March 2: The Savages Episodes 2 & 3

So the inhumanity upon which the Elders' society has been created is revealed by the end of the last episode.  Yet it's not immediately clear if Dodo understands the full implications of what she witnesses in the transference room.  But the Doctor is willing to listen to her suspicions (albeit outside of the city, where they're less likely to be overheard).  This, combined with his own uneasiness about the Elders, starts to sway him.  The discovery of the savage from the top of the episode (the one who "threatened" Dodo in the last cliffhanger) and his callous treatment at the hands of one of the guards seems to set the Doctor firmly against Jano and his people.  This leads to a great confrontation between the Doctor and Jano.  "Do you not realize that all progress is based on exploitation?" Jano asks.  But the Doctor is indignant: "Exploitation indeed!  This, sir, is protracted murder!"  As the Doctor is opposed to the Elders' way of life, they decide to subject the Doctor to the same treatment as the savages.

The Doctor confronts Jano over the actions of his society.
(The Savages Episode 2 - from Doctor Who Photonovels: The
Savages - Episode Two) ©BBC

The thing that's interesting about this is that, after having set up the amoral actions in the first episode, the second sets the Doctor against it but powerless to do anything.  He is helpless in the clutches of the Elders and finds himself on the receiving end of their machinery.  That means it's up to Steven and Dodo to take action.

This is primarily what Episode 3 is about.  The Doctor has been drained of his life energy and thus can't even help himself, much less anyone else.  (Although it doesn't seem to be the case that William Hartnell is actually on vacation, as he's present for a number of scenes here.)  But Steven and Dodo not only befriend the savages, they also help capture one of the guards sent to look for them.  It sounds like a reasonably exciting sequence; pity we only have the soundtrack now.

But what the soundtrack does convey effectively is Frederick Jaeger's performance as Jano.  He decides to take on all of the Doctor's life force (the "in-transference") for himself, ostensibly to protect anyone else from unknown side effects -- the Doctor, after all, is a much higher source of energy than they've ever used before -- but really more so that Jano can take on some of the Doctor's characteristics.  It's really quite amazing to hear Jaeger take on so many of the Doctor's mannerisms and inflections; you could almost believe that someone's simply treated Hartnell's voice to make it sound a little different than normal.  But it's not just the vocal part; Jano seems to have acquired some of the Doctor's morals too, initially making to smash the transference machinery before he recovers himself.

The Doctor, of course, is still helpless, and when Steven and Dodo go back to the city to rescue him, he's used as bait in a trap, allowing the guards to capture all of the time travellers, so that they can each be used to give of their life force...