I’d like to say it’s odd that David A. McIntee’s contribution to More Short Trips is quite literally a smallish piece exploring what happens to the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Vicki in between scenes of “The Slave Traders”, but seeing as “Romans Cutaway” is both a pure historical giving two little plot threads to the Doctor and Vicki and Ian and Barbara respectively while focusing on who these characters are at their core.  It’s a classic setup from McIntee with a TARDIS team he clearly adores to bits, giving so much insight into Vicki as a character immediately post-The Rescue.  On television while she was characterized well and particularly well performed by Maureen O’Brien, “Romans Cutaway” really wants to explore her emotions post-The Rescue with this understated fear of abandonment after the death of her father and her decision to travel in the TARDIS.  Ian also gets some particularly nice moments remembering people he knew on Earth who died tragically.  He also gets to fight a lion and McIntee keeps the tone of The Romans in tact despite going down some darker paths.  8/10.

Ian and Barbara shippers rejoice REJOICE