The Time Monster Part 3
The Master seeks to control Kronos, a powerful entity, using an Atlantean crystal, while the Doctor and his companions must stop him to prevent chaos in time.
The Master, a time-traveling villain, manipulates Krasis, the High Priest of Poseidon in Atlantis, to help him control Kronos, a being with immense power over time. The Master intends to use Kronos to dominate the universe. Meanwhile, the Doctor, along with his companions Jo, Ruth, Benton, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, becomes aware of the Master's plan and attempts to thwart it. The Doctor uses his knowledge of time and a makeshift device to disrupt the Master's operations. As the story unfolds, the Master uses the TOM-TIT machine to bring historical figures and events into the present, causing chaos. The Doctor and his team face challenges as they try to stop the Master, including dealing with temporal anomalies and the UNIT soldiers being attacked by soldiers from different time periods. The Master's plan is eventually foiled when the Doctor and his companions manage to intervene, preventing the crystal from being used to bring Kronos into the present. The episode concludes with the Master's defeat and the restoration of the timeline.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The narrative opens with the Master asserting dominance over Krasis, High Priest of Poseidon, within the Newton Institute's radiation laboratory. The Master reveals his intention to control Kronos, a powerful temporal entity, through Krasis's Atlantean knowledge. Initially, Krasis denies anyone can command Kronos, but under the Master's pressure, he confirms the entity's historical obedience to Atlantean priests. Krasis then reveals that only the Atlantean crystal and the high priest's seal remain of the ancient secrets. The Master seizes upon this, claiming the seal will provide the "true constants" needed to control Kronos. Outside the institute, the Doctor, Jo, Ruth, Benton, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart respond to the temporal anomalies. They find Hyde, who has experienced rapid aging and de-aging, a clear sign of the Master's temporal disruptions. Benton confirms the Master's presence in the laboratory. The Master, examining the Atlantean seal, dismisses Percival's concerns about Atlantean measurements, asserting the universality of comparative ratios. He then activates TOM-TIT to maximum power, successfully summoning Kronos, who manifests as a flying, white-clad figure that consumes Percival. Despite his initial success, the Master struggles to fully command Kronos, eventually forcing the entity back into the crystal, demonstrating his incomplete control. The Doctor observes the escalating temporal feedback, recognizing Kronos's imminent arrival and the profound danger posed by the Master's actions. This act establishes the Master's immediate goal, his partial success, and the Doctor's awareness of the unfolding crisis.
The Brigadier issues orders to deploy Benton and the Doctor to confront the Master’s temporal menace while barring the women from immediate action. Ruth refuses dismissal with a defiant challenge, …
The Doctor and his team arrive outside the Institute to find Hyde’s body fluctuating wildly between rapid aging and sudden rejuvenation, a visible symptom of the Master’s temporal sabotage. As …
Following Kronos's initial summoning and the Master's limited control, the Master interrogates Krasis to understand his failure. Krasis reveals that the crystal the Master possesses is merely a "fraction" of the true Kronos crystal, with the remainder hidden deep within the vaults of the Temple of Poseidon in Atlantis. This revelation shifts the Master's immediate objective from controlling Kronos in the present to journeying to Atlantis to acquire the complete crystal. Meanwhile, the Doctor, recognizing the severe temporal disruptions, gathers his companions at Hyde's apartment. He begins constructing a makeshift "time flow analogue" using mundane objects like a wine bottle, corks, forks, and tea leaves. His initial attempt fails, but he quickly adapts, utilizing the tea leaves to make the device work. This analogue functions as a temporal jammer, successfully disrupting the Master's efforts to drain time energy from the crystal, causing the TOM-TIT machine to malfunction. Frustrated by the Doctor's interference, the Master escalates his tactics. He uses the TOM-TIT to project historical figures—a jousting knight and Civil War Roundheads—into the present, creating chaos on the roads and attacking Captain Yates's UNIT convoy, which is transporting the Doctor's TARDIS. The Doctor deduces the Master's strategy of using temporal diversions to prevent pursuit. Recognizing the critical need for the TARDIS to follow the Master to Atlantis, the Doctor prepares to retrieve it, setting up a direct confrontation. This act details the Master's revised plan, the Doctor's ingenious counter-measures, and the escalating temporal conflict.
Dalios reveals his true age to Hippias, exposing centuries of hidden knowledge tied to the temple’s origins and the sacred crystal. He unlocks the forbidden chamber to show the glowing …
Dalios reveals the true crystal of Kronos hidden within the temple’s undercroft to Hippias, underscoring the artifact’s ancient power. Though visibly aged beyond mortal comprehension, the king breaks millennia-old silence …
The narrative shifts to Atlantis, where the elder Dalios reveals the "great secret" of the true Kronos crystal to the young Hippias, emphasizing its immense power and the danger posed by its absence. Back in the present, the Doctor, Jo, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart prepare to retrieve the TARDIS, which remains stuck in the mud and under attack from the Master's temporal projections. The Brigadier initially attempts to drive his Land Rover to the TARDIS, but the Doctor, piloting Bessie in "Super Drive," swiftly overtakes him, highlighting the urgency of their mission. The Master, observing UNIT's predicament from the Newton Institute, continues to deploy increasingly dangerous temporal weapons, including a World War II flying bomb, to ensure his escape to Atlantis remains unimpeded. He explicitly states his intention to prevent his enemies from following him. This act initiates the direct pursuit of the Master, with the Doctor and his team racing against time to recover the TARDIS and confront the Master before he can acquire the full power of Kronos in Atlantis. The escalating temporal chaos and the clear delineation of the Master's destination establish the immediate stakes for the story's climax.
The Doctor forces the Brigadier and companions into forced civility inside Hyde’s apartment while time fractures around them. Hyde’s hollow hospitality—offering tea and marmalade sandwiches—contrasts with the Doctor’s explanation of …
The Doctor forces his companions to confront the escalating temporal chaos caused by the Master’s TOM-TIT gadget. While placating appearances with tea and small talk, he peels back the veneer …
Ruth presses the Doctor for clarity on the TOM-TIT gadget’s true temporal cost beyond Kronos, probing why his team remained unaffected while others suffered ontological collapse. The Doctor compares temporal …
Under the Brigadier's mounting pressure, the Doctor frantically scavenges materials from Hyde's apartment to assemble a crude time-flow analogue. Ruth and Hyde scramble to assist, improvising with wine bottles, corks, …
The Doctor’s crude time-controlling device collapses into failure, a momentary distraction from the true threat unfolding elsewhere. As he grapples with his ineffectual invention, the Master remains absorbed in dismantling …