S9E4
Cynical, with undercurrents of defiance
Written by Louis Marks
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Day of the Daleks Part 4

The Doctor and his companions must prevent the Daleks from altering history by killing Sir Reginald Styles, who is about to convene a peace conference that could change the course of human history.

In this episode of 'Day of the Daleks,' the Doctor and his companions Jo and Liz are captured by the Daleks, who have traveled back in time to Earth. The Daleks are trying to alter the course of history by killing Sir Reginald Styles, who is about to convene a peace conference that could change the course of human history. The Daleks have been using a human controller to help them navigate human psychology and gain the upper hand. However, the Doctor and his companions manage to escape and join forces with a group of rebels who have also traveled back in time. The rebels plan to kill Sir Reginald Styles to prevent the wars that will lead to the Daleks' takeover of Earth. The Doctor is faced with a moral dilemma: should he allow the course of history to unfold, or should he intervene and potentially cause a paradox? The Doctor and his companions ultimately succeed in preventing the Daleks from killing Sir Reginald Styles, but not before Shura, one of the rebels, sacrifices himself to kill a group of Daleks. The episode ends with the Doctor and his companions returning to their own time, while the Daleks are left to deal with the consequences of their failed plan.


Events in This Episode

The narrative beats that drive the story

37
Act 1

The narrative opens with the Doctor, exhausted and held by Ogrons, facing interrogation in the Dalek control room. The human Controller, believing the Doctor holds valuable information about the guerrillas, persuades the Daleks to allow him to conduct the interrogation, asserting his understanding of human psychology. The Daleks, having revealed their successful time travel and altered history, aim to expand their empire. Meanwhile, in the rebel base, Monia and Boaz finalize plans for a rescue mission, targeting the control center via an old underground railway. The Controller attempts to manipulate the Doctor and Jo, detailing the horrific future of war, destruction, and Dalek domination that led to his family's collaboration. The Doctor condemns the Controller as a traitor, while Jo expresses disbelief at the Controller's complicity. During this tense exchange, guerrilla fighters launch an assault on the Dalek control center. Boaz sacrifices himself by detonating a limpet bomb on a Dalek, clearing a path for Monia and Anat to burst into the control suite. They successfully rescue the Doctor and Jo, with the Doctor intervening to prevent Monia from executing the Controller, arguing he is not the true enemy. The act concludes with the Doctor and Jo safe with the rebels, having escaped immediate Dalek captivity, but now fully immersed in the future's resistance movement and its complex moral landscape.

Act 2

Following their rescue, the Doctor and Jo find themselves in the rebel base, where they learn the full scope of the altered history. The rebels explain that in their timeline, Sir Reginald Styles, far from being a peacebroker, was a power-hungry figure whose conference ended in a devastating explosion, triggering a century of wars that ultimately allowed the Daleks to conquer Earth. The rebels reveal their mission: they traveled back in time using a stolen Dalek time machine to kill Styles before he could cause this catastrophic event, believing this single act will prevent the Dalek future. They implore the Doctor to carry out this assassination. The Doctor, however, staunchly refuses to commit murder, arguing that Styles is fundamentally a good man and questioning the certainty of the rebels' historical account. He suggests alternative interventions. During this discussion, the Doctor learns about Shura, another rebel who is still in the 20th century and possesses Dalekanium, a highly unstable explosive. This detail triggers a crucial realization for the Doctor: the rebels' attempt to change history is precisely what caused the explosion. He deduces that Shura, acting on his mission to prevent the wars, will inadvertently detonate the bomb, thus fulfilling the historical paradox rather than altering it. Simultaneously, in the Dalek control room, the Daleks, furious at the Doctor's escape, task the Controller with setting an ambush at the tunnel, giving him a final, life-or-death chance to recapture the Doctor. The act culminates with the Doctor and Jo preparing to return to their own time, armed with the knowledge of the impending paradox and the urgent need to prevent Shura's fatal action, while the Daleks and their human collaborators prepare their trap.

Act 3

The final act begins with the Doctor and Jo attempting to use a rebel time machine to return to the 20th century, only to be ambushed by Ogrons in the tunnel, as predicted by the Daleks. The Controller confronts them, but the Doctor's impassioned plea, reminding him of the suffering caused by the wars and the possibility of preventing them, sways the Controller. He makes a crucial decision to let the Doctor and Jo escape, sacrificing his own life in the process. Back in the Dalek control room, the Daleks execute the Controller for his perceived betrayal and immediately dispatch forces to the 20th century to ensure the peace conference is destroyed, thus preserving their timeline. Meanwhile, in the 20th century, Sir Reginald Styles arrives at Auderly House for the critical peace conference, unaware of the temporal threats converging on him. The Doctor and Jo materialize and rush to the house, where the Doctor urgently tries to convince Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart to evacuate everyone. Styles, prioritizing the conference, resists, but the escalating attack by Daleks and Ogrons on UNIT forces outside the house forces the Brigadier to take command. The Doctor, knowing Shura is in the cellar with the Dalekanium, rushes to stop him. He finds Shura determined to detonate the bomb to prevent the wars. Jo arrives, confirming the Daleks are entering the house, which makes Shura realize they are there to *ensure* the explosion. In a heroic act of self-sacrifice, Shura decides to detonate the Dalekanium to destroy the Daleks, allowing the Doctor and Jo to escape. The Brigadier, following the Doctor's counter-intuitive orders, withdraws UNIT forces, luring the Daleks into the house. Shura triggers the bomb, obliterating Auderly House and the Daleks within. The conference is saved, and the Doctor emphasizes to Styles that the future now rests on the success of the peace talks, having averted the paradox and preserved humanity's chance for a different future.