Title: The Hungry Earth
Season 05 Episode 08
Summary: Digging That Hole Deeper and Deeper

So, what adventure has Amy chosen to go on next? Wales! It's future Wales,

but it's Wales nonetheless, and we open upon this scenic vista of this valley

and...some kind of industrial looking area.

A father is teaching his son how to read. The son is not too keen on this
reading biz when he can just listen to the audio version on his headphones.

Mom comes to remind dad aka: MO that he's late for work. There's some more
father and son bonding...and please don't let any of these people die!

Mo bikes it on over to the industrial place where we meet up with these
two...Mac and Nasreen. It turns out that this place is a drill site.

They reach their target drilling depth and there's hugs all around.
Apparently...they have drilled further than anyone has ever drilled before.

Mo comes to take over for the night shift, and as he sits there reading the
"Gruffalo" (The book he was reading with his son earlier)...we cut to a shot of
the vibrating cup of foreshadowing in the foreground, because the primary source
of motion detection in the human world are vibrating cups.

It seems as though the drill has become stuck, and now the CCTV is on the
fritz! I sense certain doom is approaching.

Mo is going to go check it out. It's his job, of course, but it's also the
first thing that happens in every horror flick. It was nice knowing you, Mo.

Uh-oh. It's some sort of steaming hole. Nothing good can come out of a
steaming hole.

In an ill-advised maneuver, Mo reaches down into the hole.

Well, this doesn't seem like it's possible in the real world without causing
some kind of cave in, but...there is a void beyond the hole when Mo Sticks his
hand in the exposed dirt.

Then something grabs his hand and yanks him down.

He manages to free himself only to be grabbed by the ankles and hauled into the
void. Oh, Mo. We hardly knew you.

After the credits roll, we cut to the Doctor and co. He has just landed the
TARDIS in what he thinks is Rio, but is actually a cemetery in Wales. This is
somewhat a disappointment.

The Doctor's interest is piqued by the strangeness of the ground as he pounces
around on it.

Since Amy's first choice of adventure was Rio, she's impatient and whiny about
this stop-over in the graveyard. The Doctor, however, smells a mystery, and
some blue grass.

The Doctor attempts to appease her by pointing out that he didn't overshoot
their destination by THAT much, but Amy is distracted by a couple of people on a
hill waving at them.

The Doctor whips out his binoculars to find that the strangers on the hill are
Rory and Amy!

Amy is tickled. Rory is confused.

She is also surprised that she's still with Rory in ten years. He makes rolly
eyes at her, and then she wants to go and say hi to her future self.

The Doctor warns against that, because, if you've ever seen a time travel
movie, that's usually never a good idea.

The Doctor instead attempts to distract them by the mining rig. He declares it
better than Rio. Amy wants nothing to do with it, but...it's a mining rig!
That's way too tempting to pass up, right?

As the Doctor bounds away, Rory holds Amy aside and wonders how they're ever
going to get home if the Doctor can't even get them to South America. Amy is
unconcerned, because it always works out in the end.

That's not Rory's only concern. He wonders, not only if they can get back,
but how can they go back to that mundane life after all this adventurin'?

Amy, not one for talk, decides they should go after the Doctor before they
lose him.

But wait! Not before he makes Amy take off her engagement ring. He doesn't
want her to lose it.

Back at the Chasm of Doom, Nasreen is trying to figure out what is up with
that? Mac arrives and helpfully recaps that the Drill has stopped and Mo has
disappeared and now there is a mysterious hole in the ground.

Back in the TARDIS, Rory puts the ring back in its box and places it carefully
on the TARDIS console as he smiles fondly at it.

This is just a small, seemingly random cut scene. I think we should probably
remember it. *winkity*wink*

As soon as Rory exits he meets up with Ambrose here, who is the kid from
earlier's Mum. He is there too and he's marveling at the TARDIS. We learn that
the kid's name is Elliot.

They seem to think Rory is some kind of plainclothes law enforcement.

He decides to just go with it. Way to step out of your comfort zone, Rory!
He didn't need any psychic paper either.

