I worked out the chords for the first and second verses of “Johnsyne et Kossigone” by Serge Gainsbourg. There’s only one verse left.
I played my Epi acoustic guitar during song practice and I didn’t hear Benji complain, although it’s louder than I’ve been playing the electrics.
I weighed 88.1 kilos before breakfast, which is the heaviest I’ve been in the morning since October 7.
Around midday I couldn’t do any sanding in the bathroom because I needed to try to get caught up on my journal. I was still behind at lunchtime.
I weighed 87.65 kilos before lunch.
In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and stopped at Freshco on the way back to buy Sponge Towels. I also got five bags of green grapes and price matched them with Walmart’s $5.38 a kilo.
I weighed 87.15 kilos at 18:25.
I worked on getting caught up on my journal but I was still behind at suppertime.
I grilled six large chicken drumsticks and had two with a potato and gravy while watching episode 7 of the most recent season of Doctor Who.
In Bavaria in 1865 the Rani arrives on horseback to a cabin where a woman has just given birth. The parents think she is the midwife. The father says they’d thought they would need help but the birth was luckily very easy. The Rani points out that they say he was born lucky because he is the seventh son of the seventh son. The baby who has just been born is again a seventh son. The mother innocently lets Rani hold the baby but she says she’s taking the baby. The mother says that’s not going to happen but Rani kisses the baby then blows the kiss at her while wishing her to be turned into violets. She becomes violet petals that flutter apart. The father tells the six children to run but Rani kisses the baby again and blows to turn them all into ducks and she does the same to turn the father into an owl. She leaves with the baby, kisses it again and blows at the sky saying she has a special wish for 160 years from now.
In 2025 an alarm clock rings and the Doctor wakes up in bed with Belinda. He doesn’t remember he is the Doctor and thinks he is John Smith and he and Belinda think they are married with a daughter named Poppy. Belinda turns on the TV and we see Conrad Clark who a few episodes ago had tried to expose UNIT and its role of protecting Earth from aliens as a fraud. He had manipulated Ruby Sunday into a romantic relationship just for that purpose. He ended up in prison but Mrs. Flood released him. Now we hear him wishing everybody nice weather all over the world and wishing them a happy morning. All television everywhere seems to consist of Conrad telling stories about a character called Doctor Who and today’s story is Doctor Who and the Deadly Wish. At breakfast Belinda reminds John and Poppy that tomorrow is the most special day of the year because it’s May 24. She tells Poppy what she’s going to cook and asks her, “Isn’t that nice?” but Poppy says “No!” and suddenly a yellow coffee mug falls to the floor. Doubting things causes mugs to break but there is a cupboard full of yellow mugs and it is replaced.
John is leaving for work but when he opens the door Ruby Sunday is standing there. He doesn’t recognize her but she has a vague remembrance of him and asks if he is called the Doctor. He informs her that his name is John Smith. She says she doesn’t know why but it’s not. Belinda comes to the door holding Poppy. Ruby says she’s sorry but they don’t have a daughter. Belinda heads for the wall phone and dials. Ruby tells John her name and it stirs something in his memory enough to ask her to repeat it. Belinda calls the authorities and says there is someone there expressing doubt. Ruby runs and bumps into John’s next door neighbour and it’s the Doctor’s former companion Mel from the mid 1980s. John warns Melanie not to speak to Ruby. Ruby also remotely recognizes Mel but runs. Mel is putting out the garbage, which consists of only of broken yellow mugs. John asks Mel what she’ll be doing to celebrate May 24. She says she has no family so she’ll be glad to sit in silent contemplation. Towering above the neighbourhood the giant skeleton of a dinosaur walks by beneath a tower that looks like the bones of a spider, if a spider had bones. John comments how beautiful it is.
Ruby secretly follows John downtown to his place of work as he walks past a woman in a wheelchair who is begging outside his place of work. She is Shirley Ann Bingham, who was a scientific advisor for UNIT. John’s boss is Kate Lethbridge Stewart who was the head of UNIT. Working at the next desk to John is Christofer Ibrahim who was a colonel in UNIT and there had been hints of a budding romance between him and Stewart. John encourages him to ask her out. He says he’s not in her league but John tells him he’s a beautiful man. Christofer is shocked by the comment and asks how a man could find another man beautiful. Suddenly John’s mug breaks. UNIT was originally Unified Intelligence Taskforce, but now it is Unified National Insurance Team.
At home, Belinda’s mother and aunt visit. Her mother remembers that she thought Belinda was going to grow up to be trouble because she in labour for 24 hours before she was born. Auntie asks Belinda how long she was in labour with Poppy. Both Belinda and her mother are confused because they don’t remember the event. Belinda asks Poppy if she remembers and suddenly several mugs break. Belinda leaves the house and runs to a nature park where she screams.
Outside of the window of UNIT they see the Rani soaring about on a flying scooter. All the employees are thrilled because she is not often seen. Kate suggests it’s because May 24 is approaching. John says, “I wonder who she is!” but then everyone looks at him. Kate says, “You wonder who she is?” and John catches himself, saying “She just is! She is who she is and that’s all!” The Rani arrives at the top of the spider tower and is greeted by Mrs. Flood, who reports that they are doing better than ever with very strong doubts.
