We arrive at the finale to Series 2 of Galliifrey. Is everyone in love with the series yet?
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voters
5 Likes
Now we are talking! This was a fantastic episode. Love the conflict and how well they pottery both sides. I love how the stakes and tension keep rising. This is what I hoped this series would bring when we started this.
12 Likes
Tian said it very well. This is an absolute banger: a two-part finale with epic proportions. It’s explosive, dramatic, heartbreaking, and shocking. It has Romana on the brink of madness, Leela ready to give up, K9’s heartbreaking death, Narvin stepping up, Darkel being delightfully vile, and chaos breaking out in Gallifrey.
It’s better than most season finales of televised Who, and it’s my very first full marks for Gallifrey! It was tense from beginning to end, had me audibly gasp at a couple of points, and made me feel very strongly for the precarious position Romana was put into and the continuous loss and betrayal Leela felt and the interesting turn Narvn showed, which reveals his true loyalties. And the ending is effective and wants me to hear more—Mary Tamm as Pandora is going to be a treat!
10 Likes
It has basically become my new favourite Saturday activity to drink coffee and read reactions from people experiencing Gallifrey for the first time 
Imperiartrix is amazing!
Darkel scheming to wrest the Presidency from Romana, Romana caving in to Pandora. Evil Mary Tamm 
K-9 
Narvin!!!
5/5 
and no mistake 
9 Likes
I am simply in love with this series. Imperiatrix was amazing, I adore Romana toeing the line between evil and good, ethical and unethical in an impossible situation, Leela is wonderful and everyone needs to stop being mean to her, I am super interested where her relationship with Romana and Gallifrey will go now with Andred’s murder and K9 gone, which btw is so, so heartbreaking, I literally cried at Leela’s grief which is a very high compliment because I don’t cry easily. Louise Jameson and Lalla Ward are so good at voice acting. Also loved Narvin’s evolution here, this is the point where we finally see his true goals, and to see him discover who is more on the same side as him. Also he gets blown up for Romana <3 and is very good at doing audible suffering. And all the explosions in this made me gasp, because they kept being so sudden. And of course Mary Tamm is amazing as Pandora and I wish we could have this visually because I’m sure it would be incredible.
And I love that we’re getting behind the scenes interviews on this!!! I’ve been missing that a little with these older releases, and they are really wonderful here.
live blog
- girl has really gone full dictator
- no nuance about it
- pity?! I dont think so how she says that<3
- oh is that just dreaming
- sad I like Romana being evil
- still messed up though
- those Time Lords really do be xenophobic
- good on that student for defending themself
- I like seeing other peoples’ perspectives
- shit
- ■■■■
- that’s really bad
- that is going to be so bad for the political situation
- why do people always call Leela these weird titles
- like they always want to call her savage and can only just avoid it
- Romana sounds so out of breath
- I love their conversations
- god Leela/Andred is really something else
- the love and heartbreak even now
- I am a warrior of the sevateem yesss
- god Romana really wants to protect Leela but can’t listen to her
- and Romana needs her
- but she’s mainly using Leela
- her only friend
- now there is the point of Romana possibly killing Andred
- that makes this very interesting
-
- i will stay with you, my friend*
- i will stay with you, my friend*
- Leela is so unbelievably loyal to Romana
- that is what you are for love Romana ordering people around
- what is K9 doing
- Romana is really hanging on by a thread
- ■■■■ Darkel
- lying snake
- I love Leela always jumping to Romana’s protection
- never trust the CIA
- Romana and Leela are the only ones with decency here
- oh I love that comparison
- with the Time Lords evading death
- Romana takes every single death as her personal responsibility and that is what makes her a decent politician but also presents the danger
- Leela is so sweet
- this is so sad
- oh Romana
- oh Leela
- can I help
- they feel super tragic rn
- oh ■■■■ they are evil
- Narvin you terrible little guy
- Narvin has always had a political position
- it’s just uncommon because everyone else is so selfish so they assume he is too
*and I think he forgets other people dont want to protect Gallifrey above all too though - oh ■■■■ yes go against her
- he’s discovered his backbone !!
- Leela is so good at this
- no K9 you have not the way of a warrior
- Romana is actually a really good diplomat
- but being president is so bad for her<3
- I love K9
- oh stay away from Pandora
- love Leela’s banter with K9
- Narvin learn some ■■■■■■■ respect
- the way he talks to K9 instead of Leela is really mean
- oh yay Leela!!
- stand up for yourself!
