The Pandorica Opens (TV story)

The Pandorica Opens was the twelfth episode of series 5 of Doctor Who. It was the first of a two-part series finale. Its narrative concluded in the following episode.

At the time of its release, it was unique amongst BBC Wales series finales for a number of reasons. It was the first series-ender with significant principal photography outside Wales. It was also the first to have been the Doctor Who debut of its director and cinematographer. It was the first finale to have used major guest actors — aside from companions — who had featured in previous single episodes of the series. Finally, it featured the largest number of individual alien species seen in a single episode of Doctor Who since the great antelope breakout of '63.

Synopsis
A Van Gogh painting ferried from to France

Plot
France 1890: Vincent Van Gogh lies in bed, screaming. His doctor, Gachet, and caretaker, Madame Vernet, are at his side. Vernet notes the painting displayed on a nearby easel is even worse than his usual work. The reason for it be-ing so ugly is that it depicts Colin Baker smiling.

Cabinet War Rooms 1941: Professor Edwin Bracewell carries a rolled-up canvas to Winston Churchill's office. Bracewell shows it to the Prime Minister and confirms it is Van Gogh that is killing that Dalek over there

The TARDIS is travelling through the cliff, man! The Doctor has decided to visit the Universe's oldest cliff-face, made of pure diamond. He will use the TARDIS's translation matrix to decipher an inscription that has never been translated. When Amy and he step out to see it, the message reads, "Hello, sweetie," with a set of temporal coordinates carved underneath. The coordinates lead them to Roman Britain in the 222222nd century,

Convinced the two events are linked, he decides to look for the Pandorica. He asks for maps of the area; if someone were to bury such a device, they would want to remember where they left it. The Doctor, Amy and River ride to Stonehenge to find Fred Flinstone. They trace it underground and descend, not noticing a Sheep's head, activating as the box opens. Six pillars around the box are transmitting a signal across all space and time, bringing at least ten thousand ships into Earth's orbit -- every one belonging to the Doctor's enemies.

The.

Back at Stonehenge, the Doctor continues to monitor the Pandorica. Amy asks about the engagement ring she found in his jacket pocket. He encourages her to remember the night she flew away with him, confessing he was lying when he told her there wasn't a reason he was taking her. He draws her attention to her house. It's too big and her life doesn't make any sense. Before she can respond, a dismembered Cyber-arm shoots at them. The Doctor tries to deactivate it, but is knocked out. The Cyber-head has worked its way down the steps and attacks Amy, shooting her with a sleeper dart. The head opens; it is a type-2 upgrade, with the parts grafted directly onto the body. It ejects the skull of its previous occupant and attempts to assimilate Amy. She shakes the head off, but the Cyber-body appears and attaches it to itself before advancing on her. She takes cover in a side chamber, where the Cyberman is killed by the arriving centurion, who is actually Rory. She faints at his ugliness The times he has defeated them in the past, and encourages them to consider who wants to go first. The fleet flees.

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Individuals

 * Vincent van Gogh has nightmares/visions about the destruction of the Doctor's TARDIS.
 * Winston Churchill attempts to contact the Doctor after Edwin Bracewell shows him Van Gogh's painting.
 * River Song steals The Pandorica Opens from Elizabeth X's Royal Collection.

Locations

 * The Pandorica is located under Stonehenge on Earth. The Doctor calls it "Underhenge".
 * River Song is in prison in Stormcage Containment Facility in 5145.
 * The Doctor's TARDIS takes River to Amy Pond's house.

Planets

 * Planet One is the oldest planet in the universe. It has "Hello Sweetie" written into one of its cliff faces.

Species

 * The Alliance consists of:
 * Atraxi
 * Blowfish
 * Chelonians
 * Cybermen
 * Daleks
 * Draconians
 * Drahvins
 * Hoix
 * Judoon
 * Nestene Consciousness
 * Roboforms
 * Silurians
 * Slitheen family
 * Sontarans
 * Commander Stark
 * Sycorax
 * Terileptils
 * Uvodni
 * Weevils
 * Zygons
 * Bill Gates
 * Freddie Maxwell
 * Freddy Kuger
 * Joushua Naismith
 * The writer of Family Guy
 * The Dandy Editor

TARDIS

 * The Doctor's TARDIS can re-route calls to the vortex.

Technology

 * The individual who sells River a vortex manipulator says he got it off the wrist of a "handsome Time Agent".

Books

 * Amy has a book called The Legend of Pandora's Box.

