Doctor’s toothache lands them in Tombstone
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The TARDIS materializes in a livery stable in Tombstone, 1881, and the Doctor emerges, suffering from a severe toothache, seeking relief. Steven and Dodo follow him, concerned.
The Doctor declares the necessity of finding a dentist to extract the problematic tooth. Steven inquires about their location, prompting the realization that they've landed in the Wild West after Dodo identifies Tombstone.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Joyful exhilaration masking brief concern, then unchecked thrill at the Wild West setting.
Dodo follows the Doctor out of the TARDIS, initially offering to help with his toothache but quickly shifting her focus to the excitement of the Wild West setting. She spots the 'Tombstone' sign outside the livery stable, her eyes lighting up as she whoops in delight ('Yee-hoo!'), fully embracing the adventure. Her enthusiasm contrasts sharply with the Doctor’s agony, and she playfully teases him about his suffering ('Ya-hoo!') before he snaps back, demanding attention for his tooth. Her physical presence is dynamic—moving from concern to exhilaration—as she soaks in the frontier atmosphere.
- • To experience the Wild West adventure fully (embracing the moment)
- • To lighten the Doctor’s mood (playfully, despite his pain)
- • The Doctor’s toothache is temporary and can wait (prioritizing adventure over immediate needs)
- • Historical settings like the Wild West are thrilling and worth exploring without hesitation
Off-screen but ominously present; their actions (implied) are driven by vengeful determination.
The Clanton brothers are mentioned as making their way back toward Main Street, serving as background context for the TARDIS crew’s arrival. Their movement is implied off-screen, setting up their role in the Clanton-Holliday feud and foreshadowing their later confrontation with the Doctor and companions. While not physically present in the livery stable, their presence in Tombstone looms as a latent threat, tying the Doctor’s immediate need for a dentist to the town’s violent undercurrents.
- • To advance their vendetta against Doc Holliday (off-screen but driving the town’s conflict)
- • To assert dominance in Tombstone (through coordinated movements and ambush planning)
- • The Earps and Doc Holliday are legitimate targets for revenge (justifying their violent actions)
- • Tombstone is a lawless frontier where their family’s power must be defended
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The 'Tombstone' sign over the livery stable gate is the first clue confirming the TARDIS crew’s arrival in 1881. Dodo spots it, her eyes lighting up as she realizes they’re in the Wild West, while Steven shares her excitement. The sign functions as a narrative anchor, grounding the scene in its historical setting and foreshadowing the town’s violent reputation. Its bold letters and weathered wood evoke the frontier atmosphere, serving as a catalyst for the companions’ adventure-seeking spirits while the Doctor ignores it, focused solely on his toothache. The sign’s role is symbolic—it marks the threshold between the Doctor’s suffering and the companions’ thrill, setting the stage for their divergent paths in Tombstone.
The Doctor’s handkerchief is a makeshift aid clutched tightly to his mouth as he stumbles out of the TARDIS, its white fabric stained with saliva as he presses it against his aching jaw. It serves as a temporary, ineffective relief for his crippling toothache, symbolizing his rare physical vulnerability. The handkerchief is a constant in his grip throughout the scene, a visual reminder of his suffering as he dismisses the companions’ excitement and insists on finding a dentist. Its presence underscores the contrast between his agony and their thrill, while also foreshadowing his desperation to escape the pain.
