Episode 2

The Fires of Pompeii

Episode Location: Earth, Pompeii 79AD
Aliens/Enemies: The Pyrovile, The Sisterhood, Lucius
New Characters: Caecellius, Metella, Quintus, Evelina
Gadgets Used: Psychic Paper, Sonic Screwdriver, Water Pistol
Episode Objective: To find the TARDIS and get out of Pompeii, but later on its to stop the Pyrovile from destroying the Earth


Bullet-Point Plot

• TARDIS lands
• Ancient Rome!
• Donna is a little excited
• But also confused
• As everyone is talking English
• Doctor explains about TARDIS
• And its translator
• A Soothsayer follows them
• Acting all mysterious
• Donna is confused
• She can only see 1 hill
• When there should be 7
• The ground starts shaking
• And smoke billows from the hill
• Doctor realizes they're in Pompeii
• "And its volcano day!"
• The soothsayer rushes away
• To the temple of Sybil
• She asks to speak
• Speaking of the Blue Box
• And how it has returned!
• Doctor and Donna:
• They rush back to the TARDIS
• To find it gone
• Someone sold it
• To Caecellius
• At Caecellius' house
• We meet his daughter
• Called Evelina
• Shes a soothsayer
• (Or going to be)
• To practise her visions
• She breaths in fumes
• From the volcano
• Via a vent in the floor
• Doctor & Donna run about
• Looking for Caecellius' house
• Doctor says hes found it
• Donna wants to warn people
• About the oncoming eruption
• Doctor says No!
• Donna says Yes!
• Doctor can't change history
• Donna wants to know why
• Doctor goes to get TARDIS
• Donna reluctantly follows
• The Soothsayer was watching
• She speaks telepathically
• To the other soothsayers
• "The Doctor talks of eruptions"
• The High Preistess speaks
• Saying there will be no eruption
• Caecellius is nervous
• The town auger - Lucius
• Is about to visit
• But the Doctor turns up first
• He uses his psychic paper
• Pretends to be a marble inspector
• As Caecellius works with marble
• 
• Doctor notices the TARDIS
• And confiscates it
• He tries to take Donna away
• But Donna doesn't want to
• She wants to warn the family
• The Doctor wont let her
• They're about to leave
• When Lucius appears
• Caecellius reveals his work
• A stone computer circuit
• The Doctor is confused
• But Evelina enters
• Making prophecies
• Lucius joins in
• "Man from Gallifrey"
• "She is returning"
• "Daughter of London"
• "Theres something on your back"
• "You are a lord... a lord of time"
  
• Evelina passes out.
• Her mother cares for her
• Donna hangs about
• She is shown Evelina's arm
• Which has partially turned to stone
• Doctor examines the vent
• And comes to a conclusion:
• If you breath in the vapors
  
• You also breath volcano dust
• He talks to Quintus
• And asks where Lucius lives
• Quintus takes him
• And they sneak in
• Doctor finds other stone slabs
• All with circuits carved into them
• But then Lucius appears
• Donna talks to Evelina
• And asks about her visions
• Hinting at the eruption
• Evelina seems to have no idea
• And when Donna tries to tell her
• She covers her eyes
• And links telepathically
• To the sisterhood
• They hear Donna talking
• And wonder about her prophecy
• The High Priestess dismisses it
• Saying her future is the right one
• And that Donna must die.
• Back at Lucius'
• Doctor moves carvings
• To make a working circuit
• He tells Lucius its a converter
• And wants to know more
  
• Lucius wont answer
• And commands death
• Doctor stalls him
• Asking to shake his hand
• Lucius doesn't let him
• But the Doctor grabs it
  
• And pulls it off
• Its made of stone.
• Quintus runs
• Doctor follows
• Lucius goes to vent
• Asking gods for vengeance
• A fiery face looks up
• Doctor & Quintus stop
• No one is following them
• But then theres a thud
• And another
• That sound like footsteps
• They run again
• And go back to the house
• A Pyrovile appears
• The family think its a god
  
• It kills a servant
• Doctor shouts for water
• Donna goes to get some
• But she is grabbed
• By some soothsayers
• Doctor tries to talk to Pyrovile
• But it doesn't listen
• Quintus throws water
• The Pyrovile crumbles
• Donna is angry
• She is tied down
• About to be sacrificed
• The Doctor appears
• Distracts the sisterhood
• And frees Donna
• They meet the High Priestess
• Who is made of stone
• Since she breathed in the ash
• She's now becoming a Pyrovile
• Doctor asks what she wants
• And is confused
• No one knows about the eruption
• High Priestess orders their death
• Doctor pulls out a water pistol
• He and Donna escape
• By climbing down a vent
• Into the volcano
• Donna pesters Doctor
• Asking about eruption
  
