Running from Silence

The Vampires of Venice Spoilers

After last week’s revelations, we were unsure whether the series arc would be expanded at all in The Vampires of Venice. Fortunately the episode gave us a few more teasers to ponder on. This time the “silence” was mentioned again for the first time since The Eleventh Hour. Rosanna reveals to the Doctor that her race fled from the “silence” and that her planet, Saturnyne, was destroyed by the cracks in the universe.

Doctor: “Why are you here?”
Rosanna: “We ran from the silence.”
Doctor: “The silence?”
Rosanna: “There were cracks. Some were tiny, some were as big as the sky. Through some we saw worlds and people. And through others we saw silence…and the end of all things. We fled to an ocean like ours and the crack snap shut behind us. Saturnyne was lost.”

So what worlds might those be? And how exactly do you see silence? The end scene of the episode gives hints that the same thing could be happening to 15th century Venice.

In the first few shots, Venice is back to bustling business.

Then, all of a sudden, everything in the background goes completely silent.

Doctor: “Rory, listen to that?”
Rory: “Er…what? All I can hear is silence.”

Venice appears empty as if all the people that were previously there have vanished…

The Doctor realises something is wrong but enters the TARDIS anyway. Then the episode ends with a zoom shot through the TARDIS keyhole. Rosanna’s voice is ominously heard again.

Rosanna: “There were cracks…through some we saw silence and the end of all things. “

So what caused Venice to go silent? Did another crack appear like in Flesh and Stone and erase the people from time? It’s another thing to speculate on!