Doctor uses Barnham to neutralize the Machine
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The Doctor explains that the Keller Machine feeds on evil impulses and that Barnham, devoid of such impulses due to the machine's process, acts as a neutralizer. He declares that they are safe as long as Barnham remains present.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Frightened and compliant. His fear is palpable, but his trust in the Doctor overrides it, revealing his dependency on authority figures. Underneath, there’s a flicker of recognition of the place that terrifies him.
Barnham enters the Process Theatre disoriented, his head hurting and his memory fragmented ('I remember this place. Something terrible!'). The Doctor’s sudden grab startles him, and he resists initially ('No!'), but complies when the Doctor reassures him. His presence alone silences the Machine, though he doesn’t understand why. Physically, he’s a passive participant, his childlike state making him malleable. His dialogue is minimal, reflecting his processed mind’s emptiness.
- • Avoid the Doctor’s wrath (complying with his commands)
- • Understand why the Machine reacts to him (but lacks the capacity to ask)
- • The Doctor knows what’s best for him
- • This place is dangerous, but he’s powerless to leave
None (as a machine), but its behavior suggests a 'hunger' for evil that is frustrated by Barnham’s presence. The silence when Barnham is near is eerie, almost like a predator sensing prey it cannot consume.
The Keller Machine, a pulsating brain-like entity, exhibits violent energy upon Barnham’s initial approach but falls silent when he nears. Its humming ceases entirely when Barnham is close, only to reactivate when he moves away. The Machine’s behavior confirms the Doctor’s theory: it feeds on evil impulses and is repelled by Barnham’s processed mind. Its physical presence is ominous, a looming threat that the Doctor must navigate carefully. The Machine’s intelligence is implied in its adaptive response to Barnham’s proximity.
- • Feed on evil impulses (its primary function)
- • Escape containment (implied by its violent reaction to threats)
- • Barnham’s mind is an anomaly it cannot process
- • The Doctor and Jo are potential threats to be neutralized
Desperate but strategically focused, with underlying guilt. His surface calm masks the ethical cost of using Barnham, while his scientific curiosity drives him to test the theory immediately.
The Doctor shifts from desperate frustration to rapid strategic thinking as he realizes Barnham’s mind neutralizes the Keller Machine. He physically grabs Barnham, using him as a shield to approach the Machine, his voice oscillating between commanding ('Come back!') and reassuring ('Don’t be frightened'). His dialogue reveals a mix of scientific insight ('The mind of evil') and moral ambiguity, as he exploits Barnham’s trauma for tactical gain. His body language—grabbing, positioning, then calming—shows both authority and a hint of guilt.
- • Contain the Keller Machine using Barnham’s neutralized mind as a shield
- • Protect Jo and himself from the Machine’s lethal energy
- • The Machine’s intelligence adapts to threats, making conventional methods ineffective
- • Barnham’s processed mind is the only immediate counter to the Machine’s power
Confused but trusting. Her initial bewilderment gives way to acceptance as the Doctor explains, though her body language suggests discomfort with the moral implications of using Barnham.
Jo stands slightly apart, her confusion evident as she watches the Doctor use Barnham. She voices her bewilderment ('I don’t understand') but quickly grasps the Doctor’s explanation, her loyalty preventing her from questioning his methods. Her presence is reactive rather than active, serving as the audience surrogate to the Doctor’s revelations. Physically, she remains near the doorway, observing but not interfering.
- • Understand the Doctor’s strategy to contain the Machine
- • Support the Doctor’s actions without challenging them
- • The Doctor’s scientific insights are reliable
- • Barnham’s safety is secondary to stopping the Machine
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Keller Machine, a grotesque brain-like entity housed in a humming apparatus, is the focal point of the event. Its violent energy—manifesting as a lethal psychic force—ceases abruptly when Barnham enters the Process Theatre, revealing its vulnerability to minds stripped of evil. The Doctor uses this moment to approach the Machine safely, positioning Barnham as a living shield. The Machine’s behavior confirms its function as a predator of malevolent thoughts, while its silence in Barnham’s presence highlights the irony of its own process being used against it. Its adaptive intelligence is implied by the Doctor’s dismissal of the coils as a failed containment method.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Process Theatre serves as a battleground and laboratory for the Doctor’s experiment. Its sterile, institutional setting—marked by the central table bearing the Keller Machine—contrasts with the chaos of the Machine’s escape. The room’s confined space amplifies the tension, as the Doctor maneuvers Barnham like a shield against the Machine’s psychic assaults. The humming of the Machine and the flickering lights create an oppressive atmosphere, while the Doctor’s voice cuts through the tension, explaining the scientific and moral stakes. The location symbolizes the intersection of science and ethics, where the Doctor’s ingenuity is tested against the Machine’s predatory nature.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
UNIT’s influence is indirect but critical in this event. While no UNIT personnel are physically present, the Doctor’s role as UNIT’s scientific adviser frames his actions as part of their mission to contain alien threats. The Doctor’s strategic thinking and Jo’s supportive presence reflect UNIT’s reliance on his expertise, even as his methods (exploiting Barnham) may conflict with their ethical protocols. The broader context of the Master’s nerve gas missile and the Keller Machine’s escape underscores UNIT’s institutional struggle to balance brute force with scientific solutions.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Doctor's decision to focus on the Keller Machine after it escaped leads directly to him discovering Barnham's ability to neutralize it. One directly follows the other."
Doctor Warns of Master’s Nerve Gas Threat"The Doctor's decision to focus on the Keller Machine after it escaped leads directly to him discovering Barnham's ability to neutralize it. One directly follows the other."
Doctor Prioritizes Machine Over Master"Barnham's entrance into the room and the subsequent stopping of the Keller Machine directly leads to the Doctor experimenting and discovering that Barnham's presence neutralizes the machine's power. The discovery is a direct consequence of Barnham's inadvertent action."
Barnham neutralizes the Keller Machine"Following the realization that using Barnham as a shield works, the Doctor deduces the underlying reason: Barnham's lack of evil impulses neutralizes the machine. This demonstrates the Doctor's intelligence and problem-solving abilities."
Barnham neutralizes the Keller Machine"The Keller Machine's escape and subsequent killing of prison officers Dave and Bill escalates the threat, leading the Doctor to investigate and realize the machine is now even more powerful. This prompts his concern over how to stop it."
Keller Machine kills prison officers"Barnham's entrance into the room and the subsequent stopping of the Keller Machine directly leads to the Doctor experimenting and discovering that Barnham's presence neutralizes the machine's power. The discovery is a direct consequence of Barnham's inadvertent action."
Barnham neutralizes the Keller Machine"Following the realization that using Barnham as a shield works, the Doctor deduces the underlying reason: Barnham's lack of evil impulses neutralizes the machine. This demonstrates the Doctor's intelligence and problem-solving abilities."
Barnham neutralizes the Keller MachineKey Dialogue
"DOCTOR: No, that'd never work twice. The thing's too intelligent. In any case, I doubt whether I'd get near enough to it without being killed."
"DOCTOR: The mind of evil, Jo. I should have realised. That creature feeds on the evil impulses of the brain."
"JO: And Barnham hasn't got any."
"DOCTOR: No, the machine extracted them all. Something in his mind acts as a screen and neutralises it. So long as he's here, we're perfectly safe."