Backstage in a New York theatre, Tallulah, the star of the show and Laszlo, her stage-hand boyfriend make out in her dressing room before she goes on stage. He gives her a white rose which she sticks under the strap of the costume and then she takes to the stage.
After Tallulah has left, something runs past the dressing room door. Laszlo goes to investigate and ends up in the prop room, where he is attacked by what appears to be a humanoid pig, which I suppose is continuing on the theme which we saw last episode with the cats.
After the credits, the TARDIS arrives in New York, and the Doctor and Martha step out, which means that the Doctor really is stretching the “one trip” definition. Martha is still wearing the same clothes she wore when she left with the Doctor, so I hope that the TARDIS has some sort of laundry facilities.
Martha picks up a newspaper which is lying nearby and discovers that it's November, 1930. The Doctor is interested in the headline, which reads “Hooverville Mystery Deepens”, and the accompanying article makes reference to disappearances.
As the Doctor and Martha make their way to Hooverville, the Doctor explains that it's an informal settlement in Central Park made up of people who lost everything as a result of the Wall Street crash in 1929. Admittedly, he doesn't use the term “informal settlement”, but that's probably the best way to describe it.
The Doctor and Martha arrive at Hooverville, where they witness a fight between two men, one accusing the other of stealing his bread. The fight is broken up by Solomon, an older man who seems to hold a position of authority.
Solomon learns that the bread was stolen, and he retrieves the loaf, breaks it in two, and hands both the assailants a piece. Which means that the one who stole the bread actually got the better end of that arrangement, having gone from no bread to half a loaf, while the rightful owner has lost half of his bread.
The Doctor and Martha introduce themselves to Solomon, and he welcomes them to Hooverville. He looks up at a talk building which is currently under construction, and asks hoe come if there are people starving money can still be spent on the World Cup Stadiums Empire State Building.
In a room in the incomplete Empire State Building, the workers' foreman is arguing with Mr Diagoras, a man who is further up the chain of command. The foreman says that his men can't do what Diagoras wants, which is to complete the mast that night.
The foreman threatens that one word from him will see all the construction workers to down tools, and Diagoras suggests to him that he tell the “masters” himself. Conveniently, one of the masters is making his way up to that floor, and the lift doors open to reveal a Dalek, flanked by two pig-men.
Diagoras tells the Dalek that the foreman is refusing to work, and the Dalek orders him replaced. The pig-men grab hold of the foreman and drag him to the lift, to be taken for what the Dalek calls the “Final Experiment”. The Dalek tells Diagaoras that the gamma strike has accelerated and that they need more bodies immediately.
Back at Hooverville, the Doctor asks Solomon about the newspaper report, and Solomon confirms it. He says that it happens in the middle of the night – someone calls for help, but by the time anyone gets there, they're gone, like they vanished into thin air.
Frank, another of the Hooverville residents, interrupts to tell Solomon that Diagoras has arrived. Diagoras tells them that he has work going, namely clearing a collapsed tunnel in the sewers.
The Hoovervillians don't appear to want the work, Solomon mentioning that people don't always come back up. This piques the Doctor's curiosity, and he is the first person to volunteer, followed by Martha and then Frank and Solomon.
The four of them enter the sewers, and after walking for a while, come across a green lump of organic matter. The Doctor is unable to identify it, and he also points out that there's no sign of a tunnel collapse, which makes him wonder why Diagoras wanted them down there in the first place.
In Diagoras's office, he tells a group of workers that certain metal plates, which look like the sides of a Dalek, need to be fixed to the base of the mast on top of the Empire State Building. The workers grumble when he tells them that it needs to be completed that night, but they reluctantly agree once he tells them that he can replace them very easily, and they pick up the plates and leave.
Once the workers have gone, a Dalek arrives and talks to Diagoras. Diagoras reveals his ambition to run the city by whatever means necessary, and the Dalek comments that he thinks like a Dalek.
The conversation has been watched by Dalek Sec, the leader of the Cult of Skaro from Doomsday. Dalek Sec orders the Dalek with Diagoras to bring him to the laboratory where the other Daleks are. Diagoras tells Dalek Sec what an honour it is to meet him, but Dalek Sec's response is to order the pig-men to secure Diagoras.
In the sewers, the work party hears some strange noises. They look for the source of the noises, and Martha discovers a figure huddled on the ground some way off.
The Doctor approaches the figure and discovers that its a pig-man. As he tries to talk to it, more pig-men arrive.
The Doctor returns to the others, while the pig-men continue to advance towards them. The humans start to run, followed by the pig-men.
The Doctor discovers a ladder leading out of the sewers, and he climbs out, followed by Martha and Solomon, but Frank doesn't make it and is captured by the pig-men. The three of them discover that they're in the prop room of the theatre, and are greeted by Tallulah, who points a gun at them and asks what they've done with Laszlo.
Some off-screen explanations must have taken place, as the next scene is in Tallulah's dressing room, where she admits that the gun is just a prop, and she also explains that Laszlo disappeared without any trace. The Doctor tells her that Laszlo isn't the only one who's missing, and that he needs to find out what the organic matter is so that he can know what it is they're fighting.
The Doctor starts rummaging through the prop room for items he can use. Solomon brings him a radio which he thinks could help, and then tells the Doctor that he needs to get back to Hooverville as no one else is going to protect the residents.
