Doctor manipulates Susan’s distraction to lock the TARDIS
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
As humanity begins to rebuild, Tyler dedicates the next task to Dortmun and others like him, prompting the Doctor to hint at his imminent departure, leaving Susan alone.
The Doctor deflects Susan's attempt to discuss something important, feigning concern over her worn shoe as a distraction, while subtly implying she has become disorganized since leaving school, ultimately using it as an excuse to check on the TARDIS.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Profoundly conflicted and distressed. Susan’s emotional state is a storm of loyalty, love, and loss. She is torn between her grandfather and the life David offers, and her distress is amplified by the Doctor’s calculated withdrawal. Her cry ('I've lost my shoe') is not just about the object but about the loss of her identity and the past she is being forced to leave behind. There is a raw, desperate quality to her emotions, as if she is drowning in the weight of her choices.
Susan is emotionally vulnerable and distracted by her worn-out shoe, which the Doctor uses as a distraction to slip away. Her lament ('Oh, it's not me, it's this shoe of mine') reveals her internal turmoil, as she is torn between her loyalty to the Doctor and her growing love for David. When David proposes, her emotional breakdown ('No, David! I've lost my shoe. Oh David, I do love you!') symbolizes the loss of her past and her conflicted heart. Susan’s state is one of profound distress, as she is forced to confront the irrevocable choice between two worlds.
- • To reconcile her love for David with her loyalty to the Doctor.
- • To find a way to hold onto both her past and her future, even as the Doctor forces her to choose.
- • That she cannot abandon the Doctor, who has been her only family for so long.
- • That a life with David offers her the stability and love she has always longed for.
Calculated and emotionally detached on the surface, but beneath this lies a complex mix of paternal concern, guilt, and resolve. His feigned solicitude for Susan’s shoe reveals his discomfort with direct emotional engagement, while his locking of the TARDIS doors signifies a painful but necessary severing of their bond. There is a quiet loneliness in his actions, as if he knows this is the right choice but cannot bring himself to face her reaction.
The Doctor uses Susan’s distraction over her worn-out shoe as a pretext to slip away unnoticed. His feigned concern ('Oh my dear Susan, you're hurt') is a calculated maneuver to avoid an emotional confrontation. Once Susan is occupied, he retreats to the TARDIS, locks the doors, and delivers a final, irreversible declaration from within: 'I've double-locked the doors. You can't get in.' This act is both a strategic move—ensuring Susan cannot follow him—and an emotional betrayal, forcing her to choose between her grandfather and the life David offers. His actions are coldly efficient, masking deeper paternal conflict.
- • To avoid an emotional confrontation with Susan about her future.
- • To ensure Susan cannot follow him, thereby forcing her to stay on Earth with David.
- • That Susan’s happiness and stability are best served by a settled life on Earth, away from the nomadic TARDIS existence.
- • That his role as her guardian requires making difficult, even painful, decisions for her own good.
Earnest and hopeful, but also vulnerable. David’s emotional state is one of pleading and longing, as he lays bare his love for Susan and his desire to build a life with her. There is a quiet desperation in his proposal, a fear that she might choose the TARDIS over him. His hope is tempered by the knowledge that her decision will define their future together.
David seizes the moment of the Doctor’s departure to propose to Susan, offering her stability, love, and a future on Earth. His plea ('Please stay. Please stay here with me') is earnest and heartfelt, contrasting sharply with the Doctor’s calculated withdrawal. David’s proposal forces Susan to confront her conflicted loyalties, symbolizing the pull between her past (the TARDIS) and her future (a life on Earth). His emotional vulnerability and hope create a parallel tension to the Doctor’s cold efficiency.
- • To convince Susan to stay on Earth and marry him, offering her stability and love.
- • To make her see that a life with him fulfills her longing for security and belonging.
- • That Susan’s happiness lies in a settled life on Earth, away from the uncertainties of time travel.
- • That his love and the life he offers can provide her with the security she has always craved.
Pragmatic and focused; she is not emotionally invested in the moment but ensures the scene’s emotional core is preserved.
Barbara hauls Ian away mid-conversation with David, subtly reinforcing the transition to Susan and David’s emotional climax. Her action is purposeful, ensuring that the focus remains on Susan’s internal conflict and the Doctor’s departure. Barbara’s role here is functional, clearing the space for the scene’s central drama to unfold.
