Doctor Who
S17E7
· City of Death Part 3

Tancredi watches the TARDIS slip away

Tancredi stands frozen in Leonardo da Vinci's studio as the Doctor's time machine dematerializes before his eyes. The sudden loss of control over his enemy exposes the fragility of his schemes and the hollow triumph of his interrogation. His desperate cry Undone! isn't just a reaction to the vanished TARDIS but the shattering realization that the centuries-old Jagaroth plan he serves may fail before it reaches fruition, leaving his authority and very purpose in dust.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Tancredi exclaims in dismay as the TARDIS dematerializes, indicating his loss of control over the Doctor.

calm to frustration

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

1
Tancredi
primary

Desperate realization coupled with creeping terror at the collapse of his plan

Tancredi is frozen in place, his body rigid with shock and dawning horror as the TARDIS dematerializes before him. His posture betrays both physical torment and deep psychological unraveling, his face contorted in a grimace that signals the collapse of his elaborate plan.

Goals in this moment
  • • Maintain control over the Doctor and his time machine to ensure the Jagaroth’s plan succeeds
  • • Prevent the TARDIS from escaping as it represents the Doctor’s ultimate sanctuary and escape
Active beliefs
  • • The Doctor’s capture is essential to restoring the Jagaroth’s unity
  • • The TARDIS must be destroyed or controlled to prevent interference with the Jagaroth’s timeline
Character traits
Shocked silence Physical immobility Psychological unraveling
Follow Tancredi's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

1
Doctor's TARDIS

The Doctor’s TARDIS acts as both sanctuary and trap, its temporal distortion field resisting Tancredi’s efforts to contain it. As the ship dematerializes, its wheezing engines leave behind a temporal vacuum that disrupts Tancredi’s control and signals the collapse of his temporal authority.

Before: Contained within Leonardo’s studio but actively resisting forced …
After: Successfully dematerialized and escaped, rendering Tancredi’s control obsolete
Before: Contained within Leonardo’s studio but actively resisting forced detention using temporal distortion
After: Successfully dematerialized and escaped, rendering Tancredi’s control obsolete

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Leonardo's Studio

Leonardo’s studio serves as a claustrophobic battleground between temporal opportunism and desperate control. The confined space amplifies the sound of the TARDIS’s departure, and its artistic chaos contrasts sharply with the alien machinery Tancredi has introduced, highlighting the clash between human creativity and Jagaroth ambition.

Atmosphere Tense and silent, the air thick with unspoken dread and the remnants of failed interrogation
Function Confinement chamber where temporal conflict is physically manifest
Symbolism Symbolizes the crumbling of Tancredi’s worldview as human art and alien schemes collide
Access Restricted to Tancredi’s command, though the TARDIS asserts its own temporal autonomy
Dimly lit by flickering oil lamps The Mona Lisa’s gaze overlooks the scene

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What led here 4
Causal medium

"Duggan's accidental trigger of the laser beam alarm, causing a breach in security, parallels Tancredi's exclamation as the TARDIS dematerializes, both representing failed confrontations with their adversaries."

Romana and Duggan find the theft
S17E7 · City of Death Part 3
Causal medium

"Duggan's accidental trigger of the laser beam alarm, causing a breach in security, parallels Tancredi's exclamation as the TARDIS dematerializes, both representing failed confrontations with their adversaries."

Lasers betray stolen masterpiece
S17E7 · City of Death Part 3
Causal medium

"Duggan's accidental trigger of the laser beam alarm, causing a breach in security, parallels Tancredi's exclamation as the TARDIS dematerializes, both representing failed confrontations with their adversaries."

Laser alarm exposes theft progress
S17E7 · City of Death Part 3
Causal medium

"Duggan's accidental trigger of the laser beam alarm, causing a breach in security, parallels Tancredi's exclamation as the TARDIS dematerializes, both representing failed confrontations with their adversaries."

Romana and Duggan split to escape the Louvre
S17E7 · City of Death Part 3

Part of Larger Arcs

Tancredi's psychological unraveling: A splintered Jagaroth's desperate struggle to regain wholeness through power and control, leading to a violent confrontation with the Doctor and internal collapse.

Key Dialogue

"TANCREDI: Undone!"