S6 EP1 The Impossible Astronaut

THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT

EPISODE: 214a

AIRDATE: April 23,2011

COMPANIONS: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song

VILLIANS/ALIENS/MONSTERS: The Astronaut, The Silence

OTHER CHARACTERS: President Nixon, Canton Everett Deleware III

LOCATION: World War II; 22nd April, Utah, USA, 2011; White House, Washington, D.C., USA, 1969; Florida, 1969

PLOT: In the 16th century, a man bursts into a room, questioning the lady present as to the Doctor’s whereabouts. She asks “Doctor Who?” A sneeze is audible from beneath her skirt and the man lifts it with his sword to find the Doctor hiding naked underneath.

In 2011, Amy Pond and Rory Williams are in their kitchen. Amy reads an account of how the Doctor was imprisoned in the Tower of London without trial on the personal request of the king. Rory is not certain that it is the Doctor until Amy reads that he was seen flying from the tower two days later on a sphere. She reads of how the Doctor took part in a World War II breakout from a POW camp.

Amy ponders whether he is being deliberately ridiculous in order to gain their attention. Rory is distracted and so doesn’t see the Doctor waving at the camera in a scene from a Laurel & Hardy film. Amy answers the door and is handed her post. She finds a letter in a TARDIS blue envelope. It gives her a map reference, a time and a date. In Stormcage Containment Facility, River Song receives an identical letter. The prison goes on alert after a guard warns that she is packing.

Rory and Amy arrive in Utah where they are greeted by the Doctor. River Song arrives shortly after. In a café, the Doctor and River compare diaries. They have both “done” Easter Island and met Jim the Fish. The Doctor says they're going to space in 1969.

They move to sit by a body of water, there they dine and the Doctor tries wine again, immediately disliking it. The Doctor mentions he's 1,103 years old; meaning that he's about 200 years older than the last time Amy and Rory saw him. Amy sees a mysterious figure but, as she turns away, she forgets. Behind them Canton Everett Delaware III pulls up in his car, and from the water an astronaut rises wearing an Apollo 11 style space suit.

The Doctor tells them not to interfere and moves to face the astronaut. Out of earshot of the others, he announces that he knows who is within. The astronaut shoots him, and fires again before regeneration can complete and save his life. The astronaut then retreats into the water, unfazed by River Song’s bullets hitting it.

Added by Skittles the hogCanton approaches and hands the grieving trio a canister of gasoline. They orchestrate a Viking-style funeral by burning the Doctor’s body aboard a boat to prevent his body being studied. Canton shows them that he too has an envelope: number four. Rory and Amy have three and River has two. They return to the café and find letter number one on a table. They ask the owner who was seated there and he replies “some guy”. They turn and the Doctor emerges from a side door.

They come to realise that this is a younger version of the Doctor, by some two-hundred years. They tell him that they have been hired and it involves 1969 and Canton Delaware III.

They return to the TARDIS and River tells Rory and Amy that they cannot tell the Doctor of his coming death. They use the TARDIS to travel back to 1969, and land in the Oval Office after switching the TARDIS to a setting in which it is invisible and silent. The Doctor emerges alone and listens to Richard Nixon and a young Canton as they discuss the president being called by a mysterious source. The Doctor makes notes as a recording of one call is played. The recording mentions “Jefferson Adams Hamilton”.

Canton and Nixon become aware of his presence and security is called. They quickly overwhelm the Doctor and the TARDIS becomes visible. The Doctor proposes to sort out the mysterious calls and pretends to be an undercover agent sent from Scotland Yard. Canton agrees, telling the Doctor he has five minutes to solve the mystery.

Again Amy sees the mysterious creature, more clearly now as it stands just a few feet from her. Rory blocks her vision and she again forgets what she has seen. She feels ill and asks to go the toilet. Canton allows her to do so. She enters to find one of the Silence. She remembers the events she forgot. Joy emerges from one of the cubicles and sees the Silence. She looks away and forgets, looks again and repeats the same words. Joy looks a third time and the Silence kills her with electricity. The Silence instructs Amy to “tell the Doctor what he must know, and what he must never know”. Amy then exits and immediately forgets. She returns to the Oval Office.

Added by Skittles the hogThe Doctor finds the only place the calls can be coming from. Another call from the mysterious caller is answered by Nixon. The Doctor and his companions leave with Canton in the TARDIS. The Doctor tells the others that Jefferson, Adams and Hamilton are three of America’s founding fathers and the only place with the three street names on one junction is an area five miles from Cape Kennedy Space Center.

Rory explains to a stunned Canton that the TARDIS is bigger on the inside. They search a building at the junction, unaware of the astronaut’s presence. Amy and River both discuss neutralising the astronaut to prevent him from killing the Doctor. However, River tells Amy that it doesn’t work that way.

River discovers a tube leading down through a drain. River goes down, accompanied by Rory. River opens a locked room and enters a large cavern. In the centre sits a structure akin to a TARDIS console. They set off an alarm and Rory checks if anything is coming. He sees many of the Silence but forgets as soon as he turns to warn River. River discovers that the tunnels cover the Earth and have been around for hundreds of years. Electricity crackles behind Rory and something approaches him.

Meanwhile Canton and Amy discuss the former agent's FBI career. He was kicked out for “attitude problems” as he wanted to marry. Amy hears the astronaut calling and runs to the Doctor. They run to Canton’s call and find him unconscious. Amy tells the Doctor that she is pregnant. They turn to see the astronaut, who lifts its faceplate. It’s the little girl. In order to prevent the Doctor's death, Amy picks up Canton's gun and fires at the girl.