26. The Savages

As it begins, so shall it end. In the second episode of the season, we said good bye to Vicki. And here in the second last episode of the season, we say good bye to Steven. The Doctor and company stage another revolution and leaves Steven behind to clean up the mess. Thanks Doc!

The real tragedy of The Savages is that none of its footage still exists. Another piece of television history lost forever. The audio recording is a treat to listen to with the final moments between the Doctor and Steven really touching.

While I am focusing on the television episodes for the purposes of this blog, I must mention the audio 'The Five Companions' by Big Finish (www.bigfinish.com). In it, the 5th Doctor is reunited with a Steven Taylor later in his life. Steven confesses that he always hoped and wished the Doctor would come back to visit him on the planet of the Savages. It was a heart touching scene over 45 years in the making, and was one of many great scenes on the audio. Another gem of a scene is when Steven and Ian meet each other again after many years, having co-starred in one episode in 1965. Of course the reunion wouldn't be complete without a Dalek!

While we aren't able to see Steven's departure, I am reminded of another departure some 20 years in the future when a young red-headed boy left the Doctor to return home something of a hero after the Doctor rescued him from a prison exile, on the eve of the Doctor's impending regeneration. The beauty of Doctor Who is the cycles it runs, that sometimes history does repeat itself, and the joy of looking back at 50 years, we can revel in its greatness.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Savages_(Doctor_Who)

Next in the exciting season finale: The War Machines!