General Smythe's Booby-Trapped Safe

A lethal booby-trapped safe rigged with Amatol explosives and a hidden fuse, used as a tension device in General Smythe’s room during The War Games. Its detonation creates a physical threat, forcing characters to react under time pressure.

2 appearances

Purpose

Secure storage for critical map

Significance

Blocks access to map until explosive breach succeeds, then explodes to signal sabotage and draw Crane back, escalating tension in allied base

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S6E37 · The War Games Part 3

Doctor rigs explosive to breach safe

The locked safe is the central object of this event, containing the critical map the Doctor and his allies desperately need to progress their mission. Initially, the Doctor attempts to pick the lock with a tuning fork, but this proves ineffective. The safe becomes the focal point of the team’s improvisation, as the Doctor repurposes a Mills bomb to breach it. The safe’s lock is packed with Amatol explosive, and a candle wick is used to extend the fuse, directing the blast precisely at the mechanism. The safe’s resistance and the urgency of the situation elevate the tension, making it a symbol of the obstacles the team must overcome to restore time.

Before: Locked and secure, containing the map, located in General Smythe’s room.

After: Damaged by the explosion, with the lock breached and the map accessible (implied).

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S6E37 · The War Games Part 3

Explosion Forces Crane’s Return

General Smythe’s locked safe, which the Doctor and Carstairs had earlier attempted to open using a Mills bomb, detonates violently moments after Crane secures it. The explosion is a deliberate act of sabotage, likely triggered by the War Lords to disrupt the group’s plans and assert their control over the timeline. The safe’s destruction symbolizes the fragility of the allies’ efforts and the War Lords’ ability to infiltrate even the most secure locations. Its explosion forces Crane to abandon his departure and rush back into the chaos, marking a turning point in the scene’s tension.

Before: Locked and secured by Crane, containing the critical map the Doctor needs. The safe had earlier been tampered with by the Doctor and Carstairs, who used a Mills bomb to attempt to open it.

After: Destroyed by the explosion, reduced to debris. The map inside is likely damaged or inaccessible, and the safe’s remnants scatter across the command post, adding to the chaos.

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