Fractures

"To support Pandora and her followers is to support anarchy."

Writer: Stephen Cole

Format: Audio

Released: May 2006

Series: Gallifrey 3.01

Featuring: Romana I, Romana II, Leela, K9

Synopsis

'It learns. It evolves. It wants. It hungers. And now Romana has delivered herself to its very door.'

Gallifrey is a world at war with itself. The Pandora entity, clothed in the body of President Romana's first incarnation, seeks to control the populace through mind control and manipulation. The real Romana has resorted to destroying key parts of the Capitol, hoping to weaken Pandora's power base. 

But when one such attack goes horribly wrong, Leela is left injured and Romana's base of operations is expected. Hunted by their enemies, Leela must make for a medical outpost on the fringes of the fighting while Romana seeks a desperate solution in the planet's Anomaly Vaults. But what each discovers will alter their lives, and Gallifrey's future, forever. 

Verdict

Fractures was an excellent start to the third series of Gallifrey! I have to admit that I am loving making my way through this spinoff series and after the cliffhanger at the end of Series 2 with Imperatrix, I thought the continuation here was very good indeed. There was clearly something of a time jump which I thought worked well but the predicament that Gallifrey now finds itself in opens up a wealth of opportunities. It works wonderfully having two different incarnations of Romana on opposing sides in what is essentially Gallifreyan civil war and the predicament that places K9 in particular was fun to explore. I genuinely believed that he was fully on the side of Pandora in the form of Romana I so his reveal to Leela that he was secretly working against Pandora from the inside was excellent stuff. The battle between Romana and Pandora for control of Gallifrey is a good basis for this third series to centre around and the war wounds that come with that were on full display early on into proceedings with Narvin and Leela the subjects of a faulty bomb timing mechanism that they were placing. Narvin was seriously injured but recovered fine. However, the same could not be said of Leela who was permanently blinded! That's a bold move to go with although I expect that she will regain her sight one way or another despite the confirmation from the medical facility in the Outlands. It is such a different dynamic to have a lead character blind and whilst the audio format may not be the best to fully utilise the potential, I have no doubts that this will add to the series and the stories to come. Her savage nature will make it work so well and I loved how despite being blind, in the face of others she had not lost any of her confidence and still firmly believed that she could kill. She could just follow the scent and sound which was magnificent. The use of propaganda in the episode was fantastic and really did sell just how bad of a state Gallifrey was in. Darkel's involvement was particularly enjoyable and she seemed to revel in getting the upper hand and also having K9 as her servitor. She's a very good character and I look forward to hearing more of her and Pandora together. Of course, Pandora has taken over Romana's first incarnation and the paradox that creates as she wades war with Romana II is brilliant. This took us to the Anomaly Vaults which was a concept I loved and the Aesino within as an assassin fractured across time was superb. Their desperation was clear in their voice which worked well and if they were killed they would just be replaced by a duplicate from one second into the future. This being linked up to Winter's TARDIS and Nardole knowing all about it was a fun element, but the danger it provided was clear. I really liked the references to Horror of Fang Rock with Leela remembering a previous time where she was blind and her hope of just having different pigmentation colour was terrific. The reaction she shed in private when it was confirmed her sight was lost was very sad and showed just how human she really is. I like that she remains brash in front of people though. Narvin's tampering with the Aesino and the device linking them to the TARDIS was a good end to an exciting story and the way this has seemingly linked Romana II and Pandora is very intriguing indeed. Hearing voices within her head can't be good for the President, so I look forward to hearing any of those effects as the series rolls on. Overall, a great start!

Rating: 9/10