- I love when Romana is cruel
- oh shit Pandora taunting her is this because of Andred
- oh she really has a problem with control
- don’t do it Romana
- I love her though<3 she is so flawed
- Leela is really very good at investigation because she doesn’t have all these ingrained assumptions
- love Narvin switching sides
- or well rather realising which side is better for his goals
- oh Leela and Narvin is a match
- they’re working quite well together
- oh who has used his codes now
- you can never trust those logins
- it really only removes one person from suspicion
- you can’t let her stab me K9, it’s not legal made me laugh out loud
- Romana and Andred have interesting parallels
- both with regeneration under messed up circumstances and in their relationship with Leela
- I love the music in this scene that’s really improved this season
- I love they’re scenes together
- oh Leela that is heartbreaking
- just her whole speech
- I think Darkel isn’t reading Narvin quite right
- and that might be her downfall
- he’s got such an interesting characterisation
- not another dog
- Leela is caring so much about K9
- ah Romana is once again suicidal
- granted it is not a bad political move
- I should start counting that
- K9 !!!
- no
- nonononono
- why
- that is terrible
- good on Leela for beating him up
- this is so full of tragedy
- oh she slapped him I love that
- like that she calls him out on his behaviour
- Romana goes so outraged in the face of tragedy
- she functions quite well when the worst happens
- interesting how Romana uses Leela
- this is brutal
- Romana crying
- this is going to make me cry
- Leela I love you
- good boy K9 this broke me
- this is literally making me cry
- that is so rare for me
- Leela
- god there is nothing too harsh in this situation
- though of course we need Narvin alive for him to suffer
- love how Romana talks to them
- oh Leela ordering him around that is great
- okay there is a lot of weird shit going on
- but I feel like we are getting somewhere
- oh Romana is going to fall morally
- but she has really been pushed to the brink
- oh Leela forgetting K9 isn’t with her
- who is hurting Leela
- that is illegal
- leave her alone!!!
- now what is Romana’s plan
- I do love when Romana is evil
- Darkel is not wrong but I am loving this
- everybody needs a little power fantasy sometimes
- I find it so interesting that you can just proclaim yourself dictator on Gallifrey and noone is really doing anything because it’s legal and also you have like three objects
- love Narvin protecting Romana now because he realised how evil Darkel is
- oh is this where the Narvin suffering starts
- oh he is very good at that
- I get it now
- oh shit
- i love this
- infiltration^2
- oh this is good
- Romana is very smart but also still very reckless
- I love it
- hate that Antimon guy
- also interesting how this kind of unites Darkel and Romana
- Leela!!!
- love her!!!
*■■■■■■■ deserved!!! - she remembered wynter!!!
- oh ■■■■ this is good
- and now she knows about Romana
- that is going to be something
- Romana stop being suicidal please
- oh
- K9 thank you
- oh Romana’s little scream
- K9 i love you
- it doesn’t sound like she isn’t being harmed
- Mary Tamm!!
- this is bound to be good
- oh this is good
- love this
- fighting against herself now this is so cool
- the philosophy of past selves with Time Lords is so compelling
- like you can literally meet your past
- oh this is so good
- Romana has stopped giving a shit
- the music again this is going to be sad
- oh
- terribly sad
- oh no
- heartbreaking
- Leela putting Romana above Andred but also being unable to do so
- somebody needs to take care of Leela for once
- put her first
- oh what the ■■■■ (this made me literally gasp)
- Leela!!!
- why do you dare hurt her
- what is happening
- Mary Tamm is amazing
- oh Romana’s hysterical laughing
- oh I hate how she talks to K9
- a lot of internalised emotion thats Romana in a nutshell
- Romana and Romana interaction is amazing
11 Likes
YES!!!
Ah! You summed up the way Romana treats Leela perfectly !!
obsessed with how much you’re starting to love it when he suffers!! s3 and 4 and 5 and… have so much in store for you
7 Likes
I have long been an avid reader of whump fic so this was really just a matter of time but even in that small segment he was very good at it
So I can’t wait to see what comes next for him
9 Likes
I’ll be entirely honest, Imperiatrix was the sign that Gallifrey is just not for me.
It’s political commentary that’s not trying to say anything, a climax that feels hollow with character arcs that are too ambiguous to make me feel any kind of emotion.
Imperiatrix felt lacking in nuance, direction and character. Perhaps it’s more complex than I think and it’s me that’s missing out on some untold genius but the whole things falls just short of the mark personally.
Romana literally carries out a military coup and the reaction is mainly just Darkel going “no, you can’t do that” and some background noises.
I think I may just be missing something or I’m just not able to connect with this series in the same ways other people are but every story is beginning to feel like an imitation of a more interesting political thriller.
Any way, here’s some more poorly worded criticism on top of my poorly worded criticism. Sorry, I guess.
10 Likes
Nothing to be sorry for - in truth, I do completely understand all you’re saying and don’t completely disagree. But we can’t all love everything!
10 Likes
This is why I love these club threads. It’s genuinely interesting to see how one story can be viewed so differently by different people - every story is someone’s masterpiece and someone else’s dud, and there’s always a bunch falling somewhere in the middle. And from these different opinions and perspectives, we can all learn to view your favourite and least favourite stories in new ways!
