Doctor and Jo crash Atlantis Plaza

The TARDIS materializes in the heart of Atlantis Plaza, immediately thrusting the Doctor and Jo into a tense confrontation with Krasis and Hippias. The Doctor’s sarcastic greeting belies the danger as Krasis swiftly brands them enemies of the Master’s cause. Hippias protests the arrest, revealing his conflicted loyalty, while the guards intervene, dragging the Doctor and Jo toward King Dalios. The abrupt arrival forces Atlantis to confront the presence of these outside agitators, exposing the fragility of its political alliances and the peril of the crystal of Kronos.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

The Doctor and Jo arrive in Atlantis, materializing in the plaza. Hippias reacts to another materialization while the Doctor and Jo emerge from the TARDIS.

anticipation to confrontation ['ATLANTIS PLAZA']

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

5

Professional bluster concealing genuine alarm about the escalating crisis

Exits the TARDIS alongside Jo, offering a sarcastic greeting to Hippias while attempting to assert their peaceful intent. Their deflected tone masks urgent concern for the Atlanteans' safety, but the interruption by Krasis cuts short their warning.

Goals in this moment
  • Warn the Atlanteans about the Master’s deception and the threat posed by the Kronos crystal
  • Prevent unnecessary violence against themselves and the Atlantean people
Active beliefs
  • Believes the Master’s influence has corrupted Atlantean institutions
  • Distrusts the immediate hostile reaction of Krasis and the guards
Character traits
sarcastic deflective urgent authoritative
Follow Jo Grant's journey

Frustrated by the punitive response from Krasis but hesitant to fully defy the established order

Attempts to intervene and prevent the guards from taking the Doctor and Jo, questioning their status as strangers and expressing a desire to grant them a hearing. His conflicted loyalty reveals internal tensions within the Atlantean power structure.

Goals in this moment
  • Challenge unjust arrest of outsiders
  • Assert influence over the immediate disposition of the Doctor and Jo
Active beliefs
  • Believes strangers deserve a chance to speak
  • Fears blind allegiance to the Master’s faction will harm Atlantis
Character traits
urgent conflicted concerned compromising
Follow Hippias (High …'s journey

Zealous commitment to the Master’s cause masking inner insecurity and fear of dissent

Immediately orders the arrest of the Doctor and Jo, branding them enemies of both the Master and Atlantis. His authoritative tone and readiness to criminalize newcomers demonstrate his alignment with the Master’s tyranny and disregard for procedural justice.

Goals in this moment
  • Eliminate perceived threats to the Master’s control
  • Enforce immediate obedience to the new regime in Atlantis
Active beliefs
  • Believes the Master’s enemies must be eradicated to stabilize the regime
  • Views anyone outside the Master’s faction as inherently treacherous
Character traits
hostile authoritative dogmatic oppressive
Follow Krasis's journey

Calm exterior masking growing tension and strategic focus

Steps out of the TARDIS with Jo, greeting Hippias with casual disparagement. Their composed demeanor belies the peril as they strive to engage diplomatically but are swiftly silenced by Krasis, underscoring the immediate threat posed by the Master’s faction.

Goals in this moment
  • Establish peaceful dialogue with Atlantean authorities
  • Neutralize the immediate threat of arrest to buy time for their warning
Active beliefs
  • Believes misinformation is driving the hostile reception
  • Hopes reasoned argument can avert conflict
Character traits
sarcastic composed diplomatic resilient
Follow The Third …'s journey
Supporting 1

Neutral compliance driven by institutional protocol rather than personal conviction

Complies with Krasis’s orders without hesitation, detaining the Doctor and Jo and forcibly leading them toward the palace. Their actions reflect disciplined adherence to the corrupt chain of command imposed by the Master’s influence.

Goals in this moment
  • Execute the arrest order with precision and expediency
  • Maintain the facade of lawful procedure despite the injustice
Active beliefs
  • Believes loyalty to superior officers justifies all actions
  • Views dissent as a violation of sworn duty
Character traits
obedient formal efficient unquestioning
Follow Peladonian Royal …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Master's TARDIS Control Console

The surveillance computer silently processes the Doctor and Jo’s biometrics and Krasis’ branding of them as enemies of the state. Its automated system reclassifies the newcomers as hostile, triggering the immediate enforcement by guards and silent dissemination of their new status across the plaza’s security grid.

Before: Embedded in the plaza’s infrastructure, scanning the area …
After: Active with the updated hostile classification for the …
Before: Embedded in the plaza’s infrastructure, scanning the area and verifying identities. Its display shows standard ambient activity and no threats.
After: Active with the updated hostile classification for the Doctor and Jo. Its alerts spur the guards into motion and reinforce the punitive action against the outsiders.
The Doctor’s TARDIS

The TARDIS materializes as a police box in the heart of Atlantis Plaza, serving as both the Doctor and Jo’s arrival point and a conspicuous symbol of alien intrusion. Its dramatic arrival immediately disrupts Atlantean decorum and draws attention to the outsiders’ presence.

Before: Static and disguised as an ordinary police box, …
After: Stationary in the plaza, its hexagonal exterior contrasting …
Before: Static and disguised as an ordinary police box, stationed outside the surveillance computer. Engines idling as it prepares to land.
After: Stationary in the plaza, its hexagonal exterior contrasting against the Atlantean architecture. The portal remains open, though the crew has exited.

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Atlantis Plaza

Atlantis Plaza serves as the stage for the confrontation between Atlantean authorities and the Doctor’s party, where public discourse collides with coercive power. The plaza’s open expanse and central dais amplify the theatricality of the arrest, underscoring the regime’s intolerance of dissent.

Atmosphere Tense and politically charged, with a standoff between institutional authority and outsiders
Function Site of public confrontation and immediate enforcement of political will
Symbolism Represents the vulnerable intersection of tradition and tyranny, where those in power brand dissent as …
Access Technically public but effectively controlled by Krasis’ faction through surveillance and enforcement
The TARDIS’s police box disrupts the classical Atlantean aesthetic Surveillance computer’s presence highlights the regime’s monitoring capabilities Central dais emphasizes the public nature of the confrontation

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

1
The Master

The Master’s organization manifests through Krasis’s immediate branding of the Doctor and Jo as enemies of the state, operationalizing the Master’s will under the guise of divine mandate. This act subverts Atlantean sovereignty by imposing an external agenda onto local authority structures.

Representation Through Krasis as a de facto agent of the Master wielding state power
Power Dynamics Dominant over institutional and public responses through coercion and misinformation
Impact Undermines trust in local authority and exposes the fragility of Atlantean institutions to external subversion
Internal Dynamics Krasis’s zealous execution suggests potential internal hierarchies within this faction, with clear chains of command …
Eliminate perceived threats to the Master’s temporal manipulations Consolidate control by leveraging Atlantean institutions against their own people Coercive naming of adversaries as enemies to justify detention Exploitation of Atlantean surveillance systems to enforce new classifications

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 1
Causal medium

"The Doctor and Jo's apprehension by Atlantean guards on Krasis's orders (Beat e1fc...) triggers their subsequent discussion about the TARDIS's course and reliability (Beat 1d7...). Their capture forces them to reassess their situation in dialogue."

Doctor reassures Jo on time jump risks
S9E25 · The Time Monster Part 5

Themes This Exemplifies

Thematic resonance and meaning

Key Dialogue

"DOCTOR: Well, well, well. Isn't it a small world."
"KRASIS: You are still alive?"
"DOCTOR: Yes, so it would seem."