The Face of Evil Part 2
The Doctor and Leela must convince a tribe that he is not the Evil One, while navigating a complex web of deception, technology, and ancient prophecies to prevent a catastrophic outcome.
In this screenplay, the Doctor and Leela find themselves in a village on a planet where an ancient evil, Xoanon, has taken hold. The tribe, led by Andor and Neeva, believes the Doctor is the Evil One, a god-like figure with destructive powers. As the Doctor and Leela navigate this treacherous situation, they uncover a complex history involving an advanced technology that has been misinterpreted as divine. The Doctor must use his knowledge and wit to clear his name, prevent a massacre, and ultimately face off against the true force behind the evil: Xoanon, an entity using advanced technology to manipulate the tribe. Along the way, the Doctor and Leela form alliances with Calib and Tomas, who begin to question Neeva's motives. The story unfolds with action, suspense, and philosophical discussions about the nature of faith, technology, and power.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The Doctor and Leela navigate the immediate aftermath of their escape from the tribe, with the Doctor intent on investigating the "relics" in Xoanon's shrine despite the danger. They discover Neeva's manipulation of the tribe, using Xoanon's supposed commands to instigate an attack on the Wall. The Doctor quickly unmasks Xoanon as a sophisticated machine, a transceiver, and is disturbed to find the entity's voice eerily similar to his own, hinting at a forgotten past or a profound connection. This revelation serves as the inciting incident, establishing the central mystery: who or what is Xoanon, and what is the Doctor's connection to it? The act escalates as the Doctor realizes the tribe is walking into a trap at the Wall, a time barrier he identifies as impervious. The attack fails, resulting in heavy casualties and confirming the trap, and the Doctor and Leela seek an ally in Calib, who initially seems receptive. However, Calib quickly betrays Leela, poisoning her with a Janis thorn to further his own political ambitions within the tribe. This betrayal sets up immediate personal stakes and deepens the Doctor's understanding of the tribe's internal power struggles, forcing him into a more reactive position as the act concludes.
Leela presses the Doctor to account for his uncertainty about events beyond the Wall, where he once nearly died invoking Xoanon’s control. His halting, partly evasive responses erode her faith …
The Doctor dismisses Leela's urgent warnings about the village's peril, even recalling their past failure there with unsettling nonchalance. His determination to return clashes with Leela's fear that history will …
Following Leela's poisoning, the Doctor, aided by Tomas who is swayed by Leela's plight, races against time to save her using the shrine's advanced medical technology. He successfully synthesizes an antitoxin, demonstrating his scientific capabilities and further cementing Tomas's trust. The Doctor then confronts the approaching warriors, allowing himself to be captured alongside Leela and Tomas, choosing to face the tribe rather than flee. In the ensuing tribal council, Neeva attempts to reassert control by accusing the Doctor of being the Evil One responsible for the failed attack, trying to rally the fearful tribe against him. Calib, seizing a political opportunity to undermine Neeva's authority, proposes a trial by Horda, a deadly test for mortals, to prove the Doctor's true nature and challenge the notion of his divinity. The Doctor, despite the extreme danger posed by the carnivorous creatures, successfully navigates the Horda pit, passing the test and publicly discrediting Neeva's claims of his god-like evil. This act marks a significant shift in the Doctor's standing within the tribe, gaining him crucial allies and eroding Neeva's power base. However, this victory is short-lived as Xoanon directly communicates its intent to destroy the Doctor and unleashes "pets from beyond" by turning off the boundary, escalating the threat from internal tribal conflict to an external, existential danger for the entire village, demanding a new strategy from the Doctor.
Calib’s earlier assertions of neutrality curdle into sudden hostility when the Doctor and Leela turn to him for help. Calib feigns cooperation about the tribe's crisis but stabs Leela with …
The fragile truce between the Doctor and Calib collapses when Calib stabs Leela with a Janis thorn to weaponize her against the tribe. Exploiting the chaos of Tomas’s sudden arrival, …
The Doctor races against Leela’s collapsing state and the tribe’s vengeful approach. Using forbidden shrine technology, he synthesizes an antitoxin from a Janis thorn sample, just as life drains from …
The meeting hall erupts in fury as the tribe turns against the Doctor and Leela, accusing the Doctor of being the Evil One. Neeva insists Xoanon’s power has renewed itself …
Calib seizes control of the tribe's deliberation by proposing a trial by combat in the Horda pit to determine if the Doctor is mortal or the mythic Evil One. His …
The Doctor prepares to undergo the Horda trial, a brutal test designed by Calib to expose his mortality. Standing atop a rotting platform above a pit teeming with carnivorous creatures, …
Calib briefs the Doctor on the Horda pit challenge while demonstrating the Horda's vicious nature. Leela warns about the fraying rope's dangerous speed, underscoring the immediate peril. The Doctor turns …
Amid escalating suspicion from the tribe, the Doctor faces immediate violence when a warrior strikes Leela. In a split-second tactical move, he uses the Horda-stick to redirect the creature’s bite …
The Doctor converts an apparent execution into a test of cunning when Calib forces him and Leela to face the Horda pit. Despite the warrior’s order to complete the trial …
With Xoanon's invisible creatures now actively attacking the village perimeter, the Doctor shifts his strategy from defense to a proactive offensive. He rapidly repurposes alien technology found among the relics, creating a temporary defensive perimeter to repel the creatures and arming Tomas with a powerful energy weapon, preparing the tribe for the immediate threat. Leela's sharp observation about how Xoanon's voice could penetrate the time barrier sparks a crucial realization for the Doctor: there must be a "tight beam transmission" and a physical bridge through the seemingly impervious barrier. Through a clever, almost hypnotic interrogation of Neeva, who is under Xoanon's deep influence, the Doctor confirms this theory and ingeniously pinpoints the exact location of the bridge: hidden within the massive, sculpted carving of his own face that dominates the village. As the village comes under increasing attack from the unseen predators, signaling the urgency of their mission, the Doctor and Leela race against time, making their way to the carving. The act concludes with them climbing into the carving's mouth and entering the hidden passageway, facing an immediate, unseen threat as a shadow moves against the wall, dramatically setting the stage for the direct, final confrontation with Xoanon and its forces within the heart of its domain. This sets up the climax of the story.
The Doctor overrides tribal superstition by arming Tomas and his warriors with alien weapons despite mounting suspicion. His practical defiance exposes the tribe’s unresolved tension between tradition and survival. Leela …
The Doctor examines various relics in the meeting hall while interrogating the Sevateem origins through tribal artifacts. When Calib mistakenly offers the wrong tool to the Doctor, the Doctor corrects …
Calib challenges the Doctor’s leadership by questioning his competence and offering weapons before the Doctor can act, then openly confronts Leela with a competitive edge. Leela retorts sharply, staking her …
The Doctor frantically attempts to break Neeva from her trance-like state before she can harm herself or others. After shouting her name repeatedly fails, he shifts strategy and leverages his …
The Doctor interrogates Neeva about the source of Xoanon’s voice while she remains trapped in a trance controlled by the hidden transmission. His questions reveal that the voice originates only …
Neeva collapses under the Doctor’s rapid-fire interrogation, forcing him to abandon his line of questioning. He switches off Xoanon’s transmission device and explains to Leela that the entity’s voice is …