Flood brings a sandwich to Conrad. The Rani chose him because he is the boy who wants the world to be better. In the room with Conrad is the baby that Rani stole. He is always smiling, never cries but sometimes chuckles and Conrad comments that he sustains this entire world. Both Conrad and Flood agree that he is absolutely terrifying.
The Vindicator that the Doctor has been using to take readings from different times in order to home in on May 24, 2025 is in Rani’s hands. She places it onto a large clock and it becomes the hour hand on the clock, counting down to May 24. Rani asks Flood if the trap is ready and she says it’s just waiting to be primed. They go out on the balcony that overlooks Wishworld. Flood warns her to be careful because it’s slippery. Rani says, “I’m not a child.” Flood says, “It could be said that you are my child” referring to the Time Lady bigeneration that occurred. Rani says that’s disgusting. Flood tells her the Doctor’s doubts are at 30% but at sunset his thinking will intensify. Rani says, “Tonight we will find the one who is lost” and suggests the people of Wishworld will die as a result.
Meanwhile Ruby briefly encounters Shirley, then says she shouldn’t be talking to her but then stops and goes back to her to ask if her name is Shirley. Shirley recognizes Ruby. Shirley leads Ruby to a homeless camp for the disabled, the dispossessed and the ones who don’t fit in. Ruby sits in a circle with the others and they compare notes about getting glimpses of a better world. Ruby has vague memories of 2025 not being like this. When she expressed her doubts to her mother she called the authorities on her. Ruby says she doesn’t trust Conrad because he is a monster. A blind man says that because Conrad is not disabled he cannot see the disabled and so they have more freedom. Shirley says they have plans to bring Conrad down and Ruby says she is in.
That night John is watching Conrad on television when he sees a glimpse of the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan on the screen. Suddenly the Doctor’s former lover Rogue appears on screen from a hell dimension. He addresses John as the Doctor and doesn’t have much time because the hell dimension is sliding into the pit and he doesn’t know if he’s going to survive. He only has time to tell the Doctor, “Tables don’t do that.” He says he misses him and loves him.
Belinda wakes up in bed and hears smashing in the kitchen. She finds him looking at several mugs on the table and asks what he’s doing. He says for her to watch as he moves a mug to the centre of the table. After a second it falls through the solid surface to smash on the floor below. He repeats Rogue’s message that “tables don’t do that”. He says there was a man on the TV who he really liked. Belinda calls the authorities to tell them her husband is having doubts. The police come and take him. Then Mrs. Flood arrives in a police uniform and tells them to arrest Belinda. She says Belinda’s recognition of John’s doubts were because of her own doubts. Flood says it’s her job and pleasure to cut the doubt away.
Meanwhile Ruby and Shirley are watching from beneath the spider. Shirley shows Ruby a tablet computer and tells her it’s a relic from before. Ruby finds it familiar and Shirley says she thinks it will help them take down Conrad. They think they can block his broadcasting signal and lure him out of the tower. Ruby thinks if she can meet Conrad she will remember everything.
John and Belinda are brought to the top of the tower. He is greeted by Rani as Doctor. Belinda begs to be allowed to return to her child. Rani tells her she doesn’t have a child. Rani plays a waltz and begins to dance with the Doctor. She says her name and he backs away then falls to his knees. Belinda demands to know what’s going on. Rani tells her that she and the Doctor are the last Time Lord and the Last Time Lady from Gallifrey. She says the Doctor made this happen when he stirred the gods and woke the most ancient of powers. She shows him Conrad who is standing there holding the baby. Conrad calls him Doctor. Rani tells the Doctor that the baby is the most powerful god of all, Desiderium, the god of Wishes. Wishworld is made from Conrad’s wishes. She shows him the Vindicator now marking an hour from midnight May 24. She says it created a web of power from all the readings he took with it that brought him back here. Flood says the doubts are the whole point. If you question hard enough doubt will crack open the world but a Time Lord’s doubt will rip open the structure of Reality. Rani takes him to the balcony where they can see the city collapsing. She says the tower is a fixed point and is safe. Once reality is broken she will be able to see underneath the One Who is Lost: Omega the first Time Lord, the most terrifying Time Lord of all.
Finally the Doctor remembers but he is now alone on the balcony and the door is locked so he can’t enter the tower. Rani cuts the balcony from the tower and the Doctor begins to fall.
The Rani is played by Archie Panjabi, who has a degree in Management and is also trained in ballet. Her film debut was in the short film Bideshi in 1995. Her feature film debut was in East is East in 1999. Her TV debut was in Life On Mars. Her Hollywood debut was in The Constant Gardener in 2005. She co-starred in Bend It Like Beckham, and A Mighty Heart. She did voices for the cartoon series Postman Pat. In 2009 she began co-starring in the TV series The Good Wife for which became the first actor of Indian descent to win an Emmy. She co-starred in the series Snowpiercer. She’s active in the campaigns to end polio, heart disease and violence against women.
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