Polo conceals the Tardis under pressure
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Wang-Lo informs Marco Polo that they must leave for Shang-Tu tomorrow, cutting their stay short; the Doctor inquires about the location of the Tardis, only to learn from Wang-Lo that it has been moved to the stables.
The Doctor voices his frustration at the Tardis being moved to the stables and Marco ensures the Doctor that it will be safe. Polo instructs Wang-Lo to ensure that all their baggage, including the Tardis, goes with the next commerce caravan to Shang-Tu.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calmly assertive, masking his own urgency to protect the TARDIS while maintaining control over the group’s movements.
Marco Polo intervenes with quiet authority, reassuring the Doctor of the TARDIS’s safety while subtly directing Wang-Lo to conceal it within the next caravan’s baggage. His demeanor is calm but firm, his actions calculated to balance the Doctor’s concerns with his own strategic priorities. He transitions smoothly from addressing the TARDIS’s relocation to discussing the caravan’s departure, demonstrating his ability to multitask under pressure.
- • Reassure the Doctor to prevent further outbursts while ensuring the TARDIS’s safety.
- • Leverage Wang-Lo’s compliance to conceal the TARDIS in the caravan, aligning with his plan to gift it to Kublai Khan.
- • The TARDIS is a valuable asset that must be protected from bandits and Tegana’s schemes.
- • Wang-Lo’s cooperation is essential to executing his plan without drawing unnecessary attention.
Feigned indignation masking deep anxiety and a sense of losing control over his most prized possession.
The Doctor erupts in frustration upon learning the TARDIS has been moved to the stables without his knowledge. His body language is tense, his voice sharp with sarcasm as he mocks Wang-Lo’s dismissive attitude. He paces or gestures emphatically, his usual composure unraveling as he grapples with the TARDIS’s vulnerability. Barbara’s attempt to reassure him goes unheeded, his focus locked on the implications of the relocation.
- • Regain immediate control over the TARDIS’s location to ensure its safety.
- • Convey his displeasure with Wang-Lo’s decision-making to assert his authority.
- • The TARDIS is at heightened risk in the stables due to bandit threats and Tegana’s spies.
- • Wang-Lo’s actions reflect a lack of respect for the TARDIS’s significance and his own expertise.
Casually amused by the Doctor’s reaction, confident in his authority over the station’s operations.
Wang-Lo delivers the news of the TARDIS’s relocation with casual indifference, his tone laced with sarcasm as he dismisses the Doctor’s concerns. He engages in a brief verbal spar with the Doctor, mocking the idea of placing the TARDIS in the hanging garden. His demeanor is affable yet dismissive, reflecting his role as the station’s authority figure. He defers to Polo’s directives without question, demonstrating his subservience to imperial protocol.
- • Assert his control over the station’s logistics, including the TARDIS’s relocation.
- • Comply with Polo’s orders to conceal the TARDIS, ensuring his own standing with imperial representatives.
- • The Doctor’s concerns are overblown, and the TARDIS’s safety is adequately addressed by its relocation.
- • His authority as station master is absolute, and his decisions require no further justification.
Cautiously optimistic, seeking to rationalize the situation to prevent further conflict.
Barbara steps in to mediate the tension, offering a pragmatic perspective to calm the Doctor. She speaks calmly, positioning the stables as a safer alternative to the courtyard. Her tone is supportive, though her words are met with the Doctor’s dismissive sarcasm. She remains composed, her focus on de-escalating the situation rather than engaging in the Doctor’s frustration.
- • Reassure the Doctor that the TARDIS is safer in the stables than in the courtyard.
- • Prevent the Doctor’s frustration from escalating into a larger confrontation.
- • The Doctor’s emotional reaction is clouding his judgment about the TARDIS’s safety.
- • Wang-Lo’s decision, while poorly communicated, may have been pragmatic given the circumstances.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The TARDIS is the focal point of this event, its relocation from the courtyard to the stables sparking the Doctor’s alarm and Polo’s strategic maneuvering. Wang-Lo’s casual revelation of its new location exposes its vulnerability to bandits and Tegana’s spies, while Polo’s order to conceal it within the caravan’s baggage transforms it into a covert asset. The TARDIS’s symbolic value as the Doctor’s prized possession and potential gift to Kublai Khan elevates its stakes, making it a pawn in the power dynamics between the Doctor, Polo, and the Mongol Empire.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Cheng-Ting Way Station serves as the neutral ground where the TARDIS’s relocation is revealed and contested. Its courtyard, initially the TARDIS’s exposed location, symbolizes the group’s lack of control over their surroundings. The stables, where the TARDIS is moved, represent a temporary solution—safer than the courtyard but still vulnerable. Wang-Lo’s mention of the ‘hanging garden’ as an absurd alternative underscores the station’s aesthetic and functional disconnect from the group’s urgent needs, highlighting the tension between imperial protocol and survival.
The stables emerge as the TARDIS’s new location, a step toward concealment but still a vulnerable space. Wang-Lo’s decision to move it here reflects his pragmatic approach to station logistics, though the Doctor’s reaction highlights its continued exposure. The stables’ dim lighting and functional purpose as a storage area contrast with the TARDIS’s advanced technology, underscoring the group’s precarious position in this unfamiliar environment. Polo’s order to conceal it within the caravan’s baggage further ties the stables to the group’s urgent need for secrecy.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Kublai Khan’s Court looms over this event as the ultimate authority dictating Polo’s actions and the group’s movements. Polo’s urgency to conceal the TARDIS within the caravan’s baggage reflects his adherence to imperial protocol, even as he subtly defies direct orders by protecting the ship. The Court’s influence is felt through Wang-Lo’s deference to Polo and the station’s operational constraints, creating a power dynamic where the TARDIS becomes a silent pawn in the larger game of imperial politics.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Marco Polo receiving Kublai Khan's orders to travel to Shang-Tu leads to him informing Wang-Lo of his plans and the Doctor discovering the Tardis has been moved to the stables."
Courier reveals Shang-Tu’s deadly transit methods"Marco Polo receiving Kublai Khan's orders to travel to Shang-Tu leads to him informing Wang-Lo of his plans and the Doctor discovering the Tardis has been moved to the stables."
Kublai Khan’s Urgent Summons Disrupts PlansKey Dialogue
"WANG-LO: To what does the old lord refer?"
"DOCTOR: The stables."
"WANG-LO: Well, I could hardly leave it in the hanging garden, my lord, now could I?"
"POLO: It'll be safe enough there, Doctor. What, when does the next commerce caravan leave for Shang-Tu?"
"DOCTOR: I could hardly have it placed in the hanging garden, now could I? What does he think it is? A potting shed, or something."