This chapter has some really great stuff for both Romana and Leela.

Leela is the moral compass in this chapter. She’s the only one caring for the people, she spends the entire time being caring and compassionate and inspiring. Rebellion leader is an ideal role for her, and she thrives in it. It’s very unfortunate for her that this world is so violent and they can’t escape. The ending is so heartbreaking for her, losing K9, again and being put up against the uncaring-seeming Romana and Narvin is terrible. She keeps being hurt and not only has she lost nearly everything, the only people she still has are betraying, in a way, all her principles. She makes me so sad. And the acting, again! I don’t know how it keeps blowing me away time and time again, but it is so good.

Romana is so wonderfully morally conflicted here. I adore the way she really just doesn’t care about anything but Leela and Narvin anymore. I’m really looking forward to seeing how she does on this world where so many people are traumatized in a similar way to herself (as slaves) but being their president. Her conversations with evil!Narvin are incredible. Neither of them hold anything back. And Lalla Ward just does amazing things with her voice, the way she can make it tremble with fear or shake with fury is incredible.

Speaking of evil!Narvin, he’s the star of this chapter. Seán is incredible. I love to see a Narvin who is so completely evil and selfish. And yet. He still sacrifices himself for Gallifrey, and Romana in a way, because she was going to try without him. That man. In no universe is he not putting Gallifrey above all else I think. I love how Narvin knows his counterpart so well, because there really isn’t that much separating them, certainly much less than Leela and the Interrogator for example. I love that guy.

All in all, this chapter was certainly very good, but didn’t achieve the heights of the last two (which is really doesn’t mean that much because those were so amazing). Season 4 is definitely my favourite season so far.