Terror of the Autons Part 4
The Doctor races to stop the Master and the Nestenes from activating thousands of plastic daffodils, designed to kill and create chaos, paving the way for a full-scale invasion of Earth, with the Brigadier and UNIT caught in the crossfire.
The Doctor, aided by Jo Grant and UNIT, confronts the Master, who has allied himself with the Nestenes to launch a devastating attack on Earth. The Master and the Nestenes distribute thousands of plastic daffodils, each programmed to release a deadly plastic film upon activation by a radio signal. UNIT discovers the plot when a test daffodil almost kills Jo. The Brigadier orders an air strike on the coach being used to distribute the daffodils, hoping to eliminate the threat. The Doctor, however, is reluctant, hoping to discover the activation method of the flowers before they attack.
As the air strike is prepared on the coach, the Doctor works to translate the molecular program within the daffodil. Eventually, he discovers it can be triggered by a shortwave radio. Jo accidentally triggers a daffodil, which sprays a deadly plastic film at her face, but the Doctor quickly removes the film with an aerosol.
The Master arrives at the UNIT laboratory and confronts the Doctor. Revealing his plan to use a radio impulse the Nestenes will use for the daffodils, leading to mass fatalities, confusion, and a Nestene landfall for a full-scale invasion. Jo interrupts the confrontation, distracting the Master. The Doctor seizes the dematerialization circuit from the Master's TARDIS, preventing him from escaping Earth. Before the RAF strike can happen, the Doctor races to the quarry where he rescues the Master and UNIT fearing the RAF strike will obliterate any clues for him to learn.
The Doctor, Jo, and the Master are captured by Autons inside the coach, but the Doctor signals UNIT. Using brake lights and morse code, UNIT discerns the daffodils are deadly, will be activated soon, need immediate destruction and requests help in guarding the radio research station from where the signal will originate. As the Master is about to set off a signal to activate the daffodils the Doctor and Jo escape from the Coach, and the Doctor sabotages the coach which crashes near the radio telescope. After defeating the Autons, the Doctor confronts the Master inside, who attempts to open a channel for the Nestenes to invade. The Doctor reverses the polarity, flinging the Nestene energy out into space. The Master escapes, and the Doctor discovers that the Master used his dematerialization circuit with him during his escape, thus trapping him on Earth.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The episode opens with the Doctor freed from a plastic trap by the Brigadier, quickly resuming his investigation into the mysterious plastic daffodils. Captain Yates reports widespread distribution of the daffodils by individuals in carnival masks, raising the Brigadier's concern about their potential danger. The Doctor meticulously analyzes a daffodil's molecular structure, discovering a complex 'programme pattern' imprinted on its cells, indicating it is a weapon. Meanwhile, the Brigadier, having located the coach distributing the daffodils in a quarry, unilaterally orders an RAF rocket strike to destroy it, overriding the Doctor's plea for more time to understand the weapon's function. In the lab, Jo accidentally triggers a daffodil with a shortwave radio, causing it to spray a deadly plastic film that instantly seals her nose and mouth, nearly suffocating her. The Doctor intervenes, removing the film and realizing the daffodils are activated by a radio signal, designed to kill by suffocation. He deduces a massive, coordinated attack is imminent. The Master then dramatically appears in the UNIT laboratory, revealing his full, sinister plan: he will open a channel for the Nestenes to send a radio impulse, simultaneously activating 450,000 daffodils, leading to mass fatalities, widespread confusion, and a full-scale Nestene invasion. As the Master prepares to execute the Doctor, Jo's timely interruption creates a distraction, allowing the Doctor to seize the dematerialization circuit from the Master's TARDIS, effectively trapping him on Earth. Jo then inadvertently reveals the impending RAF strike on the quarry, prompting the Master to change his plans and take the Doctor and Jo to the quarry, seemingly to avoid the strike and continue his scheme.