• And why he can't stop it
• Doctor explains:
• Some things are fixed
• Some are in flux
• Things in flux can be changed
• Like Donna's fate in TRB
• Pompeii is fixed
• So can't be changed
• Donna blames Doctor
• They see Pyrovile
• And whats left of their ship
• The converter is installed
• Doctor is confused
• He & Donna approach ship
• Lucius appears
• To be continued
  

Best Bits
- Arguing over fate
- I'm Spartacus!
- Battle of the Prophecy
- Stalking Pyrovile
- Water pistol!
- Into the Volcano
- Kaboom!
- Pleading with the Doctor

Favorite Quotes
Donna: You're kidding... you're not telling me the TARDIS is gone
Doctor: ...Okay
Donna: Where is it then?
[pause]
Doctor: You... told me not to tell you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Metella: If we'd moved to Rome like I said, our Evelina could have been a vestal virgin.
Quintus: Did someone mention vestal virgins?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doctor: Pompeii is a fixed point in history. What happens happens, there is no stopping it.
Donna: Says who?
Doctor: Says me!
Donna: What, and you're in charge?
Doctor: TARDIS? Time Lord? Yeah!
Donna: Donna! Human! No! I don't need your permission, I'll tell 'em myself!
Doctor: If your go round the marketplace telling everyone its the end of the world, they'll just think you're a mad old soothsayer! Now come on! TARIDS! We are getting out of here!
Donna: Well I might just have something to say about that, spaceman!
Doctor: Oh, I bet you will!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caecellius: And who are you?
Doctor: I am.... Spartacus
[pause]
Donna: And so am I
Caecellius: Mr and Mrs Spartacus
Doctor: Oh, no... no we're not married.
Caecellius: Oh! Brother and sister then! Yes.. you look very much alike
[Doctor & Donna look at each other]
Both: Really?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucius: Doctor. She is returning.
Doctor: Who is? Who's she?
Lucius: And you, daughter of London... there is something on your back
Evelina: Even the word Doctor is false. Your real name is hidden. It burns in the stars and the Cascade of Medusa herself. You are a lord, sir. A lord... of time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucius: An energy converter of what?
Doctor: I dunno.. [he grins] isn't that brilliant!? I love not knowing, keeps me on my toes. If must be awful being a prophet, waking up every morning. Is it raining? Yes it is, I said so. Takes all the fun out of life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donna: You have got to be kidding me
Soothsayer: The false prophet will surrender both her blood and her breath
Donna: I'll surrender you in a minute!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donna: Let! Me! Go!
Soothsayer: This prattling voice will cease forever!
Doctor: Oh, that'll be the day.
Soothsayer: No man is allowed to enter the temple!
Doctor: Oh, thats all right. Just us girls!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doctor: Name yourself! Planet of Origin! Galactic co-ordinates! Species desegnation according to the universe's ratification of the Shadow Proclamation!
Priestess: We... Are... RISING!
Doctor: Tell me your name!
Priestess: PYROVILE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donna: You fought her off... with a water pistol?... I bloody love you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donna: But if its aliens setting off the volcano, doesn't that make it alright for you to stop them?
Doctor: Its still part of history
Donna: But I'm history to you. You saved me, in 2008, you saved us all, whys that different?
Doctor: Some things are fixed, some things are in flux, and Pompeii is fixed...
Donna: How do you know which is which?
Doctor: Cause that's how I see the universe. Every waking second is can see: what is, what was, what could be, what must not. That's the burden of a Time Lord, Donna. And I'm the only one left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doctor: Don't you see? Thats why the Soothsayers can't see the volcano.. there is no volcano! Vesuvius is never going to erupt! The Pyroviles use it for power... they can take over the world!
Donna: But.. you can change it back!
[Pause, the Doctor looks pained]
Doctor: I... can avert the system so that the volcano would blow them up, yes. But... thats the choice, Donna. Its Pompeii or the world.
[Donna looks shocked]
Donna:.... Oh, my god...
Doctor: If Pompeii is destroyed then its not just history... its me... I make it happen...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doctor: Push this leaver and its over... twenty thousand people....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donna: [Quietly] Its not fair
[Pause]
Doctor: No, its not.
Donna: Your own planet... it burned...
Doctor: [looking up] Thats just it. Don't you see Donna? Can't you understand? If I could go back and save them, then I would, but I can't...I can't. I just. Can't.
Donna: Just someone.... please... Not the whole town, just save someone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donna: Thank you
Doctor: ... Yeah...
[He takes a deep breath and looks at Donna]
Doctor: You were right. Sometimes I need someone... welcome aboard.
[Donna smiles]
Donna: Yeah


Entry from before the episode aired

Right! So we have: Doctor and Donna, partners in crime, all of time and space at their fingertips! So where do they go? Earth of course! But this be a past Earth... this be Rome!

