The Savages
Previous: The Gunfighters
The Savages
Aw crud, this is a recon done by the same group I saw for The Moonbase. REALLY low-quality telesnaps, but at least they have narration now.
*opens up the BBC photonovel archive* Ah, there we go. Much better.
And they even have subtitles! Also, amused that one of the first things to happen is Dodo questioning Steven's manhood (no, not like THAT).
"I saw a man in animal skins and with an axe!" Ah, the best thing for a recon character to do: give us the details we can't see.
The men are talking about guns, which means they can't be in the Stone Age like Steven said.
Now they most definitely aren't in the Stone Age. Or on Earth. And they've been tracking the TARDIS? These people have mad techno skillz.
Not going to comment on One carrying a vibrator around...not going to comment on One carrying a vibrator around...
RAINING SPEARS. But we have an Elder to the rescue!
So it looks like the Elder society might be taking the role of "highly advanced utopia that suddenly goes to crap when the TARDIS shows up."
Okay, so nothing's really gone wrong with them *yet*, but I'm willing to bet that it does. Either that or they have some dark secret.
Ah yes, the obligatory People Who Just Don't Trust Those Strangers.
("Steven and Dodo are amazed by the many wondrous sights.") Looks very simple-geometrically-run-future to me. THE '60S.
So I wonder what this great secret to utopia is going to turn out to be...
These "light guns" do in fact appear to have something to do with using light as a weapon. I wish we could see how that works.
Ohhhh, I get it: the Elders probably harvest life force from the Savages. And they talk about it like it's NOT probably genocide.
Once again, Dodo seems to be showing more insight into the situation than Steven, or at least more skepticism.
Oh wait, they're not completely draining the life force because the Savages are still alive afterward.
"I'm sure the child won't come to any harm while she's here." You think, Doctor? You think?
You talk surprisedly about Dodo "not submitting" RIGHT after you carried someone else in who was all "NO NO PLEASE NO"?
Wow. Dodo's a feisty little bugger. She could go smashy on the life-sucking equipment at any second now.
If I wasn't being provided with subtitles, I probably would've sworn that one guy's name was "Santa."
Huh. I just found a "what are you doing here" that was left out of What Are You Doing Here.
(If you haven't seen this video yet, you should.)
So now that they've figured out The Dark Secret together, I wonder how they're going to spend the next 2 1/2 episodes stopping it.
One, what is it with you and "five minutes" in this story?
"They are men: human beings like you and me!" I wouldn't be so sure about the "me" part but...okay, whatever you say, One...
"Oppose you? Indeed I am going to oppose you! Just in the same way that I oppose the Daleks and any other menace to common humanity!"
If I had room, I would've added a #greatobscureDWquotes tag with that.
Scenes like this are the Doctor at his more core Doctorish-ness, in the sense of "you are committing a great injustice and I WILL STOP YOU."
Guys, you don't really need to tell us that there is a "moment of stunned silence." We can kinda figure that out for ourselves.
Uh oh, One's getting loaded into the life-sucking-thing. I wonder if it'll work on him at all, or if his awesomeness will just overload it?
Well it was off to a bumpy start, but it seems to be working now...
I'm trying to think of a good energy efficiency joke to make out of this situation, but unfortunately I've got nothin'.
Somehow I can't help but wonder if this life force drainage thing would've made an excellent regeneration plot device later on.
Wow. Jano's even more power-hungry than he looks.
Looks like Nanina's fully recovered from before.
I think this is the first time we've seen Steven's ex-combatant skills put to some use: taunt the enemy and he might slip up.
And Dodo had that mirror from earlier...ahhhhh, I see what you did there.
Steven Taylor: in ur cavez, nabbin' ur gunz.
Probably a little early to say, but I wonder if Exorse and Nanina are going to become the Inexplicable Romance of the Hour.
("Jano is holding his thumbs in the front of his robe, in a manner uncannily like the Doctor.") So before we had DoctorDonna, we had...this.
"What's happened to me? What's happened to me?" You got Doctor'd, that's what happened.
A FEW SECONDS OF FOOTAGE.
Our heroes sealed in a chamber about to be gassed! Oh noes cliffhanger!
And as always, the need to breathe wins out. Oh well...
I love how wonderfully distinct the Doctor-side and self-side of Jano are at this point, especially when they're lying.
FOOTAGE! Steven readies his gun...
("Inside the cave, Exorse has been tied up, and forced to lie on the floor.") Combined with the telesnap, that sounds WAY too kinky.
Looks like One's back to normal all of a sudden.
More footage! Just One talking to Dodo, though.
So apparently absorbing the Doctor's life force will give shallow people a sense of conscience. He should really bottle that stuff.
Aww, and I thought Exorse really had a chance at redemption there. On the other hand, there's still 10 minutes left...
I don't think I've said this since my Full Circle commentary but...LAB-SMASHING TIEMS NAO.
"You know, my dear, there's something very satisfying about destroying something that's evil, don't you think?"
"YES!"
And we even get to see the smashing! Very blurry smashing, but smashing!
The people need a mediator! Who shall be chosen against his will to step up to the plate? Steeeeeeeven?
"Very well, I will stay."
"Thank you...thank you...you have justified our faith."
Complete with intermittent smatters of footage.
That must be what nentari meant by "the most heartbreaking piece of surviving footage ever." Awwwww ;___;
"Do you think we'll ever see him again?"
"Well, who knows, my dear? In this strange complex of time and space, anything can happen!"
"We mustn't look back..." I'm only just now realizing how much I don't want Steven to leave. I rather liked him.
Well then, goodbye Steven Taylor. I'm going to miss seeing you around.
I'm not that prone to really enjoying full-recon serials, but that last episode was rather impressive.
Also, it looks like I was wrong about Exorse and Nanina after all, but I guess he got his redemption by not shooting in the final scene.
Next: The War Machines