Narrative Connection
How these two moments in the story relate
Why These Connect
The narrative assertion
"Turlough, Peri, and Malkon's disruption of the ritual in Episode 17 directly leads to the Doctor's urgent need to heal Malkon in Episode 18, as the latter event centers on the Doctor's decision to use volcanic gas to save Malkon's life."
inferred by llm_cross_episode_character
Why This Matters Across Episodes
The longer arc this connection carries
The sacrificial ritual's failure (Episode 17) creates the immediate crisis that drives the Doctor's healing intervention in the next episode, weaving a causal thread between the two episodes.
About Causal Connections
A directly causes B. The first event sets forces in motion that produce the second. These are the load-bearing connections of plot--remove one and the story structure collapses.