Gallifrey review: Romana and Leela’s friendship becomes stronger in Spirit
By James Aggas
Romana and Leela try to take a break from the politics of Gallifrey. But how well do they react when they’re forced to see through the eyes of the other in Spirit?
The second episode of Gallifrey’s second series, Spirit is pretty different to the previous episode Lies. Whereas the opening episode, understandably, introduced a lot of new storylines and included many characters, old and new, Spirit is much more focused on Romana and Leela.
This isn’t a two-hander, far from it. But Spirit does feature more focus on these two former Doctor Who companions than on other major characters, and explores the unusual friendship between Romana and Leela in a fresh and interesting way.
And this is where the real strength of the episode lies. Because Romana and Leela have been friends for a while now, ever since fortieth anniversary story Zagreus, in fact.
But up to this point, that friendship hadn’t been explored in great detail. With evil plots to fight against and Romana being President, there never seemed time for the characters to really get to know each other on a deeper level.
So it’s refreshing that the two go on a break with this one. Particularly as, when they really start talking to each other, that’s where both great drama and fascinating themes start to emerge.
After all, Romana and Leela are very different characters. Both strong, in their own way, but each has their own way of doing things. Romana is incredibly intelligent and knows a great deal about the universe scientifically, while Leela is a woman of pure instinct and prefers to see things in a much more basic way. Unsurprisingly, this can lead to some interesting scenes once they finally get talking.
A fresh take on an old trope
There’s also a really interesting part of the story where they get to see through each other’s eyes, using a new take on a classic sci-fi trope. It’s pretty interesting to hear, and both Lalla Ward and Louise Jameson give great performances.
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There is also some interesting development with the ongoing story arc when a gruesome discovery is made. This part of the story does a good job of setting up some key developments for the next episode, while not intruding too much on the main focus of Romana and Leela.
It’s funny to think that an episode where the main characters go on holiday would work so well in a series like Gallifrey, but it does. In some ways, it reminds me of Square One in that it doesn’t focus too much on the ongoing story. However, what makes Spirit feel far less throwaway is how much it focuses on the development of both the characters and their friendship.
Overall, Spirit is light on plot, but it compensates by offering a great character study on two major characters, and helps them to bond closer. And that’s great. Because what they have to face over the following episodes will test them to their limits…
Next. Review: Vicki faces her past in The Crash of the UK-201. dark
Are you a fan of Romana and Leela? Have you listened to their friendship develop in Gallifrey, and if so, what did you think of it? And do you think we should have seen them meet on-screen? Let us know in the comments below.