Jo inadvertently exposes Jones' critical research flaw
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Jo and Jones engage in light conversation about Jo's role in UNIT and her enjoyment of her current tasks. Jones accidentally knocks a jar of brown powder onto the microscope slides.
Jones becomes frustrated with Jo's clumsiness, realizing the spilled dried fungus, his hybrid, is ruined and must be recreated.
Jo realizes the significance of the dried fungus and suggests a potential solution, but Jones is hesitant to act.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Initially helpful and engaged but quickly overwhelmed by guilt and shock after realizing the damage caused
Jo stumbles in the cluttered laboratory, knocking over a critical jar of brown powder she was unaware of, sending it cascading onto Jones' meticulously prepared microscope slides. She apologizes profusely after the accident, her shaken demeanor contrasting sharply with Jones' furious outburst.
- • To assist Jones in his scientific work as part of her UNIT duties
- • To mitigate the damage after accidentally ruining his slides
- • Believes her role requires her to physically assist the Doctor and Jones
- • Assumes her actions are guided by good intentions and basic competence
Rationally composed at first, swiftly transitioning to furious and despairing upon witnessing the contamination
Jones reacts with growing agitation as Jo begins assisting him, his calm demeanor fracturing when she knocks over the jar. He shouts warnings and berates her for destroying his hybrid fungus slides, his scientific precision giving way to raw frustration at the wasted effort.
- • To complete the analysis of the dried brown powder to combat the maggot infestation
- • To prevent any further compromise to his hybrid fungus research
- • Believes his meticulous methodology ensures reliable results
- • Views contamination as an unforgivable setback requiring absolute precision
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The jar contains dried brown powder, a crucial nutrient or substrate for Jones' hybrid fungus. Jo inadvertently knocks it over in the congested lab, sending its contents spilling onto the microscope slides. The contamination renders the powder unusable and irreparably damages the slides.
The fragile glass slides, arranged under a bell jar, bear Jones' hybrid fungal spores—prepared with precision for microscopic analysis. Jo’s clumsy movement causes the powder to cascade onto them, shattering one slide and contaminating the others, spoiling the surface smears and invalidating the entire experiment.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The cramped, cluttered laboratory serves as the stage for scientific scrutiny amidst chaos. Cluttered benches, flickering lamps, and stacks of blueprints create an environment where precision meets precariousness, where Jones' delicate experiments teeter on the edge of disaster.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Jones's accidental spill of the dried fungus (source) reveals (inadvertently) the potential biological cure, which Jones later confirms is the key to solving the crisis (target)."
Jones discovers fungus cure possibility"Jones's accidental spill of the dried fungus (source) reveals (inadvertently) the potential biological cure, which Jones later confirms is the key to solving the crisis (target)."
Doctor prepares for Global Chemicals infiltrationKey Dialogue
"JONES: When all this business is over, I was wondering if you'd"
"JO: Mmm hmm?"
"JONES: (Jo knocks a jar of brown powder onto the microscope slides.) When all this business is over, I was wondering if you'd"