"It is good to see the old customs revived."
Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: June 2026
Series: Gallifrey 15.04
Featuring: Narvin
Synopsis
Cardinal Ollistra must serve the will of Rassilon and see the Resistance destroyed. But the Resistance is already falling apart.
With Leela and Rasmus missing, the General and Veklin are given a mission that neither relish. Loyalties will be tested, and vengeance will be held.
Verdict
Eye for an Eye was a decent episode to conclude the Loyalties fifteenth series overall and third instalment of Gallifrey's War Room. There wasn't anything inherently bad about this episode but despite some very strong ratings and a much welcomed level of consistency for this release, I can't help but feel slightly let down. I don't think Lalla Ward was utilised well at all and honestly I think it would have been more impactful if Romana didn't feature at all. Honestly, she pretty much may as well not have! This was not the finale I was expecting as it didn't feel like one at all, but the character development and evolution of Gallifreyan politics was much welcomed. I think Ollistra continuing her tirade was great and having two different incarnations of her at the same time was touched upon nicely for the first time in what felt like a lengthy period. Getting a cheeky mention of bigeneration in there was delicious continuity with the modern era and I really liked having it acknowledged as something of myth. That wasn't quite what Ollistra had achieved in having two of her around but it was good to expand on that ethos. I'm all for that. I thought the General stood out here as he didn't flatly follow the orders of Ollistra and it was good that he still had a conscience in not wanting to fire on the Resistance when they weren't in an attack formation. Vecklin was once again put through the emotional ringer and I liked the semblance of potential civil war that was seeded at the end as she was ready to move with him when he was. It's easy to forget that the Daleks are the true enemy in this Time War but their absence does feel a little strange. I'm not sure how you do such a lengthy and in-depth series on Gallifrey without the Daleks, but it just never felt like they were around or even posing any threat which is baffling! My thoughts here I realise are more about the overall boxset than this specific episode and that's because I've been waiting for the finale and giving things a chance. I don't think it was the right move to have none of Leela or Romana feature here and that's not a discourtesy to Narvin but they really are the stars of the show. I loved that Vecklin framed him for murder and that does seem to push our original trio back together in captivity which will be a fitting moment. I thought Cresta was excellent again here and her knowledge and technical knowhow came into fruition here very nicely. The idea of a virus that could seek out political enemies and even thoughts of dissent against Rassilon almost feels impossible, but in the Time War anything can happen and I feel like that has a lot of potential moving forward. I think more could have been made of it here but there's time for that with Rassilon in a whacky state to put it lightly. He has been a shining light of this particular boxset as everyone seeks to please him whilst he oozes an aura of petrification. Whilst I did enjoy this series, it does almost feel like we're still basically in the same position at the end as we were in the start. Four strong episodes exploring a great setting and time, but for the overall arc it feels very House of the Dragon season two in that the ending felt like we were just in the same situation as the beginning. But here's hoping it's not as lengthy a wait for the next boxset! A good listen regardless.
Rating: 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment