S21E13
Cynical
Written by Eric Saward
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Resurrection of the Daleks Part 3

The Doctor must prevent the Daleks from duplicating him and using his brainwaves to aid their sinister plans, while his companions fight to survive and escape.

In 'Resurrection of the Daleks - Part Three', the Doctor finds himself captured by the Daleks, who intend to duplicate him and utilize his brainwaves for their own nefarious purposes. Lytton, a human traitor, becomes embroiled in the Daleks' plans, while the Doctor's companions - Tegan, Turlough, and others - work tirelessly to evade capture and thwart the Daleks' evil schemes. As the story unfolds, the Doctor uses his wit and cunning to resist the Daleks' attempts to control him, even as his duplicates are created to carry out the Daleks' sinister plans. Meanwhile, Davros, the twisted scientist, pursues his own agenda, using the Daleks and their technology to further his own ambitions. The story hurtles towards a climactic confrontation as the Doctor and his companions face off against the Daleks in a desperate bid for survival and freedom.


Events in This Episode

The narrative beats that drive the story

46
Act 1

The narrative opens with the Doctor's immediate peril aboard the Dalek battle cruiser. Daleks intend to exterminate him, but Lytton, a human collaborator, intervenes, advocating for his duplication first—an order confirmed by the Supreme Dalek. The Doctor is then escorted to the duplication chamber, setting the primary threat. Simultaneously, the Doctor's companions are introduced in their respective predicaments. Tegan, concussed and held with Laird at an army base warehouse, attempts a rudimentary escape by faking her injury and preparing to flee. Their efforts to free a cylinder from the floor hint at a larger, unknown purpose. Elsewhere, Turlough, Mercer, and Styles infiltrate a space station, locating the self-destruct chamber, intending to use it as a desperate measure against the Daleks. Their initial attempts to activate it are met with technical challenges. Davros, the Daleks' creator, is also present on the space station, demanding a Movellan virus sample and two Daleks for his experiments, asserting his authority over the Daleks despite their initial resistance. This establishes Davros's independent and sinister agenda. Lytton's communication with the Supreme Dalek reveals a conflict regarding Davros's importance and the growing threat to the self-destruct chamber, highlighting the internal tensions within the Dalek command structure. The Doctor, now in the duplication chamber, begins to probe his captors, deducing their need for his intact brainwaves, a small but significant act of defiance and information gathering that sets the stage for his resistance. This act effectively establishes the multiple fronts of conflict, the central threat to the Doctor, and the initial attempts by his allies to counter the Daleks' plans.

Act 2

Act Two intensifies the escalating threats and reveals crucial information, deepening the Daleks' sinister plans and Davros's manipulative genius. Tegan and Laird's initial escape plan is swiftly thwarted when Archer discovers their dummy, leading to Tegan's forced transfer to the Dalek ship. Concurrently, the self-destruct team faces direct assault as Dalek Troopers, led by Lytton, breach the chamber, forcing Styles and her team to barricade themselves. Within the duplication chamber, the Doctor engages Stien, his captor, in a psychological battle, probing the Daleks' reliance on Davros. This interrogation leads to a pivotal revelation: Stien admits he is a duplicate, a product of Dalek genetic engineering. This discovery fundamentally alters the Doctor's understanding of his adversaries, exposing the sophisticated nature of the Daleks' infiltration tactics. The stakes are further raised when the Daleks explicitly unveil their ultimate objective: to use the Doctor's duplicates to assassinate the High Council of Gallifrey, a plan that shocks the Doctor to his core. Meanwhile, Turlough and Mercer, observing the Dalek attack on the self-destruct chamber, deduce that Davros must still be on board the space station, shifting their focus from activating the self-destruct to eliminating Davros. This realization provides a new, desperate objective. In a significant power play, Davros successfully subverts two Daleks, injecting them to make them loyal solely to him, effectively building his own personal army within the Dalek ranks and demonstrating his unparalleled capacity for manipulation. Stien, under the Doctor's continued questioning, begins to show signs of internal conflict, stuttering and struggling with his forced loyalty, hinting at a potential crack in the Dalek's control. This act meticulously builds tension, reveals critical plot points, and sets the stage for the climactic confrontations.

Act 3

The final act plunges the various subplots into their climactic and often tragic conclusions, highlighting the Daleks' ruthless efficiency and the profound sacrifices made. The Doctor's duplication process begins, inflicting pain as images of his past companions and incarnations are ripped from his mind and displayed on a monitor. Despite his suffering, the Doctor desperately urges Stien to resist, to remember his true self, intensifying Stien's visible internal struggle, though he ultimately proceeds with his duty. Concurrently, the self-destruct team's valiant efforts come to a brutal end. As Styles reaches for the activation lever, Dalek Troopers, led by Lytton, breach the chamber, gunning down Styles, the young woman, and Zena. Their mission fails, and the station remains under Dalek control, a stark victory for the enemy. Tegan's desperate flight from the policemen on Earth culminates in a horrifying moment as a civilian is shot, emphasizing the pervasive reach and brutality of the Daleks' human collaborators. Her capture and return to the warehouse lead to further tragedy; Laird, making a final, desperate attempt to escape, is shot in the back by Archer and killed. Tegan is then forcibly pushed into the Time Corridor, her fate uncertain but clearly a forced retreat. Turlough and Mercer, witnessing the massacre in the self-destruct chamber, realize their efforts on the station are futile. Turlough convinces Mercer that they must return to Earth, acknowledging their failure to stop the Daleks or Davros on this front. Meanwhile, Davros successfully receives the Movellan virus and continues to expand his personal army, further solidifying his power and independent agenda. The act concludes with the Daleks having largely achieved their immediate objectives: the Doctor's duplication is underway, the self-destruct threat is neutralized, and Davros is empowered, leaving the companions scattered, defeated, or dead, and setting up the next phase of the conflict with an overwhelming sense of loss and urgency.