History Recap / DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice

** On the other hand, it can be assumed UNIT has trained their snipers extremely well, so that they wouldn't do useless things. What would a sniper shooting at her even accomplish, since she wouldn't die? She would probably be angry after that and kill everyone in the area, snipers, UNIT soldiers, Clara and possible civilians included. Would you risk that from a known psychopath?

* ChewingTheScenery: The Doctor bursts into the story with a '''TANK.''' Jamming away on a guitar. And rocking sunglasses.

** Made by the Sisters of Karn to Colonel Sarff.

** Even Missy gets terrified when she realizes she's on Skaro, which makes perfect sense: aside from whatever the Master went through in the Time War, we know for a fact that [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie she's been executed there at least once before]].

** Even Missy gets terrified when she realizes she's on Skaro, which makes perfect sense: aside from whatever the Master went through in the Time War, we know for a fact that [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie he/she's been executed there at least once before]].

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dw_92_the_magicians_apprentice_part_1_0.jpg]]

* GenreSavvy: Missy, as expected; when the Doctor's confession dial comes to her and she can't find him, she hijacks the planes of Earth to get UNIT and Clara's attention to find him, then looks for the slightest out of place thing, works out just as quick as the Doctor where they are, survives being exterminated, obliterates Colony Sarrf and manages to possible make a deal with the Daleks and survive.

* CharacterDevelopment: Although this episode (and its prequels) suggest the Doctor's LighterAndSofter demeanour -- which includes now hugging Clara of his own accord, lightly flirting with her and complimenting her on her appearance which he used to insult regularly -- is a case of OOCIsSeriousBusiness, in fact these changes become permanent and, a few standalone moments notwithstanding, the Doctor is depicted as kinder and funnier -- not just to Clara, but to other characters -- for the remainder of the season.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Missy's description of her relationship with the Doctor sounds like a good description of what Clara's relationship with the Doctor will be by the SeasonFinale. "A friendship older than your civilization, and infinitely more complex."

* EasilyForgiven: Despite learning for herself that not only is Missy still alive, but that she got sent the confession dial and not her, Clara chooses not to be angry at the Doctor and instead simply asks that he make it up to her by coming back to her. Likely the Doctor forgiving her actions in "Dark Water" was a factor, but in hindsight it's {{Foreshadowing}} for the rest of the season. [[spoiler:She will make a similar request in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E4BeforeTheFlood Before the Flood]]" ("If you love me in any way, you'll come back") -- and the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven closing]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent three]]-[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent parter]] boils down to him doing everything he can to return to her and save her from peril when grave misfortune parts them... ''even though she's already dead''.]]

* EasilyForgiven: Despite learning for herself that not only is Missy still alive, but that she got sent the confession dial and not her, Clara chooses not to be angry at the Doctor and instead simply asks that he make it up to her by coming back to her. Likely the Doctor forgiving her actions in "Dark Water" was a factor, but in hindsight it's {{Foreshadowing}} for the rest of the season. She will make a similar request in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E4BeforeTheFlood Before the Flood]]" ("If you love me in any way, you'll come back") -- and the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven closing]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent three]]-[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent parter]] boils down to him doing everything he can to return to her and save her from peril when grave misfortune parts them... ''even though she's already dead''.

And a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks Special Weapons Dalek]] that actually lights up!

* EasilyForgiven: Despite learning for herself that not only is Missy still alive, but that she got sent the confession dial and not her, Clara chooses not to be angry at the Doctor and instead simply asks that he make it up to her by coming back to her. Likely the Doctor forgiving her actions in "Dark Water" was a factor, but in hindsight it's {{Foreshadowing}} for the rest of the season. [[spoiler:She will make a similar request in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E4BeforeTheFlood Before the Flood]]" ("If you love me in any way, you'll come back") -- and the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven closing]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent three]]-[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent parter]] boils down to him doing everything he can to return to her and save her from peril when grave misfortune parts them... ''even though she's already dead''.]]

-->--'''[[Creator/TomBaker The Fourth Doctor]]''',"[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]"

[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see the RadioTimes magazine poster for this episode:]] http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_nuxijr6rgp1qijoeyo1_1280.jpg [[HolyShitQuotient Welcome to Series 9!]][[/labelnote]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_nuxijr6rgp1qijoeyo1_1280.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: [[HolyShitQuotient Welcome to Series 9!]]]]

->"''Davros made the Daleks, but who made Davros?"''
-->--'''The Doctor'''

Written by Creator/StevenMoffat. The first episode of Series 9 (Season 35) of ''Series/DoctorWho'', and the first part of a two-parter, aired on 19 September 2015. [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35ShortPrologue "Prologue"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35PrequelTheDoctorsMeditation "The Doctor's Meditation"]] are preludes revealing what the Doctor has been up to while the opening act of this episode unfolds.

Some time after the events of [[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas "Last Christmas"]], the planes have frozen, and Clara must help UNIT find the mysteriously absent Doctor to solve the crisis. But it's not just Kate Stewart who's back -- Missy is alive and well, and she somehow possesses "a confession dial, the last will and testament of the Doctor". All of them are seeking the Doctor, but nobody knows where he is. Not even his best friends.

* BorrowedCatchphrase: The episode ends with the Doctor saying "Exterminate!" as he targets a young Davros . . .

** The Fourth Doctor's choice of killing the Daleks in their infancy in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]] is replayed here, as the Doctor considers going back in time to kill Davros and stop the creation of the Daleks again.
** When he hugs Clara, the Doctor repeats his rationale for never trusting a hug from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E12DeathInHeaven "Death in Heaven"]].
** The Doctor tells Clara that he always sees her. This is a call back to her line in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E13TheNameOfTheDoctor "The Name of the Doctor"]] when Clara notes that while she's always saving the Doctor, he usually doesn't even notice her, and to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E1DeepBreath "Deep Breath"]] when the Doctor begs Clara to "see me" after his regeneration. (It's also a CallForward to a later episode.)

** In the scene where the Doctor and Davros meet in the Dalek city, clips from the Doctor's previous encounters with Davros[[note]][[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOfTheDaleks "Resurrection of the Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]], and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "The Stolen Earth"]] -- but not [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E1DestinyOfTheDaleks "Destiny of the Daleks"]].[[/note]] are shown, and the Doctor's hypothetical debate from "Genesis of the Daleks" about killing a child who would become a ruthless tyrant becomes a pivotal plot point.
** The Daleks' group appearance features a ridiculous number of previously-seen Dalek types, including a 1960s silver and blue Dalek that first captures Clara and Missy, a Special Weapons Dalek from "Remembrance", and the "bracketed" Dalek Supreme design from "The Stolen Earth"/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]]. The only one that doesn't appear is a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks New Paradigm]] one, which in itself could be a subtle reference to the negative reception the multi-coloured New Paradigm Daleks got.

** The title alludes to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E5TimeHeist "Time Heist"]], when the Doctor informs the Teller that he was aiming for minimalism with his current incarnation's costume, but "ended up with magician". It also refers to Shona comparing the Doctor to a magician multiple times in [[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas "Last Christmas"]], and the fact that in the prequel short [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35PrequelTheDoctorsMeditation "The Doctor's Meditation"]] Bors actually regards him as one.
** In the cold open, a large portion of the episode being set on Skaro is teased by the soldiers' SchizoTech including gas masks, bows and arrows, and biplanes equipped with lasers. A plot point in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]] was that the Thousand Year War caused Thal and Kaled technology to regress.

** Missy announces her return in a nod to her last appearance.

*** The Doctor also plays the melody of the song by way of introducing Missy to the audience at the castle.

** After Clara asks the Doctor how he could pick her face out of a crowd, the Doctor says "When do I not see you?" Clara's ability to finally "see" the Doctor she knew under the face of the new Doctor is a major dialogue point at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E1DeepBreath "Deep Breath"]].

** In the pre-titles sequence, Kanzo is armed with a bow and arrow. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]], Harry Sullivan suggested that this would eventually happen during the war thanks to technology regressing.

** While UNIT is searching for the Doctor, mention is made of three possible versions of the fall of Atlantis; the classic series gave three incompatible accounts of the fall of Atlantis, in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E5TheUnderwaterMenace "The Underwater Menace"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS8E5TheDaemons "The Dæmons"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E5TheTimeMonster "The Time Monster"]].

* ContinuityPorn: Blimey, where to start? We see the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E12ThePandoricaOpens Maldovarium]][[note]]apparently under new management[[/note]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth the Shadow Proclamation]] again (respectively featuring [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E8TheImpossiblePlanet an Ood]], and the Shadow Architect and a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E1SmithAndJones Judoon]]; [[Recap/DoctorWho50thPrequelTheNightOfTheDoctor Karn]] and its [[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E5TheBrainOfMorbius Sisterhood]] return; Daleks from multiple eras appear as well their Puppets from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E1AsylumOfTheDaleks "Asylum of the Daleks"]], and a significant portion of the episode is set on Skaro where the Dalek city from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks "The Daleks"]] has been rebuilt. The credits list the creators of the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E3ATownCalledMercy Kahler]], [[Recap/TheSarahJaneAdventuresS5E5E6TheManWhoNeverWas Skullions]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E6TheDoctorsDaughter Hath]], [[Recap/TorchwoodS2E1KissKissBangBang Blowfish]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E2TheShakespeareCode Sycorax]], and the aforementioned Judoon and Ood.
** And then there's UNIT, Kate Stewart, Clara returning to [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor the Tower of London]], a brief recap of what happened to Missy at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E12DeathInHeaven "Death in Heaven"]], the Doctor referencing several past regenerations, and there is a sequence in which audio is played back from virtually every previous episode (going back to 1975!) in which Davros appeared.

* CrossReferencedTitles: Part Two of this story is titled [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]]. For those keeping track:

* DespairEventHorizon: Perhaps. Clara's and Missy's deaths and the TARDIS's destruction for the Doctor, resulting in a {{cliffhanger}} that sees him '''apparently''' deciding to kill Davros in his childhood . . .

* TheDragon: Colony Sarff (not a Dalek) is Davros' head minion. He's the one looking for the Doctor and bringing him to Skaro.

* EasilyForgiven: Despite learning for herself that not only is Missy still alive, but that she got sent the confession dial and not her, Clara chooses not to be angry at the Doctor and instead simply asks that he make it up to her by coming back to her. Likely the Doctor forgiving her actions in "Dark Water" was a factor, but in hindsight it's {{Foreshadowing}} for the rest of the season. [[spoiler:She will make a similar request in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E4BeforeTheFlood "Before the Flood"]] ("If you love me in any way, you'll come back") -- and the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven closing]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent three]]-[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent parter]] boils down to him doing everything he can to return to her and save her from peril when grave misfortune parts them . . . ''even though she's already dead''.]]

* FantasticRacism: Missy insists that, while she's the Doctor's best friend, Clara (and presumably other human companions) is the equivalent of a puppy on a leash. Takes on added meaning when you remember that Missy is the woman in the shop from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E6TheBellsofSaintJohn "The Bells of Saint John"]]. What better way to make nice after a spat with your bestie than getting him a cute new puppy? [[note]]Remember, a human is for life, not just for Otherstide![[/note]]

* {{Handwave}}: On seeing Skaro a shocked Missy says that "They've built it again!", explaining its destruction in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]] and reappearance in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E1AsylumOfTheDaleks "Asylum of the Daleks"]]. Given the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth scale of planetary engineering]] of which the Daleks are capable, rebuilding a planet could well be easy. But where did they find the chair?

** There's also a CallBack to an earlier time that this trope was used, back in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]], when the Fourth Doctor wonders if he should smother the Daleks in their cradle. Davros uses this to deliver a serious WhatTheHellHero to the current incarnation of the Doctor, who was willing to abandon their creator as a child when he realized who he was. (Of course, the poor Doctor doesn't need to be told to feel bad about this -- it's why he's willing to die now.)

** The Doctor makes quite an entrance: His first scene in Medieval Essex shows him riding into the arena on a tank, playing an electric guitar.

* IncrediblyLamePun: The Doctor makes a series of these in 1138 AD, all of which fall flat thanks to them being based on parlance that won't enter common usage for centuries.
* InTheHood: Colony Sarff's habit conceals the snakes he is made of.

* LighterAndSofter: Beginning with this episode, the Doctor's characterization becomes warmer and less hard-edged than in Series 8 and [[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas "Last Christmas"]].
* MagnificentBastard:[[invoked]] Missy, to no one's surprise.

** Davros making an unexpected return from certain death and toying with the Doctor by forcing him to watch his friends mentally tortured and killed, causing the Doctor to apparently decide to kill him is similar to the Big Finish audio drama [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho072TerrorFirma "Terror Firma"]].

* RelationshipUpgrade: Subtle, but it's clear here that something happened between [[Recap/DoctorWho2014CSLastChristmas "Last Christmas"]] and the prologue to this episode to where Clara and the Doctor finally got together.

** Played straight in the end of the episode's {{cliffhanger}}, but with a twist. The Doctor returning to young Davros may be a way to save Missy, along with Clara and the TARDIS, by murdering the boy -- he has a weapon, but he says he's saving his friend -- '''singular'''. In the prequel shorts, he notes that "An enemy's just a friend you haven't met yet" and that he let down a friend that day . . . so he might be saving Davros with a little firepower to get him out of the hand mine field. Which will it be? (All that said, given his panic over wanting to save Clara, and his events in the following episode, it's clear the friend referenced is not Missy, nor the TARDIS, it's Clara.)
** Clara notes that the Doctor sending Missy his confession dial means that the Doctor knew he hadn't killed her in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E12DeathInHeaven "Death in Heaven"]]. The fact that (as revealed in the next episode) Missy used one of the Doctor's old tricks to do so confirms it.

* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: The cliffhanger reveals that the Doctor apparently has a chance in Part Two to correct his mistake of abandoning young Davros . . . trouble is, there would seem to be only two ways to do it: by saving him, and risking the evil of the Daleks anyway; or killing him, which would be a crossing of the MoralEventHorizon for the Doctor ''and'' create a gigantic paradox . . .

* ShipSinking: Missy has a good go at sinking Doctor[=/=]Master, as a sexual thing at least.
-->'''Clara:''' Mmm! Must be love.\\

** Missy's broadcast starts with a paraphrase of the Toni Basil hit "Mickey" (which she previously invoked in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E12DeathInHeaven "Death in Heaven"]]). Later on, the Doctor belts out its chorus on his electric guitar when he meets Missy [[AnachronismStew in 1138 A.D.]]

** The rebuilt city is largely based on the original seen in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks "The Daleks"]], with the interiors being an almost exact replica.
** The scenes set during the Thousand Year War match up with its portrayal in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]]; with the uniforms, gas masks, and scanners of the (presumably) Kaled soldiers being a slightly more advanced version of those seen in "Genesis", fitting with the plot point of technology regressing as the war goes on.

-->'''MAXIMUM EXTERMINATION!!!'''

** Tragically subverted when the Doctor chooses to abandon young Davros rather than save or kill him. Saving him would have been best for everyone; abandoning him may have been the reason he became evil. As of the cliffhanger, the Doctor intends to return to the original two options, but he's been pushed to the DespairEventHorizon . . .

