Day 659: Paradise Towers Part 2

I mentioned yesterday about the Rezzies, the old women who live in Paradise Towers and are generally a little bit creepy. This episode begins to elaborate on their true nature, and it makes for one of the most entertaining cliffhangers in Doctor Who history.

It begins when Tabby and Tilda get a visit from one of the other Rezzies, Maddy, who informs them that one of the Caretakers has disappeared. Tabby and Tilda take this news with the same amount of curiosity that Maddy is exhibiting, although at the same time they cover up their dinner, a healthy serving of meat for the two of them. We realise what the significance of this is later, when Mel comes back to see them, whereupon she is captured, and they threaten her with a poker. It is now quite clear that these nice old ladies are cannibals, and that they wish to eat Mel.

Nice old women who turn out to be cannibals. It's a ludicrous notion, but it works in the context of the story, being in a world where society has completely broken down and yet it still maintains the facade of being in order. There's also the fact that this is quite clearly written as a very funny joke, something that can be further shown by the design of the net with which they capture Mel with, which is obviously hand-knitted and looks more like a rug or a shawl than a deadly implement. All in all, it's easily one of my favourite cliffhangers, not because it's scary or because it changes the story completely, but because it's wonderfully odd, and yet another reason to adore this story.