The Zygon Inversion

“Do you know what thinking is? It’s just a fancy word for changing your mind.”

CLARA: So, you must have thought I was dead for a while?

DOCTOR: Yeah.

CLARA: How was that?

DOCTOR: Longest month of my life.

CLARA: It could only have been five minutes.

DOCTOR: I'll be the judge of time.

BONNIE: It's not fair.

DOCTOR: Oh, it's not fair! Oh, I didn't realise that it was not fair! You know what? My TARDIS doesn't work properly and I don't have my own personal tailor.

BONNIE: The things don't equate.

DOCTOR: These things have happened, Zygella, they are facts. You just want cruelty to beget cruelty. You're not superior to people who were cruel to you, you're just a whole bunch of new cruel people. A whole bunch of new cruel people being cruel to some other people, who'll end up being cruel to you. The only way anyone can live in peace is if they're prepared to forgive. Why don't you break the cycle?

BONNIE: Why should we?

DOCTOR: What is it that you actually want?

BONNIE: War.

DOCTOR: Ah, ah right! And when this war is over, when you have a homeland free from humans, what do you think it's going to be like? Do you know? Have you thought about it? Have you given it any consideration? Because you're very close to getting what you want. What's it going to be like? Paint me a picture. Are you going to live in houses? Do you want people to go to work? Will there be holidays? Oh! Will there be music? Do you think people will be allowed to play violins? Who's going to make the violins? Well? Oh, you don't actually know, do you? Because, like every other tantrumming child in history, Bonnie, you don't actually know what you want. So, let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've killed all the bad guys, and when it's all perfect and just and fair, when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you? The troublemakers. How are you going to protect your glorious revolution from the next one?

BONNIE: We'll win.

DOCTOR: Oh, will you? Well, maybe... maybe you will win! But nobody wins for long. The wheel just keeps turning. So, come on. Break the cycle.

BONNIE: Why are you still talking?

Because I want to get you to see, and I'm almost there!

BONNIE: You know what I see, Doctor? A box. A box with everything I need. A 50% chance.

KATE: For us, too.

DOCTOR: And we're off! Fingers on buzzers! Are you feeling lucky? Are you ready to play the game? Who's going to be quickest? Who's going to be the luckiest?

KATE: This is not a game!

DOCTOR: No, it's not a game, sweetheart, and I mean that most sincerely.

BONNIE: Why are you doing this?

KATE: Yes, I'd quite like to know that, too. You set this up -- why?

DOCTOR: Because it's not a game, Kate. This is a scale model of war. Every war ever fought, right there in front of you. Because it's always the same. When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know whose children are going to scream and burn! How many hearts will be broken! How many lives shattered! How much blood will spill until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning -- sit down and talk! Listen to me. Listen, I just... I just want you to think. Do you know what thinking is? It's a fancy word for changing your mind.

BONNIE: I will not change my mind.

DOCTOR: Then you will die stupid. Alternatively, you could step away from that box, you can walk right out of that door and you could stand your revolution down.

BONNIE: No! I'm not stopping this, Doctor. I started it. I will not stop it. You think they'll let me go, after what I've done?

DOCTOR: You're all the same, you screaming kids. You know that? "Look at me, I'm unforgivable." Well, here's the unforeseeable. I forgive you... after all you've done. I forgive you.

BONNIE: You don't understand. You will never understand.

DOCTOR: I don't understand? Are you kidding? Me? Of course I understand. You mean, you call this a war? This funny little thing? This is not a war! I fought in a bigger war than you will ever know. I did worse things than you could ever imagine. And when I close my eyes... I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count! And do you know what you do with all that pain? Shall I tell you where you put it? You hold it tight... till it burns your hand, and you say this... No one else will ever have to live like this! No one else will have to feel this pain! Not on my watch!

“London...what a dump.”