Fabula
Object
Object

Coil of Hemp Rope (Storeroom/Colliery Lift Descent)

A single utilitarian coil of weathered hemp rope serving multiple functional purposes across storeroom and colliery lift descent scenarios. The rope shows signs of frequent use with frayed, gritty ends and darkened patches from accumulated dirt. Originally stored in the Storeroom bunker among wooden boxes, it was repurposed by Grover's inner circle as an escape tool ready to secure doors or bind unwilling participants. Later utilized during a colliery lift descent operation requiring emergency vertical movement capabilities.
4 appearances

Purpose

Emergency escape or restraint tool within the bunker’s contingency systems, repurposed from routine maintenance to enforce Grover’s internal discipline.

Significance

Symbolizes the bunker’s rigged environment—deceptively mundane items transformed into instruments of control. Its presence highlights Sarah’s entrapment: a tool meant to secure others becomes the mechanism of her suppression, underscoring the crumbling trust in Grover’s circle.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments
S10E22 · The Green Death Part 2
Trapped miners assess grim escape options

The hemp rope, coiled and coarse with colliery grime, becomes their lifeline linking the lift cage to the first rungs of the emergency shaft descent. Bert deploys it through the side door, lowering it steadily as he tests for grip and friction. Jo stabilizes the rope with gloved hands, bearing the rope’s weight cooperatively. Its frayed fibres are the only material bond connecting them to safety, amplifying every creak and tension as Bert begins their controlled descent.

Before: Stowed and coiled, darkened by grime from prior use, kept near Bert in the lift cage
After: Deployed downward into the shaft, partially unfurled and now integral to their fraught descent
View full event
S10E22 · The Green Death Part 2
Bert and Jo abandon the lift cage

Bert lowers a length of hemp rope from the unstable cage, coiling it efficiently before sending it down into the shaft to facilitate Jo’s descent. The rope’s frayed end tightens in Jo’s gloved hands as she steadies herself, transforming a simple material into their fragile lifeline amid the groaning metal and unseen green threat.

Before: Coiled and ready in Bert’s grip, darkened by prior mine labor and wear.
After: Uncoiled and descending into darkness, its fibres strained by Jo’s weight as she begins her controlled fall.
View full event
S11E10 · Invasion of the Dinosaurs Part 6
Sarah trapped in the storeroom

The coil of hemp rope, casually coiled near the boxes, becomes a functional symbol of Grover’s inner circle’s preparedness for containment and control. Its weathered texture hints at prior use, now repurposed to reinforce the storeroom’s role as an unsanctioned prison.

Before: Coiled neatly among other storage items, its frayed ends already showing signs of prior handling.
After: Remaining in place, its presence underscores the room’s shift from storage to a tool of suppression.
View full event
S11E10 · Invasion of the Dinosaurs Part 6
Doctor accelerates plan against time reset

A long coil of nylon rope is handed by Benton to the Doctor, repurposed as a precise tactical tool for securing doors or navigating hazards during the infiltration of the tube station. The rope’s frayed ends betoken prior haste, now pressed into emergency service as a means of control.

Before: Stored in the UNIT supplies room, coiled and unremarkable until Benton selected it for the mission.
After: In the Doctor’s hand, looped and ready for immediate use during his mission.
View full event