Back with the Doctor and Amy. They have been met with a gate, but the sonic
screwdriver has never met a gate that it couldn't crash.

Amy barrels on ahead, while the Doctor wonders about Rory.

Over in Rory-ville. Ambrose is telling us her family history, but Elliot is
getting impatient and tells her to just get to the point.

Well, it turns out that there's bodies missing in these graves, yet the surface
had remained undisturbed.

How is this possible? Alas, Rory has no idea.

Back at the drilling station, the Doctor is rambling on about how weird the
ground is and Amy still doesn't know what he's talking about and is bored by the
entire process.

The drilling, the tasty blue grass? It all ties together somehow! The Doctor is sure of it.

Nasreen here is understandably surprised to find strangers stumbling into this
restricted area. She is unimpressed with the Doctor's and Amy's duds. Amy is
still using Rio as an excuse for her impressively sort shorts.

Nasreen doesn't really believe him when he psychic papers her concern away,
but he has a look at the readouts on the drilling anyway. When he questions
what she's doing she tells him that it's none of his business, and the readings
are coming from under the soil.

Introduction followed by whine.

Everybody convenes on the computer readouts as the Doctor warns them to run!
Something is moving down there!

The Earth it seems, is shifting beneath them, and it's not an earthquake,
because the movement is localized. What to do?! What could it be?!

More holes open up as they're trying to figure it out. Now is the time to
run! Alas, Mac trips in a hole... This is so distressing to Nasreen that his
name turns into Tony. I swear, his name was Mac before.

Amy turns back to help and...

Slips in her own hole!

The Doctor to the rescue.

Mac and Nasreen attempt to shut down the drill per the Doctor's orders.
Presumably this will calm down the attacking Earth.

Amy slips further into the hole.

This is some super intensive drill shutting down action. How fast is that
thing going?

Amy wants to know what the hell has got her and what's going on, because she
doesn't want to drown in dirt.

The Doctor doesn't know and he doesn't want her to give up, but she's sinking
further and further away from him.

And she is gone.

Guess, what? This isn't the sad part of this arch.

The Doctor attempts to sonic his way out of the situation, but that's not
helping at all.

Nasreen and Mac-Anthony arrive on the scene only to find out that they were too
late.

Meanwhile, Rory's down in his own hole looking bamboozled. As per usual, he's
at a loss.

Even Elliot's query about sugar for the tea his mum is making has got Rory
confused.

Elliot patiently explains his own theory after we learn that Rory doesn't take
sugar in his tea.

Basically what happens in the graves? We just saw that happen to Amy just now.

Rory doesn't really believe this shit.

Elliot quote's Sherlock Holmes at him as proof that his theory is the real
deal. (He's not much of a reader, though...he prefers his audio-books)

The graves eat people.

That is Elliot's final word and that's that. It's enough to give Rory the
shivers... Where he is... Down in this man eating grave.

Back in the holey land of holes, the Doctor, Nasreen and Mac-Anthony are
trying to figure out what in the what is going on.

Are their friends dead?

What's down there playing grabby hands?

It doesn't seem to be quicksand.

The Doctor has his own ridiculous theories. Ridiculous according to Nasreen
anyway. The ground is fighting the drill by eating people?

Pfffft. That makes no sense!

It's Bio-programming! Duh!

Basically, without going into the techno-babbly details: Someone, or
something has programmed the Earth to attack

Clearly channeling disbelief at this idea, especially after the Doctor insults
their puny Earthian brain capabilities, Nasreen questions why anybody/thing
would want to do this.

Nevermind that though. The Doctor seems to think that if they can find whoever
programmed the earth than they will be able to find Amy! Well, that's some good
news.

Nasreen tries to butt in with some thoughts of her own but the Doctor gets
very serious and engages in some hardcore shushing.

He asks for confirmation that they shut the drill down.

He asks if they only have one drill. Nasreen replies to him very slowly as if
he is a child incapable of understanding this complex process.

Well, you see, the thing is... He can still hear drilling, and has not, in
fact, gone mad.

The Doctor sonics in to their computer system to check out their drill hole,
congratulates them on a hole well dug, and wonders why this place was chosen.

