The Impossible Astronaut was the first episode of the sixth series of Doctor Who. This story is perhaps most notable as the first opening two-parter of the BBC Wales series. Behind the scenes, it was notable for the significant amount of location filming with cast and crew travelling to Utah in the United States of America.
Narratively, it saw the reappearance of River Song with some insight into her back story. Yet again, questions of her trustworthiness were posed. Additionally, it built on the references of the previous series to "the Silence".
Four envelopes, numbered 2, 3 and 4, each containing a date, time and map reference, unsigned, but TARDIS blue: who sent them? And who got the missing envelope numbered 1? This strange summons reunites the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River Song in the middle of the Utah desert and unveils a terrible secret the Doctor's friends must never reveal to him. Placing his life entirely in their hands, the Doctor agrees to search for, and figure out just who is Canton Everett Delaware the Third. What is the relevance of their only other clue: 'Space 1969'? Their quest lands them—quite literally—in the Oval Office, where they are enlisted by President Nixon to assist former-FBI agent Canton in saving a terrified little girl from a mysterious spaceman.[1]
Plot
In the 17th century, Charles II bursts into his daughter's room, demanding to know the Eleventh Doctor's whereabouts. By her stands "My Mysterious Doctor," a painting of the Time Lord; his clothes are strewn about the room. She asks "Doctor who?" A loud sneeze comes from beneath her skirt. The king lifts its hem with his sword to find the Doctor naked underneath, saying that it's not as bad as it looks.
In 2011, Amy Pond reads to her husband, Rory Williams, from a history book in their home; it is an account of "a mysterious doctor" imprisoned in the Tower of London on order of the king. Rory doubts it is the Doctor until Amy reads he was seen flying away from the Tower two days later. She also reads of the Doctor taking part in a break-out from a POW camp during World War II. He
Amy opens the TARDIS blue envelope.
led a group of men through tunnels, to be caught after emerging in the commandant's office.
Amy wonders if the Doctor is trying to get their attention, a theory Rory shrugs off. He doesn't notice the Doctor waving at them from a Laurel and Hardy film. Going through their mail, Amy finds a TARDIS-blue envelope plastered with stamps and labelled with the number 3. It holds a unsigned card with a map reference, date and time. She easily deduces who it is from. Three thousand years later, River Song receives an identical letter, marked number 2, in her cell at Stormcage Containment Facility. The prison goes on alert when they learn she is packing to go to a planet called America.
Rory and Amy arrive in Utah, where they are greeted happily by the Doctor. River arrives soon after. At a cafe, the Doctor and River compare diaries. He tells his friends they're going to space in 1969. They picnic by a lake. The Doctor mentions in passing he is over eleven hundred years old -- nearly two hundred years older than when Amy and Rory last saw him. Amy spots a figure watching them from a distant cliff, but forgets about it when she looks away. Not long after, an elderly man pulls up in a truck and waves, but makes no move to join them. Behind them, an astronaut rises out of the water, wearing an Apollo 11-style spacesuit. Spotting it, the Doctor orders his friends they're not to interfere. He approaches the astronaut, who waits for him at the edge of the lake. They speak, then the astronaut shoots the Doctor twice.
This starts the Doctor's eleventh regeneration. The astronaut shoots again, killing him before the transformation completes, then returns to the water as the Doctor's companions run to his body. River announces he is truly dead, devastating Amy. The stranger brings a container of gasoline, introducing himself as Canton Everett Delaware III; the Doctor told him they would need it. River explains that a Time Lord's body is one of the most sought-after things in the universe. They can't just leave him. Spotting a boat moored across the lake, Rory performs a Viking-style funeral to burn the Doctor's corpse. Delaware shows River his invitation, labeled with the number 4. He says he won't be seeing them again, but they will be seeing him
River, Amy and Rory return to the cafe. Rory and River wnt to know what the Doctor planned. Amy insists that it doesn't matter anymore. Across the cafe, Rory spots another invitation on a table, labeled number 1. It must be addressed to the person the Doctor trusted most. The Doctor steps into the room and greets them happily, surprised they are all here. River slaps him in fury. He seems blind to the emotional turmoil they have just endured. It is only when he mentions that he is nine hundred and nine that they realize the version of the Doctor they saw die at the lakeside was a future version. River says they have been hired by someone who trusts him to investigate something involving space 1969, and a man called Canton Everett Delaware III.
In the TARDIS, River tells Amy and Rory privately they cannot tell the Doctor of his coming death. He has interacted with his own time stream. Foreknowledge could rip a hole in the universe. The Doctor refuses to heed the mysterious summons until Amy swears on fish fingers and custard, their first shared meal. He sets the TARDIS for 1969. He also sets it to "invisible" and "silent" with River's help. On landing, he calls for discretion and exits alone. He has landed it in the Oval Office, where President Richard Nixon is meeting with a younger Canton Delaware. Nixon wants Canton to conduct an investigation independent of the FBI, from which Canton was recently fired, to find a child who has been calling him every night, begging for help because the "space man" is coming to eat her. Nixon plays Canton a recording of one phone call. The child seems to identify herself as "Jefferson Ada
The Doctor realizes he's been seen.
ms Hamilton."
