DOCTOR WHO – THE SAVAGES (DVD)

The recent totally missing Doctor Who serial to be brought back to life, “The Savages”, provides a glimpse into this well received four-part narrative. Set on a backwash, unmade planet, The Doctor encounters a society led by Elders, who have been feeding off of the life force of the titular Savages, beings who have been forced to live in the wastelands to fend for themselves from the brutality and harshness the Elders inflict on them.

The serial can be seen as a study on the exploitation of the masses, the lower class vs. the higher class in an unfair dictatorial, hierarchical society that divides individuals from birth with no opportunity to escape the abyss they have been so unfairly assigned to.

With some nice animation, a well-assigned soundtrack, and a story perfectly rounded up over a four-part narrative, The Savages occurs at a time when The First Doctor era was coming to an end. The Doctor is barely involved in the narrative, but this allows his companions Steven and Dodo to do most of the leg work. It’s a little adventure that has plenty of story twists that hopefully one day be re-discovered again, and returned to the BBC.