And, first things first, they've got to take in all the sites:










Donna seems quite happy about all of this and even talks to a teenage Pompeiian and asks: ‘What do young people do around here? Hang out at TK Maximus?’

And she also wonders other things:
"I'm not an expert, but there are seven hills of Rome, aren't there? How come they've only got one?"

But before she can do much, there is a rumble and the ground shakes... citizens of Pompeii are flung into panic! And the Doctor and Donna run off to find out whats wrong:


And, looking up into the sky, they can see a big, smoking volcano thats about to go off. And then they clock on to the fact that they're actually in Pompeii.

Oh dear...

So, now Donna's not so happy about this, and asks the Doctor to help the doomed people:

Donna: You're the Doctor, save people!
Doctor: Not this time.

And clearly, the Doctor's not to happy about it either, but possibly for a different reason. Are the words of Mr Copper ("If you could chose who lived and who died... that would make you a monster") not so easily forgotten? Or am I just making imaginary links here?

Donna: Start the evacuation! Get everyone out, easy!
Doctor: Yeah, except we're not going to.
Donna: Well, I might just have something to say about that, spaceman!
Doctor: Oh, I bet you will!


Donna: I'm history to you. You saved me, in 2008, you saved us all, whys that different?
The Doctor: Some things are fixed, some things are in flux, and Pompeii is fixed...That's how I see the universe. All the time, every waking second: what is, what was, what could be, what must not. That's the burden of a Time Lord, Donna.

But, it seems the TARDIS has been misplaced... the Cult of Vulcan (Vulcan is the Roman god of fire) already seem to know about the ship, and of the Doctor:

Thalina: We have found it, Sister Spurrina. In the Thirteenth Book of the Sibylline Oracles. The Blue box
[Unscrolling revealing a crude drawing of the TARDIS]
Thalina: And yet, Sybil foretold that the box would appear at the times of storms and fire and betrayal
High Priestess: ...Sisters...
[A whisper, from behind the drapes. The 3 SOOTHSAYERS alarmed, stand cross the room - all three moving as one to face the drapes; they're gauze-like, lit by flames from behind, smoke in the air. A strange misshapen SILHOUETTE]

"It has come, as foretold in the prophecy... the blue box"

So, since they have no way out, the pair quickly (or not so quickly, I don't really know the plot) meet a Pompeii stall holder... it doesn't look like a hugely happy interchange. Maybe the Doctor is asking odd/personal questions.



Either way, the pair meet the family of a character called Caecillius, to whom they get rather attached to... I think theres also a mother, son, and daughter.

"The sky is falling!"

Although, judging from what the mother (I think its the mother) of the household has to say, the family may also be a bit wary:
"Doctor, you bring bad luck into this house."


And the daughter has funny things to say about herself:
"I see the most terrible of things"

So, with the family, Donna has changed her clothes to something more suitable:

And the Doctor and the son (I think) go out into the town... possibly looking for something or someone, but it turns out that they're being followed: bring on the giant rock creatures!

And its the Cult of Vulan who have kidnapped Donna, and we'll probably see them earlier in the episode, but I just have no idea where.










The Cult of Vulcan can be seen in the trailers as having strange body and face paint, and doing what looks like ritualistic dancing. Donna is tied to an alter, ready for sacrifice.


And this sacrifice might just possibly be to what the Cult view as their god, but who is actually a weird alien creature...

But its okay! The Doctor is out for a rescue! So Donna is saved, and the Doctor gets to confront the possible "big bad" of the episode. And he asks the vital question that all people must ask, and gets an answer, and saves the day!

The Doctor: I demand you tell me who you are!
Weird, wrinkly, rock: PYROVILE!

Or maybe not... Apparently the Pyrovillians are a clan of terrifying fire monsters who live inside the volcano... and there are shots of strange fire/rock creatures breaking out of the ground, and the volcano erupting in a shower of special effects.



And I have no idea what happens after this, and how our intrepid explorers get out of it all. All I know is that there are shots of the Doctor armed with a water pistol.... and Donna screaming 'DOCTOR!' as ash falls from the sky.

Oh, and as well as enemies, there is Lucius, who is apparently under alien manipulation and can therefore be classed as "bad guy" I suppose.

There are shots of him looking into something and hissing "Show yourself!!" as well as claiming that "Prophecies of women are limited and dull, only the men-folk have the capacity for true perception."


And these emotional images below are possibly when the volcano is about to erupt? Phil Collinson has confirmed that the "explosion" is due to aliens... lets maybe assume some big, rocky type ones? Maybe from Phyrovilla?