Canton and Nixon become aware of the Doctor's presence, and Secret Service agents swarm the office. The TARDIS becomes visible per the Doctor's request,. His companions step out. The Doctor proposes to sort out the mysterious phone calls, claiming to be an undercover agent on loan from Scotland Yard. Canton, intrigued, tells him he has five minutes to solve the mystery; the Doctor rises to the challenge, ordering street maps of Florida.
While researching the street maps, Amy sees a mysterious, suited alien standing in the doorway of the Oval Office, and remembers their encounter on the shore of the lake; when she looks away, she forgets again. Feeling ill, she is escorted to the bathroom, where she finds the alien waiting for her. A woman who is also in the bathroom is vaporized by the alien after seeing it and forgetting it numerous times. Amy, realizing the alien's power, takes a picture of it with her camera phone. It cryptically informs her that she will tell the Doctor "what he must know, and what he must never know". Amy flees and immediately forgets the encounter.
In the Oval Office, the Doctor achieves success and departs in the TARDIS with his companions and Canton, whom he had just ordered not to follow him.
They materialize in a warehouse in Florida, just a few miles from Cape Kennedy; Jefferson, Adams, and Hamilton are the three streets which cross right outside the window. As they explore the warehouse, the Doctor admits they have likely walked into a trap. Meanwhile, Rory attempts to explain the TARDIS and time travel to a stunned Canton, who eventually recovers. They discover a console made of cables and coated in some sort of slime and many boxes of Apollo space equipment. Amy suggests to River that they find some way to kill the astronaut now to prevent it from killing the Doctor in the future;. River admits time can be rewritten, but it is very complicated and doesn't work in the way that Amy hopes.
River finds a drain leading into a tunnel network below the warehouse. Below, she sees many hibernating aliens, the same ones Amy interacted with. She forgets them as soon as she climbs back. She says that it is safe but that she wants to take another look. The Doctor sends Rory down with her. They discover a maintenance room. She succeeds in unlocking the door, opening it to find a large control console like the TARDIS. Behind Rory, electricity crackles and something approaches.
The astronaut approaches the Doctor and Amy.
Above, Canton and Amy discuss the former agent's FBI career; he was kicked out because he wanted to get married. He questions her relationship with the Doctor. They hear the little girl calling for help and run after her. Amy crumples with pain while Canton runs ahead.
They find him further up the corridor, unconscious. As they examine him, Amy tells the Doctor she is pregnant. Before he reacts to this, he spots the astronaut approaching them. Amy recognizes it from the lakeside. Her back is turned when the the astronaut lifts its faceplate, revealing the little girl is inside. Despite the Doctor's protests, Amy turns back and shoots.
Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.
Rhys Jones is credited as a "Prop Chargehand" rather than a "Props Chargehand".
Amy Pond and Rory Williams watch a Laurel & Hardy film, The Flying Deuces, on television.
This story shares numerous similarities with the 1988 John Carpenter film They Live, in which the primary protagonist discovers a hidden alien race living amongst humans, using subliminal messages to influence their development.
The Doctor refers to River Song as Mrs. Robinson - a character from the 1967 film The Graduate.
The Doctor wears a fez in a Laurel & Hardy film, The Flying Deuces.
The eleven hundred three year old Doctor wears a Stetson hat, and proclaims that "Stetsons are cool". As with the last time he tried to adopt headgear, it is promptly dealt with by River Song's gun.
The Doctor makes the TARDIS invisible when he materialises in the Oval Office. The Doctor states that this causes a huge drain on the TARDIS energy. When he tries to re-enter the TARDIS, he smashes into it.
The Doctor also manages to land the TARDIS silently.
The Doctor claims that the TARDIS scanner cannot be activated when the TARDIS is invisible. This is later shown to be false, as River makes adjustments inside the TARDIS and operates the scanner, as the Doctor's later dialogue indicates he had expected her to do.
Story notes
This episode had the working title The Year of the Moon[2]
This is the first two-part opening episode of the revived series, and the first since Attack of the Cybermen.
A prequel for this story was released on the official BBC website.[3]
The monsters in this episode were said to be "the scariest monsters yet".[4]
The episode was dedicated to Elisabeth Sladen, who passed away four days before the episode's initial broadcast. The dedication was shown before the episode on BBC1 and Space, and after the episode on BBC America. The dedication was omitted from the DVD and Blu-ray release.
The version supplied for broadcast in the United States and Australia is the first episode of Doctor Who to have a voiceover introductory sequence before the main titles, with the voice of Amy explaining her relationship with the Doctor.
While the local date and time when the Doctor is killed is the evening of the 22nd April, 2011, the local date and time in Britain (a seven-hour difference from Utah) would be two minutes after midnight on 23rd April, as DW: Let's Kill Hitler establishes the point of death as 5:02pm local time. Thus, this is the third story in the revived series whose airdate coincides with in-story events (the first being DW: The End of Time on December 25, 2009, and the second being DW: The Big Bang on June 26, 2010).
This is the first episode of the revived series to feature a regeneration (albeit an unsuccessful one) outside the TARDIS.