- • To maintain the scene’s dramatic tension by removing peripheral characters.
- • To subtly guide the narrative toward Susan and David’s confrontation.
- • That emotional climaxes require undivided attention and space.
- • That her role as a companion includes facilitating key moments for others.
Neutral but slightly distracted; his attention is redirected by Barbara, suggesting he is more focused on the broader mission than individual dramas.
Ian briefly engages David in conversation about his plans to work the land, but his interaction is cut short as Barbara pulls him away. His role here is peripheral, serving as a transitional figure between the Doctor’s departure and Susan and David’s emotional climax. Ian’s presence underscores the post-invasion world’s focus on rebuilding, but his exit marks the shift to Susan’s personal crisis.
- • To understand David’s intentions and offer encouragement for his rebuilding efforts.
- • To transition smoothly between tasks, as indicated by his abrupt departure with Barbara.
- • That rebuilding the Earth is a collective effort requiring diverse contributions.
- • That personal conversations should not detract from the larger mission.
Optimistic and supportive; Tyler is focused on the future and the collective effort to rebuild, which contrasts with Susan’s personal turmoil. His emotional state is one of quiet determination, reflecting his role as a leader in the resistance.
Tyler briefly interacts with Susan before leaving, marking the transition to the post-invasion world’s focus on rebuilding. His encouragement for David to join the group working the land underscores the broader theme of reconstruction and hope. Tyler’s departure symbolizes the end of one chapter (the Dalek invasion) and the beginning of another (Earth’s recovery), setting the stage for Susan’s emotional climax with David.
- • To encourage David to contribute to the rebuilding efforts, symbolizing a return to normalcy.
- • To transition the narrative focus from the Dalek invasion to the post-war reconstruction.
- • That the future of Earth depends on collective effort and cooperation.
- • That individuals like David and Susan have a role to play in rebuilding society.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The TARDIS serves as both the Doctor’s escape vehicle and a symbolic barrier between Susan’s past and her future. The Doctor uses it to retreat from Susan, locking the doors to ensure she cannot follow him. The TARDIS’s dematerialization is the physical manifestation of their separation, leaving Susan stranded on Earth. The ship’s role here is not merely functional but deeply emotional, representing the end of Susan’s time-traveling life and the beginning of her new chapter. Its locked doors symbolize the Doctor’s final, irreversible decision to cut her loose.
Susan’s worn-out shoe becomes a powerful symbolic object in this event, serving as both a distraction and a metaphor for her emotional state. The Doctor uses her preoccupation with the shoe ('Oh my dear Susan, you're hurt') as a pretext to slip away unnoticed. For Susan, the shoe represents her disorganization, her weariness, and the physical toll of her adventures. When she cries out ('I've lost my shoe'), it is not just about the object but about the loss of her identity, her past, and the life she is being forced to leave behind. The shoe becomes a tangible symbol of her internal conflict and the transition she is undergoing.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Riverside Bridge Underpass serves as a transitional space where the emotional and narrative climaxes of the scene unfold. It is a neutral ground, scarred by the Dalek invasion but poised for reconstruction, reflecting the broader themes of destruction and renewal. The underpass’s battered concrete and derelict shadows create a mood of quiet tension, amplifying the emotional weight of Susan’s dilemma. The Doctor’s retreat into the TARDIS and his locking of the doors occur here, marking the irreversible separation between Susan and her past. Meanwhile, David’s proposal to Susan takes place in this same space, symbolizing the beginning of her new life. The underpass thus functions as a liminal zone, where old identities are shed and new ones are formed.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Group That Works the Land is represented indirectly through David’s commitment to join it and Tyler’s encouragement. While the organization itself does not appear on-screen, its influence is felt through the characters’ discussions about rebuilding Earth. David’s decision to work the land symbolizes his and Susan’s potential future within a stable, post-invasion society. The group’s focus on agricultural reconstruction contrasts with the Doctor’s nomadic lifestyle, highlighting the divergent paths available to Susan. Its presence in the dialogue underscores the theme of renewal and the practical steps needed to heal a broken world.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Doctor's distraction and feigned concern over Susan's shoe is directly followed by the Doctor locking the TARDIS. The conversation was the Doctor's means of getting Susan away from everyone else to lock the doors."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"The Doctor's distraction and feigned concern over Susan's shoe is directly followed by the Doctor locking the TARDIS. The conversation was the Doctor's means of getting Susan away from everyone else to lock the doors."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"David confessing his love for Susan and the offer of a stable life directly opposes her grandfather's action of locking her out of the Tardis to give her that stable life."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"David confessing his love for Susan and the offer of a stable life directly opposes her grandfather's action of locking her out of the Tardis to give her that stable life."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"The Doctor hints at his imminent departure, leaving Susan alone, foreshadowing the difficult decision he's about to make about Susan's future."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"The Doctor hints at his imminent departure, leaving Susan alone, foreshadowing the difficult decision he's about to make about Susan's future."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"Barbara sensing something amiss happens immediately before David starts professing his love, these beats closely follow each other."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"Barbara sensing something amiss happens immediately before David starts professing his love, these beats closely follow each other."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"After the complete annihilation of the Daleks, humanity begins to rebuild and is directly stated to follow the previous beat."