It was the blue grass. It contained minerals unseen for millions of
years! Naturally, as humans are wont to do, they decided they needed to figure
it out.

I'm not necessarily sure how digging a super deep hole would accomplish that,
but there it is.

In any case the Doctor tells Nasreen here that it wasn't an invitation. Oh,
no. It was a warning sign.

If blue grass is a warning sign, we should all get the hell out of Kentucky
right now.

In any case, while Nasreen and co. have been taking their journey down to the
center of the Earth...it appears that something has taken the opposite tract.
Here they are now. Three little heat signatures on the way up from a system of
tunnels that the drillers didn't even know where there.

Now they have to run out here with the computers while Nasreen and Mac ask
after answers.

They make it out to a clearing and some red lightning shoots up into the sky.

The Doctor just yells "No!" and then, in the most technologically advanced
way, confirms that they've just been force-fielded in... The only people for
miles are Nasreen, Mac, and his family that we've already met here and there.

Rory and his team arrive on the scene. He's got big, big news! The graves
are eating peo...

The Doctor has even bigger news.

Now that it's established that they're all trapped here... Rory wonders where
Amy is and the Doctor has to deliver the bad news, along with the promise that
he is going to retriever her.

Understandably, Rory is a little upset.

Speaking of Amy, she's alive and... well, she's alive and getting her scan on.

Meanwhile, at the church where everyone is seeking refuge... Ambrose gets the
same news that Rory just did.

Elliot, this perceptive little scamp, knows something bad has happened to his
dad.

Inside, Ambrose recaps the day's events in the bitchiest way possible.

There is something down there and it's taken their loved ones. Now it's on the
way up for a visit.

Basically, Ambrose proceeds to shower skepticism and bitchery upon all who
will listen. Everybody else seems to believe that the Doctor has some answers,
but she thinks he's full of crap.

Elliot here is just going to cut to the chase here and ask point blank if the
Doctor can get his dad back.

After a moment's pause for everybody to turn around and stare at the Doctor
the answer is "Yes". He's got a lot of people counting on him...as per usual.

Ambrose finally caves in and decided she's going to follow the Doctor like
everybody else is.

His plan is to secure the area with security cameras and electronic doo-dads?
We're not supposed to question the Doctor's logic, so there it is.

Elliot's job is to make a map of the camera locations. We learn that he is
dyslexic, which is why he's been having trouble with reading. The Doctor cheers
him up though and he's off to make his maps.

The Doctor's peeping in the meals on wheels van for resources when Ambrose
pops by with some resources of her own.

Including guns (Of the staple and Shot variety) and, of course, the premiere
weapon of the Whoniverse...

CRICKET BAT.

Guns and cricket bat? Soooomebody isn't going to like this one little bit,
is he?

Nope. That's not the way he rolls, Ambrose. He's asking her in a creepily
nice way to put them back.

I get the feeling that somebody isn't going to play nice, no matter what the
Doctor says.

Elliot returns with his map, and so he gets to hear the actual plan, because
he actually asks what in the hell all these cameras are for.

Basically, they're going to detect when the things in the ground pop up and
then it's going to temporarily disable it with the pulse transmitted...

I'll let Elliot Explain:

They're going to knock 'em out.

So, the Doctor and Elliot make some small talk. Elliot reveals that he's
going to blow this joint as soon as he hits 18. I don't blame him. He's the
only kid for miles and the only people that live in town are his own family...
Everybody at the mine commutes, as we learned earlier.

Then he gets the Doctor to open up a little about how much he misses his own
home town.

I like this Elliot kid and his perceptive bluntness. Can we expect Monsters
or what? He asks. While all the adults are running around like proverbial
headless chickens, spewing disbelief here and there and everywhere while they
work on the Doctor's nebulous plan...

Elliot knows exactly what is up.

The Doctor doesn't even have to answer his question, that's how right he is.
He can only proffer the little nugget of hope...that he's not afraid of no
monsters.

They are afraid of him.

Elliot is a little unsure of the Doctor's dad getting back capabilities now,
but his skepticism is not baseless what with the introduction of the element "M"
(that is Monsters on the Periodic table of Who)

The Doctor reassures him and with that he's off to retrieve the headphones he
left at home.