The sequence with the Doctor inserted into the Laurel and Hardy clip is a reference to the 1992 American Academy Awards. Host Billy Crystal was digitally added into the same clip and was depicted dancing alongside Laurel and Hardy. In this version, the Doctor begins to dance with Laurel and Hardy at the end of the clip, standing in the same spot that was occupied by Crystal.
The repeated phrase "Space: 1969" is a reference to the British science fiction series "Space: 1999", which is set on the Moon.
The Doctor asks the Secret Service agents for a SWAT team. The first SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team had only been established the year before in 1968 (by Darryl Gates in Los Angeles) and it's possible the agents might not have even known what the Doctor was talking about.
The idea of tunnelling out of a German POW camp is based on an actual incident that occurred during World War II, immortalised in the film The Great Escape and parodied in the television series Hogan's Heroes.
Joy asks if the Silent is wearing a Star Trek mask. Star Trek was cancelled the same year this story takes place, with the last episode airing on June 3, 1969.
The Doctor calls River Song "Mrs. Robinson", referencing the character from the film The Graduate. Mrs. Robinson has an affair with a younger man, so the nickname may be the Doctor's way of teasing Song about their relationship and the fact that physically she appears to be older than he is. Oddly enough, the Doctor doesn't recognise the reference when River Song calls him 'Benjamin' (her lover) in Let's Kill Hitler
The Silents bear a slight resemblance to The Gentlemen from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Ratings
8.86 million. (43.3% market share)
Viewership for the episode on BBC America was 1.3 million, breaking the station's previous viewership record which had been set by the premiere of The Eleventh Hour.[5]
The episode was the most recorded show in UK history with 4.1 Million viewers
The second episode will air the day after the first.[7][8][9]This has been proven false.
Overnight figures for BBC was 6.4 million making this the least watched series opener since the 2005 relaunch. The Daily Mail and other places were comparing the overnight-only ratings of this episode to the full consolidated BARB ratings for the previous season openers, which include people watching time-shifted playback and recordings (such as with Sky+). The consolidated figures were 8.86 million, which compares favourably to other series openers.
While the Doctor appears in the Laurel & Hardy film, Rory's shifts through the pages of the history book which appear underneath the screen imply the film footage was overlaid on the actual shot.
When the Doctor approaches the astronaut he leaves the picnic with a wine bottle in his hand. In the next shot the bottle is gone.
During the Doctor's death scene, someone is visible by Canton's car.
When the Doctor is shot the second time during his regeneration cycle, the regeneration energy just cuts off. It does not fade away like during a normal regeneration.File:Shadow-impossible-astronaut.jpg
Production Error - the figure by Canton's car.
When Amy is talking to the agent outside of the toilet, a boom mic can be seen over his shoulder.
When the Doctor exits the TARDIS control room he opens the right door but when he walks out to the Oval office he goes out the left.
One of the Mission Patches on the Astronaut's space suit is an anachronism; the "Vitruvian Emblem" was first used during the Space Shuttle missions of the early Eighties.
The Secret Service agents all carry revolvers, which were more commonly in use during the period. However by 1969 the Secret Service had transitioned to the semi-automatic Colt M1911.
There are two African-Americans on the president's detail. The first African American Secret Service agent assigned was Abraham Bolden in 1961, but such appointments were comparatively rare until some years later.
When Amy and Rory get off the bus, it drives away and then, when the Doctor and Amy hug, the bus is nowhere to be seen.
In the scene when the Silent gets ready to kill Joy, electricity can be seen flying into his body, but on the mirror next to him the electricity cannot be seen.
Canton Delaware offers another example of British usage by American characters. Referring to the TARDIS ability to travel in space and time and to be bigger on the inside, he asks "How long have Scotland Yard had this?" An American would have said "How long has Scotland Yard had this?"
Continuity
If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
River Song shoots the Doctor's headwear. (DW: The Big Bang)
As of this episode, River and the Doctor are each aware of how the other (apparently) dies, though neither will say so to the other. (DW: Forest of the Dead)
The danger of the Doctor's body being used as a commodity was seen in EDA: Alien Bodies.
Rory pokes the Doctor and asks him "How can you be here?", much as the Doctor did to him. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)
The Doctor says "Brave heart, Canton", referencing the catch phrase "Brave heart, Tegan", used by the Fifth Doctor.
In the Oval Office, the Doctor refers to Canton Delaware III as "Canton Three". This is a similar naming convention to the one used by Liz Ten for herself and earlier ruling members of the Royal Family. (DW: The Beast Below)
The Doctor says, "Human beings. I thought I'd never get done saving you" at the picnic, which echoes his line in Time of Angels: "You're like rabbits! I'll never get done saving you!"
For the purposes of this list, a "regeneration story" is one in which a regeneration is actually and initially depicted. For this reason The War Games is not included below, even though it is commonly thought of as a "regeneration story". It doesn't actually include a clear scene of regeneration, and the preponderance of stories in other media confirms that the Second Doctor did not regenerate at the end of it.
Additionally, immediate post-regeneration stories, like the 2005 Children in Need Special Born Again — and ones like Castrovalva, where the regeneration sequence was replayed — are not included.
