Susan’s longing for permanence
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Susan expresses a longing for a permanent home, while Barbara acknowledges their eventual parting, though both hope it is far in the future. They say goodnight, and Barbara remains outside.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Sympathetic yet resigned, her calm demeanor masking a deep awareness of the group’s fragility and the inevitability of their separation.
Barbara stands outside the tent, her voice calm but her posture betraying a quiet resignation. She attempts to reassure Susan, framing the Doctor’s withdrawal as temporary and the TARDIS as their only true home. Her acknowledgment of their eventual separation—‘Then you and I will say goodbye’—reveals her acceptance of the transient nature of their bond, even as she offers comfort. She lingers outside after Susan retreats, her presence a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken tensions within the group. Her role as the voice of reason is tempered by her own unresolved emotions.
- • To reassure Susan that the Doctor’s withdrawal is temporary and that the TARDIS will be recovered.
- • To acknowledge the transient nature of their bond while offering comfort in the present moment.
- • The Doctor’s emotional state is a reaction to the loss of the TARDIS and will improve once it is recovered.
- • Their time together is limited, and she must prepare for their eventual separation.
Despairing and yearning, with a fragile hope that the Doctor’s withdrawal is temporary and that their wandering will one day end.
Susan stands outside the tent, her posture tense and her voice trembling as she vents her frustration about the group’s stagnation. She critiques Marco Polo’s leadership, Ian’s detachment, and the Doctor’s emotional withdrawal, revealing her deeper fear: the loss of the TARDIS isn’t just a logistical problem, but a threat to their stability and sense of home. Her longing for permanence—‘Another time, another galaxy’—exposes her exhaustion with their nomadic life, and her plea for the Doctor to confide in her underscores her isolation. She ultimately retreats into the tent, leaving Barbara behind, her emotional state raw and unresolved.
- • To vent her frustration about the group’s stagnation and the Doctor’s emotional state.
- • To seek reassurance from Barbara that the TARDIS will be recovered and their stability restored.
- • The Doctor’s defencelessness without the TARDIS is a temporary setback, not a permanent state.
- • Their endless wandering is unsustainable, and she longs for a home beyond the TARDIS.
Defenceless and emotionally withdrawn, his pride wounded by the loss of the TARDIS and his inability to protect his companions.
The Doctor is referenced by Susan as being ‘rude and sulking by himself,’ refusing to eat or speak. Barbara reframes his behavior as ‘defenceless’ due to the loss of the TARDIS, emphasizing his reliance on the machine for security and purpose. His absence from the conversation highlights his emotional withdrawal, which looms over the group like a storm cloud. Susan’s longing for his confidence in her underscores the strain in their relationship, as his silence leaves her feeling isolated and uncertain.
- • To retreat into himself to process the loss of the TARDIS and his perceived failure to protect his group.
- • To avoid engaging with Susan’s emotional needs, as he is unable to offer reassurance in his current state.
- • The TARDIS is his only true source of power and security, and without it, he is vulnerable.
- • His companions’ emotional states are secondary to his own struggle to regain control.
Not directly emotional, but his invocation carries a sense of looming inevitability and the weight of institutional power.
Kublai Khan is invoked by Susan as the distant, almost mythical figure whose court holds the key to recovering the TARDIS—‘at Kublai Khan’s court when it’s too late.’ His name looms over the conversation as a symbol of both hope and futility, representing the caravan’s ultimate goal and the companions’ desperation. His court is framed as a place of power and possibility, yet also as a reminder of the group’s powerlessness in the present moment. His influence is felt indirectly, shaping the companions’ sense of urgency and despair.
- • To serve as the ultimate destination for the caravan, where the TARDIS—and the companions’ stability—might be recovered.
- • To represent the caravan’s ultimate goal, even as his court feels increasingly unattainable.
- • His court is the key to resolving the companions’ crisis, but it is also a distant and uncertain hope.
- • His authority is both a source of potential salvation and a reminder of the group’s vulnerability.
Distracted and emotionally removed, prioritizing the caravan’s survival over the companions’ personal crises.
Marco Polo is mentioned in passing by Susan as being distracted, playing chess with Ian inside the tent. His absence from the emotional exchange outside underscores his detachment from the group’s internal tensions, reinforcing his role as a pragmatic leader more concerned with the caravan’s logistics than the companions’ emotional states. His preoccupation with chess symbolizes his avoidance of deeper engagement with the group’s struggles.
- • To maintain the caravan’s progress and stability, even if it means ignoring the group’s emotional fractures.
- • To avoid confronting the Doctor’s or Susan’s emotional states, which could disrupt his leadership.
- • Emotional conflicts are secondary to the caravan’s survival and his duty to Kublai Khan.
- • The companions’ personal struggles are temporary and will resolve once the TARDIS is recovered.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The TARDIS is the emotional and narrative linchpin of this event, serving as both a symbol of stability and a source of despair. Susan frames it as their ‘only home’ and the key to their security, while Barbara reinforces its centrality to their sense of safety. The Doctor’s withdrawal is directly tied to its loss, as he is described as ‘defenceless’ without it. The TARDIS’s absence looms over the conversation, shaping Susan’s longing for permanence and her fear of the group’s stagnation. It is not physically present but is invoked repeatedly, its loss driving the emotional conflict and underscoring the group’s vulnerability.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The space outside the Mongol tent serves as a liminal zone where emotional vulnerabilities are exposed and acknowledged. It is neither the cramped interior of the tent—where Marco Polo and Ian play chess, detached from the group’s tensions—nor the vast, indifferent desert. Here, Susan and Barbara’s conversation unfolds in the semi-privacy of the open air, where the weight of their words is carried by the dry desert wind. The location amplifies the sense of isolation and transient bonds, as Susan’s longing for permanence contrasts with the ephemeral nature of their surroundings. The tent looms behind them, a symbol of the group’s fragile unity, while the desert stretches endlessly ahead, a reminder of their stalled journey.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
Kublai Khan’s court is invoked as the distant, almost mythical destination where the TARDIS—and the companions’ stability—might be recovered. It functions as the ultimate goal of the caravan, representing both hope and futility. Susan frames its recovery as ‘when it’s too late,’ underscoring the group’s desperation and the court’s role as a symbol of institutional power. The court’s influence is felt indirectly, shaping the companions’ sense of urgency and despair. It looms over the conversation as a reminder of the caravan’s ultimate purpose and the companions’ powerlessness in the present moment.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Susan's longing for a permanent home parallels the Doctor's need for the TARDIS, highlighting their shared sense of displacement and wish for stability."
Susan’s Fear of the Doctor’s Withdrawal"Susan's longing for a permanent home parallels the Doctor's need for the TARDIS, highlighting their shared sense of displacement and wish for stability."
Susan’s Fear of the Doctor’s WithdrawalThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"SUSAN: "Yes, at Kublai Khan's court when it's too late. We should be up there. Another time, another galaxy.""
"BARBARA: "We'll think of something.""
"SUSAN: "How? Ian's playing chess with Marco. Grandfather's being rude and sulking by himself.""
"BARBARA: "Oh, I don't think he's sulking, is he? ... He has a wonderful machine, capable of all sorts of miracles, and it's taken away from him by a man he calls a primitive.""
"SUSAN: "One day we'll know all the mysteries of the skies, and we'll stop our wandering.""
"BARBARA: "Then you and I will say goodbye.""
"SUSAN: "Oh, not yet. Not for a long time.""