Smythe Erases Ransom’s Memory
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Smythe reports to unseen controllers, then prepares to leave for a conference, concealing a TARDIS-like device (SIDRAT) behind a portrait.
Ransom interrupts Smythe, who forcefully dismisses him and uses a mind-altering technique to make Ransom forget what he saw.
Smythe enters the SIDRAT, which dematerializes, leaving a confused Ransom to rationalize Smythe's sudden departure.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Disoriented and compliant, with a surface calm masking deep mental confusion from the memory erasure.
Captain Ransom enters Smythe’s private room, interrupting a covert operation in progress. He attempts to report on the escaped prisoners (the Doctor, Zoe, and Jamie) but is met with immediate hostility from Smythe. Ransom is subjected to Smythe’s hypnotic gaze through his spectacles, which erases his memory of the encounter. He repeats Smythe’s suggestions verbatim, indicating the hypnosis is successful. After Smythe departs via the SIDRAT, Ransom stands disoriented, now believing Smythe has left for an 'important meeting.' His physical presence is passive, his dialogue repetitive and compliant, reflecting his altered state.
- • To report on the escaped prisoners (original intent, now erased)
- • To accept Smythe’s authority without question (post-hypnosis)
- • Smythe’s word is absolute and must be obeyed (reinforced by hypnosis)
- • His memory of the event is accurate (false belief implanted by Smythe)
Hostile and urgent, with a calculating calm that masks his paranoia about being exposed.
General Smythe is in the midst of terminating a covert transmission to unseen controllers when Captain Ransom interrupts him. He reacts with immediate hostility, recognizing Ransom as a threat to his cover. Smythe swiftly dons his hypnotic spectacles and erases Ransom’s memory of the encounter, implanting a false recollection of an 'important meeting.' He then enters his SIDRAT and dematerializes, leaving Ransom disoriented. His actions are precise, ruthless, and calculated, demonstrating his dual role as both a military authority and a temporal manipulator. His physical presence is commanding, his dialogue authoritative and manipulative.
- • To conceal his true identity and operations from Ransom
- • To escape via the SIDRAT without raising suspicion
- • Human perception can be easily manipulated (reinforced by his use of hypnosis)
- • His experiments must remain secret at all costs (driving his ruthless actions)
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Smythe’s spectacles are the tool he uses to erase Ransom’s memory and implant false recollections. The moment he dons them, his gaze becomes hypnotic, bending Ransom’s perception to his will. The spectacles symbolize his ability to manipulate human minds, a power that sets him apart from ordinary military officers. Their role in this event is to ensure Ransom poses no threat to his cover, reinforcing Smythe’s control over those around him.
Smythe’s framed portrait serves as a concealment tool for the visual telephone monitor. He swings it aside to access the monitor for his covert transmission and closes it swiftly after terminating the call, ensuring the device remains hidden from Ransom’s view. The portrait’s hinged mechanism integrates seamlessly with the wall paneling, symbolizing the duality of Smythe’s identity—both a military officer and a temporal manipulator. Its role in this event is to maintain the illusion of normalcy, hiding the truth of Smythe’s operations from those around him.
The concealed visual telephone monitor is the device Smythe uses to communicate with the unseen controllers. Though not explicitly visible in this event (as Smythe has already terminated the transmission and closed the portrait over it), its presence is implied as the catalyst for Smythe’s urgency to leave. The monitor serves as a critical link to the higher authority overseeing his experiments, and its covert nature underscores the secrecy of his operations. Its role here is to drive Smythe’s need to escape and cover his tracks, ensuring no trace of his true allegiance remains.
The SIDRAT is Smythe’s TARDIS-like transportation device, which materializes in the corner of the room as he prepares to escape. It serves as his means of fleeing the scene undetected, allowing him to evade Ransom’s questions and continue his experiments elsewhere. The SIDRAT’s dematerialization is swift and silent, leaving no trace of Smythe’s departure. Its role in this event is to facilitate his escape and reinforce his power as a rogue Time Lord, untethered by the constraints of time and space.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Unseen Controllers are the higher authority to which Smythe reports, overseeing his temporal experiments in 1917. Though not physically present in this event, their influence is palpable as Smythe abruptly terminates his transmission to them, suggesting a tense or adversarial relationship. Their role here is to drive Smythe’s urgency to escape and cover his tracks, ensuring his operations remain secret. The unseen controllers represent the broader antagonistic force behind the War Games, pulling the strings of Smythe’s actions and reinforcing the stakes for the Doctor’s team.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Direct connection between Smythe's use of the SIDRAT and Jamie's encounter with a temporally displaced Redcoat, revealing the reach of the time-based war games."
Jamie discovers a displaced Redcoat soldierPart of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"SMYTHE: I am leaving for the conference now."
"RANSOM: General Smythe, the prisoners have..."
"SMYTHE: Ransom, get out!"
"RANSOM: Sir, what?"
"SMYTHE: There is nothing there. You can see nothing."
"RANSOM: No, sir, there's nothing there."
"SMYTHE: You have not seen me. I have been called away to an important meeting."
"RANSOM: Important meeting. Yes."
"RANSOM: General Smythe? Oh, of course, he's gone to that meeting."