Barbara and Susan confront temporal displacement
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Barbara, after observing the surroundings, expresses her growing unease and suspicion that they are not in their own time, citing the unnatural quietness of London and a strange poster. Susan acknowledges the situation, lamenting their continued displacement through time and space.
Barbara attempts to reassure Susan while trying to make sense of their situation. Susan then voices her acceptance of their unpredictable life, before Barbara shifts the conversation to Susan's injured ankle and provides aid.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Unease transitioning to focused care—surface-level calm masking deep concern for Susan and the group’s safety.
Barbara stands by the Thames, her gaze shifting from the river to an unfamiliar poster. She reads it aloud, her voice tinged with worry as she realizes the absence of London’s familiar sounds confirms their temporal displacement. She shifts from philosophical dread to practical care, kneeling to tend to Susan’s injured ankle, her hands steady despite the growing unease. Her dialogue reveals a mix of analytical observation and compassionate concern, grounding the narrative’s mystery in their shared vulnerability.
- • Confirm their temporal displacement through environmental clues (poster, river silence).
- • Tend to Susan’s injury to alleviate her pain and maintain group cohesion.
- • Their current environment is fundamentally wrong and dangerous.
- • Caring for Susan’s injury is a tangible way to assert control in an uncertain situation.
Vulnerable and emotionally exposed—surface-level resignation masking deeper anxiety about their isolation and the unknown.
Susan leans against the riverside, her ankle throbbing with pain as she listens to Barbara’s observations. She admits her longing for stability and unity with the group, her voice trembling with vulnerability. Her dialogue reveals a mix of resignation and emotional rawness, serving as a counterpoint to Barbara’s analytical focus. She clutches her ankle, her physical discomfort mirroring the group’s broader disorientation.
- • Express her desire for the group to stay together, seeking emotional reassurance.
- • Communicate her physical pain to Barbara, implicitly asking for care and support.
- • Their current situation is unstable and unpredictable, threatening their unity.
- • Barbara’s care is a lifeline in an otherwise chaotic and dangerous environment.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Thames River looms as a silent, murky witness to the group’s displacement. Its unnatural quietness—lacking the bustling sounds of traffic and people—contrasts sharply with Barbara’s memories of London, reinforcing her realization that they are no longer in their own time. The river’s polluted waters and high tide serve as environmental clues, hinting at the broader decay of this dystopian London. Susan’s throbbing ankle and Barbara’s attempt to tend to it by the riverbank further tie the object to the group’s physical and emotional vulnerability.
The unfamiliar poster serves as a concrete clue confirming Barbara’s suspicion that they are no longer in their own time. Its presence on the riverside wall, coupled with the absence of London’s familiar sounds, amplifies the eerie silence and underscores the group’s disorientation. Barbara reads it aloud, her voice tinged with worry, as she points out its strangeness to Susan. The poster functions as a narrative catalyst, shifting the group’s focus from existential confusion to practical action (tending to Susan’s injury).
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Thames Riverside serves as a liminal space where the group’s temporal displacement becomes undeniable. The absence of familiar London sounds—traffic, people—creates an oppressive silence, heightening their unease. The riverside’s decaying infrastructure (e.g., the unfamiliar poster, the high tide) functions as a visual and auditory clue, confirming Barbara’s suspicion that they are no longer in their own time. The location’s eerie atmosphere foreshadows the broader dystopian setting and the dangers that lie ahead, while also providing a moment of human connection as Barbara tends to Susan’s injury.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Within this episode
"The Doctor and Ian's departure from Barbara and Susan leads directly to Barbara's growing unease and realization that they are not in their own time due to the unnerving quietness and strange poster she sees."
The Doctor and Ian leave for tools"Barbara's suspicion they are not in their own time is confirmed by the Doctor's discovery of the 2164 calendar, solidifying the narrative's temporal displacement."
Doctor confirms the future dateAcross episodes
"Susan's role as a supportive companion helping others (scaling the telephone in Episode 3) transitions into her being an injured but resilient figure who must be carried by others in Episode 4."
Climbing the telephone receiver"Barbara’s physical weakening from insecticide poisoning in Episode 3 carries directly into her increased vulnerability and psychological strain in Episode 4, where she must navigate a hostile, abandoned London."
Barbara’s weakness exposes poisoning urgency"Barbara’s insistence on helping despite her physical weakness in Episode 3 mirrors her determination to maintain a sense of duty and agency in Episode 4, even as she confronts a terrifying, unknown London."
Barbara insists on helping despite her condition"The precarious climb up the giant telephone in Episode 3 mirrors the precarious climb up the bridge in Episode 4, both representing the group’s persistent struggle to regain stability and control."
Climbing the telephone receiver"Barbara's collapse due to poisoning in Episode 3 parallels her psychological and emotional collapse when facing the eerie silence and alienation of future London in Episode 4."
Failed Call and Barbara’s Collapse"Barbara’s admission of exhaustion and vulnerability in Episode 3 echoes her realization of temporal displacement and environmental peril in Episode 4."
Barbara’s weakness exposes poisoning urgency"Barbara’s realization that they are not in their own time in Episode 4 escalates in Episode 5 to a sustained resistance effort against the Daleks, where Susan and Barbara are integrated into the underground HQ’s operations."
Susan’s Injury and Resistance Roles Assigned"Barbara’s recognition in Episode 4 that they are in a future London (via the poster and absence of life) evolves into a fuller understanding of the Dalek conquest tactics in Episode 5, where David explains the cosmic plague and ‘divide and conquer’ strategy."
David reveals Dalek conquest tactics"The unnerving silence of 1963 London’s decay in Episode 4 parallels the systemic horror of Robomen transformation in Episode 5 — both forces displace human agency with unnatural silence/lack of sound."
Barbara learns the truth about Robomen"Barbara’s realization that they are not in their own time (Susan and Barbara confront temporal displacement) in Episode 4 parallels Susan’s later prompting David to recount the Daleks’ systematic conquest (David reveals Dalek conquest tactics) in Episode 5, both reinforcing the theme of fractured time and history."
David reveals Dalek conquest tacticsThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"BARBARA: You know, we're not in our time in London, Susan."
"SUSAN: Well, off we go again. I'm sorry, Barbara. Is it selfish to want us all to stay together?"
"BARBARA: No, of course not. We ought to be able to hear something. It's ridiculous."
"SUSAN: Things have to stay as they are, don't they. Can't change."
"BARBARA: I don't think this is wet enough. Hold on a minute."