History Recap / DoctorWhoS37E8TheWitchfinders

->'''King James:''' "Where did they go?"

-->'''Becka:''' "Once I have dealt with you, I shall go after all your friends."

'''King James:''' "Ezekiel."\\
'''Graham:''' [[Creator/QuentinTarantino "Tarantino".]]

* DirtyCoward: Becka has been leading witch hunts to save her own skin, even killing her own grandmother. When the Morax-possessed corpses come for her, she runs and hides behind the Doctor, who she 'ust tried to kill ''minutes'' before.

-->'''The Doctor:''' "We're all the same. We want certainty, security, to believe that people are evil or heroic, but that's not how people are. You wanna know the secrets of existence? Start with the mysteries of the heart."

-->'''King James:''' "I have enemies everywhere and have to travel incognito. Also, I rather like the drama."

The Doctor is forced into the dunking chair, but notices that there's something odd going on with Becka. The companions arrive, having heard the bell and deduced what was likely going on, just in time to see her go under. Eventually, King James is persuaded to order the chair lifted, but the Doctor is gone. She shortly emerges from the river, crediting her escaping skills to Creator/HarryHoudini, just as the muddy undead arrive. Becka is forced to admit that she chopped down her grandmother's favourite tree because it blocked her view, and in the process was infected by something, she believes of Satan. She killed all those people to try and save herself, and she prayed, but nothing worked. The infection takes over, and the new inhabitant of Becka's body identifies herself as the queen of the Morax, who was imprisoned in Pendle Hill for war crimes along with her people. Everyone else is knocked out as the Morax take King James hostage because the queen thinks he'd make a fine vessel for the Morax king.

The Doctor takes another look at the ducking chair and deduces that it's not of Earthly origin. It's incredibly old, possibly billions of years, and served as the lock of the Morax's prison inside Pendle Hill. That age is how Becka was able to chop it down, and when she did, she broke the lock and allowed the Morax to break out. Making torches from the tree's wood, the Doctor and her companions, with Willa leading the way, go to rescue the king. They arrive just in time and use the smoke to ward off the Morax before the Doctor reseals the prison, causing the mud-zombies to return to being properly dead. The Morax queen is still alive, though, so King James sets her on fire with one of the torches, causing her to explode. The Doctor isn't too impressed. Afterwards, the king decrees that, to conceal the events, Bilehurst Cragg will be no more, with even its name erased from records, and its people sent elsewhere. Willa decides she'll go off and find a new home where she can be a healer. When James asks what the TARDIS is, the Doctor quotes ClarkesThirdLaw at him before the box dematerializes.

JustForFun/TheOneWith witches, {{Satan}} ([[Recap/DoctorWhoS16E6TheArmageddonFactor yet]] ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E9TheSatanPit again]]''), and a [[Film/X2XMenUnited Nightcrawler]].

->'''King James:''' Where did they go?

* AccentSlipUp: King James uses an exaggerated upper-class English accent for most of the episode, but his (and his actor's) natural Scottish accent slips through a bit during his first speaking scene.[[invoked]] [[GeniusBonus Which is entirely fitting for the character, given that James was born and raised in Scotland.]]

-->'''King James:''' Witchfinder General's Assistant?

-->'''Becka:''' Once I have dealt with you I shall go after all your friends.
** It's notable that this threat is the [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness one thing that shuts the Doctor up]].

** A justified case given the sexism of the period, as King James states as fact that his mother murdered his father. Lord Darnley's murder is actually a hotly debated subject among historians, though his wife Mary, Queen of Scots arranging it in revenge for the killing of her secretary David Rizzio has been a quite enticing theory (and had recently been explored in the CW series ''Series/{{Reign}}'').

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: A couple of Bible-related ones. In the final scene, King James recognizes a Bible quote as stated in ''Film/PulpFiction'', which is actually notoriously quite different from the real thing; however, quoting it accurately [[RuleOfFunny would have ruined the joke]]. Earlier in the episode, the Doctor cites, in response to "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", that the New Testament preaches 'love thy neighbor'; 'love thy neighbor' actually originates in the ''Old'' Testament, with the appearance in the New Testament being a quote of it.

** Becka believes that King James wrote Exodus 22:18[[note]]in actuality, it was a translation from older source texts and not by the King himself[[/note]] to justify the killing of people who are suspected as witches. The Doctor turns this around on her by bringing up that the Bible ''also'' says "Love thy neighbour" (Leviticus 19:18)[[note]] Although the Doctor mistakenly thinks it's only from the New Testament, when it actually originates in the Old Testament and is quoted in the New [[/note]], which Becka [[{{Understatement}} seems to have neglected]].

'''King James:''' Ezekiel.\\
'''Graham:''' [[Creator/QuentinTarantino Tarantino.]]

