Desperate Measures
The Doctor, along with Ian and Barbara, land on the planet Dido and must stop a man named Bennett, who is pretending to be a native of the planet, from killing the rest of the survivors and escaping justice for a past crime.
The Doctor, Ian, and Barbara arrive on the planet Dido and encounter Vicki, a young girl who is living with an injured man named Bennett. Bennett claims that the native inhabitants, led by a figure called Koquillion, are responsible for the deaths of Vicki's father and the rest of the crew of a crashed spaceship. The group quickly discovers a series of booby traps and dangers within the caves they are in, suggesting that the inhabitants of the planet are dangerous. Barbara and Vicki are in the spaceship when Barbara sees a native about to attack Vicki. Barbara shoots and kills the native, later learning that Vicki had trained the native to come for food and that the natives are not dangerous. Ian and the Doctor arrive and console her. The Doctor decides to speak with Bennett and, going alone, discovers that Bennett is actually Koquillion and has been manipulating Vicki. Bennett reveals that he murdered the crew of the spaceship and framed the natives. Bennett tries to kill the Doctor, but is stopped by natives of the planet. He tries to escape but falls off a cliff and dies. With Bennett gone, the Doctor invites Vicki to travel with him, Ian, and Barbara. She accepts, leaving behind the chance of rescue by the rescue ship that is coming for her and joining the Doctor's time-traveling adventures.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The Doctor and Ian navigate a treacherous cave system, encountering a booby trap with razor-sharp blades, which they successfully disarm. Meanwhile, inside the crashed spaceship, Barbara attends to the injured Bennett, who maintains that the native Koquillion is a dangerous killer responsible for the deaths of Vicki's father and the ship's crew. Barbara proposes setting a trap for Koquillion, but Bennett vehemently dismisses the idea, insisting they must comply with Koquillion's demands to await an impending rescue ship. Vicki, initially supportive of Bennett's narrative, goes to collect water. Outside the spaceship, Barbara spots a native creature seemingly preparing to pounce on Vicki. Acting on instinct and believing Vicki to be in grave danger, Barbara shoots and kills the creature with a flare gun. However, Vicki reacts with profound horror, revealing the creature, named "Sandy," was her pet, trained to come for food, and not a threat. This shocking revelation shatters Bennett's narrative of uniformly hostile natives and deeply distresses Barbara, who grapples with the unintended consequences of her actions. The Doctor and Ian, hearing the distant shot and death cry, arrive at the spaceship, reuniting the group. The Doctor consoles a distraught Barbara and, recognizing the profound discrepancy between Bennett's claims and Vicki's testimony, decides he must speak with Bennett directly to uncover the truth behind the planet's dangers and the true nature of its inhabitants.
In a narrow, dimly lit cave passageway, Ian and the Doctor encounter a lethal booby trap—a set of razor-sharp spikes designed to impale intruders. The Doctor, recognizing the immediate danger, …
After Ian narrowly avoids a lethal razor-blade trap in the cave passageway, the Doctor and Ian work together to disarm the mechanism. The Doctor, though initially intrigued by the trap's …
In the spaceship’s living quarters, Barbara tends to the weakened Bennett while Vicki watches anxiously. Bennett, still clinging to his fabricated narrative, insists Koquillion has killed the Doctor and Ian, …
Bennett, physically weakened and lying on a bunk, exploits Barbara’s concern for his health to manipulate the group’s next move. When Barbara suggests setting a trap for Koquillion, Bennett dismisses …
After Bennett manipulates the Doctor and companions into aiding his return to his quarters, Barbara offers to assist him to his bed, revealing her lingering compassion despite his hostility. Bennett …
In the wake of Bennett’s violent rejection of Barbara’s help, Vicki seizes the moment to reassert control over the group’s domestic routine. Her directive to Barbara—‘I’ll show you where the …
After disarming a lethal booby trap—blades concealed within an ancient rock carving—the Doctor pauses to examine the carving instead of immediately pressing forward. Ian repeatedly warns about the crumbling path …
The Doctor, having just disarmed a lethal booby trap in the cave, pauses to examine the rock carving that concealed the blades—a moment of intellectual curiosity amid the urgency of …
Vicki’s raw grief over Barbara’s accidental killing of her pet Sandy erupts into a confrontation, forcing Barbara to defend her actions while revealing her own guilt and fear. The Doctor …
The scene opens with Vicki’s raw grief over Barbara’s accidental killing of her pet Sandy, revealing the deep fracture in trust between them. Vicki, still loyal to Bennett’s narrative, accuses …
In the aftermath of Barbara killing Vicki’s pet Sandy—a traumatic act Vicki perceives as a betrayal—the Doctor strategically isolates Vicki from Ian and Barbara to exploit her emotional vulnerability. While …
