The Jailhouse Commentary
Plot synopsis, for those who skipped the story:
The Doctor wanders into a place called The Jailhouse, which turns out to be not only an actual prison, but also a brothel; the inmates are the prostitutes. He plays along with the warden’s belief that he is a customer in order to get inside and investigate. When he discovers that even unwilling inmates are required to serve customers, he helps the one he was assigned to, a young rebel named Camille, to escape, but he is captured in the process.
As Camille and her rebel crew finish out their plans to break in and free everyone, the Doctor is sentenced, and the warden Tirlene goes to his cell to, well, test the merchandise, as it were. He has seen already how cruel she can be, and he fears being forced to form a telepathic link with her, so he tries to resist, but the facilities are not conducive to resistance, and Tirlene is only encouraged by his defiance.
A difference in Time Lord anatomy makes it impossible for her to take him against his will, but she gets very close, close enough to overwhelm his mental blocks. But it turns out that he didn’t need to fear her after all; he learns that she has been hurt, and she sees his true nature and realizes there is still hope.
But he never gets a chance to heal her, because the rebels make it to his cell and kill her. He helps them to free the rest of the prisoners, then leaves alone, but knowing he has to find a companion at last.
Theme
I changed the opening quote after finishing this story. The initial one was Eleanor Roosevelt, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” But when I ran across the one from Alice Walker, I realized it was the real point of this story. It wasn’t about the Doctor facing his fear; it was about misconception and lack of trust. Tirlene could not trust anyone, and so she tried to hurt the Doctor, who could have helped her if he’d known. Camille, who has been downtrodden most of her life (leading to her place among the rebels) and was raped in prison, has lost much, but not all, of her ability to trust; the Doctor reminds her of its importance.
But at the same time, he is not as trusting as he once was, and that’s the reason he doesn’t have a companion. He wanted Letitia but couldn’t take her away from her family, and he wanted Rose, but she said no. (There will actually be a third failure, in a story I haven’t finished yet, that really sealed his decision not to look anymore.)
Mind you, I can’t claim that I planned this deeper theme from the start. The initial spark for this story came from the German/Canadian sci-fi show Lexx, the episode “Luvliner,” in which the characters visit a very run down brothel. I don’t remember the transitional thoughts, only that it somehow led me to the idea of the Doctor being stuck in a brothel.
In its original form, the rebels would have come in just a second sooner and actually rescued him, but before I even wrote it down, I knew that was wrong. I have, in the past, given my beloved characters a complete breakdown (and that’s what this would have been), but it was always necessary, in order to change them in some way. I don’t want the Doctor to change; he’s perfect as he is, with the possible exception of excessive guilt, and that can’t be changed until he dies for Rose in the series. So he had to rescue himself.
The idea that he would win by surrender just bubbled up naturally. I suppose, in retrospect, that was the beginning of my theme of trust. If he had been willing to give Tirlene a chance from the start, he might have been able to save her.
Apology
I love drama, but events that seem dramatic on paper may be very different in real life; certainly the long-range consequences are more significant. I at least hinted at that with Camille, but I may have gotten things very wrong. If any of my readers have actually been raped, I hope that I have not offended you by my portrayal here.
Scene Selection
1. Delavega 5. Break-in 2. Room Twelve 6. Rescue 3. Sentencing 7. Escape 4. Testing Commentary