9th April, 2025: Doctor Who — The Savages.
The story of the day, so far … ?
Is that I’ve had a meeting with my job centre case worker.
And … ?
May have to do a course as a result.
We’ll have to see how that goes, I think.
At any rate … ?
It’s Wednesday.
So — as regular readers will know — it’s time for me to watch another episode of classic Dr Who serial, The Savages.
Then — from the position of a man getting his retaliation in, first! — telling you what I thought about it.
Just so you know?
You can read earlier reviews, here.
Or watch them, here.
See you tomorrow … !
Doctor Who — The Savages — Episode Three.9nd April, 2025.Part One: The Summary.
Episode 3 of The Savages opens with the cliff hanger from last week’s episode: reminding us that the Elders of the City have captured the Doctor (Wiliam Hartnell), and are absorbing his vitality in their machinery.
Whilst this is happening, we see Jano (Frederick Jaeger) arriving at the lab.
Partly to offer his congratulations to Senta (Norman Henry), the scientist running the process … and partly to volunteer to receive the life essence taken from the Doctor.
It’s obviously too powerful, and too risky, for just any citizen to have.
Meanwhile … ?
Meanwhile, Steven and Dodo (Peter Purves and Jackie Lane) have found safety with the Savages: where Chal (Ewen Solon) tell them how the Savages plan to help the pair.
Simply … ?
By taking them into the caves that provide shelter to the tribe, and hiding them there.
The City Guards have never searched the place.
Until now … …
~≈👨🏼⚕️≈~
10th April, 2025.Part Two: Observations.
“Right, Paul”, I hear you say, “what did you make of this episode?”
“What did you think of it?”
“What”, you add, “did you notice?”
“What, in the immortal words of the Crazy Frog, is going on … ?”
There’s possibly a lot: none of it especially relevant!
That’s that question, done.
What I noticed … ?
Well, there’s possibly a lot I could tell you, there.
But one thing hit me.
I knew Frederick Jaeger, the actor that played Jano, also cropped up in two Tom Baker stories: The Invisible Enemy, the first story to feature K9.
And, in between The Savages and The Invisible Enemy, he played Professor Sorenson in Planet of Evil: eventually turning into a hideously mutated anti-matter monster that goes on a murderous rampage.
As anti-matter monsters do.
What I spent a lot of time doing?
Was spend a lot of time staring at the name of Ewen Solon, the actor who played Chal, wondering why I found the name vaguely familiar.
Until I went and looked him up on Wikipedia … and realised he’d played Vishinsky in Planet of Evil.
I can’t remember Solon’s character having any scenes with Jaeger’s, in Planet of Evil: but I’m willing to bet they’d’ve bumped into each other in the BBC canteen.
Realising Jaeger and Solon appeared in a later story … ?
Wasn’t a huge thing.
But … ?
It was something I was surprised at.
I shouldn’t have been, I think.
Especially as I know how many jobbing actors were in the classic show, over the years!
~≈👨🏼⚕️≈~
There’s something else, as well …
This episode sees the Doctor have his vitality drained.
And for it to be used by Jano.
And for Jano to start acting like the Doctor himself!
The basic idea — of one group vampirising the life of another — is an old one in Dr Who: although I think this is the first time it’s used.
And the only other times I can think of it being shown is in The Talons of Weng Chiang, and in “End of Days”, the last episode of Torchwood series one.
Taking on aspects of another’s personality?
Or outright become someone else, à la Freaky Friday?
Again, it’s an old idea: but I couldn’t necessarily point to where I’ve seen it before.
Apart from the 10th Doctor episode, “New Earth”.
But both ideas are ones that have been around for quite some time.
Even if I can’t point at other examples, they’re old!
~≈👨🏼⚕️≈~
Part Three: Conclusions.
With all that said … ?
What did I think of episode three?
Of another episode that’s moved the story forward … ?
It’s exactly that!
This third instalment has move the story forward by another step.
It’s also — for those of us in the know — drops a hint that Steven, Peter Purves, is soon to leave.
In a slightly ridiculous way, I felt, showing us some of the natives dropping to their knees right in front of him.
At any rate … it’s a little piece of foreshadowing that warns us of something to come.
~≈👨🏼⚕️≈~
Part Four: And Finally …
With all that said and done … ?
Am I going to watching last episode of The Savages, next week?
Of course I am!
It would pointless not to.
I’ll be watching it on the 16th April, and have and will have my written and video reviews up by the 17th April.
In between now and then … ?
Today is the 10th.
So, come the 12th, come this Saturday?
The day “The Robot Revolution”, the first episode of the new season of Dr Who, airs?
In the meantime?
Feel free to subscribe to both my blog, and to my Youtube channel.
I’ll see you then!
The Savages: Episode 3.★★☆☆
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