History Recap / DoctorWhoS34E8MummyOnTheOrientExpress

** The Doctor walking on a rocky beach in his formal suit and carrying a stick is very reminiscent of the classic 19th century painting "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderer_above_the_Sea_of_Fog Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog]]".

Written by Jamie Mathieson.

* CoolGuns: The guards on the train use Artillery Luger pistols with wings attached. Unfortunately, as Quell demonstrates, GunsAreUseless against the Foretold.

-->'''The Doctor:''' "I'm so pleased to finally see you!"

-->'''Quell:''' "It turns out it's three. The amount of people that had to die before I stopped looking the other way."

-->'''Clara:''' "So you saved everyone?"\\
'''The Doctor:''' "No, I just saved you, and I let everyone else suffocate!"

-->'''Quell:''' "[[SarcasmMode For the record]], it didn't even flinch."

-->'''Perkins:''' "That job could, ah, change a man."
-->'''The Doctor:''' "Yes, it does. [[TheNthDoctor Frequently.]]"

--> '''Moorhouse:''' "The next one? You mean, you can't save me!?"

* LongingLook: Clara gives the Doctor a couple of these. And while it's not a "look", the definition of the trope still applies as the Doctor gives a noticeable and physical reaction to hearing Clara apparently say "I love you" to Danny. Not being aware that Clara said those words while looking directly at him.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see the RadioTimes magazine poster for this episode:]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mummy_on_the_orient_express_poster_8856.jpg [[StealthPun The Who's Who in the Whodunnit!]] [[/labelnote]]]]

Also, the Doctor forgot about something on his to-do list for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E13TheBigBang 1.1 millennia]]. With his attention span, are we ''really'' surprised?

That's pretty damn awesome, and the Doctor seems to agree. He's headed there himself for a much-needed break - a more pleasant sort of adventure, where nothing's supposed to go wrong. But things are bittersweet; Clara's come along too, breaking out the ol' [[TheFlapper flapper attire]], but [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E7KillTheMoon her impossible choice on the Moon's still shaken her]], and she's made it very clear that this is her last adventure. "One last hurrah." The Doctor doesn't seem too happy, but he's content to sit with her and chat about the Magellan black hole whizzing past their window, and planets of darkness and shrubs.

* AdvertisedExtra: Music/{{Foxes}} was promoted in some press articles as the episode's joint main guest actor along with Frank Skinner. She plays a [[TheChanteuse Jazz Singer]] onboard the train (more-than-likely a hologram) and appears in a few shots while singing in the background for less than a minute. However, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-OTYT02W7E a full version of her jazz cover]] of "Don't Stop Me Now" exists, starring her exclusively in a ''Doctor Who''-themed music video, so she did technically make a significant appearance for the show.

-->'''The Doctor:''' I'm so pleased to finally see you!
* AintTooProudToBeg: Professor Moorhouse tries begging for his life, given that the Doctor doesn't offer him any hope, and legend has it the Foretold can be stopped if given the right word.
-->"This is my life, my death. I'm going to fight for it how I want! Er, I give you... my soul. I confess all sins. I give you all my worldly goods. Only, please, please, please..."

* AlasPoorVillain: The Foretold -- [[WasOnceAMan not in the usual sense that a mummy was "once a man"]], but that he is just a soldier from a war thousands of years ago, ''heavily bandaged'', kept alive but not healed, spending ''thousands of years'' in torment sustained by malfunctioning medical technology. When the Doctor finally realizes this he openly pities him, and figures out how to free him from his "curse" -- surrendering, so the soldier's mission will be complete, and the tech sustaining him for the mission will finally turn off. The mummy/soldier salutes the Doctor -- some scrap of memory, in respect or gratitude -- then disintegrates, finally released from his suffering.
* AlmightyJanitor: Perkins turns out to be perfectly innocent, but he does have a good deal of information on hand when needed, and contributes more to the conversation than most of the scientists on the train. So much so, that he gets the rare, "You're a genius" compliment from the Doctor.
* AndIMustScream: It's implied that the mummy is aware of what's happening, as it salutes the Doctor when he finally ends its unliving slavery.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: Clara talks about how this is her "last hurrah", but at the end of the episode she is eager for another adventure. That's how the episode ends; the next adventure.

