Day 122: The Savages Episode 4

Another serial ends today. And with it, we see another departure, this time of Steven, the Doctor's faithful companion, as played by Peter Purves. Steven has been a very good companion, because of the way he plays off against the Doctor. He is not willing to just let this man with far greater experience take control, he wants to have a say and he provides an opposing force to the Doctor's world, yet one still on the same side. In a way though, his departure feels cheapened, because it should have happened earlier. This is nothing against the character or the actor, but from The Myth Makers to The Massacre, Steven witnessed people dying left, right and centre and was unable to help them. He fought with the Doctor on this issue and left the TARDIS, only to return a little while later for no apparent reason. Which is very disappointing, because it means that the character is left in stasis for the rest of his adventures, accepting his role in events as an occasionally active observer, and thus we don't get to see the bright spark that we witnessed earlier in his tenure. But he has left now to use his wisdom to guide a society and help it back on its feet. This, while not the best exit for the character, isn't too bad of an idea, because he is the character who has learnt the most from the Doctor, the one who has taken on his wisdom and will now go forth to help others find their feet. Meanwhile, other changes are afoot, and we shall see what happens with them very soon.