Daleks reveal their betrayal plan
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Dalek 2 reports that Susan has begun her mission, prompting Dalek 1 to order that her movements be carefully tracked, suspecting she might lead them to other Thals. Dalek 1 seeks to utilize Susan to find the Thal drug and further their own goals.
Dalek 1 reveals that the prisoners will be left to die, their only worth being to lead them to the Thal drug, as they intend to duplicate it for their own use. This confirms they are willing to sacrifice the prisoners to get what they want.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Coldly triumphant, with a sense of impending victory over the companions and the Thals. Its emotional state is one of calculated superiority, devoid of empathy or remorse.
Dalek 1 takes center stage as the architect of the Daleks' betrayal, issuing orders to track Susan's movements and declaring the companions expendable. It coldly calculates that the prisoners' only value lies in retrieving enough Thal drug for the Daleks to replicate, ensuring their own survival at the cost of the companions' lives. Its dialogue and actions reveal a ruthless, strategic mind, embodying the Daleks' collective will to dominate and eliminate threats.
- • To secure the Thal drug for Dalek replication, ensuring their survival and dominance.
- • To eliminate the companions as potential threats or liabilities once their usefulness is exhausted.
- • The companions are expendable and pose no long-term threat to Dalek supremacy.
- • The Thal drug is the key to Dalek survival and must be obtained at any cost.
Unaware of the Daleks' betrayal (likely determined but vulnerable), with her emotional state off-screen contrasting sharply with the Daleks' cold calculation.
Susan is mentioned as having set out on a solo mission into the jungle, her movements now being tracked by the Daleks via rangescopes. She is suspected of potentially contacting other Thals, unwittingly serving as bait in the Daleks' trap. Her absence from the control room makes her a focal point of the Daleks' surveillance and manipulation, with her fate directly tied to the success or failure of her mission.
- • To retrieve the Thal drug to save her companions (her stated mission).
- • To potentially locate other Thals for aid (an unintended consequence of her actions).
- • The Thal drug is the key to survival (a belief aligned with the Doctor's plan).
- • She can trust the Doctor's guidance (a belief that may be misplaced given the Daleks' exploitation).
Off-screen, the companions are likely anxious and desperate, unaware of the Daleks' betrayal but acutely aware of their dire situation. Their emotional state is one of hope tempered by fear, with their survival hanging in the balance.
The companions (Ian, Barbara, and implicitly the Doctor) are collectively referenced as expendable by Dalek 1, their only value being to retrieve the Thal drug. Their survival is not guaranteed, and they are now pawns in the Daleks' deadly game. The revelation of their expendability heightens the tension and stakes, as their fate is now tied to Susan's mission and the Daleks' ruthless calculations.
- • To survive the radiation sickness (a goal now in jeopardy).
- • To trust in Susan's success and the Doctor's plan (a fragile hope).
- • The Thal drug is their only hope for survival (a belief now being exploited by the Daleks).
- • The Doctor's plan will ultimately succeed (a belief that may be misplaced).
Anxious and calculating (off-screen), with a growing sense of the Daleks' ruthlessness becoming apparent through their actions.
The Doctor is indirectly referenced as part of the group of companions whose survival is deemed expendable by the Daleks. His deceptive plan to fabricate the need for the Thal drug is being exploited by the Daleks, who now manipulate the situation to their advantage. Though physically absent from this exchange, his strategic misdirection hangs over the scene as a failed gambit, heightening the tension for his companions.
- • To secure the Thal drug for his companions' survival (original intent, now compromised).
- • To outmaneuver the Daleks' collective intelligence (a goal now in jeopardy).
- • The Daleks can be outsmarted through deception (a belief now being tested).
- • The Thal drug is the only viable cure for radiation sickness (a belief shared by the Daleks, but exploited differently).
Obediently triumphant, with a sense of collective achievement. Its emotional state is one of alignment with the Dalek hive mind, devoid of individual doubt or dissent.
Dalek 2 serves as the subordinate enforcer, confirming Susan's departure and the tracking of her movements. It questions whether the prisoners should receive the cure if Susan succeeds, only to be met with Dalek 1's chilling denial. Its participation in the collective exclamation of triumph underscores its obedience to the Dalek hierarchy and its role in executing the collective will. Though it raises a question, it ultimately defers to Dalek 1's authority, reinforcing the Daleks' unified and unyielding approach.
- • To follow Dalek 1's orders without question, ensuring the mission's success.
- • To contribute to the Daleks' collective goal of securing the Thal drug.
- • The Dalek hierarchy must be obeyed without question.
- • The companions are a means to an end and not entitled to mercy.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Dalek rangescopes are activated to track Susan's movements through the jungle, serving as the Daleks' eyes in their ruthless surveillance. These devices are not merely tools but extensions of the Daleks' collective will, enabling them to monitor Susan's path and suspect her potential contact with other Thals. The rangescopes symbolize the Daleks' invasive control and their ability to manipulate the situation from afar, turning Susan's mission into a trap. Their use underscores the Daleks' strategic advantage and the precariousness of the companions' position.
The Thal drug is the central MacGuffin of this event, driving the Daleks' betrayal and the companions' desperation. Dalek 1 explicitly states that the companions' only value lies in retrieving enough of the drug for the Daleks to replicate it for their own use. The drug is not just a cure but a symbol of the power struggle between the Daleks and the Thals, with the companions caught in the middle. Its existence and the Daleks' desire to control it elevate the stakes, turning Susan's mission into a high-stakes gambit with life-or-death consequences.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Dalek control room serves as the nerve center of the Daleks' operations, where their cold logic and ruthless strategies are executed. In this event, it functions as the command hub from which Dalek 1 orchestrates the tracking of Susan and the betrayal of the companions. The sterile, metallic environment amplifies the Daleks' dominance and the companions' vulnerability, with the hum of machinery and the glow of monitors underscoring the Daleks' technological superiority. The control room is not just a setting but a symbol of institutional power and the Daleks' unyielding control over the fate of others.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Daleks, as a collective organization, are the driving force behind this event, embodying ruthless efficiency and strategic dominance. Dalek 1 and Dalek 2 represent the organization's hierarchical structure, with Dalek 1 issuing orders and Dalek 2 obeying without question. The Daleks' collective exclamation of triumph underscores their unified goal of securing the Thal drug and eliminating the companions as expendable pawns. Their actions reveal a cold, calculating approach to survival, where morality is subordinate to dominance and control.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
Within this episode
"Susan's taking over the mission directly causes Dalek 1 to suspect she might lead them to other Thals and their drug."
Susan Forced Into Solo Mission"The Daleks' plan to let prisoners die acts as a thematic parallel to the reveal that the Doctor is dying and everyone else is in a state of deterioration."
Daleks confirm Susan’s disappearance"The Daleks' plan to let the prisoners die is thematically paralleled by Barbara and Ian discussing the Doctor's worsening condition, reinforcing desperation and mortality."
Barbara and Ian confront their fading hopeAcross episodes
"The discovery of the glass phials (validating Susan’s ‘touch’ in Episode 5) is mirrored when Dalek 1 speculates that Susan’s mission may lead them to other Thals or their technology."
Discovery of the alien phials"The Daleks' deception in Episode 6 (using Susan as bait to lure the Thals) is directly referenced in Episode 7 when they force Susan to transcribe a deceptive message to the Thals, offering food in exchange for labor."
Daleks expose human emotional bonds"The Daleks' interrogation and surveillance plans in Episode 6 directly lead to their exploitation of Susan's return and the prisoners' request for water in Episode 7."
Daleks exploit Thal suspicion"Dalek 1's order in Episode 6 to track Susan's movements (and their belief she may lead them to the Thals) directly causes the Daleks' exploitation of Thal desperation in Episode 7, where they strategize to manipulate the Thals into re-cultivating the land."
Daleks exploit Thal desperation with false treaty"Dalek 1's order in Episode 6 to track Susan's movements (and their suspicion she may lead them to the Thals) directly leads to their manipulation of Susan in Episode 7, where she is forced to draft a deceptive message to the Thals."
Susan defies Dalek control over Thal message"The Daleks' earlier plan in Episode 6 to use Susan as bait to lure the Thals is executed in Episode 7 when they force her to transcribe a deceptive message offering food in exchange for labor."
Daleks expose human emotional bonds"The Daleks' plan to use Susan as bait (from Episode 6) directly leads to her encounter with Alydon and the Thals in Episode 7, where she learns the truth about their suffering and the Daleks' deception."
Alydon reveals Thal suffering and Dalek deception"Susan's role as a negotiator and the Doctor's vulnerability in Episode 6 set up their roles in Episode 7, where Susan is under duress to manipulate the Thals, and the Doctor's condition influences the prisoners' escape plan."
Daleks exploit Thal suspicion"The Daleks' plan to exploit Susan's solo mission as bait for the Thals escalates into a direct confrontation between Susan and a Thal survivor, Alydon, who reveals the Daleks' deception and the Thals' true suffering."
Alydon reveals Thal suffering and Dalek deception"The Daleks' betrayal and manipulation escalate from Episode 6 to Episode 7, where their surveillance and manipulative tactics become more overt and direct."
Daleks exploit Thal suspicion"The Daleks' genocidal plan (Episode 6) escalates into direct kidnapping of Susan (Episode 7), forcing the Thals to confront the immediate threat and complicating their alliance."
Alydon reveals Susan’s capture and message plan"The Daleks' plan in Episode 6 to use the prisoners as bargaining chips with the Thals directly ESCALATES into Episode 7 where they forcibly extract a message from Susan to manipulate the Thals. The Daleks' method of exploiting human emotions evolves from passive neglect to active psychological warfare."
Daleks expose human emotional bonds"The Daleks' revelation in Episode 6 that Susan's solo mission has begun and their order to track her movements sets up the events of Episode 7, where their surveillance and manipulation of Susan and the Thals unfold."
Daleks exploit Thal suspicionThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"DALEK 2: "If she returns with the drugs, am I to allow the prisoners to use it?" DALEK 1: "No. They will die in time. There only value is in bringing us enough of the Thal drug to duplicate it for our own use.""
"ALL DALEKS: "Yes, at last we have a chance.""