SNAKEDANCE
BY: CHRISTOPHER BAILEY
Part Four
First Air Date: 26 January 1983
Running time: 24:29
[SCENE_BREAK]
TANHA: You can't do that!
LON: Why not?
TANHA: It is preposterous to think that anyone is plotting against you, least of all these people.
DOCTOR: Your mother is right.
LON: I'd expect you to say that.
DOCTOR: My only concern is for Tegan and the Great Crystal.
AMBRIL: Why should the Great Crystal concern you?
DOCTOR: If I'm allowed to live long enough, I'll explain.
[SCENE_BREAK]
TEGAN: Puzzling, isn't it. How can it be happening? Can you believe your eyes? You have no choice.
[SCENE_BREAK]
DOCTOR: You must not do that.
TANHA: And why not?
LON: Mother.
TANHA: No, no, the man is entitled to his say, however preposterous. Of course we can do it. And the Director has agreed, haven't you.
AMBRIL: The Great Crystal will be returned to its rightful place during the ceremony.
DOCTOR: But why?
LON: Why what?
DOCTOR: Why did you request it, and why did he agree?
TANHA: Why not? It is actually one of the few advantages of being a member of the Federator's family.
CHELA: But it's forbidden. It's forbidden by tradition going back five hundred years!
LON: Is that why you propose to assassinate me?
TANHA: I thought we'd cleared that up.
DOCTOR: Who said we wanted to assassinate you?
LON: I'm not here to be questioned by you.
DOCTOR: No, of course not. How foolish of me. I've been very stupid. Do you remember me telling you, Nyssa, on the Kinda world, the mark of the Mara? I should have realised.
LON: They'd never believe you.
TANHA: What are you two talking about?
DOCTOR: Where's Tegan? What have you done with her?
TANHA: Tegan? Who is Tegan?
LON: Another of the Doctor's companions who apparently he has lost.
TANHA: Why is he asking you about her?
LON: How should I know, Mother? The man's a complete fool.
DOCTOR: You won't succeed. In the end, evil never does.
TANHA: What does he mean, evil? Who is evil?
LON: Oh, I am, Mother. Isn't it obvious? Your son is evil. After all, why else would they want to kill me. Don't you see?
TANHA: I most certainly do. Take them away. Take all of them away.
LON: No, I think we can afford to be generous on today of all days. At least let them see the Great Crystal just once, just for a moment, don't you think?
AMBRIL: My Lord.
LON: Indulge me. That's close enough. Right.
AMBRIL: Shall I?
LON: If you wouldn't mind.
DOCTOR: Now!
DOCTOR: Come on, there's no time for that!
LON: Well, don't just stand there, after them!
AMBRIL: Me?
LON: Yes, you, and take that fool with you.
[SCENE_BREAK]
CHELA: Where are we going?
DOCTOR: To find Tegan.
CHELA: We don't even know if she's still alive.
DOCTOR: Tegan won't die until the Mara within her is free.
NYSSA: If Lon has been affected by the Mara, why hasn't he changed?
DOCTOR: Same reason as Tegan. He still has a lot of his own personality.
CHELA: But he is influenced?
DOCTOR: Very much so.
DOCTOR: Come on.
[SCENE_BREAK]
LON: Well?
AMBRIL: No sign, my Lord. I'm afraid they seem to have got away.
LON: Do they.
AMBRIL: Yes. I've issued the necessary instruction. A search party is being organised.
LON: It doesn't matter. What can they do now?
AMBRIL: As you say, my Lord.
LON: Well?
AMBRIL: I only wish to remind you, my Lord
LON: I've not forgotten.
AMBRIL: Our arrangement.
LON: Yes.
AMBRIL: You promised immediately after the ceremony, my Lord.
LON: Go away.
TANHA: Lon, what arrangement? What did you promise him?
LON: Nothing, Mother. It doesn't matter.
TANHA: I know you, you're planning something. Is it to be a surprise?
LON: Yes, Mother.
[SCENE_BREAK]
DOCTOR: In here.
CHELA: It's all right, I think we've managed to lose them.
CHELA: I'm sorry, Doctor, it's just the surprise.
DOCTOR: What is it?
CHELA: You've been touched by an attendant demon. You must forfeit a coin. It's the custom, I'm afraid.
DOCTOR: Custom?
CHELA: On the day of the ceremony, the attendant demons seek out the unwary. Anyone they touch with the evil must pay up or, er.
DOCTOR: Or what?
CHELA: Have water tipped over their heads. It's part of the fun.
DOCTOR: I'm afraid I don't have a coin.
CHELA: Here you are. May you never feel the serpent's tooth.
DOCTOR: I wish it was that easy.)
NYSSA: Doctor, what are we going to do?
DOCTOR: How long have we got? When does the actual ceremony begin?
CHELA: Well, first the Great Snake is taken in procession through the streets before going up to the cave.
DOCTOR: How long?
CHELA: A few hours.
