Gallifrey 3.04 Mindbomb (spoilers) | The Divergent Universe

Star Platinum
Doctor

Journeying through Doctor Who, one story at a time

Likes: 1,894

Gallifrey 3.04 Mindbomb (spoilers) Aug 16, 2022 20:34:28 GMT via mobile Kestrel likes this

Quote

Post by Star Platinum on Aug 16, 2022 20:34:28 GMT

The penultimate story of the original run.

We start off with more quibbling about the minutiae of Gallifreyan law, honestly it feels like they’re trying to make up for the time lost by the civil war by cranking the politics up to 11.

It’s a pleasure having Braxiatel back in the picture, he’s always a delight to listen to.

The star of this episode is Darkel, and rightly so. Lynda Bellingham absolutely shines in this final episodes. She’s down to naked power grabs at this point, but she’s still making some clever plays. I have to admit, her final scenes in this episode are quite possibly the most satisfying that this series has produced. She’s by and far the greatest villain in this range.

One week to go for the listen through, I wonder if we’ll finish before War Room drops?

Again, an average story, but the last few minutes are possibly the most satisfying of the entire range.

A 4/5, but by the skin of its teeth.

Kestrel
Doctor

Likes: 2,256

Gallifrey 3.04 Mindbomb (spoilers) Sept 4, 2022 7:55:38 GMT

Quote

Post by Kestrel on Sept 4, 2022 7:55:38 GMT

Mindbomb continues the political maneuvering from the prior episode, but actually manages to resolve things properly. Huzzah! Even if the ultimate resolution doesn't make much sense. Inquisitor Darkel is just... free? With zero repercussions? After fighting for an evil tyrant in a civil war, not even a slap on the wrist? Huh. Okay.

It all just begs the question of how, exactly, the civil war concluded in the first place. The whole reason why Romana was able to lead a resistance movement against Pandora was that she had a very real claim of being the legitimate president of Gallifrey. So, surely, she would have maintained that she still held that office throughout the war, and after. That Romana won and Pandora was defeated ought to have restored to her all of the powers and titles of the presidency. Yet... she's not. Somehow she is deposed off-screen. By accident. Or not. It's all very, very messy.

At least we get Brax back for a bit, even if he's a bit annoying here. Brax is brilliant, and Gallifrey just doesn't feel wholly like Gallifrey without him.

And he's still playing games, because of course he is.

Digi
Moderator

Likes: 8,602

Gallifrey 3.04 Mindbomb (spoilers) Sept 20, 2022 23:45:48 GMT Star Platinum likes this

Quote

Post by Digi on Sept 20, 2022 23:45:48 GMT

So I got sidetracked from our re-listen for a couple weeks, and then forgot entirely that we were doing it at all for even longer.

But I've got Mindbomb on right now, and I'm having an absolute blast with it. This is the the political maneuvering and backstabbing that is the hallmark of Gallifrey's first three series, distilled and encapsulated. From Darkel and Matthias's maneuvering, to the phony assassination attempt, to the Braxiatel reveal, I'm enjoying revisiting this one quite a lot. I've got about 15 minutes to go and I can't quite recall how it ends, but where I'm at right now this is a solid 5/5.

Last Edit: Sept 20, 2022 23:47:32 GMT by Digi