NO, Elliot! Don't leave the safe-house!

Outside, Rory's gazing up at the force-field, which is now blotting out the
sun. This is grim news according to the Doctor. They're trying to separate
them in the dark.

The Dark. The better to silently stalk you and eat you in.

It also means: They're Heeee--eeeere

Back at the church, Nasreen grasps Mac's hand as the danger approaches the
surface.

Mac throws caution to the wind, seeing as this may just be the end of them,
and lays one on a very surprised looking Nasreen.

Mac's all: Screw this UST! We both know I like you, so...

And Nasreen kisses him back.

Yay! Love connection at the end of the world!

Outside, Ambrose and the Doctor are trying to get the stickety door open while
Rory watches on. He wonders why they don't just sonic it, but...

Doesn't work on wood.

Rory thinks this is rubbish. The Doctor takes offense for his screwdriver.

"Don't Diss the Sonic" he says.

This also needs to be on a t-shirt immediately.

The Doctor tries to get a fix on the baddies exact location when the lights
blow out. So much for those newfangled electronics.

The Earth quakes under their feet after Rory inquires after everybody's health
and well being and it's been established that the power outage was a deliberate
sabotage.

The Drilling finally stops. They have arrived. Whatever they are.

Ambrose finally figures out that her own damn child is missing.

The Doctor has to admit that he kind of made an oops there as he was the last
one to see the kid, and let him run off when their countdown to doom was almost
at zero.

Ambrose yells at him.

There he is! He's almost made it back and is in the church graveyard, but
he's being tailed by a shadowy creature.

He knows it's out there as he makes it to the door and everybody has a hell of
a time opening it.

What is this door?

Let's call it the door of drama, because it seems as if our bad guy has caught
up with Elliot.

Elliot's gone for now, and Ambrose finds his headphones abandoned in the
graveyard.

Still not the sad part, guys.

Oh, hey! This thing pounces right on the grief stricken woman (who was told
not to run off, by the way.)

Dad to the rescue! He pushes the creature off his daughter and...well, I
suppose this is what you call a literal tongue lashing.

Ambrose jumps immediately to the conclusion that everybody has been murdered.
The Doctor makes no such assumptions.

You know what they say about assumptions, right?

They convince Ambrose to get the hell back in the church so she can take care
of her injured father, and Rory asks what happens next?

This does. There is a Corey Hart joke to be made here, right?

Well, they aren't really sunglasses. They actually detect heat signatures.
The Doctor catches a glimpse of our perpetrators and it's enough to determine
that they are cold blooded.

That in turn is enough for him to determine exactly who they are.

This revelation has been brought to you by CSI.

He grabs a fire extinguisher out of his Meals-on-Wheels cache and catches a
glimpse of the bad guy in the window as he shuts the door.

Take that!

Rory emerges from the rear of the vehicle and they stuff the poor confused
reptilian into the back of the van.

Their sure to be hilarious attempt at a high five is interrupted by more
ground shakings.

It's a retreat! Rory thinks they've been scared off, but the Doctor knows
better. There are hostages on both sides now.

Hey! It's Amy. Long time, no see. She's back in the land of the conscious
now.

It seems our girl is encased in some kind of glass box. She's screaming to be
let out and this sort of lizard MD peers over her.

It gasses her back to sleep.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the Doctor is out to question their captive. Rory's
worried about that crazy tongue poison, but the Doctor tells him not to fear.
He's encountered this species before and their venom takes at least a day to
recharge.

The Doctor approaches the creature. He's going to remove the mask.

So that thing we saw before wasn't its actual face.

There we go. Now that's not so bad.

The Doctor admires the creature for a moment before he gets down to the
business of negotiation.

The Doctor asks all the pertinent questions. Why? How Many? When she says
she's the last...he doesn't believe her.

She tries again, but he's got her lies pegged. It takes one to know one,
after all, and she ain't no last of her species.

He gets her name finally: Alia She doesn't answer how long her people have
been chillin' underground though.

