History Recap / DoctorWhoS30E2TheFiresOfPompeii

* CityOfWeirdos: The Doctor assures Donna they won't stand out, as ancient Rome is "[[TakeThat like Soho, but bigger]]". It still applies after it turns out they're in Pompeii.

** Giant footsteps shaking the ground from the Pyrovile foot soldier sent to the house of Caecilius? It's staged very much like the first ''T. rex'' scene in ''Film/JurassicPark''.

The casting for this episode turned out to be quite auspicious. Phil Davis (Lucius) would play the first antagonist in ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' (a series run by the same showrunners as ''Doctor Who''); Tracey Childs (Metella) had previously appeared as Dr. Elizabeth Klein in ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'', who would go on to become a regular Big Finish companion; Creator/KarenGillan (Soothsayer scout) would return as [[RecastAsARegular Amy Pond]], one of the two longest-serving companions of the new series; and Creator/PeterCapaldi (Caecilius) would have a supporting role in ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'' and later take the helm of the show as the Twelfth Doctor himself". [[note]]
The Twelfth Doctor episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied The Girl Who Died]]" featured a CallBack to this episode, with the Doctor realizing that he deliberately chose Caecilius' face subconsciously as a reminder of one his proudest decisions, in the hope that he would be prompted to do more such actions. [[/note]]

The casting for this episode turned out to be quite auspicious. Phil Davis (Lucius) would play the first antagonist in ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' (a series run by the same showrunners as ''Doctor Who''); Tracey Childs (Metella) had previously appeared as Dr. Elizabeth Klein in ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'', who would go on to become a regular Big Finish companion; Creator/KarenGillan (Soothsayer scout) would return as [[RecastAsARegular Amy Pond]], one of the two longest-serving companions of the new series; and Creator/PeterCapaldi (Caecilius) would have a supporting role in ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'' and later take the helm of the show as the Twelfth Doctor himself, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied The Girl Who Died]]" featuring a CallBack to this episode as the reason Twelve has Caecilius' face.

* ArmourPiercingQuestion: When Evelina first emerges to meet the Doctor and Donna, having been consuming the vapours, the Doctor (so far going by the name [[IAmMrFuturePopCultureReference "Spartacus"]]) concurs with her brother's assessment that it's not doing her any good. Her response stuns him into silence.

* ArmourPiercingQuestion: When Evelina first emerges to meet the Doctor and Donna, having been consuming the vapours, the Doctor (so far going by the name [[IAmMrFuturePopCultureReference 'Spartacus']]) concurs with her brother's assessment that it's not doing her any good. Her response stuns him into silence.
-->'''Evelina''': Is that your opinion... as a Doctor?

* FaceDeathWithDignity: The Sisterhood, once they realise what's coming and how they've been betrayed, with their second in command castigating their possessed High Priestess for betraying them, before holding their other members and saying softly, "and yet, this was always meant to be."

* AGodAmI: It's a inverted trope here. The new "household gods" of Caecilius' household are the Doctor, Donna and the TARDIS. None of those three believe themselves to be gods — no, not even the TARDIS - though the Doctor ''has'' been called one on many occasions ('the Lonely God' being one of his better known nicknames).
* HappilyMarried: Caecillius and Metella look like a modern stereotype; bickering about household furniture, raising children, he can't find a pin because she's polishing it, and sticking together in tragic times.

'''Evelina:''' Is that your opinion... as a Doctor? ''[...]'' And you, you call yourself Noble... ''[...]'' Even the word 'Doctor' is false. Your real name is hidden... it burns in the stars, in the Cascade of Medusa herself. You are a lord, sir... a Lord of Time.

-->'''The Doctor:''' ...but that's the choice, Donna: [[WhamLine it's Pompeii or the world.]]\\

** Evelina and Lucius are both particularly powerful seers, and it's suggested by the Doctor that despite Lucius' sexist dismissals of her prophecies, Evelina is the stronger of the two - he picks up that the Doctor is from Gallifrey and Donna is from London [[{{Foreshadowing}} (and has something on her back)]], but she picks up the Doctor's name, the fact it's not his true name (and that his true name is hidden), the Medusa Cascade, ''and'' the fact that he's a Time Lord.

* {{Seer}}: Loads of them - and thanks to a combination of the Pyroviles' activating latent psychic abilities in humanity, and the sheer force of the Pompeii eruption creating a brief crack in time and space that rippled back. The Sibylline Sisterhood are the most organised, with Lucius following the same agenda, and Evelina as the odd one out (she's promised to the Sisterhood, but not a member) - it's also implied that she's the most powerful seer of them all, going by how much she picks up off the Doctor when semi-delirious.

