If the radiation booth in End of Time didn't make sense to you, try this.
In The End of Time the Doctor is forced to regenerate because Wilf is locked in a booth that is going to flood with radiation. I got into a discussion about why anyone would build a machine that was designed to kill its operator. It didn't make sense to me that the control chamber would flood with radiation. So I tried to figure out a way that they could rewrite it to make sense.
I realized the nuclear bolt booth idea would work, logically, if they just turned it inside out. Not even changes to the set or props (let me know what you think):
When Naismith explains the Immortality Gate to the Master he says "It was found in a spaceship, burried at the base of Mount Snowdon. When Torchwood fell, I aquired it, built this room to house it. It's shielded. Nothing can get in, nothing can get out. No one even knows it's here."
"The device came equipped with it's own power supply, the nuclear bolt. One technician remains in charge of the bolt 24 hours a day, the controls are also shielded, in case of emergencies." Showing the technicians trading off shifts, but not them getting locked in, instead have the red and blue signs above the door say "Active" and "Inactive" as they switch, just showing that the power booths are manned all the time. "And the power feeds through to the gate."
Then MultiMaster - the Diamond - Building the pathway - Doctor jumps down through the roof, just as usual.
The Doctor is lying on the floor, helpless. The Master and Rassilon are facing off as Gallifrey starts to materialize above Earth.
Wilf runs in. "Wilf!" the weakened Doctor yells, he waves at the booth. "Cut the power!"
Wilf runs to the booth, pulls the technician out and slams his hand down on the power feed. The booth slams shut, locking him in. An automated voice states, "Security lockdown, Unauthorized access." The booth goes dead, and Wilf rattleds the door, helpless, trapped. As chaos continues around him.
The Master and Rassilon sneer at this mouse in a trap, and ignore it, turning back to their own affairs. Time Lords dealing with Time Lords. "You weren't there, the war turned into hell." Eventually the Doctor shoots the diamond, the Master whales into Rassilon and all the Time Lords disappear.
The Doctor wakes up. He's alive. He's happy. Then Wilf knocks four times. The Doctor thinks this is it.
"Can you get me out of here? Only that thing's making a funny noise." He points at the Immortality Gate which is back where the Time Lords formerly were, it's glowing bright red, with red lightning bolts going between it. The Doctor whips around to look.
"It's going to overload!" the Doctor yells. He dives for the spare cubicle and seals himself in just as the Immortality gate explodes. The Doctor looks up, he thinks he's safe and has avoided the prophecy. "Wilf! You saved my life!"
Then Wilf points out the room is flooded with a red haze of radiation. They're both trapped.
The room is sealed, the radiation can't get out, but neither can they, the Doctor explains. Or rather, neither can Wilf. The Doctor could resist the radiation long enough to get out. But not Wilf. It would kill him. Yet if he stays here he'll die long before the radiation fades. The only way to get Wilf out is for the Doctor to absorb the radiation.
"There's too much!" Wilf protests. "It will kill you! And it won't do me any good anyway if there's still radiation left."
"But this is it, Wilf. Don't you see? The prophecy. I will die. I may not be able to absorb all the radiation, but if I can't I'll regenerate, and the next me can absorb more. And if that isn't enough then the next me can absorb the rest. Two more lives. That's all I have. But that's bound to be enough. Don't you see. The prophecy was true. I won't just regenerate. I'll die."
"No! Just leave me, you can survive it."
"Right, I will." The Doctor, trapped in the cubicle, snorts, then rages against his own mortality, throws a temper tantrum lashing at the confining walls while Wilf looks disbelievingly on. But in the end the only way to save Wilf is to step out and absorb the radiation.
"Wilf. It's my honor."
"NO!"
The Doctor steps out of the cubicle. Immediately the red haze starts to seep into him. He withstands it, absorbing more and more, drawing it into himself, determined to absorb it all. He falls to the floor, curls in on himself in pain, but continues to absorb it. The red haze shrinks in toward him, pulling away from the walls, clearing the room. He shudders, the last of the red radiation seeps into him. He gives one last feeble shudder, then goes still. Wilf stares in shock. The room is clear. The Doctor lies still as death. Then twitches. Wilf's eyes go wide. The Doctor slowly uncurls and sits up. He turns, stiffly, every joint aching. He looks up at Wilf. "Hi."
Wilf whoops and hollers and busts out of the cubicle. "I knew you could do it! I didn't doubt it for a second. Mind you, you're in a hell of a state..."
And the rest continues as usual.
Or,
we could just skip the reunions, have Wilf burst out of the cubicle as soon as he sees it's clear, rush to the Doctor and gather him up like a father with his dying son in his arms, and hold him as he regenerates.
Then Matt Smith appears in his arms. "Hi, Wilf," He says wearily. He looks down at his different hands. Then pulls at a lock of his hair.
"Am I ginger?"
I realized the nuclear bolt booth idea would work, logically, if they just turned it inside out. Not even changes to the set or props (let me know what you think):
When Naismith explains the Immortality Gate to the Master he says "It was found in a spaceship, burried at the base of Mount Snowdon. When Torchwood fell, I aquired it, built this room to house it. It's shielded. Nothing can get in, nothing can get out. No one even knows it's here."
"The device came equipped with it's own power supply, the nuclear bolt. One technician remains in charge of the bolt 24 hours a day, the controls are also shielded, in case of emergencies." Showing the technicians trading off shifts, but not them getting locked in, instead have the red and blue signs above the door say "Active" and "Inactive" as they switch, just showing that the power booths are manned all the time. "And the power feeds through to the gate."
Then MultiMaster - the Diamond - Building the pathway - Doctor jumps down through the roof, just as usual.
The Doctor is lying on the floor, helpless. The Master and Rassilon are facing off as Gallifrey starts to materialize above Earth.
Wilf runs in. "Wilf!" the weakened Doctor yells, he waves at the booth. "Cut the power!"
Wilf runs to the booth, pulls the technician out and slams his hand down on the power feed. The booth slams shut, locking him in. An automated voice states, "Security lockdown, Unauthorized access." The booth goes dead, and Wilf rattleds the door, helpless, trapped. As chaos continues around him.
The Master and Rassilon sneer at this mouse in a trap, and ignore it, turning back to their own affairs. Time Lords dealing with Time Lords. "You weren't there, the war turned into hell." Eventually the Doctor shoots the diamond, the Master whales into Rassilon and all the Time Lords disappear.
The Doctor wakes up. He's alive. He's happy. Then Wilf knocks four times. The Doctor thinks this is it.
"Can you get me out of here? Only that thing's making a funny noise." He points at the Immortality Gate which is back where the Time Lords formerly were, it's glowing bright red, with red lightning bolts going between it. The Doctor whips around to look.
"It's going to overload!" the Doctor yells. He dives for the spare cubicle and seals himself in just as the Immortality gate explodes. The Doctor looks up, he thinks he's safe and has avoided the prophecy. "Wilf! You saved my life!"
Then Wilf points out the room is flooded with a red haze of radiation. They're both trapped.
The room is sealed, the radiation can't get out, but neither can they, the Doctor explains. Or rather, neither can Wilf. The Doctor could resist the radiation long enough to get out. But not Wilf. It would kill him. Yet if he stays here he'll die long before the radiation fades. The only way to get Wilf out is for the Doctor to absorb the radiation.
"There's too much!" Wilf protests. "It will kill you! And it won't do me any good anyway if there's still radiation left."
"But this is it, Wilf. Don't you see? The prophecy. I will die. I may not be able to absorb all the radiation, but if I can't I'll regenerate, and the next me can absorb more. And if that isn't enough then the next me can absorb the rest. Two more lives. That's all I have. But that's bound to be enough. Don't you see. The prophecy was true. I won't just regenerate. I'll die."
"No! Just leave me, you can survive it."
"Right, I will." The Doctor, trapped in the cubicle, snorts, then rages against his own mortality, throws a temper tantrum lashing at the confining walls while Wilf looks disbelievingly on. But in the end the only way to save Wilf is to step out and absorb the radiation.
"Wilf. It's my honor."
"NO!"
The Doctor steps out of the cubicle. Immediately the red haze starts to seep into him. He withstands it, absorbing more and more, drawing it into himself, determined to absorb it all. He falls to the floor, curls in on himself in pain, but continues to absorb it. The red haze shrinks in toward him, pulling away from the walls, clearing the room. He shudders, the last of the red radiation seeps into him. He gives one last feeble shudder, then goes still. Wilf stares in shock. The room is clear. The Doctor lies still as death. Then twitches. Wilf's eyes go wide. The Doctor slowly uncurls and sits up. He turns, stiffly, every joint aching. He looks up at Wilf. "Hi."
Wilf whoops and hollers and busts out of the cubicle. "I knew you could do it! I didn't doubt it for a second. Mind you, you're in a hell of a state..."
And the rest continues as usual.
Or,
we could just skip the reunions, have Wilf burst out of the cubicle as soon as he sees it's clear, rush to the Doctor and gather him up like a father with his dying son in his arms, and hold him as he regenerates.
Then Matt Smith appears in his arms. "Hi, Wilf," He says wearily. He looks down at his different hands. Then pulls at a lock of his hair.
"Am I ginger?"