Apparently her kind is over 300 million some odd years old. As for the why of
the situation? They thought they were being attacked down there. It was
Nasreen and Mac's drilling that set off the alert.

Once the threat was detected the warriors were activated... now they want to
come on up to the surface and take back the planet.

Oh. Dear.

The Doctor tries to convince her that we puny humans aren't so bad. We can be
nice! (When we aren't torturing space whales that is.)

The Doctor tries to enter into some peace talks, but I think he's talking to
the wrong reptile. She's not interested in coexistence.

She believes they have the right to the surface since they were there first.
The Doctor tries another tract and attempts to convince her that it's not worth
it. We'd fight back.

She basically refuses to negotiate or give back their captives. The Doctor
isn't interested in letting her provoke a war though.

Oh, but the war's already been started according to her. She's all ready to
die for the cause and wonder's what the Doctor's sacrificed.

You are asking the wrong person, lady.

The Doctor's new plan is to go down into the deep and find a more rational,
less war-mongering being to talk to. Ambrose doesn't like this idea of
negotiating with 'aliens'.

The Doctor tries to get her to wrap her mind around the fact that these
"Aliens"...Silurian, are, in fact, native to Earth!

The Doctor makes a speech, so that they all understand that they must be the
all that they can be: the best humanity has to offer. Alia is their only
bargaining chip and she has to be kept safe.

Mac thinks they should cut her open to find their weak spot.

No. None of that! They need an even exchange. Alia for their friends.
Murdering people isn't going to work.

Nobody dies today says the Doctor. Cut to...

Yeah. I'll just leave that there.

Nasreen is so taken by the Doctor's speech that she bursts into applause, but
she's the only one that does, so it's all awkward.

Nasreen is keen to take a ride in the TARDIS.

Mac arrives on the scene. He doesn't like the idea, but Nasreen isn't going
to sit idly by when she can take a journey to the center of the Earth that she's
been studying her entire life. Her excitement convinces the Doctor to let her
go with him, and she's excited despite the danger.

Inside: Yay! Bigger on the inside!

Oops! Before things can really get rolling, something starts to drag the
TARDIS down into the Earth.

Upstairs, our remaining trio is doing something extremely ill advised. Dudes.
C'mon! You couldn't just chill in the pews for a couple of hours?

Regardless, Rory, our good will ambassador is here to assure Alia that they
are going to keep her safe.

Ambrose tries to explain how things are going to be in her most authoritative
voice, but Alia has a surprise for her.

She says that one of them is going to kill her and inspire a war.

Seriously, dudes, get the hell out of there. You've got a warrior hell bent
on martyrdom? It's a recipe for disaster.

Mac seems to think that's not going to happen. It's nice to see that he's
taken the Doctor's words to heart and isn't planning on a surprise vivisection.

She pretty much ignores his declaration and claims that she knows which one is
the culprit.

Either the Silurian are mind readers or shes' manipulating the shit out of you
guys. My bet is on the latter.

Rory gets his determined face of determination on while Mac and Ambrose steal
glances at eachother behind his back.

Later we find that Mac has been more affected by the poison tongue lashing
than he's been letting on.

And the TARDIS comes to a rough landing.

There they are, all cosy in the underground Silurian tunnel. Nasreen wants
to know why they haven't burnt to a crisp in the Earth's molten core by now.
That's a good question that the Doctor hadn't thought of. Hmmmmm.

Meanwhile, Amy is now strapped down into some kind of apparatus.

Hey! It's our good friend, Mo. He has some advice: Close the eyes and don't
struggle.

Mo reveals that they dissected him while he was still conscious. How is that
possible? I don't know, but Amy is wearing the appropriate facial expression
when she realizes what's coming for her.

Here's a guy dressed like a doctor, holding some sort of stabby instrument.
Unfortunately Amy doesn't heed Mo's advice and struggles hard against her
restraints, while Mo whispers apologies that he couldn't do better helping her.

The Doctor seems to think that Alia is only one of a dozen or so remnants of
this ancient species still holding out down here under ground. That is until
Nasreen stumbles upon their settlement.

Yep. He might want to rethink that estimate.