Who)
The Silurians are a fictional race of reptile-like humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The species first appeared in Doctor Who in the 1970 serial Doctor Who and the Silurians...
underground civilisation, they are captured and taken to the Silurian doctor, Malohkeh. Meanwhile, Amy
Amy Pond
Amelia Jessica 'Amy' Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and Mo, already strapped to tables, manage to escape; Mo discovers his son, Elliot, sedated in a chamber and under observation. The Doctor is subjected to excruciating pain by Malohkeh until he realizes the Doctor is not human. The leader of the Silurian warrior caste, Restac, arrives and insists the two be destroyed, and escorts them to a Silurian court; though Amy and Mo interrupt the trial with stolen weapons, they too are captured.
Eldane, Restac's superior, is called in by Malohkeh and demands a halt to the hostilities. The Doctor makes contact with Rory
Rory Williams
Rory Williams is a fictional character portrayed by Arthur Darvill in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Having been introduced at the start of the 5th series, Rory joins the Eleventh Doctor as a companion in the middle of Series 5...
, Ambrose (Mo's wife) and Tony (her father), reminding them to keep their captive Silurian, Alaya, alive, unaware that Ambrose has already killed Alaya because she wouldn't help Tony (he was infected with Silurian venom in the previous episode). The Doctor arranges a "conference" between the Silurians (represented by Eldane) and the humans (represented by Amy and Nasreen); the three discuss how both species can co-exist on the surface of the Earth. Ambrose and Tony, worried about the Silurian reaction when they discover Alaya's death, set the drill to burrow further and self-destruct fifteen minutes after they depart, which would destroy the Silurian oxygen supply and kill them all.
Meanwhile, Restac has killed Malohkeh for his betrayal and awakened other members of the warrior caste, intending to stage a coup against Eldane. When Rory and the others arrive with Alaya's corpse, Restac becomes furious and orders the humans' death; the Doctor disables their weapons to give him, Eldane, and the humans time to escape; they bar themselves into Malohkeh's lab. The Doctor and Eldane realize they can use Silurian technology to destroy the drill before it detonates, but it will cause their exit route to collapse if they cannot reach the TARDIS in time. Eldane returns the warriors to hibernation by initiating a "toxic fumigation"; the humans escape, and Eldane hopes that in a thousand years, peace between humans and Silurians can occur. Tony, still affected by Silurian venom, opts to stay behind to be cured, and Nasreen also remains behind to study the earth from below and help improve human-Silurian relations.
The Doctor, Amy, Rory, and Ambrose's family escape to the TARDIS. There, they find a crack in the cavern wall similar to those they have seen before. The Doctor surmises that the crack was caused by an explosion in time, which might have left "shrapnel" behind. He reaches in and pulls out an object which he wraps in a handkerchief. Before he can explain, Restac, dying from the toxic exposure, crawls around the corner. She fires at the Doctor, but Rory pushes him out of the way and takes the shot. Rory dies in Amy's arms, unable to understand how this could happen, because he saw a future version of himself and Amy when they first arrived. As the crack begins to absorb Rory's body, the Doctor realises that Rory will be written out of history. The Doctor forces Amy to board the TARDIS before the drill explodes and tries to help her concentrate on remembering Rory; a jolt from the TARDIS causes her to lose concentration, and her memories of Rory are lost. The Doctor finds Amy's engagement ring, which Rory had stowed before the events, on the floor of the TARDIS.
On the surface, Ambrose thanks the Doctor for not letting the Silurians execute her for killing Alaya; the Doctor asks her to help prepare humanity for their next encounter with the Silurians. The Doctor and Amy return to the TARDIS, this time seeing only a vision of future Amy on the nearby hillside. Before leaving, the Doctor takes out the object he pulled from the crack: a burnt piece of the TARDIS sign. He worriedly compares it to the real thing. Aside from the damage, they appear identical.
Continuity
The events of "Cold Blood" continue the running series arc about the Cracks in Time.After his "decontamination", the Doctor asks the Silurians whether they have any celery. The Eleventh Doctor expressed similar food cravings early in his regeneration in "The Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who)
"The Eleventh Hour" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 3 April 2010....
", whilst the Fifth Doctor
Fifth Doctor
The Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
wore celery on his jacket and in The Caves of Androzani
The Caves of Androzani
The Caves of Androzani is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 8–16 March 1984. It was Peter Davison's last regular appearance as the Doctor, and marks the first appearance of Colin Baker in the role...
claimed it had restorative powers.
Production
Writer Chris ChibnallChris Chibnall
Chris Chibnall is a British playwright, television writer and producer. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series Torchwood....
was contacted by executive producers Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
and Piers Wenger
Piers Wenger
Piers Wenger is a British television producer who has been Head of Drama at BBC Wales since January 2009. His work includes the BAFTA-winning Victoria Wood drama Housewife, 49 and the 2007 adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's novel Ballet Shoes....
about writing a two-part Doctor Who episode about Silurians and a drill. Chibnall had previously written the Doctor Who episode "42
42 (Doctor Who)
"42" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 19 May 2007, and is the seventh episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series....
" as well as episodes of the spin-off series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
.
"The Hungry Earth" and "Cold Blood" made up the fourth production block
Production blocking
Production blocking is a common problem in brainstorming groups. It is a tendency for one individual to block or inhibit other people during a group discussion. For example, if six people are in a group and one person is talking about his or her idea, then the other five people are "blocked" and...
of the series and were filmed in late October and November 2009 in the Upper Boat Studios
Upper Boat Studios
Upper Boat Studios is a television studio complex operated by BBC Wales and based in Upper Boat, a village on the outskirts of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The studios were officially opened on 27 July 2006 by Welsh Enterprise Minister Andrew Davies, for the purpose of producing Doctor...
and Llanwynno
Llanwynno
Llanwynno is a hamlet high up in the mountains between the historic mining valleys of the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys in Rhondda Cynon Taf deep in the heart of the South Wales Valleys ....
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The jungle walkway leading to the Silurian city was filmed in the Plantasia
Plantasia
The Plantasia is a large public hothouse located in the Parc Tawe retail park, Swansea, Wales.- Exhibits :It exhibits a wide range of tropical plants and insects. It opened in 1990....
botanical garden in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
on 13 November 2009.
Broadcast
"Cold Blood" earned a final rating of 7.49 million viewers (7.04 million on BBC1 and 0.45 million on BBC HD), ranking the show 4th for the week ending 30 May 2010, on the channel. For the first time since episode 3 of the season, the show outrated an episode of EastEndersEastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
. The episode was ranked 11th for the week across all UK channels. For Saturday 29 May, "Cold Blood" was the top rated show on BBC1 and 2nd for the day behind Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
on ITV, which rated 10.39 million. All chart placings exclude the BBC & ITV HD channels.
Home video releases
A Region 2 DVD and Blu-ray containing this episode together with "Amy's ChoiceAmy's Choice (Doctor Who)
"Amy's Choice" is the seventh episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 15 May 2010...
" and "The Hungry Earth
The Hungry Earth
"The Hungry Earth" is the eighth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 22 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Chris Chibnall, who had previously written for Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood...
" was released on 2 August 2010.
Reception
Dan Martin, writing for The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, said that the episode was similar to previous Silurian stories in Doctor Who, though he said he loved the "tense, mad and thoughtful story". He expressed "delight" at Amy and Nasreen negotiating for the humans, though he thought the diplomacy scenes were "broadly drawn". Overall, he considered the strength of the episode was "giving you something big and moral to chew over, in a way that nothing else this series has yet". Gavin Fuller of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
also compared "Cold Blood"'s concept and ideas to the original 1970 Silurians story
Doctor Who and the Silurians
Doctor Who and the Silurians is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts from January 31 to March 14, 1970. The story is the first appearance of a recurring family of Earth-dwelling reptiles...
but considered this story made "less of an impact" due to a "black and white depiction" and the one-dimensional Restac. He was also critical of Matt Smith's Doctor, whose portrayal "lacked gravitas and conviction and was altogether too light-hearted". However, he praised both Smith and Gillan's "strong" performances in the final scene where Rory is killed.
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Matt Wales rated the episode 8 out of 10, and thought that "even less actually happened" than the previous episode, though he enjoyed the "atmospheric build-up and more thoughtful tone". While he considered it predictable, he said that it "still offered plenty in the way of entertainment with its brisk pace, beautifully-realised underground world and a convincing cast of rounded characters". He praised Smith and Gillan's performances in the ending, but thought it was "a surprisingly downbeat denouement". Ian Berriman of SFX magazine gave "Cold Blood" four and a half our of five stars, positively comparing the emotional ending to episodes from the Russell T Davies era. He also had some "nitpicks" about the episode, such as the abrupt character change of Malohkeh.