A hotel in the country sits ready for opening except for one team of people. The man in charge, Jack Robertson, is informed that the evacuation plane is on standby. A woman, Frankie Ellish, warns that the logistics are too big and too complex and the chance of exposure is too great. Robertson tells her to make it disappear, but she says that she can't. Najia Khan comes in and says that she arrived to check and see that everything was all right before it opened. Robertson complains that his assistant, Kevin, didn't stand watch. Najia explains that she'll be the general manager and Robertson fires her. He then tells Frankie that she has one hour to tell him how she's going to make it all go away.
The Doctor pilots the TARDIS through the Vortex and the ride is a bit bumpy. The vessel materializes at Park Hill, and the Doctor explains that it's only a half hour since they left. She figures that they're done and says that it was nice having them aboard. Yasmin asks what she's going to do, and the Doctor tells them that there are loads to see... by herself. Taking pity on her, Yasmin invites her in for tea and the Doctor immediately accepts. Graham says that he'll go home first and join them later, and tells Ryan that he'd rather do it alone.
Dr. Jade McIntyre is knocking at a flat door down the hallway, calling for Anna, when the Doctor, Yasmin, and Ryan arrive. The Doctor notices cobwebs in the corner as Yasmin goes in. Her father Hakim greets her, calls in his other daughter Sonya, and goes to get food. As they eat, the Doctor notices the "junk" piled up. Hakim says that he couldn't just leave it there. Yasmin says that the police are looking into it but Hakim insists that it's evidence of a conspiracy. Ryan tells Sonya that he and Yasmin are just mates.
Najia calls Yasmin and asks her to pick her up from work and says that she'll explain everything when she sees Yasmin. Once she hangs up, Najia goes outside past the cobwebs. Hakim asks if his wife is all right, and Yasmin claims that Najia forgot something and goes to meet her. She tells the Doctor to stay while she meets Najia. There's a package delivery notice from the neighbor, and Hakim says that she's been out for a couple of days.
Graham finally goes into his cobweb-covered home, and imagines Grace being there telling him that he'll have to work out how to clean the place. He says that he has a lot to tell her, and she disappears.
The Doctor and Ryan go to Anna's flat and find Jade still there. Jade says that she and Anna work together at the university and Anna hasn't been in for a few days. The Doctor calls in via the mail slot but gets no answer. She unlocks the door with her sonic and they go inside. The place is covered in cobwebs and the power is out.
Graham smells Grace's coat, and he hears something thump in the attic. He goes up to investigate and finds a spider-like husk on the floor, the size of a small dog.
The Doctor, Jade, and Ryan check the bedroom and find a web-enshrouded body on the bed. They look around for the spider that did it and find it under the bed. It's two feet long and crawls out, and Jade points out that it's domestic and supposedly harmless. The trio get out and close the door, and the Doctor gets grabs a bottle of vinegar and a package of garlic. She goes back and explains that spiders hate the two substances, and they discover that it's gotten out and is on the ceiling. It lowers itself down on a web string, and the Doctor assures it that they mean it no harm.
They run out and the Doctor points out that Jade didn't seem surprised by the cobwebs. Graham runs up and tells them that he found a spider's shed skin, and Jade tells them that it isn't the first spider-related incident and the spiders are out of control.
Hakim waits for the others to come back.
As they walk, Jade explains that she and Anna were research fellows in zoology specializing in arachnids. Ryan asks Graham how the house is, and Graham shows Ryan a letter that his father left for Ryan. Walking on, Ryan refuses to open it.
Frankie walks through a service tunnel to a restricted room. On the other side is a tunnel, and Frankie records herself saying that everything she did was under orders. Something moves in the tunnel and attacks Frankie.
Yasmin drives to the hotel and meets Najia, who says that they have to go. She explains that she was sacked, and Robertson and Kevin arrive and Kevin holds the two women at gunpoint. Robertson says that they're trespassing, and points out that Najia brought someone else in. Najia explains that Yasmin came to pick her up, and Robertson points out that the rooms are disgraceful.
At Jade's laboratory, Jade explains that they're utilizing the genetic strengths of arachnids. She's been working on an enzyme to extend spider lives, and notes that they grow as long as they live. Jade wonders if Anna was taking things without their notice and shows them reports of unusual spider activity in Sheffield over the last three months. The Doctor figures that something is wrong with the spider ecosystem but the sightings have nothing in common. When she realizes that the spiders are trying to send a message, the Doctor connects all of the sightings on the map and there's a central nexus: the hotel.
At the hotel, Robertson takes the women to a cobweb-covered room. Najia can't, and Robertson goes to take his scheduled bathroom break. Once they're alone, Najia tells Yasmin that the room was clean the day before. They hear something moving and follow the sound to the wall. There's a spider on the other side and Yasmin hears it moving. The Doctor calls Yasmin, who confirms that she's at the hotel and asks her to let them in.
In the bathroom, Robertson is washing up and hears something in the bathtub. He goes over and a spider breaks out of the drainpipe, shattering the porcelain. A giant spider, several feet across, emerges and advances on Robertson. Kevin runs in and Robertson leaves, closing the door behind him and listens to Kevin's screams.