Meanwhile, as Tallulah prepares for the show, she tells Martha that Laszlo used to leave a single rosebud on her dressing table every day. But now he's gone, and she has to go out on stage and keep going, hoping that he'll come back.
Tallulah shows Martha a rose and says that they're still being left every day for her. If it is Laszlo, she doesn't understand why all the secrecy.
In Hooverville, Solomon organises the residents for the defence of their community. Meanwhile, the workers battle to put the panels in place on top of the Empire State Building.
In the Dalek's laboratory, the Daleks debate over the “Final Experiment”, with the other Daleks disagreeing with Dalek Sec's plan. However, Dalek Sec wins the argument, pointing out that there are only four Daleks left, so the things they have done have resulting in the near-extinction of the Daleks.
Dalek Sec opens up, revealing its true form and it's tentacles pull Diagoras in with it. The shell closes up, even though Diagoras isn't the smallest of men, and you would have thought he didn't fit inside a Dalek's shell together with a Dalek itself. Then again, maybe the TARDIS isn't the only thing that's bigger on the inside.
In the theatre, the Doctor has rigged up a scanner which he uses on the organic matter they found. He determines that it's artificial and genetically engineered and is full of admiration for whoever created it.
Meanwhile, the show has begun and Martha watches from the wings. As Tallulah sings, Martha catches sight of a pig-man in the opposing wings, although this one still has some human features. Instead of trying to find a backstage route to the other side of the stage, which you'd expect the theatre to have, Martha tries to sneak across the stage in the middle of the performance.
While Martha's causing havoc on stage, the Doctor has identified the origin of alien DNA. He's dismayed when he realises that it comes from Skaro, the Daleks' home planet.
On stage, Martha points out the pig-man to the performers, and Tallulah screams. The pig-man runs off, and Martha gives chase, ending up in the prop room, where she is attacked by another pig-man, whose features are fully porcine.
As the performers leave the stage, the Doctor joins them and asks where Martha is. He gets his answer when he hears Martha scream, and he runs to the prop room where he finds the sewer entrance uncovered. He grabs his coat and enters the sewer, and Tallulah does similarly, despite the Doctor's protests.
The pig-men force Martha to join a line of human prisoners who are being led somewhere. One of the prisoners is Frank, although he doesn't know any more than Martha regarding what's going on.
The Doctor hears a sound up ahead in the tunnel he and Tallulah are walking along, and then catches sight of a familiar-looking shadow. He grabs Tallulah and the two of them hide in an alcove as a Dalek goes past, not spotting them due to its lack of peripheral vision.
Once the Dalek has moved on, the Doctor says that he's taking Tallulah back, as it's too dangerous for her to be there. The two of them turn a corner and encounter the pig-man who was watching at the theatre. He runs from them and hides his face against the wall.
The Doctor asks where Martha is, and the pig-man says that he didn't take her. In answer to the Doctor's questions, he explains that the Daleks did this to him as they needed slaves in order to steal more people, but he managed to get away before the process was completed, meaning that he retained his mind and some of his human features.
Tallulah asks if the pig-man was in the theatre, and he admits that he was. He steps into the light, and Tallulah recognises him as Laszlo.
The Doctor asks Laszlo to show him where the Daleks are. Laszlo says that they'll kill the Doctor, who replies that if he doesn't stop them then they'll kill everyone.
A Dalek comes up to the line of prisoners that includes Martha and Frank. It orders them to line up and submit to an intelligence scan.
By this time, the Doctor, Laszlo and Tallulah have found the prisoners and are watching this happen. Laszlo explains that those who register as low intelligence are turned into pig-men, while the high intelligent people are taken away to form part of the Final Experiment.
Martha is deemed to have high intelligence, which is reassuring, otherwise it would raise serious questions about the selection procedures for medical students. Frank is also in the high intelligence group, and the Daleks lead them away.
The Doctor tells Tallulah and Laszlo to go, but Laszlo says that he's staying. Tallulah protests, but Laszlo points out that there isn't anywhere for him to go. Tallulah leaves, and the Doctor and Laszlo join the group being led by the Daleks, the Doctor pretending to be a prisoner and Laszlo a guard.
The Daleks lead them to the laboratory where they see Dalek Sec who has a lot of smoke coming out of its shell. One of the Daleks states that Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution.
The Doctor prompts Martha to ask what's going on, saying that he doesn't what to get noticed. He'd do a better job of not being noticed if he didn't continue to stand next to Martha while she speaks to the Daleks.
One of the Daleks tells Martha that she will bear witness to a new age. As there are only four Daleks left, the species must evolve a life outside the shell. Dalek Sec's shell opens, and a Human-Dalek hybrid steps out.
Quotes
Martha: I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new...
The Doctor: Well, there's the genuine article. So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam.
Martha: He's not...we're not together.
Tallulah: Oh, sure you are. I've seen the way you look at him. It's obvious.
Martha: Not to him.
Tallulah: Oh, I should have realised. He's into musical theatre, huh? What a waste.
Tallulah: Ever been on stage before?
Martha: A little bit. You know, Shakespeare.
The Doctor: They survived. They always survive, while I lose everything.
Martha: I'm so glad to see you.
The Doctor: Yeah, well, you can kiss me later. You too, Frank, if you want.