Imperiatrix

Gallifrey #2.5

Released: August 2005

Listened: 4/3/21

This is the climax of the second series, and unlike the first, they don’t intend it to be self-contained. It’s a weird one, seemingly determined to make the story as dark as it can get. Even the structure is odd, with a 70-minute Part 1 and a 30-minute Part 2, for no reason that I can really determine. After the events of the last story, Andred is dead, permanently this time. Darkel is just as evil as ever, so Narvin has to get a semi-redemption arc now. As established in “Pandora,” he’s loyal to the office, even if he dislikes Romana personally, and he’s not willing to lie or fabricate evidence in the service of his agenda. Unfortunately, Darkel doesn’t get that, which ends badly for her. Leela is trying to avenge Andred’s death, and solve a bombing at the Academy, and even worse, suffers the death of her own K-9, who never comes back, much to my astonishment. But it’s Romana who goes completely off the chain in this story, taking drastic action and declaring martial law. Supposedly she’s protecting Gallifrey itself and not just her presidency, but that doesn’t play so well in 2021 (and I imagine it sounded bad in 2005 as well). Even more bonkers, Pandora manifests itself in the form of Mary Tamm, playing sort of an evil version of Romana I, who’s quite over the top with the evil gloating and imminent destruction of Gallifrey. It ends on a cliffhanger, making the whole series somewhat dissatisfying.