DOCTOR: I wonder if there's still time. There must be. It's our only hope. Come on.
CHELA: Where are we going?
DOCTOR: Change of plan. To find Dojjen.
[SCENE_BREAK]
TANHA: But if it's nothing, why won't you let me see it?
LON: I told you, Mother, it's just a scratch.
TANHA: It could become infected. How did it happen? Why didn't you tell me?
LON: It was an accident.
TANHA: What sort of an accident? I would just like to check
LON: Mother! For the last time, will you leave me alone!
[SCENE_BREAK]
MAN: Now the Great Snake has come to claim his own. Who has the power to turn away his face? Which one of you has the strength to turn away? Who can protect us now? Submit! Submit!
[SCENE_BREAK]
DOCTOR: Come on.
CHELA: If we could steal the Great Crystal, this trek wouldn't be necessary.
DOCTOR: It's not as simple as that.
NYSSA: Why not?
DOCTOR: We wouldn't be preventing the Mara's return, only postponing it. It would continue to exist as a mental force. No, this time we must destroy it completely.
NYSSA: But how?
DOCTOR: I don't know.
NYSSA: And you think Dojjen will be able to tell us?
DOCTOR: I hope so.
CHELA: Dojjen hasn't been seen for ten years. He could be anywhere, assuming he's still alive.
DOCTOR: You're forgetting we do have this.
CHELA: How will that help to find him?
DOCTOR: It won't. It will help him find us. Trust me.
[SCENE_BREAK]
LON: Well?
AMBRIL: I've taken the liberty of bringing the costume that you must wear for the ceremony, my Lord.
LON: Oh good. Look, Mother.
AMBRIL: It's an exact replica of the costume worn by your ancestor, the Founder of the Federation, when he destroyed the Mara five hundred years ago.
LON: How very appropriate.
AMBRIL: I beg your pardon, my Lord?
LON: Don't you think so, Mother?
LON: Well, I'm going to try it on. Are you coming?
[SCENE_BREAK]
CHELA: How far are we going?
DOCTOR: This should be fine.
NYSSA: What now?
DOCTOR: Sympathetic resonance.
NYSSA: Doctor?
DOCTOR: Thought directed at this crystal should set up a resonance which is picked up and echoed by another.
CHELA: So?
DOCTOR: Well, the Snake Dancers wear these, don't they?
CHELA: So I gather.
NYSSA: Of course. The crystal will act like a radio wave, transmitting thoughts instead of words.
CHELA: Establishing a mental link.
DOCTOR: Hopefully.
CHELA: Will it work?
NYSSA: Well?
DOCTOR: Now we wait.
[SCENE_BREAK]
LON: Mother?
TANHA: Let me look at you.
LON: Am I forgiven?
TANHA: What? Oh yes, of course. Aren't you always? Come here.
LON: Well, what do you think?
TANHA: You look splendid. It fits exactly, don't you think so?
AMBRIL: Remarkable fit, my Lady, truly remarkable.
TANHA: Let me look at you. Oh, I am going to be so proud.
[SCENE_BREAK]
CHELA: If what you say is true, why didn't Dojjen destroy the Great Crystal while he was still Director?
DOCTOR: Good question. Nyssa asked exactly the same thing.
CHELA: Well?
DOCTOR: I don't know. Perhaps we'll find that out too.
NYSSA: Doctor!
CHELA: Dojjen.
[SCENE_BREAK]
MAN: Abandon yourselves and follow the path of the snake. Follow the path. Who dare resist the power of the snake?
[SCENE_BREAK]
NYSSA: Doctor, no. What are you doing?
DOCTOR: I'm afraid we have no choice if we're to have any hope of saving Tegan.
NYSSA: But its bite could be deadly.
DOCTOR: Yes, I do know.
DOJJEN (OOV.): No, look into my eyes. You have come this far. You must not now give in to fear. Look.
DOCTOR (OOV.): It's the poison. The effect of the poison.
DOJJEN (OOV.): Fear is the only poison. DOCTOR (OOV.) Fear is.
DOJJEN (OOV.): Ask your question.
DOCTOR (OOV.): How, how can, I must save Tegan. It was my fault, so how, how can. Destroyed. How can the Mara? It was my fault.
DOJJEN (OOV.): Steady your mind. Attach to nothing. Let go of your fear.
DOCTOR (OOV.): What is the Snake Dance?
DOJJEN (OOV.): This is, here and now. The dance goes on. It is all the dance, everywhere and always. So, find the still point. Only then can the Mara be defeated.
DOCTOR (OOV.): The still point? The point of safety? A place in the chamber somewhere. Where?
DOJJEN (OOV.): No, the still point is within yourself, nowhere else. To destroy the Mara you must find the still point. Point. Point. Point. Point.
[SCENE_BREAK]
AMBRIL: The snake is approaching, my Lady. We should take our seats.
TANHA: Yes, certainly.
AMBRIL: My Lord, the Great Crystal.
LON: I will tell you when.