** The episode starts with a mysterious masked man watching the events from afar, it being implied he's somehow related to what's happening in Bilehurst Cragg. Turns out he's King James, who's arrived in to help in response to the massive witch hunt.
** Between Willa's grandmother's unusual last words to her about always being there for her in the four classic elements, and the mud first manifesting when Willa repeats it at her grave, it's implied her death is in some way linked to the bizarre events. Turns out the words are just a prayer, and the attack was random.

* BoundAndGagged: The Doctor when arrested on accusation of being a witch is tied up. Later she is chained to the ducking stool. She isn't gagged however, despite her being a MotorMouth.
* ButNowIMustGo: After saving his life, Ryan is asked by King James to come with him to London to be his protector. Although none of the others say anything to discourage him, he (wisely) refuses saying he still has things to do.

* CameraAbuse: The first appearance of a Morax tentacle sprays mud all over the camera. Then the Morax king splatters it with some more.
* CampGay: Alan Cumming's King James is all up in it with his flamboyant, aggressively sexual, highly theatrical seventeenth century... [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot witch hunting fundamentalist]]?

* DamselInDistress: The Doctor, of all people, becomes this when she is accused of witchcraft by King James I and nearly drowned by Becka with the ducking stool. Fortunately, it doesn't last long.

* DirtyCoward: Becka has been leading witch hunts to save her own skin, even killing her own grandmother. When the Morax-possessed corpses come for her, she runs and hides behind the Doctor, who she ''just tried to kill'' minutes before.

* FreudianExcuse: The episode suggests that King James' witch-hunting mania was in part influenced by his resentment of his mother (Mary, Queen of Scots), who seemingly abandoned him at the tender age of 1.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Becka cuts down the tree on Pendle Hill to have a better view and to spite her grandmother, and this results in her becoming infected by the Morax. The novelization carries the trope even further: the medicine Mother Twiston gave her was working to stop the infection, but it ran out and she couldn't get more because it was made from the leaves of the tree that she cut down.

* IResembleThatRemark: The King approves of the "Witchfinder's Assistant" using a woman's natural inclination for snooping and gossip to ferret out witches--the Doctor is rather annoyed at this, but later when they break into Becka's room Graham points out she is, in fact, snooping. She's also subjected to dunking which, as Becka mentions, is a traditional punishment for [[GibberingGenius women who talked too much]].

** He may be TheParanoiac, but given that he's been the subject of conspiracy and attempted assassination since the day he was born he's also being ProperlyParanoid.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: The child saying "We do this every Sunday" and the Doctor's response "Oh, happy Sunday!" can be read as a new-timeslot version of previous Doctors' fondness for Saturdays.

-->'''The Doctor:''' ''[frustrated]'' Honestly, if I was still a bloke, I could just get on with the job and not have to waste time defending myself!

-->'''The Doctor:''' We're all the same. We want certainty, security, to believe that people are evil or heroic, but that's not how people are. You wanna know the secrets of existence? Start with the mysteries of the heart.
* OhCrap: The companions hear noise from the water and wonder if another witch is being dunked, but have trouble believing that because "the Doctor would never allow that." After a moment they realize that they left the sonic-wielding non-conformist woman alone with a bunch of witchhunting people. Cue panicked running.

** The moment the Doctor works out that Becka is hiding something, she's denounced as a witch.

* SundayIsBoring: Subverted when the Doctor is delighted to land in a 17th century British village where a street party is occurring on a Sunday, and [[MoodWhiplash soon after]], a [[BurnTheWitch witch dunking]] (also involves LeaningOnTheFourthWall since the show was now airing on Sundays).
--> '''Doctor:''' Apple bobbing! I love apple bobbing.\\
'''Yasmin:''' Is this Halloween?\\
'''Boy:''' No. It's Sunday.\\
'''Yasmon:''' Yeah, but what's the party for? \\
'''Boy:''' We do this every Sunday. \\
'''Doctor:''' Oh, Happy Sunday!

* TemptingFate: As soon as the Doctor warns Yaz, Ryan, and Graham that they musn't ever interfere with anything in history, you know that she'll end up doing just that in a few minutes.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: King James, while responsible for stoking paranoia and causing a lot of people's deaths (not to mention being a misogynist) does genuinely believe he's doing good, describing himself as a patron of art and learning, he's simply stuck trying to understand events beyond his comprehension with the limited information available of the time. He even tries to part with the Doctor on friendly terms, although she's not interested.

** The Doctor flashes her psychic paper which identifies her as the Witchfinder General. Amusingly she finds herself demoted to "Witchfinder General's Assistant" when she tries the same trick on the King. Kindly old Graham is then appointed Witchfinder General until he hands the role (and the hat) back to the Doctor for the final battle.
** The MysteriousWatcher clad in black mask and cape appears to be a classic example, but turns out to be a CampGay King James I (but no less dedicated to stamping out witchcraft).

