The Curse of the Black Spot (TV story)

The Curse of the Black Spot was the third episode in the sixth series of Doctor Who.

Synopsis
The TARDIS is marooned onboard a 17th-century pirate ship whose crew is being attacked by a mysterious and beautiful sea creature. Becalmed and beset by cabin fever, the pirates have numerous superstitious explanations for the Siren’s appearance. The Doctor has other ideas but, as his theories are disproved and every plan of escape is thwarted, he must work to win the trust of the implacable Captain Avery and uncover the truth behind the pirates’ supernatural fears – and he must work quickly, for some of his friends have already fallen under the Siren’s spell…

Plot
On a becalmed ship, a man man with a minor cut is brought to the captain, Henry Avery. Avery says that he is a dead man after a black spot is found on the man's palm. An eerie song is heard outside. The wounded man leaves with sword in hand, and is heard screaming. When the crew leaves the cabin, Avery remarks that his disappearance is the same as 'all the others' with no sign of what happened. A banging is heard below the deck; a wooden grille is flipped open to reveal the Doctor, Amy and Rory, with the TARDIS behind them.

In Avery's rooms, the Doctor says the TARDIS picked up the ship's distress signals, though the crew never made any signals. When the Doctor says the trio are sailors, he is held at gunpoint, as they are believed to be stowaways, and later made to walk the plank. The Doctor notices that the ship is too big for a crew of five, before Amy is shoved below the deck to be put to work, but emerges in pirate attire, sword and all. She quickly engages in sword fights with some of the crew, cutting a man's hand in the progress, and when she drops the sword it cuts Rory as well. She is surprised by the over-reactions of the crew, and by the blacks spots which quickly appear on both of the men's hands.

The strange song is heard again; Rory and the wounded pirate begin to act like fools. A ghostly blue woman (who the crew refer to as a demon) rises from the sea and lands on the deck, stretching out her hand to the men. The wounded pirate takes it and instantly disappears with a scream. When Rory begins to walk towards her, Amy steps between the demon and him. The demon turns red and hisses at Amy, sending her flying across the deck. As the crew head below deck with the Doctor, Amy and Rory, the crew refer to the demon as the Siren; she has been taking any members of the crew with the smallest wound, as if she can smell blood. A man suddenly realises there is a leech on his leg; as everyone scrambles out of the water, a black spot appears on his hand. The Siren appears in the room and takes the bleeding man. The Doctor concludes that she is using water as a portal, and so the group head to the driest room on board- the armoury. They discover Avery's son Toby (whom he abandoned) hiding, and clearly ill. He explains that his mother died the previous winter and he wanted to meet his father, an honorable Captain in the Navy. He also reveals that he has the black spot, despite having no wounds. The Doctor concludes that the Siren is coming for the sick as well as the wounded.

Avery and the Doctor head to the TARDIS, only to discover that it is becalmed as well. It begins to dematerialise, and not knowing where it's going, the pair leave. The two remaining crew plan to leave the ship, revealing to Toby that his father is a pirate. Still loyal to his father, Toby grabs a sword and cuts one of the men, as the other (Mulligan) leaves. Mulligan, Avery and the Doctor all run into each other, and Mulligan is chased into a small room, where he accidentally burns himself. The Doctor hears the Siren's song and sees a glow from under the door. They enter the room, but there is no water; she doesn't just use water as a portal, but any reflective surfaces. They run back to Amy, Rory and Toby, and they realise that the only option is to sit and wait.

As everyone sleeps, Amy sees the Eye Patch Lady looking at them through a hatch in the door; the hatch quickly disappears. As she goes to tell the Doctor, a storm begins, and all head up to the deck to lift the sail. A crown Avery had been unable to throw away falls out of his coat and the Siren emerges, taking Toby, but the Doctor throws the crown overboard before she can take Rory. However, Rory is knocked overboard and begins to drown; knowing he will die anyway, the Doctor allows the Siren to come and take Rory. The remaining three prick their fingers and allow themselves to be taken.

To be continued...

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill
 * Henry Avery - Hugh Bonneville
 * Boatswain - Lee Ross
 * The Siren - Lily Cole
 * Mulligan - Michael Begley
 * Eye Patch Lady - Frances Barber
 * Toby Avery - Oscar Lloyd
 * DeFlorres - Tony Lucken
 * Dancer - Chris Jarman
 * McGrath - Carl McCrystal

Crew

 * Writer - Steve Thompson

Cultural references

 * The Black Spot is an allusion to the Black Spot in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.
 * The title of the story, as well as several mentions of a compass, may be a nod to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
 * Having an automated program running the sickbay is similar to The Doctor from Star Trek: Voyager, who also happens to have the same name as The Doctor.

Individuals

 * The Doctor again scans Amy using the TARDIS console regarding her pregnancy or non-pregnancy.

Story notes

 * This episode was supposed to air in the autumn half of the series, but was swapped around, along with The Doctor's Wife being fourth instead of third and Mark Gatiss' episode being ninth instead of fourth. This was because Steven Moffat felt Gatiss' episode was too dark.
 * A prequel for this story was released online.
 * Lily Cole is credited as The Siren on-screen, and as Sea Siren in Radio Times.
 * This episode is notable both in that none of the guest cast die and there is no villain of the piece.
 * As with this story, Earth-born diseases were the bane of the aliens in The War of the Worlds.

Ratings
to be added

Myths

 * The Eye Patch Lady will reappear. This rumor was proven true.

Filming locations

 * Cornwall

Production errors

 * Although Boatswain was marked, he is never seen after Mulligan leaves the hold. In fact after Mulligan leaves, he is shown blockading the door again, but is not seen in there when the Doctor and Captain Avery come back.
 * Like many television shows and films, this episode shows a very unrealistic depiction of CPR. The process of CPR is not intended to revive a victim. The purpose of CPR is to keep a minimum amount of oxygen flowing to the brain to prevent brain damage until professionals arrive to treat the victim.
 * In actual fact despite being on an actual pirate ship, Pirates never made victims walk the plank.

Continuity

 * Amy remembers the Doctor's death. (DW: The Impossible Astronaut)
 * The Eye Patch Lady reappears. (DW: Day of the Moon)
 * The marking of the hand is akin to the green mark individuals experienced before mutating into a Primord. (DW: Inferno)
 * Prior to this occasion, the TARDIS had landed in the hold of the Shadow. (DW: Enlightenment)
 * Captain Avery was previously mentioned in DW: The Smugglers.
 * The TARDIS again seems confused as to whether Amy Pond is pregnant or not. (DW: Day of the Moon)
 * The Doctor was previously forced to walk the plank in DW: The Pirate Planet.

Home video releases
Part one of the series, containing episodes 1 to 7, will be released in the summer.