In the UNIT laboratory, the Doctor examines a plastic daffodil under a molecular scanner, revealing its cellular programming—a weaponized design tied to the Master’s invasion plan. As the Doctor deciphers …
In the UNIT laboratory, the Doctor examines a daffodil sample under a microscope, uncovering its molecular structure and identifying a 'programme pattern'—evidence of its weaponized nature. The Brigadier and Yates …
In the UNIT laboratory, the Doctor and Jo decode a hidden facial image within the daffodil's programming—a partial nose and mouth—suggesting a Nestene origin. When Jo accidentally activates the daffodil …
The Doctor and Jo decode a hidden facial image in the daffodil's programming, revealing a critical clue about its activation mechanism. When Jo accidentally triggers a daffodil with a radio …
In a tense UNIT laboratory confrontation, the Doctor deduces the plastic daffodils' vulnerability to carbon dioxide just as the Master arrives, armed and ready to activate 450,000 deadly flowers via …
In the UNIT laboratory, the Doctor and the Master engage in a tense intellectual duel over the Nestene invasion plan, with the Doctor deducing the plastic daffodils' deadly mechanism. The …
At the quarry, the Brigadier and Yates prepare for the RAF air strike, unaware that the Doctor, Jo, and the Master are now inside the target coach. The Doctor, having driven them there, narrowly averts the air strike by having the Brigadier call it off at the last second. Inside the coach, the Master reasserts control, tying up the Doctor and Jo and reclaiming his dematerialization circuit. The Doctor, however, observes their location and deduces the Master's new plan: to activate the daffodils from the nearby radio telescope. With ingenuity, the Doctor uses the coach's brake lights to transmit a Morse code message to UNIT, signaling 'Daffodils are lethal. Activated soon. Destroy immediately. Guard radio research station.' The Brigadier and Benton quickly decipher the urgent warning, prompting UNIT to mobilize all available personnel to destroy the distributed daffodils and secure the radio research station. As the Master prepares for his final move, the Doctor and Jo manage to free themselves from their bonds. The Doctor then sabotages the coach, causing it to veer off course, crash through the Research Station sign, and ultimately stop in a field near the radio telescope. Autons emerge from the crashed coach, engaging UNIT soldiers in a fierce firefight, while the Master seizes the opportunity to make his way towards the radio telescope's control room, intent on opening the channel for the Nestene invasion.
The Master coldly confirms Farrel’s death as a warning to Jo and the Doctor, exposing his ruthless efficiency. He seizes the dematerialization circuit from Jo under veiled threats, escalating his …
Trapped in a moving coach with Jo, the Doctor—bound and helpless—realizes the Master has accelerated his plan to activate the deadly plastic daffodils. With UNIT unaware of the impending Nestene …
The Doctor and Jo remain trapped in the moving coach, but Jo seizes a moment of opportunity to free one hand, demonstrating resourcefulness and defiance. The Doctor acknowledges her progress …
The Doctor and Jo, momentarily separated during their struggle against the Autons, are abruptly reunited as the Master reasserts control over the situation. Jo, having managed to free one hand, …
With the Master racing towards the radio telescope, the Doctor and Brigadier pursue him to the control room, understanding the dire consequences if he succeeds in opening a channel for the Nestenes. The Brigadier shoots out the locked door, allowing them entry. Inside, the Master has already begun realigning the dishes, declaring the Nestenes' arrival. A bright, multi-appendaged energy form begins to coalesce outside, signifying the imminent invasion. The Doctor quickly identifies a desperate solution: reversing the polarity of the energy transfer to fling the Nestene entity back into space. Initially hesitant, the Master realizes that failing to cooperate would mean his own destruction along with Earth. He assists the Doctor in manipulating the controls. With a surge of energy and an explosion from the control panel, the Nestene energy dissipates, and the attacking Autons outside collapse, inert. The invasion is thwarted. However, the Master seizes the moment of chaos to escape. UNIT soldiers, including Yates, fire at a figure they believe to be the Master, only for the Doctor to unmask the fallen figure as Farrel, an Auton duplicate. The true Master then drives the coach, presumably over Farrel, and disappears. Back at UNIT headquarters, the Brigadier reports the Master's complete disappearance. Jo speculates he has left Earth, but the Doctor reveals the Master is still trapped. He explains that the Master, in his haste, took the Doctor's own dematerialization circuit, which the Doctor had been trying to repair for months, rendering the Master's TARDIS inoperable. The Doctor expresses a lack of worry, even looking forward to the Master's inevitable return, setting the stage for future confrontations.
The Master’s forces execute a ruthless assault on UNIT soldiers guarding the Beacon Hill facility, clearing the path for his advance toward the radio telescope control room. As the Doctor …
The Doctor and Brigadier sprint toward the radio telescope control room after witnessing the Master violently eliminate a civilian to clear his path. The Doctor deduces the Master’s intent to …
In the climax of the Nestene invasion crisis, the Doctor and the Master—former enemies now forced into uneasy cooperation—execute a desperate, high-risk maneuver to reverse the polarity of the Beacon …
In the immediate aftermath of the Doctor and Master’s desperate, successful effort to reverse the Beacon Hill Telescope’s polarity and disrupt the Nestene energy, the Brigadier’s relief is abruptly shattered …