The TARDIS materializes as a 1960s London police box inside the cluttered livery stable, its tall blue shape jarringly out of place amid the hay and wooden beams. The Doctor stumbles out first, followed by Steven and Dodo, its door serving as the entry point to Tombstone’s Wild West. The TARDIS functions as both a narrative device (transporting the crew to 1881) and a symbolic contrast—its futuristic design clashing with the frontier setting, highlighting the anachronism of their arrival. While the Doctor’s focus is on his toothache, the TARDIS’s presence foreshadows its potential role in resolving the conflict or aiding their escape, though it remains unused in this scene.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The livery stable in Tombstone, 1881, is a cluttered, hay-scented space where the TARDIS materializes, its wooden beams and packed dirt floor creating a stark contrast to the futuristic police box. The stable serves as the threshold between the Doctor’s agony and the companions’ Wild West excitement, its dim lighting and earthy atmosphere amplifying the tension between his suffering and their thrill. The corral adjacent to the stable hints at the town’s frontier life, while the 'Tombstone' sign outside confirms their location. The stable’s role is functional (a landing site) and symbolic (a liminal space where past and future collide), setting the stage for the Doctor’s desperate search for a dentist and the companions’ adventure.
Tombstone, Arizona, 1881, looms as the backdrop for this event, its dusty streets and saloon fronts hinted at through the livery stable’s open door. While not physically entered in this scene, Tombstone’s presence is felt through the Clanton brothers’ off-screen movement toward Main Street and the 'Tombstone' sign outside. The town’s reputation as a lawless frontier hub—where the Clanton-Holliday feud simmers—is foreshadowed, creating an atmosphere of impending danger. The location’s role is to establish the narrative’s setting and tension, contrasting the Doctor’s immediate need for a dentist with the companions’ excitement about the Wild West’s adventure.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Clanton Family’s presence is implied through the brothers’ off-screen movement toward Main Street, setting up their role in the town’s brewing conflict. While not physically present in the livery stable, their coordinated actions (planning ambushes, asserting dominance) create a latent threat that ties the Doctor’s immediate need for a dentist to Tombstone’s violent undercurrents. The family’s vendetta against Doc Holliday and the Earps looms as a backdrop, foreshadowing their later confrontation with the TARDIS crew. Their influence is felt through the town’s tension, which contrasts with the companions’ excitement and the Doctor’s suffering.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Doctor's toothache established in livery stable scene leads him to seek Dentist"
Doctor’s Pain vs. Companions’ Wild West Joy"Doctor states the need to find a dentist, Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson then suggest Doc Holliday"
Doctor Interrupts Holliday’s Romance"Doctor's toothache established in livery stable scene leads him to seek Dentist"
Doctor’s Pain vs. Companions’ Wild West Joy"The Doctor's seeking relief from his toothache throughout the Act builds tension and contributes to his ignorance of the Clanton's plot and subsequent disguise plot by Holliday. (Doctor continues to seek dentist appointment despite Kate trying to warn Holliday, and Holliday is prioritizing treating the Doctors tooth)"
Doctor mistaken for Holliday and armed as decoy"The Doctor's seeking relief from his toothache throughout the Act builds tension and contributes to his ignorance of the Clanton's plot and subsequent disguise plot by Holliday. (Doctor continues to seek dentist appointment despite Kate trying to warn Holliday, and Holliday is prioritizing treating the Doctors tooth)"
Holliday arms the Doctor as decoy"Steven and Dodo express eagerness about Wild West leading to wearing cowboy clothes, theme about embracing adventure"
Doctor chastises companions for reckless Wild West antics"Steven and Dodo express eagerness about Wild West leading to wearing cowboy clothes, theme about embracing adventure"
Wyatt Earp disarms Steven and asserts controlThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"DOCTOR: Oh, I've got the most ghastly toothache. It's paralysing pain."
"STEVEN: It must be in the past sometime. / DOCTOR: Yes, you're very observant, dear boy, but where? / STEVEN: How would I know? / DODO: I know. / STEVEN: Where? / DOCTOR: Well, use your eyes, dear boy. Good heavens. / STEVEN: Tombstone! The OK. Well, that sounds like... / DODO: The Wild West!"
"DOCTOR: What about my tooth! / STEVEN: Look, I've always wanted to be a cowboy, see what it was like in the Wild West. / DODO: Hey, they had cowgirls too, didn't they? / DOCTOR: Yes, yes, yes."