11 Likes
Honestly, I think all of your criticism is correct, I haven’t found a single thing in your reviews that I totally disagree with, it’s just that these things weigh totally differently for my personal enjoyment. So, thanks for sharing your reviews on these, you have lots of interesting thoughts!
10 Likes
Imperiatrix - 10/10
What an ending. Wow, just wow.
This story starts off with a bang (pun intended) with the explosion at the academy, a set piece that’s done brilliantly. Insurgency showed us the lives of those at the academy, and how it’s all coming to ruin, now Imperiatrix doubles down on that. We get a brilliant peek into how most gallifreyans feel about Romana at the moment before the explosion through the use of a reporter talking about what’s just happened, a great way to bring together the threads from Insurgency.
The different responses to it as well and the politicing that comes from it, everyone trying to spin it their own way, is great. Darkel is genuinely vile, saying the explosion wasn’t a major incident because it was aliens affected, not gallifreyans, but it’s just so so good.
I hadn’t really gone into it before, but John Leeson does an incredible job in these stories, sleeper star of them to be honest. The difference in his voice when he’s playing Pandora-K9 as opposed to regular K9 is just great… And now he’s gone (not really but still). K9 is dead, and K9 is allied with Pandora :CCCC
Aftermath of Andred’s unceremonious death is also just superb. In Insurgency you’re almost starting to like him again, it seems like there’s a chance his relationship could be fixed, which makes Leela’s response all the more heartbreaking. Her talking to his body, vowing revenge, just, god, it really does just hit. That’s the scene that brings this up from a 9 to a 10 for me
And Lalla Ward’s Acting here. It’s just spectacular. I think Romana’s heel turn to becoming imperiatrix could have felt out of nowhere, even with the setup and stakes against her, but Lalla Ward kills it. The Fury of a Time Lord is a phrase that’s usually only really applied to The Doctor, but seeing it channeled through someone else here it spectacular.
The twist about who was behind the bombing was also fun, and the way it’s done. It’s right there in your face at the start of the story, but you don’t think about it for even a second until it’s brought back later.
Narvin is great here as well. They talk about it in the interviews as well, but yeah, you can really tell, especially in this story, where his loyalties lie. He hates Romana, but his loyalty is to Gallifrey, and Romana is what’s best for it at the moment. He risks his life to save her despite some of this mess being his fault, and it’s just brilliant.
And then that cliffhanger. A Gallifreyan civil war. Romana 1’s reappearance as Pandora.
Bring on Season 3!
8 Likes
I really liked how everything comes together for the cliffhanger. I’m enjoying Romana’s character and story more and more. This has been my favorite from Gallifrey so far. 8/10
9 Likes
The praise is deserved for this story. I think Romana’s isolation from everything until it’s too late is a really powerful moment when it finally catches up to her. This is such a great Act 1 curtain closer with Leela knocked out, Romana in an absolute corner, K9 forced to betray her, and Pandora out and ready to cause chaos. And everyone gives it the gravitas it needs. Just a really beautiful piece of acting across all four.
5 till mate.
10 Likes
An excellent finale with Romana pushed to her breaking point. Even though I know where this series goes, I look forward to experiencing it again, week by week. The behind the scenes stuff was enjoyable, but there were no interviews with Sean Carlson.
7 Likes
Finished this tonight - I’d forgotten quite what a rollercoaster it is!
- Narvin seriously wounded
- K9 Mark I destroyed
- Darkel attempting a coup
- Lots of alien students dead
- Romana revealed as Andred’s killer
- Leela losing everything that defines her on Gallifrey and her last link to the Doctor
- Pandora manifesting as the first Romana and instigating civil war
Amazing! I knew K9 Mark I was destroyed but thought I remembered it was in Series 3 so that came as a shock. Love that we have Mary Tamm back and getting to be evil. And my goodness, how wonderful is Lynda Bellingham in this one!
10 Likes
That’s a great review with lots of really good points that are hard to disagree with (I can see what you’re saying about surface level characterisation which I think can occasionally be an issue with this series (certainly in the Romana vs Leela stakes; see my thoughts on Spirit)) but I did want to pick up on your comment about Leela’s switch of character regarding Andred.
I do see what you mean about it seeming odd but I think it is laid out in the script that Leela’s feelings for Andred are hugely complicated from the point she discovers who Torvald is. Series 2 goes to great pains to show their relationship being rebuilt - possibly not as much as it could, but it is there. There is a fair amount of indication of time passing between some of this series episodes and I think we are given enough to understand that Leela’s hate has been replaced by acceptance that, whilst ‘her’ Andred is gone, his current incarnation does have enough vestiges of her husband that, whilst she will never able to reclaim a relationship with him, she still has a connection. Realisation that Andred is also choosing the ‘right side’ helps sway her. His death spurs her inate sense of justice which coupled with her deep-seated love for her former husband - however much he has changed - is enough for me to believe this change of heart towards him.
11 Likes