Doctor Who: The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve

The Doctor and Steven arrive in 16th century Paris and promptly get mixed up in the strife between the Huguenots (Protestants) and Catholics.

The Doctor goes off by himself, and Steven makes friends with Henri de Navarre, who has recently married the king's sister in an attempt to make peace between the Catholics and the Huguenots. Incidentally, a French movie I like, La Reine Margot, also takes place during this time. It was interesting to note how the historical figures were portrayed in each.

Every single episode of this four-part serial is missing, so I watched reconstructions with photos and audio. Also, the Doctor isn't in most of the story. It's almost all Steven. The story is a buildup to the assassination of Huguenot nobles (directed by Catherine de Medici) and the massacre of thousands of Huguenots by Catholic mobs in Paris. Once the Doctor and Steven are reunited and the Doctor finds out the date, he rushes himself and Steven back to the TARDIS. He knows what is about to happen. They leave just as the massacre begins.

Steven is angry that the Doctor will stand by and let this happen, but the Doctor says they can't change history. Steven is determined to leave the Doctor wherever they land next. They land, and Steven walks out the door. The Doctor laments the loss of his companions. He even wonders if he should return home, but he can't. Then a young woman bursts in through the open TARDIS door (that's Dodo, a new companion), and Steven isn't far behind. They dematerialize, taking the young woman with them.

THE RUNDOWN

Doctor: First
Companions: Steven
Episode: #22, "The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Eve," four parts- 'War of God,' 'The Sea Beggar,' 'Priest of Death,' 'Bell of Doom'
Adversary: Catherine de Medici
Classic Lines: the Doctor, after Steven leaves the TARDIS: "Even after all this time, he cannot understand. I dare not change the course of history...And now, they're all gone. All gone. None of them could understand. Not even my little Susan. Or Vicki. And as for Barbara and Chatterton, Chesterton, they were all too impatient to get back to their own time. And now, Steven. Perhaps I should go home. Back to my own planet. But I can't."
Tuck This Away to Impress Your Friends: Dodo's last name is Chaplet, which is the same as Anne's- a young servant Steven feared died in the massacre.
Next Up: "The Ark"