--->'''The Doctor:''' We're all the same. We want certainty, security, to believe that people are evil or heroic, but that's not how people are. You wanna know the secrets of existence? Start with the mysteries of the heart.

--> '''DOCTOR:''' Apple bobbing! I love apple bobbing.
--> '''YASMIN:''' Is this Halloween?
--> '''BOY:''' No. It's Sunday.
--> '''YASMIN:''' Yeah, but what's the party for?
--> '''BOY:''' We do this every Sunday.
--> '''DOCTOR:''' Oh, Happy Sunday!

[[caption-width-right:350:Nobody tell him about Twitter, or he'll be the second-most obsessed [[Creator/DonaldTrump user]] with witch hunts.]]

The one with witches, {{Satan}} ([[Recap/DoctorWhoS16E6TheArmageddonFactor again...]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E9TheSatanPit again]]), and a [[Film/X2XMenUnited Nightcrawler]].

* SundayIsBoring: Subverted in "The Witchfinders" when the Doctor is delighted to land in a 17th century British village where a street party is occurring on a Sunday, and [[MoodWhiplash soon after]], a [[BurnTheWitch witch dunking]] (once again LeaningOntheFourthWall since the show was now airing on Sundays).

* CampGay: Alan Cumming's King James is all up in it with his flamboyant, aggressively sexual, highly theatrical sixteenth century... [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot witch hunting fundamentalist]]?

* NiceHat: King James gives Graham the hat of his former Witchfinder General. Graham later gives the Doctor the hat when they set off to defeat the Morax.

* ActuallyIAmHim
** The psychic paper works on a person to person basis. When the Doctor shows it to Becka Savage, the latter reads it as "Witchfinder General". When the Doctor shows it to King James, however...
--->'''King James:''' Witchfinder General's Assistant?

* TheWitchHunter: The TARDIS team arrives in 17th Century Lancashire and become embroiled in a series of witch trials, where 36 people have already been drowned. With the arrival of King James I, the hunt for witches intensifies.

* SheKnowsTooMuch: Becka had her own grandmother condemned for witchcraft because she had gone to her, the local healer, for treatment of her Morax infection, and had eventually revealed her possession to her, but her grandmother couldn't bring herself to cut off Becka's leg to get rid of it.

* IResembleThatRemark: The King approves of the "Witchfinder's Assistant" using the woman's natural inclination for snooping and gossip to ferret out witches--the Doctor is rather annoyed at this, but later when they break into Becka's room Graham points out she is, in fact, snooping. She's also subjected to dunking which, as Becka mentions, is a traditional punishment for [[GibberingGenius women who talked too much]].

* IResembleThatRemark: The King approves of the "Witchfinder's Assistant" using the woman's natural inclination for snooping and gossip to ferret out witches--the Doctor is naturally annoyed at this, but later when they break into Becka's room Graham points out she is, in fact, snooping. She's also subjected to dunking which, as Becka comments, is a traditional punishment for [[GibberingGenius women who talked too much]].

* IResembleThatRemark: The King approves of the "Witchfinder's Assistant" using the woman's natural inclination for snooping and gossip to ferret out witches--the Doctor is naturally annoyed at this comment, but later when they break into Becka's room Graham points out she is, in fact, snooping. She's also subjected to dunking which, as Becka points out, is a traditional punishment for [[GibberingGenius women who talked too much]].

* EvilIsHammy: The Morax Queen possessing Becka Savage eats the scenery with every line.

* TruthInTelevision:
** For the first time, the Doctor's new gender works against her as in the time of King James; being a woman automatically means being treated as a second-class citizen and having her opinions ignored. She even complains to this effect. Also, the Doctor doing her usual routine of waving the sonic screwdriver around and confusing the people nearby is a ''really'' bad idea when those people are paranoid witch-hunters.

* JerkassHasAPoint: King James does this twice:

%%** Unintentional, but the Doctor's NotSoDifferentRemark about everyone wanting certainty, security and to believe people are either heroic or evil is not really true; people are far more varied than that, but ''all'' of the things she listed are traits of paranoia, as is believing that deep down everyone wants these things, suggesting the Doctor [[note]]and possibly the writer[[/note]] has a paranoid streak herself.

* ChangedMyJumper: No one reacts to the Doctor and Yaz wearing trousers in the 17th century, and no one seems to notice that Yaz is wearing a denim jacket 200 years before the fabric even exists.

* KingIncognito: King James first appears watching the proceedings from a distance while wearing a plague doctor mask. He says he does this from time to time, mostly for the drama of it.

* BoundAndGagged: The Doctor when arrested on accusation of being a witch is tied up. Later she is chained to the ducking stool.

* DirtyCoward: Becka has been leading witch hunts to save her own skin, even killing her own grandmother.