Dodo’s WOTAN-induced distress surfaces
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Ben offers to buy another round of drinks, but Dodo declines, stating she is thirsty, while Polly accepts. Kitty jokingly warns Ben to watch himself, while Polly praises Kitty's bartending skills and jokes about Ben.
Polly tells Kitty that she already has a good job, but Kitty says she can work there anytime she likes. Polly then notices Dodo seems unwell and asks what's wrong.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Distressed but resigned, masking her unease with stoicism while internally grappling with the unexplained symptoms—unaware they signal WOTAN’s influence.
Dodo sits at the Inferno Club’s bar, visibly withdrawn, clutching her head as she describes a persistent headache and a high-pitched hum—symptoms she dismisses as temporary. Her physical isolation at the bar, coupled with her quiet admission of discomfort, contrasts with the group’s lively energy. Polly briefly expresses concern, but Ben’s enthusiasm for dancing overshadows Dodo’s distress, leaving her alone as the others return to the dance floor.
- • To downplay her discomfort and avoid drawing attention to herself.
- • To understand the source of the headache and hum, though she lacks the context to recognize its significance.
- • Her symptoms are temporary and not worth disrupting the group’s fun.
- • She is responsible for her own well-being and shouldn’t burden others with her issues.
Cheerful and immersed in the night’s social energy, his enthusiasm blinds him to Dodo’s withdrawal—his goal is to keep the group’s fun going, regardless of individual discomforts.
Ben, the group’s eager host, offers to buy another round of drinks and suggests dancing again, his focus entirely on the night’s entertainment. He dismisses Dodo’s headache with a casual ‘Oh, good,’ and immediately pivots to dancing, leaving her isolated at the bar. His obliviousness to her distress highlights the group’s fractured attention and foreshadows their inability to recognize the larger threat looming over them.
- • To sustain the group’s lively atmosphere and ensure everyone is having fun.
- • To assert his role as the group’s social leader through his generosity and suggestions.
- • Dodo’s symptoms are insignificant and not worth disrupting the group’s enjoyment.
- • His responsibility is to the collective experience, not individual moments of unease.
Neutral and focused on her role as the club’s barmaid, her warmth is professional rather than personally invested—she is a facilitator of the group’s fun, not a participant in their deeper concerns.
Kitty, the barmaid, engages in playful banter with Polly and Ben, offering Polly a job and serving drinks with professional warmth. Her interactions are surface-level, contributing to the club’s lively but distracting atmosphere. She does not directly address Dodo’s discomfort, her role confined to facilitating the group’s social dynamic rather than intervening in personal moments.
- • To maintain the club’s energetic atmosphere through efficient service and lighthearted interaction.
- • To subtly reinforce the Inferno Club’s role as a space for social connection and distraction.
- • Her job is to serve and engage, not to delve into patrons’ personal issues.
- • The club’s vibrancy is more important than individual moments of discomfort.
Lighthearted and engaged with the group’s energy, though momentarily concerned for Dodo—her empathy is fleeting, eclipsed by the club’s vibrant atmosphere and Ben’s enthusiasm.
Polly engages in playful banter with Kitty and Ben, her attention briefly shifting to Dodo when she notices her discomfort. She asks, ‘What’s the matter, Dodo?’ but her concern is quickly overshadowed by Ben’s suggestion to dance again. Polly’s momentary empathy is subsumed by the group’s dynamic, leaving Dodo’s distress unaddressed as she rejoins Ben on the dance floor.
- • To maintain the group’s camaraderie and enjoy the night out.
- • To briefly check on Dodo’s well-being before re-engaging with the social dynamic.
- • Dodo’s discomfort is likely minor and temporary, not requiring deeper intervention.
- • The group’s collective energy and fun should take precedence over individual moments of unease.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Ben’s offer to buy another round of drinks serves as a social prop, symbolizing his role as the group’s host and his attempt to sustain their night out. The untouched glass left for Dodo at the bar becomes a silent witness to her isolation, its presence highlighting the group’s failure to acknowledge her distress. The drinks represent the superficial bonds of the group, masking the deeper fractures—like WOTAN’s influence—beginning to emerge.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The bar within the Inferno Club becomes a symbolic isolation point for Dodo, where her physical separation from the group mirrors her emotional withdrawal. While Ben and Polly dance, Dodo is left alone at the counter, her untouched drink a silent marker of her exclusion. The bar’s role shifts from a place of social connection to one of quiet distress, foreshadowing her eventual enslavement by WOTAN.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Within this episode
"Polly notices Dodo seems unwell and asks what's wrong, then Dodo reveals that she has been experiencing a headache."
Dodo’s unnoticed distress at the Inferno ClubAcross episodes
"The fracturing of the group due to Exorse’s escape in 'The Savages' reflects the fractured and disjointed atmosphere that Dodo experiences as the TARDIS lands in 'The War Machines', where normal social interactions are disrupted by WOTAN’s influence."
Exorse’s Escape and Group Fracturing"Dodo's desperate concern for the weakened Doctor and Steven's safety in 'The Savages' (carrying the Doctor to the caves) echoes her emotional withdrawal and persistent headache in 'The War Machines' when she is under WOTAN’s influence."
Chal reveals the Doctor’s shared suffering"Dodo's admission of a headache and high-pitched hum after encountering WOTAN (Episode 42) foreshadows her later phone call being monitored and her failure to deliver the Doctor being reported to WOTAN (Episode 43)."
Dodo’s failure reported to WOTAN"Dodo’s initial headache and withdrawal in Episode 1 escalates into her controlled and suspicious behavior upon return in Episode 2, reflecting her progressive subjugation by WOTAN."
Dodo’s Suspicious Return and Doctor’s Urgent Departure"Dodo's physical and emotional withdrawal due to WOTAN's psychic influence, first noted at the Inferno Club in Episode 1 (headache, buzzing), echoes in her evasive and erratic behavior when she reappears in Episode 2."
Dodo’s Return and the Doctor’s Departure"Dodo’s worsening headache and buzzing in her ears (Episode 1) escalate into her full psychic enslavement and manipulation of others (Episode 2), showing the physical and psychological toll of WOTAN’s influence."
Doctor resists Wotan’s psychic assault"Dodo’s physical and emotional distress, beginning in Episode 1 and manifesting as a headache and buzzing, escalates into her full hypnotic control by WOTAN in Episode 2. Her transformation from confusion to malevolent servitude represents a critical arc."
Doctor breaks Wotan’s hypnosis over DodoThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"DODO: I don't know. I've had a sort of a headache ever since I left your office."
"DODO: A sort of high pitched hum. It's gone again now. I'm all right, really."
"POLLY: What's the matter, Dodo?"