This two-parter from the Matt Smith era of Doctor Who features a compelling story, the return of the Silurians, and a call to bridge cultural divides and bring out the best in yourself and others.
The Silurians
On the surface, these episodes tell the compelling story of people disappearing into the earth and finding out how it is related to the big drill they are operating. As the drill ventures kilometers down, it is close to damaging the life support system for a huge colony of Silurians, who are (mostly) hibernating deep underground until they are ready to return to the surface. The Silurians are a fascinating race, holding a mysterious and unknown piece of history on Earth; this story gives us an insight into their culture and technology.
The Silurian trapped on the surface, Alaya, attempts to manipulate the humans into killing her to trigger a war between their races. The humans are initially successful at ignoring her taunting, listening to The Doctor's instructions to make sure she is protected and unharmed.
Meanwhile, Eldane, a more calm and rationale Silurian leader, appears down below and calls for negotiations between the two races to determine how they can cooperate and share the planet. This orientation towards diplomacy rather than violence is a core theme of other scifi like Star Trek and is a welcome sight here.
While the Sirulean leader is successful in holding his more aggressive people at bay, the humans aren't so lucky. Fearing for the life of her father, who was injected with Silurian venom, Ambrose accidentally kills Alaya, the Silurian on the surface, while attempting to get her to give him the cure. This great shame, both in going against The Doctor's explicit instructions, and causing such grave and unintended harm, does nearly irreparable damage to this fledgling truce.
Ultimately, the Silurians conclude that it is not time for them to wake up yet and reset their hibernation clocks for 1000 years later, giving the humans more time to mature. The warriors are not happy about this decision, but are forced to comply.
Listen To The Doctor
Aside from the primary theme of appealing to the better angels of your nature, a secondary theme quietly emerges in this episode - listen to The Doctor. Some characters - such as Rory, Amy, and Dr. Nasreen Chaudhry, instinctively trust The Doctor and diligently follow his instructions. If only Ambrose had done so as well, things would have turned out much better. Ultimately, Ambrose loses her father after all as he must remain below to be treated and cured of the Silurian venom.
On a brighter note, her father and Dr. Chaudhry, his former co-worker now turned companion, have embraced the feelings they've had for each other and will get to be together. As she so aptly put it, she's stopped digging because she's found what she was looking for.
Rory's Sacrifice
In a surprise twist, Rory sacrifices himself to save The Doctor from Restac, the vengeful warrior, as she attempts to kill him.
To make things even worse, the crack in the universe touches him, erasing him from existence. This brings the episode to a bitter, sad end.
Conclusion
Amy tries desperately to remember Rory, but her memory fades and she forgets him.
This story has many aspects:
- the message of bringing out the best in yourself and others and finding common ground
- the theme of listening to The Doctor
- the intriguing concept of the Silurians
- the emotional loss of Rory
Doctor Who really shines when episodes blend together character development and philosophical themes; this two-parter strongly incorporates both of these into an entertaining, thought-provoking story.