Doctor identifies temporal anomaly in 17th-century England
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The Doctor and his companions discuss their unexpected landing in 17th-century England, expressing disappointment and concern about their surroundings.
The Doctor identifies the smell of sulphur and Adric speculates about volcanic action, but the Doctor rules it out due to the time and place.
Tegan questions whether they are indeed on Earth, and the Doctor confirms it, suggesting they will find proof when they locate the person responsible for the sulphur.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Beneath performative calm, urgency festers at the misjump's cost, masking a deeper anxiety about the companions' fraying trust.
After materializing the TARDIS with visible hydraulic sighs, he deflects Tegan's frustration with performative reassurance while internally driving toward the sulphurous anomaly, his rapid mental processing already calculating temporal implications despite the sulphur-laced air burning their lungs.
- • Reassure Tegan and Adric despite the misjump
- • Immediately locate and investigate the sulphur source
- • Temporal misjumps often reveal unexpected historical significance
- • Investigating anomalies prevents greater temporal dangers
Frustration and skepticism simmer beneath her sarcasm, her refusal to accept the location reflecting deeper unease about the Doctor's navigational reliability.
Expressing disappointment over the misjump with sharp sarcasm, Tegan physically recoils from the sulphur-laden atmosphere, her pragmatic exterior cracking to reveal visceral discomfort while challenging the Doctor's leadership and their dubious arrival in 'history'.
- • Express her displeasure at the temporal misjump
- • Force the Doctor to acknowledge the inadequacy of his promise
- • The Doctor's navigation cannot be trusted in critical moments
- • History should not be encountered through miscalculation
Neutral on the surface but masking insecurity about his usefulness after the temporal mishap.
Performing the practical role of noticing and pointing out the drifting smoke, Adric's attention to environmental detail reveals his continued attempt to contribute despite the escalating confusion, his voice calm but carrying the tension of someone waiting for the Doctor's next move.
- • Focus attention on the immediate environmental anomaly
- • Reassert usefulness after the TSS incident
- • The Doctor's expertise will resolve any anomaly
- • Maintaining composure preserves his standing
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The thick, acrid sulphurous smoke billows unnaturally through skeletal trees, stinging eyes and lungs with each breath, compelling immediate attention as the most visible symptom of the temporal disturbance they have accidentally entered.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The ancient woodland surrounding the TARDIS materialization site functions as both environmental trap and investigative field, its dense trees forming natural sightlines for detecting the drifting smoke while its unnatural sulphurous aura signals the temporal anomaly's presence.
The TARDIS exterior landing site becomes the physical anchor point amidst temporal chaos, its coral walls and familiar exterior providing psychological stability while the surrounding sulphurous atmosphere threatens to overwhelm both companions and vehicle.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Within this episode
"Tegan's criticism of the Doctor's reliability in the TARDIS Corridor (Act 2) continues into their arrival in the Woodland, where she voices disappointment and frustration, showing her consistent skepticism about the Doctor's control over their travels."
Tegan clashes with Doctor over TARDIS failure"The Doctor's claim that they will arrive back at the airport on time (TARDIS Corridor) parallels Tegan's questioning whether they are on Earth (Outside TARDIS). Both scenes reflect the theme of misplaced trust in technology and the unpredictability of travel."
Tegan clashes with Doctor over TARDIS failureAcross episodes
"Both episodes feature the companions experiencing displacement under the Doctor's authority: Episode 7's transformation threat escalates to Episode 13's temporal misjump, with Tegan and Adric's frustration reflecting growing disillusionment with his leadership."
Doctor breaks cabinet to save Nyssa from Mobiliary"The defeat of the Mara using reflected light in Episode 12 foreshadows the TARDIS crew's arrival in 17th-century England where the Doctor (in Episode 13) identifies another reflection-based phenomenon — the ‘hundred shooting stars’ — as a sign of alien influence."
Mara's curse broken by reflected light"The Doctor's insistence on investigating temporal anomalies in Episode 13 (despite Tegan's skepticism) foreshadows his later expertise in crises like the Cybermen attack in Episode 21, where his knowledge of containment fields and antimatter is critical."
TARDIS crew divided over rescuing the Doctor"The Doctor and companions' arrival in the unfamiliar woodland (E13) parallels their entrapment in the cellar (E14), both scenes where they are outsiders in hostile environments they don't fully understand."
Android ambush and violent capture escalate conflict"The Doctor’s misjudgment of temporal location in Episode 13 ('three hundred years early') parallels Nyssa’s later decision to override Kyle in Episode 21 — both acts are tactical misjudgments under uncertainty that ultimately prove decisive and correct."
Nyssa overrides Kyle to assert commandThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning