Doctor baits Ramo with Zaroff’s secrets
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Ramo orders the guards to take the Doctor's companions away, but the Doctor stops them by claiming something important to say, which earns him five minutes alone with Ramo, while being questioned on what will happen to his friends.
The Doctor probes Ramo about Professor Zaroff, revealing his knowledge of Zaroff's work and prompting Ramo's suspicion.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Confident and slightly playful initially, shifting to intense focus and urgency as he negotiates with Ramo and devises his plan.
The Doctor orchestrates a masterful distraction by feigning enthusiasm for the plankton food, using it as a tool to stall Ramo and buy time. He then exploits Ramo's unease about Professor Zaroff by mentioning his name and slipping a covert message to Ara. His actions are calculated, playful, and strategic, revealing his deep understanding of Atlantean politics and his ability to manipulate situations to his advantage. The Doctor's primary goal is to delay the companions' sacrifice and forge an alliance with Zaroff.
- • Delay the companions' sacrifice by exploiting Ramo's unease about Zaroff.
- • Establish a clandestine alliance with Zaroff to disrupt the Atlanteans' plans.
- • Ramo's authority is fragile, and his unease about Zaroff can be exploited to stall the ceremony.
- • Zaroff is a potential ally who can help thwart the Atlanteans' sacrificial rituals.
Skeptical and concerned, shifting to fear as he realizes the gravity of their situation and the impending threat of sacrifice.
Ben expresses skepticism about the Doctor's behavior, particularly his exaggerated praise for the plankton food. He is taken aback by Ramo's revelation about the festival and grows increasingly fearful as the guards prepare to take him and the other companions away. Ben's reactions are grounded in his street-smart instincts, and he remains alert to any opportunity to turn the situation to their advantage.
- • Understand the Doctor's plan to assess the threat level and potential escape routes.
- • Protect Polly and Jamie from harm, ensuring they stay close and alert.
- • The Doctor's behavior, though unusual, is likely a calculated move to gain an advantage.
- • Ramo's words confirm that they are in immediate danger and need to act quickly.
Confused and uneasy, shifting to fear as she realizes the gravity of their situation and the impending threat of sacrifice.
Polly is initially confused by the Doctor's behavior, particularly his enthusiasm for the plankton food. She grows uneasy as Ramo reveals the companions' role in the festival, and her fear escalates as the guards prepare to take her away. Polly's reactions are marked by her quick wit and optimism, but she is clearly shaken by the threat of sacrifice and the uncertainty of their situation.
- • Stay close to the Doctor and companions to ensure their safety and gather information.
- • Assess the Doctor's plan to determine if there is a way to escape or negotiate their release.
- • The Doctor's actions, though confusing, are likely part of a strategy to protect them.
- • Ramo's words confirm that they are in immediate danger and need to act quickly.
Neutral and obedient, reflecting the regime's authority and the companions' vulnerability.
The Atlantean guards enforce Ramo's orders, raising their weapons and forcibly taking Ben, Polly, and Jamie away. They remain silent and obedient, embodying the regime's authority and brutality. Their actions underscore the companions' helplessness and the urgency of the Doctor's plan to stall the sacrifice.
- • Enforce Ramo's orders to maintain order and prepare for the festival.
- • Prevent any resistance or escape attempts by the companions.
- • Their actions are justified by the regime's laws and the prophecy of the goddess Amdo.
- • The companions are a threat to the regime and must be contained.
Uneasy and fearful, masking his concern with stoic Highland resolve as he is dragged away by the guards.
Jamie stands cautiously beside the Doctor, initially confused by his exaggerated enthusiasm for the plankton food. He shares Ben and Polly's skepticism but remains alert, ready to react if the situation escalates. When Ramo reveals the companions' foretold role in the festival, Jamie's unease grows, and he is forcibly taken away by the guards, his confusion turning to fear as he is separated from the Doctor.
- • Stay close to the Doctor and companions to ensure their safety.
- • Understand the Doctor's strange behavior to assess the threat level.
- • The Doctor's actions, though confusing, are likely part of a plan to protect them.
- • Ramo's words about the festival are a veiled threat, and they are in grave danger.
Sympathetic and hesitant, shifting to complicit as she agrees to deliver the Doctor's message, driven by compassion and quiet rebellion.
Ara enters the room to clear the table, initially hesitant and deferential to Ramo. She becomes a reluctant participant in the Doctor's plan when he covertly slips her a message for Professor Zaroff. Ara's hesitation reflects her fear of authority, but she ultimately becomes a key ally in the Doctor's scheme, demonstrating quiet rebellion against the regime.
- • Follow the Doctor's instructions to deliver the message to Zaroff, despite her fear of authority.
- • Avoid drawing attention to herself while aiding the Doctor's plan.