Once Jasmin lets them in, the Doctor greets Najia and they hear Kevin screaming and gunshots.
Robertson calls through the door, asking if the spider is dead. There's no response, and Roberson peers in. The spider is webbing up Kevin, and Robertson closes the door. Kevin tries to reach his cell phone but the spider yanks him back and he screams for help as the spider drags him down the torn-out drain. Robertson runs out into the hallway and finds the others there. He tells them what happened, and the Doctor and Yasmin go into the bathroom.
The Doctor climbs down the hole where the drain was and finds the spider. She quickly climbs out and goes out with Yasmin into the hallway, and tells Robertson that they need to go somewhere bright and busy. Najia guides them to the lobby, but the outside doors are already webbed over. Robertson figures that it's an eco-protest, but the Doctor says that the spiders are trying to make the whole hotel their web. The Doctor has Najia take them to a safe haven in the kitchen, and Robertson demands to know what they're all doing there. He explains who he is and how rich he is, and Graham says that he's running for president in 2020. Robertson insists that he won't have spider in his hotel, and the Doctor says that they need plans of the hotel and a captive spider.
Later, Graham stands in a hallway acting as bait. A spider approaches him and Ryan catches it in a pot. More spiders approach them and they run.
Once the Doctor has the plans, Robertson points out that they don’t have his panic room marked on them. The Doctor figures that since the apartment building and the hotel both had spiders, the link is Najia. Najia wonders if Yasmin and the Doctor are seeing each other, and Yasmin insists that they're friends. Robertson says that it took them five years to build the hotels, and they repurposed a coal mine.
In the kitchen, Ryan looks at his father's letter. Jade asks Graham to go out and check the size of the spiders, and Ryan hastily puts the letter away.
Najia leads the Doctor, Yasmin, and Robertson through the hallways to the tunnel. As the Doctor destroys the lock, Jade arrives and says that she needs to talk to her. The Doctor insists on continuing on as they talk, and Robertson confirms that all of his hotels are built on repurposed sites. They find people webbed to the ceiling and Robertson confirms that one of them is Frankie. The Doctor figures that they're being stored as food, even though the spiders aren't carnivorous, and figures that their behavior patterns are confused. Kevin is in another cocoon and his gun is lying on the floor... and Robertson pockets it.
The group continues on and comes to a landfill that goes on for miles. Robertson admits that his company does waste disposal, and the Doctor says that the toxic waste is a botched job. Najia figures that Frankie told Robertson, and he admits that he came there to investigate but didn't know it. He says that he hasn't been down there and will pay them all off, but Jade figures that the company JLR take away the spider carcasses and the toxic waste together. JLR disposes of the lab's waste as well, and the Doctor figures that the waste and the toxicity mutated the spider to let them keep on growing.
Graham and Ryan go looking for spiders and enter a ballroom, and Ryan says that he read the letter. His father said that he was sorry for not being there and wants them to reconnect. Ryan's father said that he is Ryan's proper family, and Ryan says that his father isn't proper. They look up at the ballroom's ceiling and see a giant spider there. It drops to the floor and the two men run. They get to the kitchen as the others arrive, and Jade figures the giant spider is the mother and the rest are babies and their pheromones disrupted the spider eco system, causing them to act abnormally. The Doctor explains that Anna had the pheromone on her and she's the common link.
The Doctor has Robertson take them to his panic room. He lets them in and they close the door behind them. Robertson says that he has a huge stash of guns, but the Doctor insists that they're not going to kill the spiders. She suggests that they lure the spiders into the panic room with the promise of food, seal them in and let them die a natural death, and then deal with the mother spider.
Ryan plays loud music on his cell phone and the baby spiders come toward the room. Meanwhile, the Doctor sends Najia, Yasmin, and Ryan to get essential oils from the spa. As they gather the containers, Najia wonders if Yasmin and Ryan are together. They insist that they're not.
Robertson seals the baby spiders in the panic room.
The others go to the ballroom and the Doctor figures they can use the oils to repel the spider mother out. Jade realizes that it's grown too big and is suffocating, but before they can decide what to do, Robertson comes in and shoots the spider mother dead. He claims that it's a mercy killing, and says that it's what's going to get him into the White House.
Later at the complex, Ryan tells Graham that he's going to see the Doctor. Once he leaves, Graham sees Grace again and they look at each other.
Yasmin prepares to leave, and Najia says that when she comes back she can tell her the truth about how she knows the Doctor. Yasmin watches her family eating dinner and then leaves. She joins Ryan and Graham at the TARDIS. They go inside and ask the Doctor if they have to say goodbye. Graham tells her that grief needs time and he doesn't want to sit around waiting for it to go away. Being with her helps him with the grief.
Ryan tells the Doctor that he doesn't want to go back to working at the warehouse, and Yasmin says that her family drive her insane even if she loves them and she wants more of the universe. They agree that the Doctor is awesome and the Doctor warns that she's never sure what is going to happen next. She warns that they won't come back as the same people that left, and Graham figures that's good. The Doctor tells them to be sure and they are, and she declares them "Team TARDIS". She welcomes them aboard and they pull the dematerialization lever... together.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 29, 2018