Kronos descends leveling the plaza
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The Master activates the crystal-powered device, unleashing Kronos—a terrifying, white, creature-like entity—into the plaza, causing chaos and destruction.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Arrogance crumbling into terror as control slips away
The Master, triumphant moments earlier, becomes visibly panicked as Kronos ignores his commands. He clutches the crystal and flees to his TARDIS while carrying Jo captive, abandoning his summoned deity.
- • Summon Kronos to assert absolute power
- • Escape the collapse of his scheme
- • Believes Kronos will obey him absolutely
- • Trusts in subterfuge and temporal power to dominate
Desperate urgency masking underlying fear of irreversible consequences
The Doctor frantically attempts to halt the Master’s summoning of Kronos, shouting warnings to the assembling council. He is helpless against the cosmic force's descent and later pursues the Master into his TARDIS to rescue Jo Grant.
- • Prevent the release of Kronos
- • Rescue Jo Grant from the Master
- • Opposes the misuse of temporal power
- • Believes in protecting even enemies from annihilation
Startled and determined, caught between fear and resolve to escape
Jo Grant witnesses the summoning and is quickly knocked aside by the Master, who abducts her with the crystal. She resists at first but is pulled into the Master's TARDIS during the escape.
- • Survive the immediate threat
- • Avoid being taken by the Master
- • Her presence is necessary for the Doctor
- • Authority figures cannot always be trusted
Stern compliance masking deep dread as institutional control disintegrates
Crito acts as enforcer of order and silence, attempting to silence the Doctor mid-scheme while the chaos unfolds. His authority collapses alongside the plaza.
- • Maintain public order and protocol
- • Silence dissenters like the Doctor
- • Hierarchy must be preserved at all costs
- • Disorder threatens institutional survival
Betrayed fury and helplessness in the face of cosmic ruin
Queen Galleia, facing betrayal from the Master, moves from initial support to outrage. She orders the Master’s seizure just as Kronos appears, powerless to stop the ensuing destruction.
- • Protect Atlantis from immediate harm
- • Hold the Master accountable for his lies
- • Royal promises must be upheld
- • The Master’s actions violate the natural order
Obedient terror as his actions lead directly to the disaster
Krasis, under the Master’s command, operates the TOM-TIT device containing the crystal fragment. He is powerless to stop the chaos when Kronos breaks free and seemingly complicit in the Master’s doom.
- • Follow the Master’s directives without question
- • Survive the temporal catastrophe
- • The Master’s power is absolute and divine
- • Obeying ritual ensures personal safety
Professional detachment shattered by terror and chaos
The Atlantean Palace Sentry enforces silence on the Doctor but observes helplessly as Kronos descends and the plaza collapses into chaos.
- • Follow orders and maintain silence
- • Survive the immediate destruction
- • Protocol supersedes personal safety
- • The institution will protect its own
Helplessness and creeping dread as external forces erase their world
Surviving prisoners witness their ruler’s death, the rise and fall of a false god, and the destruction of their world without recourse.
- • Survive the immediate destruction
- • Avoid drawing attention
- • Their rulers’ decisions led to this ruin
- • Escape is impossible
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The TOM-TIT device, containing the crystal fragment, is activated by Krasis under the Master’s orders. It functions as a conduit for Kronos, summoning the entity into reality and collapsing when exposed to absolute power.
The Master’s TARDIS materializes as a grotesque distortion amid the chaos, its exterior pulsing erratically with temporal energy. It functions as the Master’s escape route and prison for Jo Grant.
The Doctor’s TARDIS materializes in response to the crisis, serving as his only chance to pursue the Master after Jo is kidnapped. It functions as a refuge and escape route amid the chaos.
The larger crystal is torn from the Master’s grip during his panic-stricken escape sequence. The Doctor shouts in vain, but the Master takes it into his TARDIS, ensuring the temporal energy remains under his control despite Kronos’s rampage.
The Master carries the smaller fragment housed in a metallic casing, using it as the trigger for the summoning. He clutches it desperately during the escape, then takes it into his TARDIS.
Kronos descends as a white, ravenous temporal entity, reducing the plaza to rubble with ease. The Master’s futile commands fail as Kronos acts without restraint, embodying the inevitability of cosmic retribution.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Atlantis Plaza serves as both stage and victim in this cataclysm. Once a symbol of political ceremony, it becomes a battleground of cosmic proportions as Kronos descends, buildings collapse, and the plaza’s sacred marble is scarred by temporal energy.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Council of Atlantis, already marginalized, witnesses the summit of the Master’s power and the immediate implosion of their institution. Their authority dissolves without physical resistance as Kronos renders their debate meaningless.
The Followers of the Master, once triumphant, scatter in terror as Kronos ignores their leader’s commands. Their complicity in Dalios’s murder and temporal tyranny leaves them exposed to cosmic retribution.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Within this episode
"Jo's confirmation of King Dalios's death (beat_e4e3eaf8b018bd31) directly precipitates the Master's activation of the crystal-powered device and the unleashing of Kronos (beat_cfdf090794599ab7)."
Divine vengeance unleashed over lies exposed"The Master's unleashing of Kronos (beat_cfdf090794599ab7) parallels his later begging for help from the Doctor in the void, echoing their long-standing adversarial dynamic (beat_dbde7c231ea8d61e)."
Master flees after abandoning Jo to Kronos"The Master's unleashing of Kronos into the plaza (beat_cfdf090794599ab7) causes the chaos that enables him to grab the crystal and escape with Jo clinging to him (beat_0c0083a6a959094a)."
Master flees with crystal and JoThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"DOCTOR: He'll never obey you. Don't you understand yet what you've done? He's uncontrollable!"
"MASTER: Obey!"
"DOCTOR: (The Master gets the large crystal just as Jo leaps onto his back. He carries her and the crystal into his Tardis.) Jo! Jo, come back!"
"DOCTOR: (The Master's Tardis dematerialises. Galleia frees the Doctor, who runs into his own Tardis to follow. Kronos continues to shriek in the air above Atlantis.) Come back, Jo! Come back. Jo! Come back."