-->"Even the name Doctor is false. Your true name burns in the stars, hidden in the cascade of Medusa herself. You are a lord, sir. A Lord of Time."

* AGodAmI: It's a inverted trope here. The new "household gods" of Caecilius' household are the Doctor, Donna and the TARDIS. None of those three believe themselves to be gods — no, not even the TARDIS.

** With bonus IAmSpartacus joke included absolutely free.

'''Evelina:''' Is that your opinion... as a Doctor? ''[...]'' And you, you call yourself Noble... ''[...]'' You are a lord, sir... a Lord of Time.

* PsychicPowers: The Sibylline Sisterhood have them as a side-effect of the Pyroviles' presence. To be specific, the humans had the powers already, albeit dormant. The Pyroviles activated these powers (the backlash of the sheer force of the eruption, rippling back through time and space, also had something to do with it), though the Doctor mentions a difference between "psychic" and "seeing the future".

* TranslatorMicrobes: The Doctor tells Donna about the TARDIS translation field that means they're speaking English while the Pompeiians hear them speaking Latin. She wonders what happens if she ''intentionally'' speaks Latin. Answer: The Pompeiians don't understand your Celtic.

Except after some searching, they discover that they've landed in Pompeii, on [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E10TheDoctorDances Volcano Day]], approximately 24 hours before Mount Vesuvius erupts and Pompeii's streets get re-paved with lava. Donna immediately requests the Doctor's help to organize a mass evacuation and save everyone, but the Doctor shuts the idea down: he doesn't ''say'' "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E6TheAztecs You can't change history, not one line]]", but he is probably thinking it.

To his horror, the Doctor finds out that Mount Vesuvius won't erupt if he just leaves; he needs to ''make'' it erupt. If Pompeii isn't destroyed, then since the [[MonsterOfTheWeek alien menace of the week]] hasn't also been destroyed, a race of lava golems will turn humans into more golems, boil the ocean and conquer the world. Donna realises for the first time that travelling with the Doctor can be very morally disturbing. They make the volcano erupt, both fully expecting to die, but it turns out the conversion device they used was inside an escape pod. Donna convinces the Doctor to go back and save Caecilius and his family. Because not everyone is an über-depressed near-suicidal Time Lord, and sometimes the Doctor forgets that.

** Giant footsteps shaking the ground from the Pyrovile foot soldier sent to the House of Caecilius? It's staged very much like the first ''T. rex'' scene in ''Film/JurassicPark''.

* SistineSteal: The Doctor steps out of his TARDIS to save a doomed family from the title eruption. The TARDIS is unaccountably shining behind him, and then there's a shot of his hand, reaching out for the father's as if he's God and the human is Adam in the Art/SistineChapel painting.

* PsychicPowers: The Sibylline Sisterhood have them as a side-effect of the Pyroviles' presence. To be specific, the humans had the powers already, albeit dormant. The Pyroviles activated these powers (the backlash of the sheer force of the eruption, rippling back through time and space, also had something to do with it), though the Doctor mentions a difference between "pyschic" and "seeing the future".

* MistakenForSpecialGuest: Not addressed in the episode, but there's a subtle indication that Donna is seen as someone of high status, when the soothsayers note her true name is "Noble" and that throughout this episode she wears purple, which was seen at the time [[PurpleIsPowerful to indicate wealth and status]], even to be an Imperial colour, because of the sheer expense of the dye.

* HandShakeRefusal: Lucius Petrus Dextrus, on account of [[TakenForGranite his stone right arm]].

* TranslatorMicrobes: Explored — when the Doctor tells Donna about the translation field, she wonders what happens if she ''intentionally'' speaks Latin. Answer: The Pompeiians don't understand your Celtic.

** The Doctor's mention of "Volcano Day" refers to a comment by Jack Harkness in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E10TheDoctorDances The Doctor Dances]]", who mentioned using Pompeii several times to pull cons where he'd sell alien ships or technology, only for the eruption to wipe away the evidence before his mark's realized that he'd actually sold them bits of old junk.
** The Doctor mentioning that he had [[BlatantLies nothing to do with]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E4TheRomans Rome burning]]. "...Okay, maybe a little bit."

The casting for this episode turned out to be quite auspicious. Phil Davis ("Lucius") would play the first antagonist in ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' (a series run by the same showrunners as ''Doctor Who''); Tracey Childs ("Metella") had previously appeared as Dr. Elizabeth Klein in ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'', who would go on to become a regular Big Finish companion; Creator/KarenGillan (Soothsayer scout) would return as [[RecastAsARegular Amy Pond]], one of the two longest-serving companions of the new series; and Creator/PeterCapaldi ("Caecilius") would have a supporting role in ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'' and later take the helm of the show as the Twelfth Doctor himself, the episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E5TheGirlWhoDied The Girl Who Died]]" featuring a CallBack to this episode as the reason Twelve has Caecilius' face.

