Doctor reveals forged TARDIS key
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The Doctor reveals to Ian that he anticipated Marco Polo's restrictions and secretly created a duplicate TARDIS key at the oasis, planning to sneak into the TARDIS to continue repairs. This demonstrates the Doctor's cleverness and determination to regain control of his ship.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Initially skeptical, then impressed and amused by the Doctor’s cunning. His admiration masks a growing awareness of the risks they are taking.
Ian initially questions the Doctor’s plan to sneak into the TARDIS without a key, revealing his skepticism about the Doctor’s ability to bypass Polo’s confiscation. His confusion turns to admiration when the Doctor reveals the forged duplicate key, calling him a 'crafty old fox.' This moment solidifies Ian’s complicity in the Doctor’s schemes, as he now shares in the secret and the risk.
- • Understand the Doctor’s plan to ensure their group’s safety and mobility.
- • Support the Doctor’s defiance of Polo’s authority to maintain their autonomy.
- • The Doctor’s intelligence and resourcefulness will outmaneuver Polo’s control.
- • Their survival depends on maintaining access to the TARDIS, even if it means defying Polo.
Focused and slightly concerned about the Hashashin’s potential threat. Her shift in conversation reflects her ability to prioritize immediate dangers over the Doctor’s cleverness.
Susan confirms the Doctor’s claim that she knows about the forged TARDIS key and abruptly shifts the conversation to inquire about the Hashashin. Her focus on the Hashashin suggests she is already thinking ahead to other threats or mysteries, demonstrating her pragmatic and forward-thinking nature. She acts as a bridge between the Doctor’s schemes and the broader narrative threats they face.
- • Ensure the group is aware of all potential threats, including the Hashashin.
- • Support the Doctor’s efforts to maintain control over the TARDIS while also addressing broader dangers.
- • The Hashashin represent a real and immediate danger that the group must prepare for.
- • The Doctor’s ingenuity is valuable, but it must be balanced with awareness of external threats.
Confident and slightly amused by his own cunning. His nonchalance masks a deeper awareness of the dangers they face, including Polo’s authority and the Hashashin.
The Doctor casually reveals to Ian that he forged a duplicate TARDIS key during their stop at the oasis, dismissing Polo’s confiscation of the original as ineffective. His nonchalant demeanor contrasts with the high stakes of their situation, reinforcing his belief in his own intellect and ingenuity. He shifts the conversation to Susan’s inquiry about the Hashashin, demonstrating his ability to multitask and his curiosity about broader threats.
- • Regain control over the TARDIS by forging a duplicate key, ensuring their group’s mobility and autonomy.
- • Protect his companions by maintaining access to the TARDIS’s resources and capabilities.
- • His intelligence and ingenuity will always outmaneuver external threats, including Polo’s authority.
- • The Hashashin represent a deeper, more insidious danger that requires his attention.
Unaware but indirectly influential; his actions have set the stage for the Doctor’s defiance, though he remains oblivious to the forgery.
Marco Polo is referenced indirectly as the authority figure whose confiscation of the Doctor’s original TARDIS key spurred the Doctor’s defiance. His absence in this scene underscores the Doctor’s ability to operate beyond his control, yet his influence looms as a catalyst for the Doctor’s covert actions.
- • Maintain control over the caravan and its resources, including the TARDIS.
- • Prevent unauthorized access to the TARDIS to ensure the group’s compliance with his leadership.
- • The Doctor and his companions are outsiders who must be kept in check.
- • His authority is absolute and must not be challenged.
Ping-Cho is mentioned indirectly as the source of a story about the Hashashin that Susan wants to share with the …
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The forged duplicate TARDIS key is the centerpiece of this event, as the Doctor reveals its existence to Ian. Crafted secretly at the oasis, this key symbolizes the Doctor’s defiance of Polo’s authority and his commitment to maintaining control over the TARDIS. Its creation is a testament to the Doctor’s resourcefulness and his ability to outmaneuver external threats, ensuring the group’s mobility and autonomy.
The TARDIS repair circuit is mentioned casually by the Doctor as a secondary task, serving as a distraction or a way to downplay the significance of his forgery. While it does not directly impact this event, its mention underscores the Doctor’s constant vigilance over the TARDIS’s hidden vulnerabilities and his multitasking nature. It also reinforces the idea that the TARDIS is always in need of attention, adding to the group’s precarious situation.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The way-station courtyard serves as a neutral meeting ground where the Doctor, Ian, and Susan can discuss their plans without interruption. Its open yet relatively safe environment allows for the revelation of the forged TARDIS key, as well as the shift in conversation to the Hashashin. The courtyard’s atmosphere of tension and urgency reflects the group’s precarious situation, while its functional role as a gathering space enables the exchange of critical information.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Hashashin are referenced indirectly through Susan’s inquiry, foreshadowing their role as a shadowy and insidious threat. Though not directly involved in this event, their mention sets up a broader narrative tension that contrasts with the immediate conflict between the Doctor and Polo. The Hashashin represent an external danger that the group must eventually confront, adding layers of complexity to their already precarious situation.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Because the Doctor declares his superior intellect, he resolves to do something, and because Polo confiscated the key, the doctor creates a duplicate key."
Tegana’s Inconsistent Alibi and Polo’s Blind Trust"Because the Doctor declares his superior intellect, he resolves to do something, and because Polo confiscated the key, the doctor creates a duplicate key."
Tegana’s Lies and Polo’s Blind Authority"Because the Doctor declares his superior intellect, he resolves to do something, and because Polo confiscated the key, the doctor creates a duplicate key."
Polo Confiscates the TARDIS Key"Susan making the first mention of the Hashashin makes it so that Ping-Cho can follow up with her story."
Barbara’s Unheeded Warning to Ian"Susan making the first mention of the Hashashin makes it so that Ping-Cho can follow up with her story."
Ping-Cho’s Hashashin tale reveals hidden threatsThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"IAN: Aren't you forgetting something, Doctor?"
"DOCTOR: A key, my boy. A key. What use do you think it's going to be to him, hmmm? And where do you suppose I got that from?"
"IAN: Made it? When?"
"DOCTOR: On the night of the oasis. Only chance I had. She knows all about it, don't you, Susan?"
"SUSAN: Grandfather? What do you know about the Hashashin?"