Following the traumatic incident involving Sandy, the Doctor calms Barbara and Vicki, assuring them of their safety and the eventual rescue. He then announces his intention to speak with Bennett, despite Vicki's initial resistance and her insistence on the rescue ship's imminent arrival. Vicki, still deeply affected by Barbara's actions and Bennett's influence, expresses distrust towards Barbara and the Doctor, accusing them of trying to ruin things. The Doctor gently persuades Vicki to trust him and lead him to Bennett. Meanwhile, Ian and Barbara attempt to comfort Vicki, eventually revealing their true origins: they are time travelers from 1963, not 2493, and the Doctor comes from an entirely different planet and era. Vicki initially disbelieves them, but the revelation plants seeds of doubt about her own understanding of reality. The Doctor, having been led to Bennett's quarters, finds the room empty. He investigates, discovering an intercom system, hidden tape recordings of Bennett's voice, and a secret trapdoor in the floor, confirming his suspicions about Bennett's deception and mobility. As the Doctor descends through the trapdoor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki realize he and Bennett have vanished. They decide to return to the TARDIS, anticipating the Doctor will eventually seek it out. The Doctor enters a ceremonial chamber, where he confronts Bennett, who is revealed to be Koquillion, wearing the native mask and robes. Bennett, unmasked, confesses his true identity and his heinous crimes: he murdered a crewmember on the spaceship to Astra, was arrested, and then, after the crash, systematically eliminated the remaining crew and what he believed to be the entire Dido native population using explosives, all to cover his original crime and frame the Dido people. He admits to manipulating Vicki and creating the Koquillion persona to maintain his deception. Bennett then attempts to kill the Doctor, but two surviving Dido natives, dressed in white, intervene. Bennett flees in a panic, falling off a cliff to his death. The Doctor, having witnessed Bennett's demise and the truth of the Dido natives' survival, collapses from the struggle.
The Doctor initially attempts to soothe Vicki’s lingering resentment toward Barbara by downplaying the killing of her pet, Sandy, framing it as an act of protective fear rather than malice. …
The Doctor, having just attempted to mediate Vicki’s lingering resentment toward Barbara for killing her pet, abruptly shifts focus to confronting Bennett. Despite Bennett’s explicit refusal to allow entry—‘You can’t …
The Doctor, alone in Bennett’s quarters, methodically searches for evidence of deception. His discovery of an intercom system and tape recordings confirms Bennett’s manipulation of the survivors, but the real …
The Doctor, alone in Bennett’s quarters, methodically searches the room after Vicki’s dismissive remark, uncovering a hidden intercom system and tape recordings that confirm Bennett’s orchestration of the colonists’ murders. …
The Doctor regains consciousness inside the TARDIS, having been brought there by Ian and Barbara. He confirms Bennett's death and reveals Bennett was indeed Koquillion, the true murderer of the spaceship crew and the orchestrator of the deception. Despite his weakened state, the Doctor expresses an immediate desire to speak with Vicki. Meanwhile, Barbara and Ian discuss Vicki's future, realizing they cannot abandon her on Dido, especially with the truth of Bennett's treachery now exposed and her father's true fate revealed. They consider inviting her to join them on their travels. The Doctor, having recovered sufficiently, finds Vicki in the cave and gently explains Bennett's full deception and the murder of her father. Vicki, now truly alone and without her last remaining guardian, is devastated by the revelation. The Doctor offers her a new path, inviting her to travel with him, Ian, and Barbara in the TARDIS, promising adventure across space and time and the comfort of friendship. Vicki, initially hesitant and questioning the TARDIS's appearance, accepts their invitation, choosing a life of exploration over the uncertain prospect of returning to Earth with the rescue ship. As Vicki enters the TARDIS, the rescue ship makes contact with Dido, calling for survivors. However, the surviving Dido natives, having reclaimed their planet and witnessed Bennett's demise, destroy the ship's radio, ensuring no further contact and solidifying Vicki's decision to depart with the Doctor. The TARDIS dematerializes, carrying its new companion into unknown adventures. The Doctor reflects that the Dido natives now have their planet back and will prevent the rescue ship from landing, confirming the positive outcome of their intervention and the beginning of Vicki's new journey.
The Doctor, Ian, and Barbara enter a ceremonial chamber on Dido, where Bennett—posing as a victim—has staged a ritualistic space to manipulate Vicki and the Doctor. The chamber’s incense and …
The natives of Dido, having exposed Bennett’s deception, reclaim their planet in a climactic act of defiance. As the Doctor, Ian, and Barbara witness, the natives destroy Bennett’s radio—the last …
In the Peoples’ Hall of Judgement, the Doctor confronts Bennett—still disguised as Koquillion—exposing his elaborate deception. Bennett, stripped of his mask, coldly admits to murdering a crewmember on the Astra …
In the Peoples' Hall of Judgement, the Doctor confronts Bennett—who is still disguised as Koquillion—exposing his elaborate deception. Bennett coldly admits to killing a crewmember on the spaceship to Astra, …
The Doctor, still disoriented from his physical ordeal, immediately dismisses Ian and Barbara’s concerns about his well-being and insists on speaking with Vicki. His urgency to confront her—despite his weakened …
The Doctor, disoriented but urgent, returns to the TARDIS after confronting Bennett/Koquillion and immediately inquires about Vicki’s whereabouts, revealing his priority is ensuring her safety. Barbara and Ian, left alone, …