--> Even the name Doctor is false. Your true name burns in the stars, hidden in the cascade of Medusa herself. You are a lord, sir. A Lord of Time.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: The Doctor is quick to deny that he had anything to do with the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E4TheRomans Great Fire of Rome.]] By the end of the episode, he and Donna are personally responsible for the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (as the alternative would be letting the Pyrovile race TakeOverTheWorld).

** The Doctor mentioning that he had [[BlatantLies nothing to do with]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E4TheRomans Rome burning.]] "...Okay, maybe a little bit."

** The Doctor admits that Donna was right — [[MoralityChain sometimes he does need someone.]]

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Donna sharing the burden with the Doctor of having to cause Vesuvius's eruption, and later pleading with him to save just one family. It's not hard to see why the Doctor became such good friends with her.
-->'''Donna:''' Just someone. Please. Not the whole town... Just save ''someone.''

** Of course, there could just be more than one Caecilius in Pompeii. Also Caecilius' introduces himself as Lobus Caecilius, meaning that he must be a different Caecilius.

* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: While it appears to be your average Monster of the Week/Historical Period of the Week Doctor Who episode, even aside from the standard {{Foreshadowing}} and retrospective [[CastingGag casting jokes]], the events of this episode directly influence the Twelfth Doctor's choice of appearance, most of 6 real-time years later (InUniverse, around 1100).
* KeepItForeign: The TARDIS's telepathic field translates Latin phrases in Celtic (Welsh today) phrases, and English into Latin.

* NoodleIncident:
** First Doctor serial "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E4TheRomans The Romans]]" is referenced like this:
--->'''The Doctor:''' And before you ask, that fire had [[BlatantLies nothing]] to do with me.
** The Doctor apparently met the Sybil, and she was an excellent dancer. She fancied him.

** The scene of Caecilius's family rushing to their positions during the pre-eruption earthquakes could be one to the Admiral Boom scenes in ''Film/MaryPoppins'', with a character shouting "Positions!"

* PottyEmergency: While Donna is unsuccessfully attempting to warn Caecilius of the impending volcanic eruption(him never having heard of a "volcano"), the Doctor seems to get uncomfortable to the point of putting his hands in his pockets, leaning forward, making a "strained" expression, suggesting Donna's "waste of time" is getting to his ''bladder''...

'''The Doctor:''' Time Lord, TARDIS, yes!\\
'''Donna:''' [[ScrewYouElves Donna. Human. No! I don't need your permission, Spaceman.]]

** Caecilius. His fist appearance is him gushing over his new "modern art" item: the TARDIS. When the Doctor and Donna both introduce themselves as "Spartacus", and Caecilius assumes they must be brother and sister, he states they do look a lot alike, at which they emit a puzzled "Really?" in unison. Amusingly, "caecilius" means "the blind one".

* Caecilius. His establishing character moment is gushing over his new "modern art" item: the TARDIS. When the Doctor and Donna both introduce themselves as "Spartacus", and Caecilius assumes they must be brother and sister, he states they do look a lot alike, at which they emit a puzzled "Really?" in unison. Amusingly, "caecilius" means "the blind one".

** Of course, there could just be more than one Caecilius in Pompeii. In the script Caecilius' first name is Lobus, meaning that he must be a different Caecilius.

* SparedByTheAdaptation: Sort of, even though it's not a direct adaptation; see CreatorInJoke and HistoricalDomainCharacter. In the ''Literature/CambridgeLatinCourse'', Caecilius and most of his family died in the eruption of Vesuvius. However, that man's name was Lucius Caecilius, while in the script Caecilius is given the first name of Lobus.

** Of course, there could just be more than one Caecilius in Pompeii.

* SparedByTheAdaptation: Sort of, even though it's not a direct adaptation; see CreatorInJoke and HistoricalDomainCharacter. In the ''Literature/CambridgeLatinCourse'', Caecilius and most of his family died in the eruption of Vesuvius.

* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: While it appears to be your average Monster of the Week/Historical Period of the Week Doctor Who episode, even aside from the standard {{Foreshadowing}} and retrospective [[CastingGag casting jokes]], the events of this episode directly influence the Twelfth Doctor's choice of appearance, most of 6 real-time years later (InUniverse, more like 500).