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As Captain Jack Harkness storms back into the Doctor's life, the TARDIS is thrown out of control to the end of the universe — where a desperate Professor is attempting to create a means to save the remnants of humanity.
Plot
The TARDIS lands in Cardiff to refuel from the Rift. Due to the Rift's recent activity, refuelling should only take 20 seconds. Unknown to the Doctor and Martha, Captain Jack Harkness is running towards the TARDIS. As they are about to set off The Doctor sees Jack on the screen but still sets the TARDIS to go. Jack leaps and grabs hold of the TARDIS; there is a small explosion inside and it starts going out of control. The Doctor is stunned to see that they are landing in the year 100 trillion. On the outside Jack is holding on for dear life to the outide of the TARDIS screaming for the Doctor.
Meanwhile, in a small Silo located near the TARDIS' landing point, one Professor Yana watches a Human being hunted down. An altruistic individual, he has devoted his life to helping the last of the humans survive and reach The Utopia Project, a legendary place believed to be a colony of humans. The Doctor and Martha lose control of the TARDIS as it takes them over trillions of years to the end of the universe. When they leave the TARDIS they find Captain Jack lying on the floor, supposedly dead. But when he shoots back to life, he meets Martha and finds out that Rose is safe. When they walk a little way, they find a human running from a pack of Future Kind - vicious humanoid creatures with sharp, fang-like teeth and who enjoy feeding on humans. After a chase, the Doctor, Jack, Martha and the man find a refugee camp where humans are kept safe from the claws of the Future Kind.
The crew are introduced to Professor Yana and his assistant, Chantho, who are working on a rocket that fly the refugee humans to Utopia. The only problem is that the rocket is not working. Upon finding the Doctor, Yana is overjoyed that he has finally found another scientist to help, and the Doctor obliges, fixing the problems preventing the rocket's take-off. However, a Future Kind has managed to stow away in the camp, and disrupts the process of fixing the rocket up for lift-off, just before being shot by guards. The room where the power cells are engaged is flooded with radiation and kills the worker inside, so the Doctor sends Jack to fix the problem, as he can't die. While the two are talking, the Doctor reveals how Rose brought Jack back to life, and how the Doctor left him behind because he was a "fact" and was fixed in time by being brought back to life forever. The Doctor thought that this was wrong, and so abandoned him. Martha, meanwhile, notices that Professor Yana carries a fob watch in the exact same design as the one the Doctor used to hide from the Family of Blood by disguising himself as human, although the Professor is convinced that the watch is jammed and does not know what it does, only that he was found with it as a child. Upon realising this, Martha runs back to the Doctor to inform him of this, and he responds with disbelief and denial, as it would imply the existence of another Time Lord... the only one who he knows was capable of surviving the Time War, save for him.
As they manage to get the rocket working, the confounded Professor manages to open the watch after prompting from an increased sound of drums and a malicious voice that seems to be goading him on inside it, and an ominous presence fills him. The Doctor makes a connection between the name of "Yana" and an acronym of the words the Face of Boe spoke, "You Are Not Alone". Yana then starts hijacking the systems and opens the gates of the camp so that the "future kind" can storm the area. Chantho holds a gun to him, but he manages to fatally shock her with a loose electrical cable. Before doing this, he reveals that he almost forgot who he was in becoming human, and is, in fact, the Master. With her dying breath, Chantho shoots the Master as he enters the TARDIS and locks it as the Doctor rushes back to the area. Inside the TARDIS, the Master regenerates, revealing his new form, who turns out to be the man using the name "Mr Saxon" in the 21st century where Martha lives. The Master then announces via an intercom that he is leaving, and Martha recognises his voice, while the dumbfounded Doctor realises his worst fears, that if any Time Lord is to survive other than him, it is the Master. The Master departs for the 21st century in the Doctor's TARDIS, while the "future kind" are beating on the doors of the room. On this cliff-hanger, the episode ends.
This is Derek Jacobi's third involvement in Doctor Who and second time playing the Doctor's nemesis. The first was in the September 2003 audio drama Deadline, where he played a screenwriter who believes himself to be the Doctor. The second was several months later, in the webcast Scream of the Shalka, where he played a robot copy of the Master. David Tennant also had a minor, uncredited role in Scream of the Shalka.
John Bell is a nine-year-old who won a Blue Peter competition to appear in this episode.
Prior to this episode, Captain Jack was last seen at the end of the Torchwood episode "End of Days" looking off-screen while the familiar sound of the TARDIS is heard in the background. The Torchwood team find Jack gone, and the place in a mess. Also, the Doctor notes in the Jonathan Ross clip below that the rift has been active recently. — this also occurred in the Torchwood episode.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
In the clip of this episode shown on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, when Martha enquires as to the earthquake in Cardiff a couple of years ago, the Doctor claims "a bit of trouble with the Slitheen", referring to the events of the 2005 episode "Boom Town" (which was set in 2006). He also states how he was "a different man back then" referring to the fact this happened when he was the Ninth Doctor.
This episode marks the second time a regeneration has been seen in the revived series, and fourth time overall that one has taken place inside the TARDIS.
As of this episode, it hasn't been revealed why the Master was turned human, although it is implied it was because of the Time War.
The Watch which Yana holds communicates with him telepathically, but also broadcasts recordings of previous incarnations of the Master from the Classic series.
This is the 1st of a 3 part series finale and at the end of the episode the doctor is stranded without the TARDIS as the Master teleports away in it. This has happened in the other series finales since Doctor Whos revival. Firstly in Parting Of The Ways, when the doctor sends Rose home in the TARDIS and also in Army Of Ghosts when the Torchwood people are seen wheeling it off even though Rose is still inside.
Production and pre-broadcast publicity
John Barrowman received star billing in the title sequence, along with David Tennant and Freema Agyeman, unlike during his tenure with the Ninth Doctor.
"End of Days". Torchwood. Season 1. Episode 13. 2007-01-01. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
^ "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross". Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Season 12. Episode 8. 2007-05-18. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)