Ep. 118 The Savages ep. 1

"You are known to us as the Traveler from Beyond Time."

   This is the first serial to drop the practice of naming the individual episodes.  I've grown rather fond of the individual episode names, but have to admit that this will cut down on confusion when discussing a serial that shares a name with an episode.
    This is Steven's last story.  I can't say that I blame Peter Purves for leaving the series at this point, the character of Steven hadn't been terribly well represented in the last few stories.  He was given a lot of meat in The Massacre, but that wasn't given much in The Ark, The Gunfighters, The Celestial Toymaker, or most of The Dalek Masterplan. 
  The Gunfighters probably saw the worst writing for Steven in any of the stories that he's been in (also a low point for the character of the Doctor as well.)
   The episode begins with the Doctor proclaiming that the TARDIS has arrived in a time of great prosperity, scientific enlightenment, and artistic expansion.  Steven and Dodo are a bit skeptical.
   The Doctor goes to collect some samples to confirm his readings, while Steven and Dodo fret.
   Unknown to the travelers, they are being watched by primitive looking men with clubs and spears.  The Doctor is nearly attacked by them, before two highly advanced people show up and take him back to their city.
   These advanced people claim that they have been following the Doctor's travels through time and space.  They don't know particular details such as his name, or the fact that he travels with companions, but they know where he has been and predicted his arrival on their world.
   The Doctor is shown with a piece of scientific equipment that may be the forerunner of the sonic screwdriver, his R.V. or Reacting Vibrator.  Yeah, Angela laughed too.
   The Doctor is received as an honored guest, while his friends are given a guided tour.  It doesn't take long for the Doctor to sniff out the fact that there is something rotten in the state of future Denmark.
   The Elders use their advanced technology to siphon off the life force of the savages, to improve themselves.  It is the most extreme form of exploitation imaginable.