Doctor Who (1963) s01e21 Episode Script

(DOCTOR WHO THEME) Any radiation, Doctor? No, nothing to speak of.
The counter's hardly reading anything.
Shall we take a look? Pity you don't have coloured television.
-Oh, but I have.
-Where is it then? Well, at the moment it's temporarily hors de combat.
Oh look, that's the sea, isn't it? SUSAN: Yes and sand! Grandfather, I wonder where we are.
Well one thing's sure, we're not at Southend.
(CHUCKLING) Grandfather, can we go and have a look, can we? Yes, I don't think I don't see why not.
There's nothing No danger about it.
Come on.
Let's go and have a look.
-No.
-What? Well I thought when you switched the scanner on, I thought I saw something move up there.
Oh, probably just a shadow.
Well, let's go outside and have a look.
It is the sea.
It's beautiful! Yes.
Absolutely calm.
Not even a ripple.
-It isn't frozen, is it? -No, impossible in this temperature.
Besides it's too warm.
Grandfather, do you think it's safe to go for a swim? Oh, no, no, no.
Not at the moment, child.
However inviting that water looks, we don't know what sort of creatures might be lurking beneath its surface.
-It's so quiet.
-Yes, it is.
-No birds or anything.
-There's nothing growing.
I say, what do you make of this, Chesterton? Fascinating.
-IAN: Oh, it's glass! -DOCTOR: Yes, it is, isn't it? Yes.
Glass instead of sand, eh.
Intriguing.
Intriguing, my boy.
Do you think the sand turned into glass? Or was the glass put here deliberately? And if so, why? Hmm? SUSAN: Hmm, There's a lovely pool over here.
If I can't swim, at least I can paddle.
-Oh, sorry, Susan.
-Never mind, I'll get it.
-Are you gonna come in? -No.
-Now I go -No, Susan, don't! Ian, what is it? It must be some sort of acid.
But it was so fast.
It just seemed to dissolve.
-And I was gonna paddle in it.
-It's all right, Susan, it's all right.
Look, you've got some more shoes back at the ship, haven't you? Well, go and put them on.
We'll wait here for you.
-All right.
-Here, you'd better take my boots.
I can't put those on.
They're much too big for me.
Now come on, it's better than cutting your feet open on this glass.
All right.
-There.
-I'm gonna fill them up with sand.
-All right? -Yeah.
Give you lovely corns, those will.
(GIGGLING) Stumbling about in boots -Ian? -Mmm? This is a tidal pool.
Yes, I agree.
Rather ties up with the glass beach, doesn't it? Then everything out there is acid, too.
A sea of acid.
(APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS) Sea of acid? Hmm.
Astonishing! You know, in all my travels, I've never come across anything like this before.
However, Susan wasn't harmed anyway.
No.
She was a bit frightened at losing her shoes, but she's gone back to the ship for another pair.
Yes.
And if you'd had your shoes on, my boy, you could have lent her yours.
You mustn't get sloppy in your habits, you know.
(CHUCKLING) Good gracious! It looks like a glass torpedo.
Or a one-man submarine.
Well, it's certainly designed for going under the water.
-Under acid, more likely.
-Yes.
I don't know whether it's occurred to you, Doctor, but this means this place is inhabited.
Oh yes, it has occurred to me.
Let's see what it is.
Help me get this top off.
-Doctor.
-Yes? There's another one over here.
And there's something inside it.
Grandfather? See that crack along there? It's where the acid must have seeped in.
(GRUNTING) That's got it.
Ah, let's have a look at you.
-Use that.
-Oh, all right.
It's a protective suit.
DOCTOR: Yes, and whatever it was wore it is Was similar to a human being, hmm? IAN: Yes, but how did it get out? Seems to be perfectly intact.
BARBARA: I don't think it did get out.
There's a tear in the material here.
IAN: You mean the acid got in? Poor devil.
Yes.
Well, I think we ought to go back to the ship and try and find Susan.
She should have caught up with us by now.
Come along.
Look at that fantastic building.
Good, good! Now perhaps we might learn who it is that uses these strange ships.
