The Dominators Part 2

When alien Dominators arrive on the planet Dulkis seeking resources and slave labor, the Doctor and his companion must outsmart the technologically superior invaders and warn the Dulcians of the impending danger before it's too late.

The episode opens with the Doctor and Jamie captured aboard the Dominators' saucer, where they are subjected to physiological probing and intelligence tests by Rago and Toba. The Dominators deem them physically inferior but consider using the Dulcians as a workforce, setting up reaction tests to assess their suitability. Meanwhile, on Dulkis, Cully attempts to convince his father, Director Senex, and the Council of the alien threat, bringing Zoe, whom he met discovering a spacecraft, as a witness. The Council dismisses his claims as childish fabrications.

Senex questions Zoe alone, learning that she arrived in a craft called the TARDIS with the Doctor and Jamie. Cully tries to corroborate Zoe's story, mentioning deaths, the disappearance of all radioactivity, the landed spacecraft, and robots on the island. Eventually, Senex asks Cully and Zoe to wait in the antechamber. Back on the Dominator ship, the Doctor and Jamie are placed into an intelligence test, from which they deduce they must act less intelligent - as an unintelligent enemy is far less dangerous than an intelligent one. They escape their captivity when the forcefield keeping them on the wall expires. The Dominators conduct further tests on the Doctor, using electric shocks, but Jamie helps him to make the test fail, so it seems to the Dominators that they are simple. Rago finds it strange that such simpletons could use weapons, which the Doctor denies. He tells them that it was the Clever Ones, and they forbid the use of guns. They determine that the humans are less intelligent, but are still able to be good slaves.

Cully, determined to prove the Dominators' existence, persuades Zoe to return to the island to gather evidence. Since they're not believed, they steal a travel capsule to return to the island. On the island, Balan, Kando, and Teel decide to investigate Cully's claims themselves and venture towards the alien spacecraft. At the same time, Cullly ensures Zoe looks like a Dulcian by finding appropriate garments for her. Upon entering the ship, the Dulcians are captured, revealing to the Dominators the existence of two distinct species on the planet. The Dominators express interested in using the Dulcians on the island for a labor force. The episode concludes with the Dominators initiating a search of the island while Cully and Zoe arrive back at the survey unit, unaware of the danger that awaits, as an explosive attack ensues on the survey unit.

Events in This Episode

The narrative beats that drive the story

Act 1

The episode opens with the Dominators, Rago and Toba, establishing their presence and intent by capturing the Doctor and Jamie aboard their saucer. They subject the companions to physiological probing, assessing their physical capabilities and intelligence. Rago and Toba quickly determine the Doctor and Jamie are physically inferior but possess a "marginally useful" muscular force and "crude" intelligence, considering them for a potential workforce. Rago then orders a "reaction test" for the Doctor, signaling their intent to further evaluate potential slaves. Simultaneously, on the planet Dulkis, Cully desperately attempts to convince his father, Director Senex, and the complacent Council of the grave alien threat. He presents Zoe as a corroborating witness, but the Council members dismiss his urgent warnings as typical "childish curiosity" and "ridiculous stories," rooted in their long-held belief that life on other planets is impossible. Senex, after sending the Council away, questions Zoe alone, discovering her arrival in a craft called the TARDIS with the Doctor and Jamie. Cully attempts to support Zoe's narrative, citing concrete evidence like recent deaths, the inexplicable disappearance of all radioactivity, the presence of a landed spacecraft, and robots on the island. Despite these specific details, Senex ultimately rejects Cully's testimony, deeming his word unreliable based on past "adventures." This act effectively sets the stage by illustrating the immediate peril facing the Doctor and Jamie, while simultaneously highlighting the profound and dangerous complacency of the Dulcian leadership, whose disbelief forms the primary internal obstacle to any effective resistance against the technologically superior Dominators. The initial interactions establish the Dominators' methodical approach to resource acquisition and slave labor, contrasting sharply with the Dulcians' comfortable ignorance and bureaucratic inertia.

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Act 2

Following their dismissal by the Dulcian Council, Cully and Zoe resolve to gather concrete evidence of the Dominators' presence. They plan to steal a travel capsule and return to the island, with Cully ensuring Zoe adopts Dulcian attire to avoid detection. Meanwhile, aboard the Dominator saucer, the Doctor and Jamie, anticipating an intelligence test, deduce that appearing less intelligent will make them seem less dangerous. They exploit a temporary lapse in the molecular force holding them, allowing them to escape their wall-bound captivity. During subsequent tests, Jamie assists the Doctor in deliberately failing, making them appear simple-minded to Rago and Toba. The Doctor, further cementing this deception, invents a narrative of two distinct Dulcian species: "primitives" (like himself and Jamie) who are pacifists and "Clever Ones" who invented weapons but are now few and disliked. This fabricated story leads Rago to conclude that the Doctor and Jamie are harmless and possess only "small labour potential." Concurrently, on Dulkis, Balan, Kando, and Teel, initially dismissive of Cully's claims, decide to investigate the alien spacecraft themselves, driven by curiosity and a growing unease about the unexplained disappearance of radioactivity. This act showcases the Doctor's strategic cunning in manipulating his captors and the growing, albeit uncoordinated, Dulcian response to the alien threat.

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Act 3

The narrative escalates as Balan, Kando, and Teel arrive at the Dominator saucer on the island. Their entry into the alien craft leads to their immediate capture by the Quarks. Rago and Toba, examining the newly captured Dulcians, quickly discern that these individuals are physically and intellectually superior to the Doctor and Jamie, possessing "greater brain power" and "two hearts." This discovery inadvertently confirms the Doctor's earlier fabricated story of "Clever Ones," but with a critical difference: the Dominators now identify these new captives as the actual, viable slave labor force they require. Rago, recognizing the potential, orders a comprehensive search of the island to locate more of this "distinct species." Simultaneously, Cully and Zoe, having successfully stolen a travel capsule and returned to the island, land at the survey unit. They remain completely unaware of the Dominators' heightened activity and the imminent danger. The episode culminates in a sudden, violent assault as Dominator Quarks, under Toba's command, initiate an explosive attack on the survey unit building. This act marks a dramatic shift, transforming the Dominators' general search for resources into a targeted hunt for Dulcian slave labor and directly placing Cully and Zoe in the path of the escalating alien aggression, ending on a cliffhanger of immediate peril.

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