Assassins

Gallifrey: Time War #2.4

Released: 20 March 2019

Listened: 5/21/21

One of the limiting factors of the Gallifrey: Time War series is that we know where it’s going to end up, which makes it kind of a prequel. It gets darker and darker, but the feeling is that there can’t be too much risk. Characters get pushed away, but not killed off. This story, though, pushes things just about as far as they can reasonably go, where Romana has reached her breaking point, and decides that Rassilon has to go. Narvin, for his part, finds his limits as well, and isn’t willing to go along with assassination. Worse, he’s tempted by both of the factions opposed to him, and promised a new regeneration cycle. Ultimately, though, his loyalty is to Romana as the best hope for Gallifrey’s survival, and they both pay the price for that. Livia represents the politics this time, straddling the fence for so long that she ultimately has no loyalty to anyone, just fear. There are some nice references to Olistra, the General, and even the Doctor, although none of them appear; they’re all stated to be closer to the front lines. And Rassilon himself plays a bigger part here than any previous story. The writing (by Matt Fitton) is appropriate to how Terrence Hardiman (and later Timothy Dalton) play him, as a man who’s entirely confident in his own stature, completely convinced of his rightness, and therefore completely unhinged. It’s a good character and a good portrayal. Although I wasn’t too sure where this boxed set was going, I think the writing here has been stronger than any previous Gallifrey series.