-->'''Quell:''' It turns out it's three. The amount of people that had to die before I stopped looking the other way.
** The Doctor is handed the analysis of who the next victim will be. We get a BaitAndSwitch where it cuts to Clara, but their conversation quickly shows it's Maisie.

-->'''Clara:''' So you saved everyone?\\
'''The Doctor:''' ... No, I just saved you, and I let everyone else suffocate!
* AssholeVictim: The first victim, Mrs. Pitt, poisoned her granddaughter's pony, and her father.
* AutoDoc: Mrs. Pitt's chair is revealed to be one after she is killed. It couldn't save her from the Foretold, but it used up nearly all its battery power trying. The mummy also has this technology built into it, which is why it can't die.
* BadassBoast:
** The Doctor, referring to the mummy's 66-second countdown: "One minute with me, and this thing -- it would be ''over!''" He's not far wrong; he takes it down with half a second to spare.
** His reply when asked if he's a genius or really just incredibly arrogant: "On a good day, probably both."
* BaitAndSwitch: The stopwatch and countdown clock that herald each mummy attack for the viewers appear when Clara and Maisie are locked up with an ominously-opening sarcophagus, suggesting to the audience that the ladies are in direct danger. The timing is just a coincidence, as the sarcophagus is vacant and the Foretold is actually targeting one of the security guards.
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: The Doctor's [[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars respiratory bypass system]] means he can stay conscious while everyone else is being asphyxiated and find a way to save them. According to the episode's writer, a deleted scene would have had the Doctor briefly ''outside the train'', further demonstrating this ability.
* BetterAsFriends: The position that Danny urges that Clara take with the Doctor. [[NiceGuy He's not asking her to sever all ties]], just to enjoy her last adventure. Unfortunately the scene prior to this had Clara sounding out the Doctor on whether he could just "come round for dinner" now and then, and it's clear neither of them want that kind of mundane life.

** When asked [[NotThatKindOfDoctor what he's a Doctor of]], the Doctor replies "Let's say 'intestinal parasites'."
** Quell finds it very suspicious that the Doctor claims to be a mystery shopper (the thing he fears most).
* BreakUpMakeUpScenario: Continuing from the end of the previous episode, Clara is in the process of "breaking up" with the Doctor (she even talks about "dumping him" on the phone to Danny - which Danny flags is odd because the Doctor's not supposed to be her boyfriend, right?). The adventure that ensues actually appears destined to finalize this. However, once Clara realizes the Doctor was forced to make tough decisions and isn't as heartless as he lets on, not only do they make-up and agree to continue their friendship, a LoveTriangle scenario launches.

* BusmansHoliday: Clara and the Doctor come to have a nice time and immediately find mysterious goings-on. It's lampshaded by Clara, who asks if the Doctor's under a curse that prevents him from ever taking a break without an adventure interrupting. It's subverted when it turns out the Doctor already knew there was something going on when he chose the Orient Express as their destination, and just didn't tell Clara.
* CallBack: All the way back to the Eleventh Doctor, when he got a phone call to come help the space Orient Express [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E13TheBigBang after Amy and Rory's wedding]]. It took him over '''1100''' years and one regeneration before he finally got around to doing something about this problem. Turns out the problem was just a ruse to get the Doctor to come and capture the mummy (there's a bit of a continuity hiccup, however, as the original phone call had to do with an Egyptian goddess, not a mummy, unless Gus was lying about the goddess bit).

* ChangedMyJumper: Averted not only by Clara but ''also the Doctor''. NotADate here, no sir.

** The Doctor meets ''two'' soldiers on board the Orient Express, and for once he doesn't make a big deal about it. In fact, he scorns Quell for taking his "cushy" job. However, given that he's back to being rude and dismissive towards soldiers in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E12DeathInHeaven the season finale]], it's perhaps more a case of DependingOnTheWriter.

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Discussed; Clara questions whether the Doctor's lifestyle is an addiction. The Doctor says he won't know if he's addicted unless he tries to give it up.[[note]]The Doctor did [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E12ClosingTime try to ignore a potential threat once]]. It didn't work.[[/note]]
* CliffhangerCopout: The Doctor is in the middle of explaining to Clara that he can teleport everyone to safety when the train blows up (this is where there's a commercial break in the American run). Cut to Clara waking up on a beach with the Doctor explaining that the train exploded well after they had escaped; it turns out the Doctor teleported them into the TARDIS and tried to hack in, which Gus didn't like, so Gus detonated the train.
* ClosedCircle: An InvokedTrope by Gus. If everyone is on a train that's running through space, then no one can possibly leave. He even puts up a force around the TARDIS.

* CoolGuns: The guards on the train use Artillery Luger pistols with wings attached. Unfortunately GunsAreUseless against the Foretold.

** The Twelfth Doctor wears a wing collar with a dark and fanciful bowtie -- the attire that the First Doctor most often wore. His last incarnation also thought bowties were cool.
** The Doctor has a cigarillo case containing jelly babies, which first appeared with the [[Creator/PatrickTroughton Second Doctor]] and were a favourite of the [[Creator/TomBaker Fourth Doctor]]. WordOfGod [[http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2iyngn/i_wrote_tonights_doctor_who_and_next_weeks_ama/cl6qq8y here]] is that this was Creator/PeterCapaldi's idea.

** As noted above, the Doctor did [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E12ClosingTime try to ignore a potential threat once]], in a very similar manner to how he here reassures himself that there's nothing to worry about. Well, 99% sure. Well...74%.
** The Doctor's ability to [[BatmanCanBreatheInSpace survive without air longer than humans]] has been shown in several episodes.

* DestructionEqualsOffSwitch: ZigZaggedTrope; Clara suggests fetching the Doctor with his handy sonic screwdriver to get them into the sealed compartment, but Maise just smashes the lock's control panel with her shoe, which instantly opens the door. The door then closes behind them, and they can't get out because the panel is smashed. When the Doctor turns up with his sonic screwdriver, even he can't get them out.

* DoNotGoGentle: Captain Quell. When the Foretold comes for him, he empties his gun at it while knowing that it wouldn't do him any good (as he put it "What kind of soldier would I be, dying with bullets in my gun?"). After that, he calmly makes observations about it that further the Doctor's analysis, keeps his cool for far longer than Dr Moorhouse did, and finally decides there are worse ways to be die than being taken by the Foretold; ''"Blood pumping, enemy at the gates and all that."''

* EinsteinHair: One of the scientists doing sciency things in the background has a crazy mob of hair.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Maisie invokes this trope when she talks to Clara about her relationship with the Doctor and disbelieves Clara's statement that she's no longer friends (or, ahem, anything else) with the Doctor.
* ExactTimeToFailure: Anyone who's caught sight of the Mummy has exactly 66 seconds to live before getting killed.

* FiveStagesOfGrief: Moorhouse gets as far as Bargaining before the mummy gets him. Quell makes it all the way to Acceptance.

* {{Foreshadowing}}:

** Gus jettisons an entire compartment of the train to get the Doctor to stop talking with Clara, who is reading through reports of previous test groups and was about to find out that Gus had killed them when they failed to be useful.
** Perkins ironically suggests they'll be ThrownOutTheAirlock if they don't cooperate with Gus. Which is exactly what happens, except Gus [[AndYourLittleDogToo airlocks other people]] until the Doctor cooperates.
* ForgivenButNotForgotten: A non-adversarial application of this trope. Clara forgives the Doctor for what he did to her in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E7KillTheMoon Kill the Moon]]" as she learns that the Doctor is well aware he must occasionally make decisions from a pool of bad options. This is a lesson she takes to heart as her journey towards becoming a DistaffCounterpart of the Doctor continues.