- • The Doctor's plan could disrupt the regime and potentially save the companions.
- • Her actions, though risky, are justified by her compassion for the outsiders.
Professor Zaroff is mentioned indirectly as the source of the plankton-based food and as a figure of unease for Ramo. …
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The reception area table serves as the central setting for the Doctor's negotiation with Ramo. It holds the bowls of plankton-based food, which the Doctor uses as a distraction, and provides a surface for him to write his covert message to Zaroff. The table is a transitional object, facilitating the Doctor's strategic maneuvers and the exchange of information that could alter the course of the companions' fate.
The Doctor's handwritten note to Zaroff is a covert message slipped to Ara during the tense negotiation with Ramo. It serves as a critical plot device, enabling the Doctor to communicate secretly with Zaroff and potentially forge an alliance to disrupt the Atlanteans' plans. The note is a symbol of the Doctor's strategic maneuvering and his ability to exploit the regime's internal tensions for his advantage.
The plankton-based food serves as a crucial distraction in the Doctor's gambit to stall Ramo. He feigns exaggerated enthusiasm for the food, praising its taste and claiming it is 'ambrosia,' which draws Ramo's attention and creates an opportunity for negotiation. The food also becomes a conversational wedge, as the Doctor uses it to mention Professor Zaroff and exploit Ramo's unease about his influence. Its role is both functional (as sustenance) and narrative (as a tool for manipulation and delay).
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Atlantean Reception Area is a tense meeting point where the Doctor negotiates with Ramo to stall the companions' sacrifice. The room is lined with guards, creating an atmosphere of oppression and authority. It serves as a stage for the Doctor's strategic maneuvering, where he exploits Ramo's unease about Zaroff and sends a covert message to Ara. The location's atmosphere is charged with tension, reflecting the high stakes of the negotiation and the companions' impending fate.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Atlantean Priesthood, represented by Ramo, enforces the prophecy of the goddess Amdo and prepares for the vernal equinox festival. Ramo asserts his authority by revealing the companions' foretold role in the sacrifice and ordering their removal. The priesthood's power dynamics are challenged by the Doctor's manipulations, particularly his mention of Zaroff, which exposes Ramo's unease and the fragility of the regime's loyalty.
Zaroff’s Scientific Faction is indirectly represented through the Doctor's mention of Zaroff and the plankton-based food. The faction's influence looms over the scene, creating unease in Ramo and positioning Zaroff as a potential ally for the Doctor. The Doctor leverages Zaroff's name to manipulate Ramo and stall the companions' sacrifice, hinting at the faction's disruptive role within the Atlantean regime.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Doctor prevents being separated so he can find a way to protect his friends (beat_eea8dd3977d6f902), leading him to probe Ramo about Professor Zaroff (beat_e828b1f88743c6b2)."
Doctor secretly dispatches Zaroff message"After Polly states and proves the current year is 1970 (beat_43bbf074cedcec20), Ramo arrives telling them their arrival was foretold (beat_8ef0dfc84ff03897)."
Companions Awaken in Temporal Displacement"After Polly states and proves the current year is 1970 (beat_43bbf074cedcec20), Ramo arrives telling them their arrival was foretold (beat_8ef0dfc84ff03897)."
Atlantean Guard Forces March to Captivity"Ramo arrives and informs them that their arrival was foretold by the goddess Amdo (beat_8ef0dfc84ff03897), which leads to Ramo ordering the guards to take the Doctor's companions away and the Doctor trying to prevent it (beat_eea8dd3977d6f902)."
Doctor secretly dispatches Zaroff message"The Doctor prevents being separated so he can find a way to protect his friends (beat_eea8dd3977d6f902), leading him to probe Ramo about Professor Zaroff (beat_e828b1f88743c6b2)."
Doctor secretly dispatches Zaroff message"While the Doctor is trying to probe Ramo about Professor Zaroff (beat_e828b1f88743c6b2), Polly and the others are dragged to the altar, fearing for their lives (beat_43ee50c22181e7f4)."
Captured before the altar"Ramo arrives and informs them that their arrival was foretold by the goddess Amdo (beat_8ef0dfc84ff03897), which leads to Ramo ordering the guards to take the Doctor's companions away and the Doctor trying to prevent it (beat_eea8dd3977d6f902)."
Doctor secretly dispatches Zaroff messageThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"RAMO: We've been expecting you. DOCTOR: And she had a message about us? For you? RAMO: Yes. She told us you would fall from the sky in time for our festival of the vernal equinox."
"DOCTOR: What I have to say concerns a certain Professor Zaroff. RAMO: What do you know of Zaroff? DOCTOR: A great deal. He's here, isn't he? RAMO: How did you know?"
"DOCTOR: Just send him this message, and you'll see. RAMO: I will take no message to Zaroff. DOCTOR: You're making a big mistake!"