Doctor Who Series 8 Episode 5: The Caretaker Recap With Spoilers

The Doctor cancels his plans with Clara, telling her that he’s going into “deep cover.” Clara returns to school for work. The Doctor show’s up in disguise as the school’s new caretaker named John Smith, though he tells them everyone calls him “The Doctor.”

Clara gets The Doctor alone, but he refuses to give her any details about what’s going on. He says everyone is in danger, but they won’t be if she lets him do his job.

A police officer tells a couple of school kids to get back to class. He hears noise in the building behind them, and goes to investigate. A robot kills him.

The Doctor uses a large ladder to poke his head in the window of Clara’s class and offer a correction to the date she’s written on the board for when Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice.

Clara rushes out of class to find The Doctor speaking with Danny Pink. The Doctor is having trouble grasping how Danny was a soldier is now teaching math instead of P.E. Clara asks if Danny reminds The Doctor of Oswin from the future, but The Doctor doesn’t think they look alike. The Doctor then gets confused and thinks Calra has been seeing another English teacher.

The Doctor sets something on a plant hanging in the school courtyard. A young girl from Clara’s glass goes into the caretaker’s room and sees the Doctor coming out of the TARDIS. They argue a bit and he sends her off as Clara comes in. Clara asks if The Doctor’s other companions used to let him get away with stuff like this, presuming he’s doing something dangerous at the school. He shows her that he’s using a scanner to track alien technology nearby and has uncovered a Scovox Blitzer. Clara tells him to leave it alone, but he says the Blitzer will show itself and attract the attention of the military eventually. He shows her that he has a watch that makes him invisible. He’s going to lure the Blitzer to the school, where he’s set up a ring of time mines. They continue their misunderstanding about who Clara is actually dating, with the Doctor expressing how much he likes the English teacher, while Clara remains pleased that he likes Danny so much.

Clara runs into Danny. They reschedule their plans for the evening, and Danny expresses curiosity about the caretaker’s origins. Clara says the caretaker speaks highly of Danny.

The Doctor goes searching for the Blitzer at night, while Danny investigates the school and finds one of the time mines. Clara is looking for the Doctor. The Doctor finds and draw out the Blitzer. He brings it back to the school. He finds that his time mines have been tampered with. Danny follows them and the Blitzer opens fire. The mines go off and the Blitzer gets sucked into the temporal disruption. The Doctor says that, because of Danny’s tampering, the Blitzer will return in three days. Danny is trying to understand what is going on. Clara tries to pass everything off as a play that she and the Doctor are rehearsing. Danny doesn’t buy it. He thinks Clara is from space and that the Doctor is her father.

The Doctor wants to hypnotize Danny, but Clara tells the Doctor that Danny is her boyfriend and then blurts out that she loves him. Clara finally tells Danny that the Doctor is an alien and the Doctor shows him the TARDIS while they explain their travels to him. Danny suggests calling the army to deal with the Blitzer, but the Doctor dismisses the idea. The Doctor tells Clara that he still wants and explanation for Danny.

Danny and Clara discuss the Doctor. She explains to him why she travels with the Doctor, because she see wonders. He wonders what it means that she kept this secret from him. He says he wants to know who she is when she’s with the Doctor.

Clara gives Danny the invisibility the next day, and he goes into the TARDIS with her to observe her with the Doctor. Clara tries to explain to the Doctor that Danny is a Math teacher and not a soldier. The Doctor suddenly wants to go on a trip. Danny realizes the Doctor knows he’s there, and reveals himself. They argue about Danny being a soldier, and the Doctor being a Time Lord, and The Doctor kicks Danny out of the TARDIS.

The young girl from Clara’s class shows up and asks the Doctor about the TARDIS. He explains it to her. Her name is Courtney Woods.

As parent teacher night begins at the school, the time disruption reopens. Danny and Clara notice the Doctor trying to get their attention and leave parent teacher night o go to him. He explains the situation and every time Danny offers a suggestion the Doctor screams at him to shut up.

Clara goes to the Blitzer to attract its attention using the sonic screwdriver. She brings him to the Doctor, who uses a device he built to convince the Blitzer that he’s his superior officer. The Blitzer goes into self-destruct mode. Danny diverts its attention long enough for the Doctor to correct his error and shut the Blitzer down. The Doctor begrudgingly takes back the invisibility and tells Danny he’s okay. Danny realizes that the Doctor just wants him to be good enough for Clara.

The Doctor takes Courtney with him to return the Blitzer to space. She’s overwhelmed and becomes sick.

Danny and Clara are at home, relaxing together. Clara asks what Danny thinks of the Doctor. Danny says he’s met men like the Doctor before, who push you to do things you would never do before. He says Clara followed his every order and wasn’t scared when she should have been. He makes her promise to tell him if the Doctor ever pushes her too far. He says if she ever breaks that promise, they’re done.

The cop who found the Blitzer earlier is in a room telling a man about his experiences. The cop realizes he couldn’t have gotten away. The man tells him he’s in the afterlife. Missy enters the room. She ignores the cop, and the man apologizes for her, saying she’s a bit busy today.