Pandora

Gallifrey #2.3

Released: June 2005

Listened: 3/31/21

If the last episode was a break, this time we’re right back in it. The Pandora entity is supposed to be trapped in the Matrix, but of course it doesn’t stay there, breaking out and hiding in people’s minds. The politics continue apace, but they’re really not that sophisticated, and require their target (Wynter, mostly, but sometimes Leela or Romana) to be remarkably gullible. Narvin shows some signs of growing into a loyal opposition -- he’s willing to take someone down for political reasons, but he’s not willing to lie or fake evidence to get it done. Darkel, however, is nasty and manipulative, which really doesn’t match her characterization in “Trial of a Time Lord,” but we need a bad guy. The limited cast hurts the political machinations somewhat, especially when Leela and Andred are the only choices for acting Castellan, as none of the other Chancellery Guards have voice actors (even though Maxil was mentioned in a prior episode). The thread of the injured Time Lord is resolved, and giving credit where it’s due, I didn’t figure out who it was until a few minutes before the reveal, as there’s some timey-wimey involved, so that was well done. And the story ends with Braxiatel being taken off the table, robbing Leela of her most savvy political advisor, which I didn’t anticipate. The politics are a bit boring, but the overall arc seems to be better constructed than the last series.