Story notes

 * Hated companion Amy Pond died this episode.
 * The Doctor watches South Park

Continuity

 * Roman soldiers previously appeared on screen in DW: The War Games.
 * This is the second time the Doctor has appeared on horseback. The last time coincidentally was also in a Steven Moffat episode. (DW: The Girl in the Fireplace)
 * Vincent van Gogh was last seen in DW: Vincent and the Doctor.
 * Liz Ten was last seen in DW: The Beast Below.
 * Winston Churchill, Bracewell and the Daleks were last seen in DW: Victory of the Daleks.
 * River Song was last seen in DW: The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone.
 * Rory and the Silurians were last seen in DW: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood.
 * The Judoon, Sycorax, and Sontarans were last seen in DW: The End of Time.
 * Autons and the Hoix were last seen in DW: Love & Monsters.
 * Roboform were last seen in DW: The Runaway Bride.
 * Cybermen were last seen in DW: The Next Doctor.
 * River Song wrote, "Hello Sweetie", previously on a home box in DW: The Time of Angels, from the Doctor's perspective.
 * The Uvodni, Blowfish and Weevils were amongst the creatures at the end of the episode, but they were seen very briefly among the other aliens.
 * This epsiode marks the third time the Daleks and Cybermen have featured in the same story in the TV series. The first was DW: The Five Doctors and the second DW: Army of Ghosts/Doomsday. It is however only the second time the Cybus Cybermen have featured alongside the Daleks on television. They would also do so in SP: Doctor Who: The Monsters Are Coming!, VG: Return to Earth and VG: The Mazes of Time.
 * The Cybermen present have become a space-faring race. Cybus Cybermen were also seen as space travellers in VG: Return to Earth. Judging by dialogue in the game however, such as the Cyber-Leader stating how the Cybermen will survive and how their technology there is incompatible with time travel, it seems likely that their knowledge, experience and technology have improved since then, as they are able to travel back in time to Stonehenge with the rest of the Alliance and do not appear to be a scattered race.
 * The Doctor says to Rory, "Hello again", just as he did when he re-encountered Jack Harkness in DW: Utopia.
 * While communicating to the alien fleet, the Doctor shouts, "I -- AM -- TALKING!!!", similar to the Ninth Doctor and the Tenth Doctor addressing the Nestene Consciousness in DW: Rose and Eddie Connolly in DW: The Idiot's Lantern respectively. 
 * The idea that an event will happen on a specific day in time (in this case 26/06/10) is similar to DW: Silver Nemesis and DW: Doctor Who.
 * Sentient Autons last appeared in BFA: Brave New Town.
 * The explosion of all the stars in the universe bears a resemblance to the night sky as viewed by Vincent van Gogh (and, by extension, the painting "Starry, Starry Night") at the end of DW: Vincent and the Doctor.
 * When Amy questions River about her mentioning the Pandorica at the end of DW Flesh and Stone, River replies, "Maybe I did ... but I haven't yet ... but I will have." This is similar to a scene in in DW: The Five Doctors when Sarah Jane Smith tells the Third Doctor she has already witnessed him regenerate, to which he replies, "Maybe I did ... but I haven't yet."
 * One of the ships in the alliance fleet, although it was never identified as a Cyber-ship, resemble the Cyber-ships from DW: The Invasion.
 * The Doctor tells Amy about fruit flies which live for twenty minutes and don't mate for life. Forgetting the point to that fact, he tells her he'll get back to it later. He does so in The Big Bang when he lists a number of things you can do in twelve minutes, after finding out he has twelve minutes before he "dies". (DW: The Big Bang)
 * This is the second time that an Auton has tried to get close to the Doctor through his companion's boyfriend (in this case, Rory). The other time was Rose Tyler's boyfriend Mickey in DW: Rose.
 * Needing to buy some time, the Doctor goads the thousands of ships hovering over Stonehenge into fleeing back into orbit. Shortly after the Tenth Doctor met River Song, she told him that she had seen "whole armies turn and run away" from "her" Doctor. (DW: ''Forest of the Dead)

Timeline
For the Eleventh Doctor and Amy:
 * This story occurs after DWAN: Red Christmas.
 * This story occurs before DW: The Big Bang.

For Rory Williams:
 * This story occurs after DW: Cold Blood.
 * This story occurs before DW: The Big Bang.

For River Song:
 * This story occurs after DW: Day of the Moon.
 * This story occurs before DW: The Big Bang.

Home video releases
BBC Video – Doctor Who Series Five – Volume Four features Vincent and the Doctor, The Lodger, The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang. It was released on Monday 6 September 2010 (UK Only) on DVD and Blu-ray.