AMBRIL: Very well, my Lord.
[SCENE_BREAK]
MAN: Following the path of the great snake. Submit! Abandon yourselves and follow in the path of the great snake.
[SCENE_BREAK]
NYSSA: Doctor? Oh, thank goodness. I thought for a moment
DOCTOR: Thought what? No, I survived.
NYSSA: But how?
DOCTOR: I don't know. Somehow he saw me through.
CHELA: We must hurry.
DOCTOR: Yes, of course. The ceremony.
NYSSA: Did you find out what you needed to know?
DOCTOR: I think I did, we'll have to see. I just hope we're not too late.
CHELA: Doctor.
[SCENE_BREAK]
MAN: Who will challenge the Mara? Who will pluck the Great Crystal of knowledge from between the Mara's jaws and set us free?
TANHA: (quietly) Lon.
AMBRIL: Not yet, my Lady.
MAN: For the second time I will ask it. For the third and final time.
LON: I will.
MAN: Bring the stranger forward. You dare to challenge the power of the Mara?
LON: I do.
MAN: And in whose name do you wish to do so?
LON: In the name of the Federation, and in my own.
MAN: First, let the stranger prove his worthiness. Prepare him for the test.
MAN: Are you ready to face the triple temptation?
LON: I am ready.
MAN: The first temptation is fear. I offer you fear in a handful of dust.
LON: I do not fear. I spread my fingers and the dust trickles away. I know that whilst I live my hand is clean, my eyes are bright. That is enough.
[SCENE_BREAK]
DOCTOR: Come on, jump.
NYSSA: Thank you. It wasn't necessary.
[SCENE_BREAK]
MAN: The second temptation.
LON: I am ready.
MAN: The second temptation is to despair. I offer you despair in a withered branch.
LON: I do not despair. I turn my hand and the branch drops to the earth. I know the sap will rise again and the roots will sprout. That is enough.
[SCENE_BREAK]
NYSSA: Shush.
CHELA: The ceremony must have started.
DOCTOR: Well, let's hope we're not too late.
NYSSA: Doctor, look.
[SCENE_BREAK]
MAN: The third and final temptation is to succumb to greed. Stranger, now you must look into the crystal without greed for knowledge. I offer you greed in the hidden depths.
MAN: My Lord, you must not touch it. Not yet.
LON: Why mustn't I?
MAN: The crystal of knowledge has hidden depths.
LON: What do you mean, hidden depths. Where are they? Show them to me. It's just a fake. Your whole ceremony is a fake.
LON: It's nothing. It's just glass.
[SCENE_BREAK]
DOCTOR: Come on, come on. Hurry up.
[SCENE_BREAK]
LON: A childish fake at the centre of a farce created by a civilisation that has gone soft. Today I bring real knowledge. Real knowledge and real power. Give it to me.
AMBRIL: My Lord, I really do think
LON: Give me the Great Crystal.
TANHA: Lon, no, please. What is wrong with you?
LON: Mother, let go.
TANHA: What is that?
LON: Now, give me the Great Crystal.
[SCENE_BREAK]
DOCTOR: Now!
DOCTOR: You left that a bit late.
[SCENE_BREAK]
LON: Now listen to me, all of you. I hold in my hands the Great Crystal. The Great Crystal that was removed from its socket by my ancestor, when the Mara was banished to the dark places of the inside. Now, after five hundred years, the Mara has returned. It's fitting that it should be I who restores the Great Crystal to its rightful owner.
TEGAN: Go on, do it now.
DOCTOR: No! No!
DOCTOR: No! No more, you must not look! The Mara is feeding off the fear and panic. It needs it. You must not believe what you see. The Great Crystal is absorbing the belief and creating the Mara. Don't look! Reach inside yourselves and find the still point. Oh Nyssa, Nyssa.
TEGAN: What is happening? Who dares to interrupt the Becoming? Who does not believe? Submit. All minds must submit. Look at me. You must look at me. You cannot resist. It is impossible. No! Stop him! He must be stopped. Help me, Doctor. What's happening to me? Please, look at me, Doctor. I need your help.
DOCTOR: No, I will not submit.
TEGAN: No! The crystal! Destroy the crystal! It will prevent my
DOCTOR: Thank you.
TEGAN: It was awful. It was awful.
DOCTOR: It's all right. It's all over now.
TEGAN: The feelings of hate and rage. It was terrible. I wanted to destroy everything.
DOCTOR: Well, you're free of it now.
TEGAN: The Mara's gone for ever?
DOCTOR: Yes. The Mara has been destroyed.
Plan: A: fruition; Q: What is the Mara's plan close to? A: the Doctor; Q: Who comes to prevent the Mara from finalizing their plan? A: Dojjen; Q: Who gave the Doctor the knowledge to stop the Mara's plan? Summary: The Mara's plan is close to fruition, the Doctor comes to prevent the Mara from finalizing the plan with the knowledge that Dojjen imparted to him.