Doctor Who/Recap/S3/E05 The Massacre

"At dawn tomorrow this city will weep tears of blood."

- Marshal Tavannes

The TARDIS materialises in Paris, 1572, and the Doctor wanders off to visit a famous apothecary while Steven falls in with a group of Huguenots (French Protestants) from the household of Admiral de Coligny.

Steven and his new friends rescue Anne Chaplet, a serving-girl, from some guards and hear of a plan by the Queen Mother, Catherini de Medici, to massacre all French Protestants.

Meanwhile, the Abbot of Amboise - a Doppelganger of the Doctor - is executed by the authorities for failing to have de Coligny assassinated, giving Steven quite a shock when he finds the body in a gutter.

Steven heads back to the TARDIS at the apothecary's shop and the two depart just as the massacre begins. Steven is furious that the Doctor refuses to save Anne from the massacre and storms off once the TARDIS lands again on Wimbledon Common. While he's gone, a girl enters the TARDIS looking for help from the Police. When Steven returns to warn of the approach of two policemen, the newcomer tells him and the Doctor that her name is Dodo Chaplet - a descendent of Anne? The Doctor hits the "dematerialise" button, once again kidnapping a companion. Steven is outraged but Dodo doesn't seem to mind.

Tropes

 * Darker and Edgier - One of the darkest Who serials ever.
 * Deadly Decadent Court - Yup.
 * Downer Ending
 * Historical Domain Character - Charles IX, Catherine de Medici, Admiral de Coligny, ...
 * Identical Granddaughter - Sort of.
 * Identical Stranger
 * Kill'Em All - Most of Steven's allies in the story are historical victims of the massacre.
 * Oop North - Dodo has a Manchester accent.
 * The Good Old British Comp: Dodo is in school uniform when she enters the TARDIS.
 * What The Hell, Doctor? - Steven after they escape the Massacre.