* FutureImperfect: The space Orient Express has supposedly been fitted out in the style of the original's heyday, correct in every detail. There are, however, a number of lapses: for instance, the in-flight entertainer's slow jazz ballad is actually a Music/{{Queen|Band}} number.

* AGoodWayToDie: Captain Quell in his final moments before being taken by the Forsaken, almost word for word.
-->''"I think this is it. Still, suppose it's not a bad way to go. Blood pumping, enemy at the gates and all that. And thank you, Doctor, for waking me up. It's reaching for me. Hands on my head..."''

* HardLight: Some of the people on the train are Hard Light Holograms, put there to add verisimilitude until the trap is sprung.
* HaveANiceDeath: Gus

* HeIsNotMyBoyfriend: Of course not. The Doctor and Clara are JustFriends. Who are now breaking up. Despite still hanging around each other. Even Clara gets caught out on this when she refers to "dumping" the Doctor, which Danny says is impossible since the Doctor's not her boyfriend... right?

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: By forcing the passengers to discover the mechanism behind the Foretold, Gus accidentally gives them the means to escape his trap with that very technology. Whoever installed him therefore went to all that trouble for nothing.
* HoldingBothSidesOfTheConversation: When the Doctor begins to suspect there might be danger on the train, Clara's in bed (in another cabin), so he discusses the situation with himself. Specifically, his Fourth incarnation.
* HypercompetentSidekick: The Doctor dismisses TheCaptain as useless and leaves his cabin to find Chief Engineer Perkins with all the paperwork he needs to look into the mystery.
* TheILoveYouStigma: A rare breaking of this with regards to the Doctor. While on the phone to Danny at the end and lying about leaving the Doctor, Clara says "I love you" but finds herself looking directly at the Doctor and saying it loud enough for him to hear. The Doctor is oblivious to this (he reacts assuming she has said it to Danny). WordOfSaintPaul (the actress Jenna Coleman, speaking at fan conventions soon after the episode first aired and again since) confirms that Clara's "I love you" is actually addressed at the Doctor, not Danny.
* ImYourWorstNightmare: Spoofed; the Doctor tells Captain Quell's he's his worst nightmare, then shows him the psychic paper. Quell groans in disgust, "A mystery shopper. Oh, great!" The Doctor is visibly thrown, [[SureLetsGoWithThat but runs with it]].

-->'''Quell:''' [[SarcasmMode For the record]], it didn't even flinch.

* IntangibleMan: The Foretold is slightly out of phase with reality. Bullets just pass through, and he walks right through the Doctor at one point.

* IWishedYouWereDead: Maisie admits to feeling like this about her grandmother, Mrs. Pitt, and feels guility for her death.
* JerkassHasAPoint: At this point in the development of the Twelfth Doctor, his status as a "jerkass" has been established, though he gets better. As such, his stated rationale for undertaking the risks and sacrifices necessary to defeat Gus (and in forcing Clara to make the decision re: the Moon in the previous episode) is sound. As a result of coming to understand his point of view, not only does Clara fully forgive him and recommit to being with him (even to the extent of lying to her boyfriend), but the Doctor himself begins to be less jerkassy from this point forward.
* TheJuggernaut: Once the Foretold has decided to kill someone, it's unstoppable. It can teleport or simply [[IntangibleMan walk through]] any obstacle, and is immune to attack. The only way to stop it is by telling it what it wants to hear.

* JustOneSecondOutOfSync: The reason only the victim can see the Mummy is that it is sixty-six seconds out of synch with the rest of the universe. It pushes its victim into this position.
* JustThinkOfThePotential: The people behind the Express' line purposefully stuffed it full of big-brained investigators and alien experts (including the Doctor) in order to find out what the Foretold is, and to make more like it.

* KickTheDog: Gus kills the staff of the Express' kitchen to punish the Doctor for making a phone call when he should be researching the Foretold.
* LackOfEmpathy: Once again the Doctor aggravates someone (this time Perkins, Moorhouse and Quell as they're about to die, plus once again Clara) with his apparently callous response.