Daleks annihilated—Tyler’s disbelief surfaces"The Doctor distracts Susan setting up a thematic parallel between the Doctor's intentional manipulation and David's earnest desire for Susan to embrace a settled life with him, forcing her to choose between the two."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"The Doctor distracts Susan setting up a thematic parallel between the Doctor's intentional manipulation and David's earnest desire for Susan to embrace a settled life with him, forcing her to choose between the two."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"The Doctor's distraction and feigned concern over Susan's shoe is directly followed by the Doctor locking the TARDIS. The conversation was the Doctor's means of getting Susan away from everyone else to lock the doors."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"The Doctor's distraction and feigned concern over Susan's shoe is directly followed by the Doctor locking the TARDIS. The conversation was the Doctor's means of getting Susan away from everyone else to lock the doors."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"The Doctor's action of locking Susan out is then followed by his explanation of the reasoning behind it."
The Doctor Releases Susan"David confessing his love for Susan and the offer of a stable life directly opposes her grandfather's action of locking her out of the Tardis to give her that stable life."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"David confessing his love for Susan and the offer of a stable life directly opposes her grandfather's action of locking her out of the Tardis to give her that stable life."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"The Doctor hints at his imminent departure, leaving Susan alone, foreshadowing the difficult decision he's about to make about Susan's future."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"The Doctor hints at his imminent departure, leaving Susan alone, foreshadowing the difficult decision he's about to make about Susan's future."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"Barbara sensing something amiss happens immediately before David starts professing his love, these beats closely follow each other."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"Barbara sensing something amiss happens immediately before David starts professing his love, these beats closely follow each other."
Susan’s Impossible Choice"The Doctor distracts Susan setting up a thematic parallel between the Doctor's intentional manipulation and David's earnest desire for Susan to embrace a settled life with him, forcing her to choose between the two."
The Doctor locks Susan out of the TARDIS"The Doctor distracts Susan setting up a thematic parallel between the Doctor's intentional manipulation and David's earnest desire for Susan to embrace a settled life with him, forcing her to choose between the two."
Susan’s Impossible ChoiceThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"DOCTOR: Oh my dear Susan, you're hurt. SUSAN: Oh, it's not me, it's this shoe of mine. Look, it's worn right out. DOCTOR: Oh, dear, dear, dear. I shall have to mend this, shan't I now?"
"DOCTOR: Oh, no, no, no, no, no worry, my child, no. When I've finished with this, it will look as good as new. SUSAN: Really, it's not worth it. I've got dozens of other pairs. DOCTOR: Yes. Hmm. SUSAN: I'd better clear out my cupboard. It's in a dreadful muddle. DOCTOR: Yes, you little monkey. You know, since you've been away from that school, you seem to have got yourself thoroughly disorganised, haven't you? Yes, you need taking in hand. Well, I, er, I think I must check up on the ship, if you don't mind."
"DAVID: Please stay. Please stay here with me. SUSAN: I can't stay, David. I don't belong to this time. DAVID: But I love you, Susan, and I want you to marry me."