Daleks confirm Susan’s disappearance
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Dalek 2 reports that the Doctor is dying, and Dalek 1 coldly accepts this, asking about the others. Dalek 2 informs him of the woman and the young man's deteriorating conditions.
Dalek 1 inquires about the girl (Susan), and Dalek 2 confirms she reached the jungle but they have lost track of her via rangerscopes. This places Susan in danger and heightens the stakes of her solo mission, unseen and alone.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Detached (no emotional response to the prisoners' suffering; operates purely on logic and strategy)
Dalek 1 demonstrates cold pragmatism, dismissing the Doctor's impending death as inevitable and focusing on the status of the other prisoners. It inquires about Susan's whereabouts, revealing the Daleks' interest in her mission. The loss of tracking on Susan triggers a shift in its demeanor, suggesting that the Daleks will now take countermeasures to regain control. Its dialogue is authoritative and unyielding, reflecting the Daleks' collective will to dominate.
- • Regain control over Susan (her disappearance is a threat to Dalek dominance)
- • Ensure the prisoners' compliance (their conditions are secondary to the Daleks' objectives)
- • Weakness must be exploited (the prisoners' radiation sickness is a tool for manipulation)
- • Surveillance and control are non-negotiable (the loss of tracking on Susan is an unacceptable failure)
Determined (her evasion suggests she is acting with purpose, likely to secure the anti-radiation drugs for the group) and Anxious (the jungle is a hostile environment, and she is cut off from her companions)
Susan, referred to as 'the girl,' is confirmed to have reached the jungle but is now lost to the Daleks' tracking systems. Her disappearance is a critical development, as it disrupts the Daleks' surveillance and introduces a variable they cannot control. The Daleks' loss of tracking on her suggests she may have found a way to evade them, either intentionally or by accident, heightening the stakes for her solo mission.
- • Retrieve the anti-radiation drugs (her mission, as implied by the Doctor's absence and the Daleks' interest in her whereabouts)
- • Survive the jungle and evade Dalek detection (her disappearance suggests she is actively avoiding capture)
- • The Daleks are a threat that must be outmaneuvered (her evasion implies she understands the danger they pose)
- • Time is of the essence (her urgency is tied to the Doctor's and companions' deteriorating conditions)
Desperate (implied by his absence and the Daleks' dismissal of his fate; his companions' struggles suggest a deeper emotional toll for those who care for him)
The Doctor, referred to as 'the old man,' is confirmed to be dying from radiation sickness. His condition is discussed clinically by the Daleks, who view his impending death as an inevitable outcome with no emotional weight. His absence from the scene is palpable, as his fate is reduced to a cold statistic in the Daleks' assessment of their prisoners.
- • Survival (implied by the companions' efforts to retrieve the anti-radiation drugs, which the Doctor likely orchestrated)
- • Protection of companions (his absence suggests he may have sent Susan into the jungle as a last resort to secure their survival)
- • The Daleks are incapable of mercy or compassion (his absence from the negotiation suggests he may have anticipated their ruthlessness)
- • Time is running out (his deteriorating condition underscores the urgency of the mission)
Neutral (no emotional investment in the prisoners' fates; operates purely on logic and protocol)
Dalek 2 serves as the messenger of critical updates regarding the prisoners' conditions. It reports the Doctor's impending death, Barbara's heavy sleep, Ian's resistance to radiation sickness, and Susan's disappearance into the jungle. Its dialogue is clinical and precise, reflecting the Daleks' collective logic. The loss of tracking on Susan is a notable failure in their surveillance, which Dalek 2 acknowledges without emotion, reinforcing the Daleks' detachment from human suffering.
- • Maintain surveillance over the prisoners (its report on Susan's disappearance suggests a focus on control and monitoring)
- • Ensure the Daleks' objectives are met (its updates are designed to inform Dalek 1's decisions)
- • The prisoners are a means to an end (their conditions are secondary to the Daleks' goals)
- • Surveillance is critical to maintaining dominance (the loss of tracking on Susan is a failure that must be addressed)
Defiant (his resistance implies a refusal to accept his fate; he is likely motivated by a desire to protect his companions)
Ian, referred to as 'the young man,' is noted for fighting against the effects of radiation sickness. His resilience is briefly acknowledged by the Daleks, suggesting he is in better condition than Barbara but still struggling. His absence from the scene is implied, as his state is reported secondhand by Dalek 2. His resistance to the radiation implies a determination to survive, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
- • Survival (his fight against radiation sickness suggests a will to live)
- • Protect companions (his resilience implies a desire to support Barbara and Susan in their efforts)
- • The Daleks can be outmaneuvered (his resistance suggests a belief in the possibility of escape or survival)
- • Unity is strength (his determination is tied to the group's collective effort)
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Dalek rangerscopes are critical surveillance tools used to track Susan's movements through the jungle. Initially, they successfully monitor her progress, confirming her arrival in the jungle. However, they lose her tracking signal, which triggers immediate Dalek countermeasures. This failure in surveillance underscores the Daleks' reliance on technology to maintain control and highlights Susan's resourcefulness in evading detection. The rangerscopes' malfunction introduces a critical variable into the Daleks' plans, as Susan's disappearance disrupts their ability to monitor the prisoners' efforts.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Dalek Control Room serves as the nerve center for the Daleks' operations, where they monitor their prisoners and coordinate their surveillance efforts. In this event, the room is a sterile, metallic space filled with glowing monitors and rangescopes, where Dalek 1 and Dalek 2 exchange critical updates on the prisoners' conditions. The atmosphere is tense and oppressive, reflecting the Daleks' cold efficiency and the prisoners' desperate situation. The room's functional role is to facilitate the Daleks' dominance, as they use it to track, control, and manipulate their captives.
The jungle outside the TARDIS is referenced as the destination of Susan's mission, where she is tasked with retrieving the anti-radiation drugs. The Daleks' rangerscopes initially track her to this location, but they lose her signal, suggesting she has evaded their surveillance. The jungle is a dangerous, radioactive environment, symbolizing the perilous nature of the companions' struggle for survival. Its role in the event is to serve as both a refuge and a gauntlet, where Susan must navigate the hazards of the terrain while avoiding Dalek detection.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Daleks, as an organization, are represented in this event through the actions and dialogue of Dalek 1 and Dalek 2. Their collective logic is on full display as they assess the prisoners' conditions and respond to Susan's disappearance. The Daleks' ruthless pragmatism is evident in their dismissal of the Doctor's impending death and their immediate countermeasures to regain control over Susan. Their influence is exerted through surveillance, threats, and the manipulation of the prisoners' desperation, all of which serve their goal of dominance and survival.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Daleks' plan to let prisoners die acts as a thematic parallel to the reveal that the Doctor is dying and everyone else is in a state of deterioration."
Daleks reveal their betrayal plan"The Daleks losing track of Susan directly leads to her being unseen amidst the dangers of her environment and being fearful of the unseen."
Susan’s Fall and the Unseen ThreatThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"DALEK 2: I have just come from the prisoners. The old man is dying."
"DALEK 1: Then he must die. There is no help we can give him."
"DALEK 1: What of the girl? Has she reached the jungle?"
"DALEK 2: Yes, the rangerscopes tracked her that far. Now they have lost her."