Aten't dead

[lizbee]

Just offline.  The library is closed on Sundays, and it turns out that every single other wireless hotspot in Melbourne blocks LJ.  Can't justify Monday's absence, except that I got up, had breakfast, watched an episode of Dexter and then went back to bed until it was time to go to work.  What can I say?  Fail ISP has said we'll be reconnected on Wednesday. 

In my absence, I have been re-listening to Big Finish audios again, or at least, those ones with Romana.  Try as I might, I simply cannot find it within myself to give a damn about Charley, Evelyn or any of the other non-Romana companions.  This is, I know, my loss, but I never pretended I wasn't monomaniacal.  Anyway, so far I've gotten through "The Apocalypse Element" and "Neverland", and  I have come to the conclusion -- which shouldn't really be news to anyone who has read my fic -- that by the time of her escape from the Daleks in "Apocalypse Element", Romana is absolutely, utterly insane.  Not merely a bit unstable, but totally batshit CAN YOU HEAR THE DRUMS????!!!! mad. 

I have come to this realisation mostly because of the scripting.  Apparently -- and I do wish I could remember where I read this, because I'm told sources are handy things to cite -- the writer really wanted to do season 17-style banter with Six and Romana, and someone (possibly Gary Russell?) had to keep saying, "Um, dude, she's spent twenty years as a Dalek slave.  The conditions aren't really right for banter."  So the script sort of veers wildly between VERY SERIOUS ANGST (and again, I've said this before but it bears repeating: Lalla brings it.  Absolutely her best work in Who ever, and it's just a shame everything else is such a mess, not to mention that she's never been that good since) and BANTER, with random bits that leave me going WTF SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE EMACIATED AND MALNOURISHED HOW CAN SHE SPRINT DOWN THAT CORRIDOR??? and WHY DO THE DALEKS KEEP CALLING HER HUMAN???

Obviously, in-text, the best way to explain the radical mood swings and personality changes is to assume that Romana went crazy on Etra Prime, and somehow no one noticed.  Possibly because she's hardly the first Gallifreyan president to go a little bonkers, and as long as she's not actually setting out to play the Game of Rassilon, no one really minds.  Alternatively, I strongly suspect that Gallifreyan psychiatry runs much along the lines of "take this suicide pill and call me in the morning if the drums persist", so maybe there's a certain amount of incentive to keep a lid on one's sanity-impairment.  Either that -- look, I like this theory, I could spend all afternoon finding variations -- or she's assuming that the Doctor will take her down if the problem becomes serious.  Six would, probably.  Seven would, definitely, and I'd quite like to write fic about Seven and Ace visiting her in the wake of Etra Prime, only I suspect I may be stepping on prof_pangaea's toes.  But then he goes and regenerates into Eight, who's not at all good at that sort of thing, and then he goes and gets himself exiled anyway.

My theory is particularly good because it explains why Romana's so unhinged and brittle throughout the Gallifrey series.  At first I thought it was just bad writing and creaky acting, but no, having spent twenty years of slavery with nothing but her identity as Madame Lady President to cling to, of course she's not going to give that up without a fight.  Even when she really, really should.

So, yes, in conclusion, Romana = really, really crazy, even before you factor in the latent evil living in her head, and the CIA's anomaly vault sentience that moves into her brain in the third season, and -- look, at least she doesn't listen to the Scissor Sisters.

With all that, I also realised that I don't care for "Neverland" at all.  Maybe because India Fisher's voice strikes my ears like glass sliding down a blackboard, and I spotted the big plot twist the first time around, and I just don't care.  Romana is terribly written; if not for the fact that she shares a name and an actress with a former companion, she could be almost anyone.  And Lalla's not an actress who can rise above a bad script, so her performance falls down, and she and McGann have none of the spark they share in "Shada".  It's just no good at all.



Now, the real question is, do I skip the first three episodes of "Zagreus" and pick up where Romana comes in?  And I think the answer is yes, because ... well, who has time for that much surrealism?  Not me, especially not when I'm in a rush to get to the Gallifrey series so I can try to make sense of the Pandora thing for once and for all. 

Comments

[livii.livejournal.com]

I didn't actually realize Romana showed up in some of the Eighth Doctor audios; I grabbed them all ages ago and have never really got up the will to listen to them. Too busy working on Hex's and now I'm trying more Erimem. ::insert unsubtle pimp that you have to at least give Hex a try!::

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Romana only turns up in "Shada" (obvs), "Neverland" and "Zagreus". And I couldn't even get through the Seven 'n' Ace audios, man, not even that one with David Tennant...

[livii.livejournal.com]

Hmm, makes it a little more interesting to give them a try, though.

Don't listen to ones with only Seven'n'Ace! Make sure they have Hex there too! Hex makes it so much newer and funner and better and sexier and shinier. :D

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I shall ... move them a bit further up my list, then, but they're still trailing far behind the BBV video spin offs.

[livii.livejournal.com]

:( :( :(

Hex is like...better than many many things. I dunno how to sell him more, hee.

