S4E10
Tragic
Written by David Whitaker
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The Power of the Daleks Part 2

Following his regeneration, the Doctor, along with Polly and Ben, arrives on a colony planet and must convince skeptical colonists of the deadly threat posed by seemingly inert Daleks before they regain their power and destroy the colony.

The newly regenerated Doctor, accompanied by his companions Polly and Ben, lands on a seemingly peaceful colony planet. They quickly discover a colony rife with tension, divided between loyalists and rebels, and overseen by the ambitious Lesterson and the suspicious Governor. The Doctor soon learns that Lesterson has discovered a crashed space capsule containing inactive Daleks and is determined to revive them, believing they can be harnessed for the colony's benefit.

Ben and Polly struggle to accept the Doctor's new persona, still grappling with his recent regeneration. The Doctor, however, is focused on the Dalek threat, remembering their destructive potential all too well. He attempts to warn the colonists, but his warnings are dismissed, especially after he is mistaken for an Earth Examiner arriving to assess the colony's progress.

The Doctor's investigation leads him to uncover Lesterson's secret experiments, where he is gradually restoring power to the Daleks. Despite the Doctor's repeated attempts to expose the danger, Lesterson remains blinded by his ambition, aided by his assistant Janley, who is secretly a member of the rebel faction. Meanwhile, Quinn, the Deputy Governor, is framed for sabotage after attempting to investigate the suspicious activities, further complicating the situation and sowing discord among the colonists.

As the Daleks regain their power, they begin to exhibit signs of intelligence and malice, disproving Lesterson's claims of their harmlessness. One Dalek attacks Resno with a negative light, incapacitating him after Resno voiced his concerns, indicating their growing power. The Doctor, realizing the imminent danger, tries to rally support to destroy the Daleks before they can fully reactivate and unleash their destructive potential. In the end, Lesterson is determined to pursue his experiments, setting the stage for a confrontation as the Daleks are now active and dangerous as Lesterson prepares a demonstration.


Events in This Episode

The narrative beats that drive the story

25
Act 1

The newly regenerated Doctor, still grappling with his companions' skepticism regarding his new persona, initiates an investigation into the mysterious crashed space capsule. Inside, Ben discovers a lamp, but their actions are secretly observed by Resno, one of Lesterson's assistants. The Doctor, through careful observation and deduction, quickly ascertains that Lesterson, the colony's ambitious chief scientist, has already breached the capsule's inner compartment, discovered the three inert Daleks, and surreptitiously removed one for his own purposes. The Doctor attempts to convey the profound and destructive threat these beings represent, warning Ben and Polly that even a single Dalek possesses the capability to annihilate the entire colony. Concurrently, the underlying political tensions within the colony begin to surface. Deputy Governor Quinn, seeking to contact the "Examiner" (the Doctor, whom he mistakes for the official Earth representative), is intercepted and physically assaulted by Bragen, the Governor's security chief. This confrontation immediately highlights the deep-seated animosity and factionalism prevalent among the colonists, setting a volatile backdrop for the Doctor's urgent warnings. The Doctor's initial efforts to expose Lesterson's unauthorized experiments and the inherent danger of the Daleks are met with immediate resistance and dismissal, establishing the central conflict between his prescient warnings and the colonists' shortsighted ambition and internal discord.

Act 2

The Doctor, using his assumed authority as the Earth Examiner, directly confronts Lesterson in his laboratory, accusing him of unauthorized access to the capsule and hiding a Dalek. Lesterson, while admitting to opening the capsule, vehemently denies hiding one and dismisses the Daleks as harmless "lumps of metal," refusing the Doctor's demand to destroy them. The Doctor then threatens to involve the Governor, prompting Lesterson to secretly retrieve the hidden third Dalek, reaffirming his determination to revive them. Back in the guest quarters, the Doctor discovers a listening device, confirming surveillance and deepening the sense of intrigue. He uses a button found earlier to deduce the real Examiner was murdered, linking it to Quinn. Meanwhile, Lesterson's assistants, Resno and Janley, begin wiring a Dalek for testing, with Resno expressing unease while Janley dismisses his concerns. The Doctor's attempt to see the Governor is blocked, forcing him to plan a radio call to Earth, only to find the communications room sabotaged and the operator unconscious, further isolating the colony. Bragen then frames Quinn for the sabotage, using the button and wire cutters as evidence, intensifying the political conflict.

Act 3

Lesterson, undeterred by the Doctor's warnings and driven by his scientific ambition, intensifies his experiments to fully activate a Dalek. He significantly increases the power supply, causing the Dalek's mechanical sucker arm and then its eye-stick to slowly begin moving. Resno, Lesterson's assistant, grows increasingly unnerved and vocalizes his conviction that the Dalek is intelligent and "watching" them, a notion Lesterson vehemently dismisses as absurd and unscientific. As the power is further amplified, the Dalek's eye-stick ominously fixes its gaze upon Resno, who senses an undeniable malevolent presence. Without warning, the Dalek's gun-stick emits a powerful blast of negative light, striking and instantly incapacitating Resno, who collapses to the floor, the camera he was operating crashing down beside him. A shocked Lesterson immediately disconnects the power. Janley, Lesterson's other assistant, quickly ascertains that Resno is merely unconscious, not dead, and strategically covers up the incident with a dust sheet. She impresses upon Lesterson the critical need for secrecy, fearing that knowledge of this "accident" would provide the "Examiner" with the justification needed to halt the entire project. The following morning, Ben and Polly, in the guest quarters, continue to debate Quinn's guilt or innocence regarding the communications sabotage, highlighting the ongoing internal distractions. Bragen then arrives to escort them to an official enquiry. Meanwhile, in the laboratory, a triumphant Lesterson, oblivious to the true, malevolent nature of the Dalek, prepares it for a public demonstration, excited by his "wonderful achievement." He reiterates the importance of keeping Resno's accident a secret, setting the stage for a potentially catastrophic public reveal of the now active and dangerous Dalek, with the colony still deeply divided and unprepared.