Sunday 13 September 2015

TARDIS Travels No.34(a)


The first half of Series 7 sees the last days of the Ponds, but first of all we have the 2011 Christmas Special - and Pond Life. Hang on to your Dalek Voice Changers, some of this might get confusing...

Journey 630: Seventh Transept, 52nd Century, to Earth orbit, 24th December, 1938.
The Doctor has arrived on a vast alien spaceship which is about to launch an attack on Earth. He blows it up and uses an impact suit to follow the TARDIS down to the planet. He has Madge Arwell take him to the ship - but it proves to be a real Police Box. We don't get to see where the real ship is parked.


Journey 631: England, 1938, to England, 1941.
The Doctor travels to the home of the Arwell family's Uncle Digby, materialising in the attic. The Doctor takes on the role of the caretaker, in order to thank Madge for her earlier help. Unseen, he has set up the portal to the alien planet which is about to have its trees harvested.


Journey 632: England, 1941, to Leadworth, 2011.
At Madge's instigation, the Doctor goes to visit Amy and Rory for Christmas.


Journey 633: Leadworth, 2011, to Florinall 9, date unknown.
The Doctor encounters some Sontarans on this volcanic world.


Journey 634: Florinall 9, date unknown, to Paris, first decade 20th Century.
The Doctor toasts his muffin with the notorious exotic dancer and spy Mata Hari. She was in Paris until 1915, and her fame was at its height between 1905 - 1910.


Journey 635: Paris, early 20th Century, to music studio, location unknown, 2012.
The Doctor lays down some raps. The Eleventh Doctor seems to spend a lot of time in recording studios, or being present when recordings are made, as he keeps on recognising himself when he hears them played - be they piano duets, or first triangle.


Journey 636: Unspecified music studio, 2012, to location / date unknown.
Looks like Mongolia, judging by the costume of his new friend. The Doctor invents pasta. He has previously claimed to have invented the banana daiquiri, and will later claim to have also invented the Yorkshire Pudding. I had one last night - a Yorkshire Pudding that is. Very nice. Thanks Doctor,


Journey 637: Location / date unknown to Leadworth, 2012.
Unseen, the Doctor has been to the Battle of Hastings. The Doctor pays a call on the Ponds, but they are not at home. The bulb in the lamp on top of the Police Box needs to be replaced. As we have seen since the phone was first used, the exterior of the TARDIS doesn't just look like like a Police Box, it is a Police Box.


Journey 638: Leadworth, 2012, to Skaro, date unknown.
The Doctor finds himself on Skaro, where he is captured by the Daleks. He and the ship are transported to the Dalek Parliament, which appears to be housed in a vast saucer in orbit above the planet which they have made their asylum. The prequel sees the Doctor in an English town having a cream tea before he encounters the monkish messenger, but we do not know how much of this is real or imagined.


Journeys 639 - 641: Dalek Parliament, date unknown, to Egypt, 1334 BC, via Leadworth 2012.
The Ponds get dropped off back home. The Doctor is next seen in ancient Egypt with Queen Nefertiti when he gets an urgent call from the 24th Century.


Journey 642: Egypt, 1334 BC, to India, 2367.
The urgent call concerns a massive spacecraft which appears to be on a collision course with Earth. The Space Defence forces in India plan to destroy it, but the Doctor wants to check it out first.


Journey 643: India, 2367, to Africa, 1902.
The Doctor goes to collect an old acquaintance - big game hunter John Riddell. The Doctor has visited here before - unseen - as Riddell was expecting the Doctor to return with some sweets months ago.


Journey 644: Africa, 1902, to Leadworth, 2012.
The TARDIS materialises around Amy and Rory - as well as Rory's dad, Brian.


Journey 645: Leadworth, 2012, to Silurian space ark, 2367.
The Doctor takes his new gang to the Silurian spacecraft, which is rapidly approaching the Earth. Caution: may contain dinosaurs.


