The Time Monster Part 1

The Doctor must stop the Master from using the TOM-TIT device to transmit matter through time, which could have catastrophic consequences.

The screenplay begins with the Doctor experiencing a nightmare about a volcanic eruption and a crystal. He wakes up and asks Jo to investigate recent volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. They discover an eruption in the Thera group of islands, which is connected to the myth of Atlantis. The Doctor becomes convinced that the Master, a villain, is behind the events. The Master is working on a project called TOM-TIT (Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time) at the Newton Institute. The Doctor, Jo, and UNIT (Unified Intelligence Network) agents try to stop the Master, who is using the device to transmit objects through time. The Master takes over the director's office and uses his mind control powers to manipulate others. The Doctor and his companions ultimately thwart the Master's plans, but not before some chaos ensues.

Events in This Episode

The narrative beats that drive the story

Act 1

The episode opens with the Doctor jolting awake from a vivid nightmare featuring a volcanic eruption, a pulsing crystal, and the Master's maniacal laughter. Disturbed by the premonition, he tasks Jo with investigating recent global seismic activity. Jo quickly discovers new eruptions in the Thera group of islands, historically linked to the mythical city of Atlantis. This connection immediately raises the Doctor's suspicions, compelling him to believe the Master is involved. Meanwhile, at the Newton Institute, the Master, disguised as Professor Thascales, oversees his project, TOM-TIT (Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time), which involves a unique crystal. He dismisses his assistants, Ruth and Hyde, before a crucial meeting. The Doctor contacts Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who is initially dismissive of the Doctor's dream-based warning but confirms UNIT's standing orders to search for the Master. The Brigadier also reveals UNIT's interest in the Newton Institute's TOM-TIT project, describing it as a device capable of breaking down and transmitting solid objects. Despite the Doctor's urgency, he remains at UNIT HQ, sending Sergeant Benton with the Brigadier to observe the demonstration at the Institute. This act establishes the central mystery, introduces the antagonist's current scheme, and sets the Doctor and UNIT on a collision course with the Master. The Doctor's premonition serves as the inciting incident, propelling the narrative forward with a clear objective: uncover the Master's latest plan.

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Act 2

Act Two intensifies the conflict as the Master consolidates his power and the Doctor closes in. At the Newton Institute, the Master confronts Director Percival, effortlessly using his mind control to subjugate the skeptical director, forcing Percival to accept his dubious credentials and work. Back in the lab, Ruth and Hyde, frustrated by the Master's arrogance and refusal to conduct a trial run, decide to proceed with an unauthorized test of the TOM-TIT device. They successfully transmit a jar, witnessed by a startled window cleaner, but the crystal within the device continues to glow, indicating an unexpected energy draw. Simultaneously, the Doctor, back at UNIT HQ, develops a "time sensor" designed to detect disturbances in the time field, specifically other TARDISes. The device springs to life, confirming the presence of another time machine and allowing the Doctor and Jo to pinpoint its location: Wootton, the very village where the Newton Institute is located. The Master returns to the lab, initially furious about the unauthorized test, but quickly deduces the crystal's continuous glow signifies it is drawing power from "outside of time itself." He plans to build a "time vector filter" to control this, but upon seeing UNIT's jeep arrive with the Brigadier and Cook, he abruptly changes his mind, deciding to handle the filter himself and sending Ruth to the VIP lunch. The Doctor, realizing the Master's connection to TOM-TIT and its imminent demonstration, races towards the Institute in Bessie with Jo, determined to intervene. This act builds suspense, reveals more about the Master's capabilities and the TOM-TIT's dangerous potential, and sets the stage for a direct confrontation.

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Act 3

Act Three plunges directly into the official demonstration of the TOM-TIT device, escalating the tension to a critical point. As lunch concludes, the Grants Committee chairman, Cook, expresses skepticism about the Institute's expenditures and the TOM-TIT project itself. Ruth Ingram attempts to explain the complex theory behind TOM-TIT to the Brigadier, Cook, and Benton, describing time as composed of "temporal atoms" and the device's ability to push objects through the "interstices" between them, effectively moving them outside the space-time continuum. Cook dismisses this as "unscientific rubbish," highlighting the institutional resistance the project faces. Just as the skepticism peaks, the Master enters, clad in a radiation suit, taking command of the demonstration. He places a china cup and saucer on the sending platform, preparing for the live transmission. Despite Ruth's query about the necessity of the radiation gear, the Master asserts it is for emergencies. He systematically increases power, pushing the device into its "second quadrant." In the radiation lab, Hyde monitors the interstitial activity, confirming stability initially. However, as the Master initiates the final transfer sequence, counting down, Hyde reports an alarming surge of power, declaring he "can't hold it" and demanding the Master "switch off!" The cup and saucer vanish from the sending plate, but the uncontrolled power surge overwhelms Hyde, leaving the fate of the experiment and all involved hanging precariously. The episode concludes on this immediate, high-stakes cliffhanger, with the TOM-TIT device demonstrating immense, potentially catastrophic, power.

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