Before the Flood (Doctor Who)

255b – "Before the Flood"
Doctor Who episode
The Fisher King (played by Neil Fingleton and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz), the villain of the piece
Cast
Doctor Peter Capaldi (Twelfth Doctor)
Companion Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald)
Others Colin McFarlane – Moran Sophie Stone – Cass Zaqi Ismail – Lunn Morven Christie – O'Donnell Arsher Ali – Bennett Steven Robertson – Pritchard Paul Kaye – Prentis Neil Fingleton – The Fisher King Peter Serafinowicz – Voice of the Fisher King Corey Taylor – Roar of the Fisher King
Production
Directed by	Daniel O'Hara
Written by	Toby Whithouse
Script editor	Nick Lambon
Produced by	Derek Ritchie
Executive producer(s)	Steven Moffat Brian Minchin
Incidental music composer	Murray Gold
Series	Series 9
Length	2nd of 2-part story, 42 minutes
Originally broadcast	10 October 2015
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → "Under the Lake" "The Girl Who Died"

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)	95%
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score)	8.5
The A.V. Club	B+
Paste Magazine	8.9
SFX Magazine
TV Fanatic
IndieWire	A
IGN	9.0
New York Magazine
Daily Telegraph
Radio Times

"Before the Flood" is the fourth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is written by Toby Whithouse and is directed by Daniel O'Hara. It was first broadcast on 10 October 2015. It is the second part of a two-part story – the first part being "Under the Lake" – featuring alien time traveller the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and his companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman).

The first episode of the story is set after events in the second episode. "Under the Lake" is set in 2119 and "Before the Flood" is set in both 2119 and 139 years before, in 1980.

The episode opens with the Doctor explaining the bootstrap paradox to the audience: a hypothetical time traveller decides to go back in time to meet Beethoven, whose music he admires. However, he discovers that Beethoven never actually existed. The time traveller then decides to publish Beethoven's music himself, essentially 'becoming' Beethoven. But, the Doctor asks, how did the music first originate, then? "Who really composed Beethoven's Fifth?"

The episode then continues from the events of "Under the Lake." The Doctor arrives with Bennett and O'Donnell at the Army base in 1980, before it was flooded, on the day the spaceship landed. They encounter the Tivolian Prentis, still alive at this point, and find that the writing has not yet been carved into the wall. Prentis reveals that the spaceship is actually a hearse carrying a deceased conqueror called The Fisher King. Back in the future at the underwater base, Clara, Cass and Lunn realise that the Doctor's ghost is uttering a list of their names instead of coordinates. When the Doctor contacts Clara and is informed about his ghost, he is badly shaken by this certain knowledge of his future. Clara forcefully encourages him to try to change events, but the Doctor argues that he cannot and ultimately accepts the eventuality that he must die to keep events in motion. He tries to get information from his ghost, but instead it unlocks the Faraday cage, releasing the other ghosts. Back in 1980, the Fisher King is revealed to be alive, writing the words on the ship's wall, killing Prentis, and dragging the stasis chamber away before hunting down the Doctor's group.