Anyway, let's go back to the ship and find Susan.
Later perhaps, a little visiting, I think.
IAN: Yes.
She isn't inside anywhere.
Oh, wretched child! Now where has she got to, I wonder? BARBARA: Ian, there are your boots.
There are Susan's footprints in the sand here.
Yes.
Sand here and glass on the beach.
I'm beginning to think that sea of acid is a defence barrier.
Except against glass submarines, eh, Doctor? What you mean is that all visitors are unwelcome.
-Yes, it would seem so.
-We must find Susan.
She may have gone to have a look at that building.
Yes.
Yes.
(EXCLAIMING) Oh, it's enormous! Look at the joins in the blocks, Ian.
Yes.
No mortar.
Must have been built with tremendous accuracy.
Yes, the Egyptians did the same thing.
So did the Indians of Central and Southern America.
A precise distribution of weights, that's the key, isn't it? -Yes.
It's marvellous, isn't it? -Marvellous.
Well now, before you two get carried away I think we'd better go and find Susan.
Yes, you're quite right.
Well, for a start, let's make a circuit of this place.
Excellent.
Now I suggest we go different ways and meet back at the furthermost point, which is probably round the corner there somewhere.
-Yeah.
-Off you go, off you go now.
(SCREAMING) -Did you hear that? -Yes, it was Susan.
Come on.
-I could have sworn I heard her.
-We certainly heard something.
I can't be sure it was Susan, of course.
-Well, I am sure.
-Yes, but where's the Doctor? I mean, even if he'd been travelling at half speed he should have reached that far corner by now.
(SCREAMING) Well, there's only one thing to do.
That's another circuit of the walls.
IAN: I've just been all around and I couldn't find a door anywhere.
Well, I suppose there's every chance she didn't come this way.
She's probably back at the ship, waiting for us.
I said she's probably back at the ship, waiting for us.
Ian? Ian? Ian? (SCREAMING) Dreadful, the wall just seemed to swallow me up and then thisthis man grabbed me.
And the next thing I knew he fell dead in front of me.
-Man? -Yes, yes.
From what Susan has described, he was wearing a suit similar to the one we found on the beach.
Are these the ones that live here? No, no.
The man wearing the monk's habit lives in this building.
So the men from the glass submarines are intruders like us.
Yes.
With one difference, which is puzzling, but relieving.
They died and we're only prisoners.
-Well, maybe we're to be killed, too.
-I shouldn't worry too much about that.
That young schoolmaster friend of yours is very resourceful.
Whilst he's free, our chance of rescue is still good.
Oh well, that's just it, Doctor.
He isn't free.
He was captured before I was.
(BOTH GRUNTING) (GRUNTING) (SCREAMING) (SPLASHING) (ARBITAN PANTING) Why do you protect me? -Are you a prisoner here? -In a way.
I can never leave here, but in a way, this is my home.
-Where are my friends? -Safe.
I saw your machine materialise.
Until I knew otherwise, I had to treat you as potential enemies.
The Voord were trying to penetrate the walls.
The Voord? The man you just saved me from was a Voord.
It's many years since the last assault, but now they've returned.
And, if they continue to come, they're bound to succeed eventually.
I should have thought this place was impregnable.
-How many of you defend it? -How many? (SCOFFING) I'm alone.
Please, let us release your companions and then II'll try to explain.
IAN: Good idea.
DOCTOR: Yes, yes, I want to know more about this planet.
Your technology, you say, reached its peak about 2,000 years ago? Yes and all our knowledge culminated in the manufacture of this.
At the time, it was called The Conscience of Marinus.
Marinus, that is the name of our planet.
At first, this machine was simply a judge and jury that was never wrong and unfair.
And then we added to it, improved on it, made it more and more sophisticated, so that finally it became possible to radiate its power and influence the minds of men throughout the planet.
They no longer had to decide what was wrong or right.
The machine decided for them.
I see.
And in that case it was possible to eliminate evil from the minds of men for all time.
That is exactly what happened.
Marinus was unique in the universe.
Robbery, fear, hate, violence were unknown among us.