Journeys 646 - 650: Silurian ark, 2367, to Leadworth 2012, via Africa, 1902.
Right, things get a bit confusing here. The second part of Pond Life is actually set between the second and third episodes of Series 7 - the Doctor has turned up too early.
Basically, the Doctor takes Amy, Rory and Brian back to present day Leadworth, then takes Riddell and Nefertiti to the African plains in 1902.
Or vice versa.
At some point the Doctor pauses to let Brian have a cup of tea in orbit above the Earth. Unseen also, the Doctor picks up an Ood by accident during the Androvax conflict. He visits Amy and Rory to warn them about the Silurian ark business, but arrives too soon in their time-line. The Ood gets out, spending a few days buttling for the Ponds, before the Doctor comes back to collect it.
I think...


Journey 651: Leadworth, 2012, to Mercy, Nevada, 1870.
The TARDIS arrives somewhere in the desert close to the small town of Mercy, which just happens to be playing host to another alien doctor - and there's a cyborg out to get him.


Journey 652: Mercy, 1870 - environs to town.
At some point the Doctor moves the TARDIS into the town, as it is from there that we see it depart.


Journey 653: Mercy, Nevada, 1870, to Leadworth, 2012.
The Doctor arrives just at the start of the "slow invasion" - the sudden appearance of the mysterious black cubes.


Journey 654: Leadworth, 2012, to Leadworth, 2013.
Bored with waiting, the Doctor goes off and reappears in time for Amy and Rory's wedding anniversary. Obviously scope for umpteen unseen journeys.


Journey 655: Leadworth, 2013, to London, 1890.
As an anniversary present, the Doctor takes Amy and Rory to the Savoy Hotel, on the Strand. Unfortunately, the hotel is built on top of a Zygon spaceship, and most of the staff are duplicates...


Journey 656: London, 1890, to London, 1540's.
To make up for the Savoy debacle, the Doctor takes the Ponds back to the reign of Henry VIII. Amy accidentally marries him. This isn't their first visit to this time / place - as Rory is supposed to have previously left his phone charger in Henry's bathroom. Unless this is when it happens, and these journeys are more mixed up than I thought...


Journey 657: London, 1540's, to Leadworth, 2013.
The Doctor returns the Ponds to their anniversary party - some three months later. Again - lots of potential unseen journeys.


Journey 658: Leadworth, 2013, to New York, 2012.
Yes, the Pond time-line in this period is very hard to follow. Power of Three shoves everything into 2013, but this story is set in 2012. We only find out where the TARDIS is parked when the Doctor and Amy return to it once Rory has been nabbed by the Weeping Angels. It is on the shoreline of the East River.


Journey 659: New York - East River to graveyard, 2012.
The TARDIS has attempted to travel back to 1938, but has "bounced off" - due to all the temporal anomalies created by the Angels. It lands in a cemetery across the river from the city, which we'll subsequently learn is the final resting place of the Ponds...


Journey 660: New York, 2012, to China, 221 BC.
The Doctor goes back to ancient China, after reading something in River's novel, in order to plant a message for her in 1938 via a piece of ceramic. This should help her to let the TARDIS break into her time zone. Yowzah!


Journey 661: China, 221 BC, to New York, 1938.
The TARDIS is finally able to arrive in 1938 - at Grayle's mansion, where River and Rory had been held. Rory has already been transported by the Cherub-Angels to Winter Quay.
The Doctor, Amy and River follow him by conventional means. Amy and Rory's "suicide" changes time - cancelling out the Angels' paradoxical timeline, so the TARDIS ends up back in the graveyard on the outskirts of New York in 2012.
Of course, first Rory and then Amy get dragged off into the past - and the temporal anomalies generated by the Angels prevent the Doctor and River from rescuing them.


Journey 662: New York, 2012 - graveyard to Central Park.
The Doctor returns to the scene of their picnic to retrieve the final page of River's novel - which proves to be a farewell message from Amy...
Have to go now. Think I've got something in my eye. Sniff...

1 comment:

  1. The Asylum of the Daleks got me. Classic and new together.
    Clara as a Dalek got me. Persoanlly it rock if The Lone Dalek play for her. And it be sweet if Rose was there, being ncie to her.
    Dinosaurs on a Spaceship got me. A Silurian spaceship with dinosaurs. And a space buccaneer. Inspires ideas to me of space-arks includign some with prehistoric animals includign Silruaisn which the War Doctor helps to escape a planet being ravage by the Time War.

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