S4E38
Gritty yet hopeful
Written by David Whitaker
View Graph

The Evil of the Daleks Part 2

When the Daleks demand the Doctor's help in a twisted experiment to isolate the human factor that allows them to be defeated, the Doctor must outwit the Daleks and protect humanity from becoming pawns in their quest for ultimate power.

The Doctor and Jamie arrive at an antique shop, intrigued by its owner, Waterfield, and the anachronistic nature of his wares. Their investigation leads them to a secret room where they discover a Dalek communications system and the body of a murdered man. They soon realize Waterfield is caught in a sinister plot, and an associate named Perry attempts to alert the police, only to be thwarted by the Daleks' interference.

The Doctor discovers half of a photograph in the dead man's hand, which is a picture of himself. He realizes there is a hidden room. They are soon gassed and kidnapped by Waterfield and transported to 1866. They awaken in the home of Theodore Maxtible, who explains their experiments with electromagnetism and static electricity opened a door for the Daleks, who have taken Waterfield's daughter, Victoria.

The Daleks force Waterfield to lure the Doctor and Jamie into a trap, holding Victoria hostage. The Doctor learns the Daleks want the Doctor's help to identify the human characteristic that allows Humans to defeat Daleks. They want to transplant this "human factor" to become invincible. The Daleks plan to test Jamie. Ruth Maxtible attempts to befriend Jamie, but he's kidnapped. He learns that Victoria looks just like Waterfield's late wife.

The Doctor refuses to let Jamie be subjected to the Daleks' experiment without warning him. Meanwhile, Mollie, a maid, is also kidnapped. The Doctor deduces that the Daleks plan to extract this human essence and infuse it into themselves. He confronts the Daleks, realizing the grave implications of their experiment and the need to protect Jamie and thwart the Daleks' plans for conquest. He vows to stop them, even at great personal risk. The episode ends with the Daleks preparing to commence their test, holding Jamie captive and threatening the Doctor.


Events in This Episode

The narrative beats that drive the story

27
Act 1

The narrative opens with a Dalek executing Kennedy in a secret room, then vanishing via a transmat device. The Doctor and Jamie enter Waterfield's antique shop, immediately noticing the peculiar anachronism of "Genuine Victorian Antiques" that appear brand new. The Doctor deduces these items are indeed genuine but originate from 1866, suggesting Waterfield possesses a form of time travel. Their investigation leads to the discovery of Kennedy's murdered body in Waterfield's study, a Dalek communication system, and a torn photograph of the Doctor clutched in Kennedy's hand. This prompts the Doctor to realize a hidden room exists. Perry, a shop employee, attempts to alert the police but Dalek interference thwarts his call, severing outside help. The Doctor and Jamie locate the secret room, but upon opening a box containing the other half of the Doctor's photograph, they are gassed and collapse. Waterfield, acting under duress, uses the transmat device to transport the unconscious Doctor, Jamie, and the entire apparatus to 1866. Perry and a policeman subsequently arrive to find the shop empty, confirming the protagonists' forced disappearance. This act establishes the immediate, lethal threat posed by the Daleks, the mystery surrounding Waterfield's involvement and the anachronistic items, and culminates in the Doctor and Jamie's involuntary abduction into the past, making them direct pawns in the Daleks' sinister scheme.

Act 2

The Doctor and Jamie awaken disoriented in Theodore Maxtible's sitting room in 1866, learning their location and the precise date from the maid, Mollie. Maxtible and Edward Waterfield explain their scientific experiments, involving electromagnetism and static electricity, inadvertently opened a portal, allowing the Daleks to burst forth and invade the house. The Daleks subsequently kidnapped Waterfield's daughter, Victoria, holding her hostage to coerce Waterfield. Waterfield confesses the Daleks forced him to lure the Doctor and Jamie into their trap, using the Doctor's TARDIS as bait. A Dalek then appears, asserting its control, confirming it holds the TARDIS hostage, and demanding the Doctor's cooperation in an experiment. The Dalek explicitly states its intention to test a human being, identifying Jamie as the chosen subject. Maxtible, piecing together the Daleks' motivations, speculates they seek to isolate a unique "human factor" responsible for human resistance to Daleks, with the aim of transplanting it into their own race. Waterfield expresses profound alarm, realizing that if successful, this would render the Daleks invincible, leading to their ultimate conquest. This act effectively transitions the narrative from the initial mystery and forced abduction to a chilling revelation of the Daleks' specific, terrifying objective and the immediate, existential threat posed to Jamie and, by extension, all humanity.

Scene 10
Scientists Reveal Their Catastrophic Experiment

In Maxtible’s laboratory, the Doctor confronts Maxtible and Waterfield, who reluctantly confess their reckless experiments with mirrors, electromagnetism, and static electricity. Their final test unintentionally opened a portal, unleashing monstrous …

Maxtible's House 6 characters 12 connections
Waterfield reveals Dalek blackmail and trap

In Maxtible’s laboratory, the Doctor interrogates Waterfield and Maxtible about their reckless time-travel experiments, which inadvertently opened a portal for the Daleks. Under pressure, Waterfield confesses that the Daleks coerced …

Maxtible's House 6 characters 12 connections
Daleks reveal their experiment and blackmail the Doctor

In Maxtible’s laboratory, the Doctor and Waterfield are mid-conversation about the Daleks’ origins when a Dalek suddenly materializes, cutting through the tension with its imperious presence. The Dalek immediately asserts …

Maxtible's House 6 characters 12 connections
Daleks demand Jamie for human factor experiment

In Maxtible’s laboratory, the Doctor and Waterfield are mid-conversation about the Daleks’ origins when a Dalek suddenly materializes, cutting through the tension with its imperious presence. The Dalek reveals its …

Maxtible's House 6 characters 12 connections
Daleks Demand the Human Factor

In Maxtible’s laboratory, the Doctor and Waterfield confront the Daleks’ sinister plan after Maxtible reveals the lab’s purpose: a failed time-travel experiment that inadvertently opened a portal for the Daleks. …

Maxtible's House 6 characters 12 connections
Act 3

Recovering from the effects of the gas, Jamie interacts with Ruth Maxtible, who informs him of his location and her father's ownership of the house. Jamie learns that Victoria, Waterfield's daughter, bears a striking resemblance to Waterfield's late wife, whose portrait hangs in the room. While Jamie attempts to investigate the room, a ruffian named Toby enters through the French windows, knocks Jamie unconscious, and kidnaps him. Toby subsequently abducts Mollie, the maid, as she enters with tea. Concurrently, the Doctor, having fully grasped the Daleks' sinister plan to extract the "human factor," resolves to warn Jamie, directly defying the Daleks' explicit orders against revealing their intentions. The Doctor attempts to locate Jamie but discovers Mollie, unconscious and hidden under a blanket, in Jamie's place. Examining the scene, the Doctor finds marks on the floor, confirming a struggle and Jamie's abduction. Waterfield, desperate to protect his daughter, reiterates Jamie's absolute criticality to the Daleks' experiment and warns of the deadly repercussions if Jamie is not found. The Doctor, now fully comprehending the Daleks' ruthless capacity for violence and the immediate, dire threat to his companion, declares his unwavering commitment to finding Jamie and actively thwarting the Daleks' plans for conquest, even if it means facing their ultimate, lethal retribution. This act culminates in the immediate crisis of Jamie's disappearance, solidifying the Doctor's personal resolve and shifting the narrative into a direct confrontation with the Daleks' scheme.