** Averted: the "Next Time" promos for [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]] only feature the Doctor, Davros and the Daleks, so how the others figure into that episode remains to be seen. The plot hinges on the Doctor '''believing''' that they are lost, and how this informs his subsequent actions.

** Missy glosses over how she survived being vapourized in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E12DeathInHeaven "Death in Heaven"]]. This is keeping with a classic trait of the Master (especially the Anthony Ainley version) who would recover from seeming demise with no explanation. It's lampshaded, for once:

** Likewise, Davros, who we last saw in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]] apparently dying in an exploding space station in the Medusa Cascade, which oddly ''doesn't'' get mentioned. Then again, since Davros shares Missy's JokerImmunity, it's really not important how he survived in the long run, just that he did.
* WhamEpisode: The Doctor comes across his deadliest enemy Davros as a helpless child, and abandons him halfway through a rescue attempt, most likely causing Davros' StartOfDarkness in the first place. When that fateful decision comes back to bite the Doctor on the ass, the episode ends with him traveling back to shoot young Davros. Oh, and Clara, Missy and the TARDIS get exterminated . . . stay tuned for Part Two!

** The Doctor arrives for a 12[[superscript:th]]-century duel . . . riding a 21[[superscript:st]]-century tank.

** Davros gets a magnificent one, calling the Doctor out for abandoning him as a child. What's more, he uses a recording of the Fourth Doctor from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]] to deliver it, playing the Doctor's own words against him.
--->'''Fourth Doctor:''' If someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you and told you that that child would grow up totally evil to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives . . . could you then kill that child?

* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Davros attempts to invoke this on the Doctor, telling him he likes his new face, as it is very much like his own.

* MercyLead: Maybe it's an explanation why the Daleks miss half the time. They're enjoying their victims' fear too much.

* {{Handwave}}: On seeing Skaro a shocked Missy says that "they've built it again".

* EasilyForgiven: Despite learning for herself that not only is Missy still alive, but that she got sent the confession dial and not her, Clara chooses not to be angry at the Doctor and instead simply asks that he make it up to her by coming back to her. The issue is never brought up again in this storyline, but in hindsight it's {{Foreshadowing}} for the rest of the season. She will make a similar request in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E4BeforeTheFlood "Before the Flood"]] ("If you love me in any way, you'll come back") -- and the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven closing]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E11HeavenSent three]]-[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent parter]] boils down to him doing everything he can to return to her and save her from peril when grave misfortune parts them . . . ''even though she's already dead''.

* ForTheEvulz: To prove she hasn't turned good, Missy disintegrates a UNIT agent whom she thinks was married and had a baby, then does the same thing to another agent.

* TheQuisling: Bors becomes a Dalek Puppet when one of Colony Sarff's snakes bites him.

** The Doctor arrives for a 12th century duel . . . riding a 21st century tank.

* AnachronismStew: Invoked by the Doctor. During his time in 1138 AD, he's introduced the word "Dude" into the English language several centuries early, somehow procured a tank and guitar equipment to make terrible "axe" and "fish tank" puns, and has been doing these things long enough that his audience is not the least bit surprised and actually seems to think it's a little annoying at this point.

--->'''Clara''': Okay, how do we find him? How do we know what we're looking for?\\
'''Missy''': Anachronisms, the slightest, tiniest...''(screaming guitar solo)''...anachronisms.

'''Missy''': Anachronisms, the slightest, tiniest...(screaming guitar solo)...anachronisms.

* AnAxeToGrind: Bors, when Clara and Missy track the Doctor to a medieval village. Played for laughs when the Doctor shows up wielding an electric guitar and quipping, "You said you wanted an axe fight!"

* AnAxeToGrind: Bors, when Clara and Missy track the Doctor to a medieval village. Played for laughs when the Doctor shows up wielding an electric guitar and quipping, "You said you wanted an axe fight!"