* LongingLook: Clara gives the Doctor a couple of these. And while it's not a "look", the definition of the trope still applies as the Doctor gives a noticeable and physical reaction to hearing Clara apparently say "I love you" to Danny. Not being aware that Clara said those words while looking directly at the Doctor.
* LoveConfession: At the end of the episode, Clara finally spills it to the Doctor. Befitting the whole awkward AnchoredShip situation, the barely maintained denial that stretches all the way back into series 7 and the overall complicated nature of their relationship, she does it in a rather indirect fashion [[http://sswhouffaldi.tumblr.com/post/100726511943/x]] and he responds with a brief, ambiguous reaction shot that might have contained the slightest flicker of a smile, but otherwise doesn't address it. However, the way she does it also officially kicks off the...
* LoveTriangle: Although technically in place for a while, given that Clara had been keeping the existence of the Doctor secret from Danny up until only a couple episodes earlier, with this episode she actively begins lying to Danny about no longer being with the Doctor. Explicitly illustrated with Clara's "I love you" moment that is spoken on the phone with Danny, who assumes it's addressed at him, but actually spoken to the Doctor (per WordOfGod). Not to mention the date-like aspects of the first act as Clara and the Doctor arrive on the train and before the jeopardy kicks in and the fact Maisie calls nonsense on Clara claiming to no longer being friends with the Doctor... despite boarding a space train with him.
* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: There are several scientists and experts on alien life forms and ancient mythology, but just the Doctor, Chief Engineer Perkins, Doctor Moorhouse and Captain Quell contribute to the mystery (with Clara and Maisie providing support, though Clara does the heavy lifting in getting Maisie to become a potential sacrificial lamb). The rest are just in the background doing [[BuffySpeak backgroundy things]].
* MeaningfulEcho: In the last episode, Lundvik told Courtney that "When you've grown up a bit, you'll realise that everything doesn't have to be nice, some things are just ''bad''.". Clara writes her off as a cynic, thinking that the Doctor perfectly knew the "right" choice and just withheld it from her. In this episode, one of the "bad" choices again turns out better -- Just as the Moon egg hatches harmlessly, the Doctor manages to save Maisie after all. He then explains that he genuinely didn't know the outcome and that, echoing Lundvik's statement, "Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones, but you still have to choose." These statements also directly echo the dilemma of the preceding episode that had led Clara to consider leaving the Doctor in the first place.
* MeetCute: The Doctor quizzing Prof. Moorhouse about the Foretold, which begins with an offering of jelly babies.

* MissedHimByThatMuch: Clara comes out to knock on the door of the Doctor's sleeping compartment mere seconds after he'd paused outside hers, dithered over whether or not to knock, decided not to do so and headed off down the corridor.
* MistakenForMurderer: Briefly played with in classic ''Who'' tradition, but quickly averted. The Doctor is arrested by Quell when he finds out he's not supposed to be on the train, saying that for all he knows the Doctor is the killer. Just then there's another murder, and Quell immediately releases the Doctor.
* MoralityPet: After Clara vents at the Doctor for making her his accomplice in luring Maisie to the lab as an UnwittingTestSubject, the Doctor suddenly comes up with an IndyPloy that will risk his own life instead. (Although the Doctor claims later that this was his plan all along, this is left ambiguous. However, given that he makes the claim in the middle of a [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] confession that he didn't know if the plan would save Maisie and would have just moved on to the next victim if it had failed, it's hard to see what he'd gain by lying.)
* MrFixit: Perkins the engineer displays an impressive array of technical knowledge, guessing at the mummy's phasing ability and suggesting that the Doctor replace a couple of the TARDIS' drive stacks.
* MsFanservice: Clara's period dress shows off a lot of leg and chest and back. Still quite conservative, but considering Clara generally covers herself up neck-to-toe, it's a noticeable exception to her usual rule.[[note]]The original version of Clara's costume - which is actually available off-the-rack - is ''far'' more revealing than the version seen on TV which had a dark liner added to make it more appropriate for ''Doctor Who''[[/note]] She also sports a fashionable and period-accurate silk pajama outfit at one point, which again is a sexier look than she usually sports on the show.

-->'''Perkins:''' That job could, ah, change a man.
-->'''The Doctor:''' Yes, it does. [[TheNthDoctor Frequently.]]
** At one point the sarcophagus opens ominously to reveal... bubble wrap and blinking lights, in a [[SelfDeprecation self-deprecating jab]] toward [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E2TheArkInSpace "The Ark in Space"]], which infamously used green bubble wrap as a(n extremely bad) special effect.

** Whenever the Doctor ''is'' asked what he's a doctor of, the customary answer is "[[OmnidisciplinaryScientist Everything]]." Not this time; this time he goes with "intestinal parasites".
* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailer has no sign of Clara, as per her telling the Doctor to clear off out of her life in "Kill the Moon".

* NobleDemon: The Foretold. While it's a scary monster that kills people to absorb their life energy, it makes a point of targeting those who didn't have much time left first, and gives them a quick and painless death, as opposed to the horrible suffering their conditions would have caused otherwise.
* NotADate: At least that's what the Doctor and Clara try to suggest to each other. It's a "last hurrah", just one last outing among friends who are terminating their friendship... right? Because friendship terminations often include romantic-tinged night caps with champagne in a darkened rail car corridor after Clara spends part of the preceding scene hanging onto the Doctor's arm while he impresses her with stories of alien worlds. While she doesn't go so far as to call it a date, Maisie nonetheless pretty much points out to Clara that that's what it still looks like to her. Danny isn't entirely convinced either.
* NumberOfTheBeast: It takes 66 seconds for the Foretold to kill its victims.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome:
** The Doctor saved the entire passenger list of the Orient Express (minus those who had already been killed by the Mummy or Gus by that point), while Clara was unconscious from oxygen depravation.
** A semi-romantic (in the classic sense) case: rather than let her just sleep it off in the TARDIS, the Doctor is implied to have carried Clara down to the beach, covered her up with a blanket and waited with her until she awoke to the sight of a rather pretty sunset or sunrise with a cool-looking alien city in the background. And it's implied he stays with her the entire time (even as someone else is said to be poking about inside the TARDIS).

* OhCrap: When Professor Moorhouse starts describing the Foretold (which is coming for him), the Doctor implores him to give him more details so that he could save "The next one".
--> '''Moorhouse:''' The next one? You mean, you can't save me!?

* PaintingTheMedium: Whenever the Mummy appears, a countdown appears on-screen to let the viewer know exactly how long the victim has to live. The clock stays in place between cuts, giving the viewer the exact amount of time.

* RealTime: Applies to all of the Foretold's attacks except the one that's interrupted by a commercial break, and the one that's reset when the Doctor diverts the attack onto himself. [[note]] The first example is played straight in the original British broadcast, as the BBC does not have advert breaks due to the nature of their funding. [[/note]]

** Perkins being a shady character, who somehow, despite being "just" a chief engineer, has easy access to all the documents of the people on board the train, and seems a bit more clever than he lets on. When shady goings on continue, the Doctor keeps eyeing him, but in the end he turns out perfectly innocent.
** The sarcophagus Clara and Maisie are locked up with, which suspiciously opens when the mummy attacks. It doesn't actually contain the MonsterOfTheWeek; in fact, it's there so they have somewhere to put it once they've caught it. Even then, it's never actually used for that purpose, or ''any'' purpose.

** The Doctor invites Perkins to become a companion, but despite having the qualifications of an excellent companion (intelligence, bravery, and MrFixit skills) he refuses (Frank Skinner, who played the part, asked if they could film an alternative version where he accepts).

** Later, the Doctor asks Captain Quell how many people have to die before Quell stops looking the other way. Shortly thereafter the Foretold claims its third victim, and Quell says:
--->It turns out it's three. The amount of people that had to die before I stopped looking the other way.