He's better than the Gallifrey audios! I know that's sacrilege, but. I still haven't listened to the third series because I was getting tired of the political intrigue, but I have listened to a SIXTH DOCTOR audio just to hear Hex's backstory. So, that's...just an example that I'm as fixated on Hex as you are on Romana, heh.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

THE GALLIFREY AUDIOS HAVE NARVIN AND BRAX! Of course, if either of them turned up in a Hex audio, I'd be all over it like white on rice.

[livii.livejournal.com]

::plots to write fic wherein Hex meets Narvin and Brax and they have sexy political intrigue or sommat::

;)

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

NARVIN WOULD NEVER CHEAT ON ROMANA LIKE THAT

[calapine.livejournal.com]

UNEXPECTED!GERMANACCENT!TENNANT.

Ahem. I am too easily pleased, I know.

[purple-smurf.livejournal.com]

I love me some Alice in Wonderland, so skipping Zagreus is not so much an option for me. However, I do so love your analysis of Romana's sanity (or lack thereof) like a mad thing myself, and your reasoning about why she was so desperate to hold onto the identity that got her through Etra Prime. It makes sense, dammit!

[ghost2.livejournal.com]

I've been avoiding Zagreus and Neverland. They just seem like they'll be rather a chore to listen to, given my tastes. Since I still have so many other audios to get through (I'm listening to everything), I probably can put them off for a couple years or more. I'm pretty much just skipping around. If I feel like listening to Five, in goes one of his. Or some days I'm in an Eight mood. My current pick is Master, with Seven.

And I still have most of the Gallifrey series waiting for me to get to it. Someday.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I got through "Neverland" by skipping all the bits without Romana. Gallifrey, at least has a great supporting cast, and any moment that Narvin has a line is a moment of joy. Plus, Braxiatel. "Neverland" would have been vastly improved by the presence of Braxiatel.

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

Every other wireless hotspot in Melbourne does what. *horrorface* I haven't tried using anything other than the uni network, but I have to move out of college some time, and what.

[kerravonsen]

I must admit, I am not at all tempted to listen to Gallifrey, since my impression from what you and others have said is that the situation goes from bad to worse to even more bad. Not to mention I'm not interested in bad characterisation either.

I did like "The Apocalypse Element", and yes, Romana was one reason. But I don't want her to be insane! (Wah!) (puts on tinfoil hat)

I did like Neverland et al, but then I love Eight and Charley, I'd been following their adventures from the start. Whereas if you'd gone into it purely for Romana, I can understand why you didn't care about what else was happening.

look, at least she doesn't listen to the Scissor Sisters

insane!Romana/Simm!Master (oh dear)

[fyrdrakken]

As if I needed any more reasons to go with the Romanadvoratrelucy bit of personal fanon...

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

Gallifrey isn't precisely bad, it's just ... best listened to with the understanding that it's a flawed but promising work of collaborative fanfic, and that some of the authors are Romana/Leela shippers, while others are there for the subtextual het. It does have a marvellous supporting cast, though.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Mostly I love Neverland but I did resent it most awfully at the time because I loved Vansell and then he DIED LIKE A DEAD THING and I was sad. It took a whole season of Gallifrey for me to get over it and accept Narvin and his awesome.

Try as I might, I simply cannot find it within myself to give a damn about Charley, Evelyn or any of the other non-Romana companions.

I'm going to ignore the bit about Charley and just be glad I'm not the only person who is not in love with Evelyn, yes.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

I, on the other hand, never really cared for Vansell. He always seemed more keen on (a) furthering his interests and (b) scoring points off the Doctor than his proper job, which is obviously paying attention to the president. Narvin, on the other hand, is suitably Romanacentric in his outlook, much as he'd probably rather not be.

Bless.

[rimwalker.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's just me here...

...but somehow...

...the idea of an utterly bonkers insane Romana?

...

...totally hot.

[petronelle.livejournal.com]

To properly appreciate Zagreus, one must be in the mood for utter crack. If you're not, you may as well skim it, but it may be even more confusing that way. I'm not sure how, but it may.

On the other hand, you might miss the true love story of the piece if you do, and I don't mean Charley.

Gallifrey is worth skipping ahead for.

[elyssadc.livejournal.com]

Well, I will just have to accept the fact that we will never agree on the Eighth Doctor audios and instead focus on the fact that you are SO FUCKING RIGHT with respect to Romana being bat-shit crazy. You have no idea how thrilled it makes me to hear you say it. That scene in the cell when she is talking to Vrint is one of my favorites bits in any BF audio ever. And considering I've heard them all (and most of them more than once), and the fact that The Apocalypse Element is one of my top 5 audios, that's really saying something. She absolutely lost her shit on Etra Prime and it is FABULOUS.

Alternatively, I strongly suspect that Gallifreyan psychiatry runs much along the lines of "take this suicide pill and call me in the morning if the drums persist", so maybe there's a certain amount of incentive to keep a lid on one's sanity-impairment.

HAHAHAHAHA. LOVE! And I kinda think most of the higher-ups just expect the prez to be a nutjob so they work around it. Romana of the Gallifrey audios is so much more interesting once you realize what she went through with the Daleks. And it also makes me even more convinced that she was President again during the Time War. After 20 years as their slave, I firmly believe she would be willing to wipe out her own people to prevent the Daleks from winning.