Yes, yes.
For seven centuries we prospered.
And then a man named Yartek found a means of overcoming the power of the machine.
He and his followers, the Voords, were able to rob, exploit, kill, cheat.
Our people could not resist because violence is alien to them.
But surely by this time, this machine had become a great danger to you? If it had fallen into the hands of the Voords they could have controlled Marinus.
Why didn't you destroy it? We always hoped to find a way of modifying it and making it again irresistible.
So instead of destroying it, we removed the five key micro-circuits.
What did you do with them? One of them I kept.
There it is.
The other four were taken and put in places of safety all over Marinus.
Only I know where they are.
And, now, the time has come when they must be recovered.
BARBARA: Well, why don't you simply make new keys? The keys are very simple, but the micro-circuits inside are very complicated.
A permutation of numbers and signals that would take a thousand years to unravel.
And, besides, since the keys were hidden, I have worked on this machine and modified it so that when they're replaced When they're replaced, it would mean that your machine is irresistible and you can overcome and control the Voords again.
-Yes.
-Hmm.
Surely there must be someone you can send for these keys.
Through the years all my friends, all my followers, have gone.
They have never returned.
Last year, I sent my daughter.
She has not come back.
All I have now to comfort me is the distant echo of her voice.
The imagined sound of her footsteps.
But now your coming has brought new hope.
Oh, yes, yes.
You must find the keys for me.
Ian, wait a minute.
-The Doctor's miles behind.
-Oh.
I don't know about you, but I felt terrible leaving that old man.
-We seemed to be his last hope.
-Yes.
I wish there had been something we could have done for him.
Oh, come on, Grandfather.
I'm coming, child, don't rush, I'm coming.
Well then, don't just stand there, come along, come along, keeping me waiting.
But what What is it? Some sort of invisible barrier.
What do you make of it, Doctor? I don't know, I don't know.
There's no substance here.
Have a look around the sides, child, go along.
It's like an invisible wall.
Is it a circular barrier? It goes all the way round.
There aren't any corners to it.
No, of course, there wouldn't be.
No.
The molecules would be at their weakest.
Ha ha! Ha! It's fascinating, Chesterton.
Yes, I've got it! I've got it.
You know, I think a force barrier has been thrown up around the ship.
ARBITAN: I'm sorry you forced me into keeping you from your ship, but your refusal to help me left me no alternative.
-Arbitan, where are you? -That is not important.
If you help me find the keys of Marinus, I will let you have free access to your machine when you have delivered all the keys to me.
If not, you will stay on the island without food or water.
The choice is yours.
Choice? What choice? Well, at least we know the rough location of the keys.
Now all we have to do is get them.
As soon as you've started your voyage, I will release the force field.
Your ship will be available to you when you return.
If we return.
I know we have no choice, but this whole affair is outrageous.
Blackmail, pure and simply blackmail.
Doctor, don't let's go through all that again.
Let's just get on with the job.
Perhaps you will bring me news of my daughter.
I miss her.
Yes, I miss her.
And another thing.
If you think I'm going to travel across that acid sea in one of these primitive submersibles, you're very much mistaken.
I wouldn't think of asking you to travel in such an absurd way.
No, I'm going to give you a device which will enable you to move from place to place.
-Oh really? -Yes.
The principle is much the same as that of your ship - place that around your wrist, please - you told me about.
Except that this will enable you to cross space, not time.
-What? This little thing? -Oh, don't be ridiculous, my boy, this is a perfectly acceptable method of travel.
Very compact and very neat, sir, if I may say.
Yes.
They're all programmed to the same destination.
You have only to twist the dial once.
Like this? Barbara! What What have you done to Barbara? You must not waste time, you must follow her quickly.
One final word.
If when you return you find the Voord have taken this building, do not let them get the keys.
You understand? Destroy them.
Now, now Twist the dials.
For the sake of all my people, I hope you succeed.
(SCREAMING) (LAUGHING) Oh, how exhilarating! So where's Barbara? She should be here now.
Barbara? Barbara? It's Barbara's travel dial.
Look, there's blood on it.