* SequelHook: Gus and his boss have gotten away with information on how the Foretold worked, and they're still out there. [[note]]As of 2023, this has yet to be followed up on.[[/note]]
* ShellShockedVeteran: Captain Quell, the [[SoleSurvivor only one to survive]] when his unit was bombed. He has [=PTSD=], which makes him a target for the Foretold.

* ShipperOnDeck:
** Maisie isn't buying Clara's claim that her relationship with the Doctor is over.
** Surprisingly, although in a platonic context (as he makes a point of pointing out the Doctor isn't Clara's boyfriend first) ''Danny'' has a moment of this where he actually suggests to Clara that she doesn't have to end things with the Doctor. (This backfires when Clara not only decides not do, she creates a LoveTriangle scenario in the process.)

* StepfordSmiler: The Doctor is annoyed at how Clara keeps trying to smile despite being sad (as this is supposed to be their last adventure). He says it's like two emotions at once; some kind of malfunction.
* SurroundedByIdiots: The Doctor feels this way among the crew, despite them being chosen for their brainy expert knowledge. Perkins proves otherwise.

* ThatLiarLies: When the Doctor says he's been on a (long gone) planet where the express is whizzing past, one of the passengers points out it's been gone for thousands of years. Said passenger doesn't know that the Doctor is a time traveller and has thus actually been there, so the Doctor was being called out on being a liar for telling the truth. Ironic, as "the Doctor lies" was RuleNumberOne for his Eleventh incarnation.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: Noticeable between the Doctor and Clara in the first act, especially during the "night cap" scene. WordOfGod (the episode writer) recognized this. Not helped by the fact the episode solidifies the LoveTriangle between the Doctor, Clara and Danny, and another WordOfGod (this time the actress) confirming that Clara's "I love you" at the end of the episode was spoken to the Doctor, not to Danny. That and the fact Clara spends most of the episode in a MsFanservice-friendly flapper costume (except for one scene where she's shown in silk pyjamas.
* TheUnreveal: When the Doctor tries to determine who was behind all this nonsense, it triggers a failsafe and the train explodes.
* VillainTeleportation: Justified as a teleporter is indeed being used by the Foretold.

** Clara is not happy that the Doctor made her lie to Maisie to trick her into entering the Scientist's car.

* WillTheyOrWontThey:
** After the attempt at AnchoredShip (if not outright ShipSinking) in the season premiere, and a couple of hints that the ship might weigh anchor in subsequent episodes, this was the episode that got fans - both shippers and non-shippers - looking at this trope with regards to the Doctor and Clara, due largely to the unexpected (per WordOfGod - it caught even the episode writer by surprise) [[UnresolvedSexualTension UST]] between the two in this episode.
** Within the plot of the episode itself, the trope applies as the subplot of the episode is whether the Doctor and Clara will stay together as travelling companions or split up.
* WithAFootOnTheBus: Clara spends most of the episode planning to board the bus, and at least once appears to be about to climb aboard (after she's forced to lie to Maisie), but ultimately decides not to.

** A more cynical explanation of the Foretold targeting the unhealthy is that it was set up to drain people on its own side who could no longer fight.
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: The first few victims die surrounded by people they're futilely trying to convince of the mummy's presence.

* HurtingHero: The Doctor tells Clara that he keeps having to make impossible choices and doesn't always know how things will turn out or how many people he can save, but he keeps fighting nonetheless. After Clara's previous WhatTheHellHero accusation, she forgives him.

* DoNotGoGentle: Captain Quell. When the Foretold comes for him, he empties his gun at it while knowing that it wouldn't do him any good (as he put it "What kind of soldier would I be, if I died with bullets in my gun?"). After that, he calmly makes observations about it that further the Doctor's analysis, keeps his cool for far longer than Dr Moorhouse did, and finally decides there are worse ways to be die than being taken by the Foretold; ''"Blood pumping, enemy at the gates and all that."''

* SequelHook: Gus and his boss have gotten away with information on how the Foretold worked, and they're still out there. [[note]]As of 2020, this has yet to be followed up on.[[/note]]