Top Five Big Damn Hero Moments: Romana II (Doctor Who)

I love both Romanas so much. Romana II isn’t quite as chilly as Romana I, but she’s no less self-assured and capable in a crisis. Here are my favorite instances of her using her smarts and cool nerve to save the day (spoilers.)

Escaping the Daleks (Series 17, Episode 2 – “Destiny of the Daleks:  Episode 2”)

A big part of any companion’s function on the show is to get captured, and what they do in these situations is a major signifier of who they are. Romana, newly regenerated, almost immediately finds herself imprisoned by the Daleks. After getting through a terrifying interrogation, she’s put to work with other humanoids in hard labor. She’s determined to escape, but her fellow prisoners warn that, even if someone successfully gets away, five remaining captives are killed in retribution. So, instead of running, Romana plays a smart game that gets her out without endangering anyone else – she pretends to have died from the exertion of the labor and the planet’s radiation, using a trick of her Gallifreyan physiology to temporarily stop her hearts. The Daleks order her “corpse” carried away from the work site, and she’s home free!

Escaping the Huntsmen (Series 17, Episode 9 – “The Creature from the Pit:  Episode 1”)

Another capture bit – pound for pound, Romana’s “cool under pressure” attitude when captured is as impeccable as Liz Shaw’s. Here, she’s kidnapped by huntsmen and held for ransom. She quickly takes complete control of the situation, to the point where they sit and stand at her order, and she even makes them the instrument of her rescue – literally. She produces K9’s dog whistle, and when they puzzle over the object and Romana explains that “you blow into it,” they do just that, summoning the robot dog to come free his mistress. As Romana and K9 leave, she breezily tosses the exit line, “I hope we don’t meet again. I can’t honestly say it’s been a pleasure.”

Throwing the Switch (Series 17, Episode 15 – “Nightmare of Eden:  Episode 3”)

The Doctor is in the power room, readying to separate the two fused ships, and he needs Romana to operate the drive for him from the control room. As she prepares to do her bit, she’s first attacked by Rigg and then held at gunpoint by Fisk, but no threat or danger will keep her from doing what the Doctor needs her to do. She’s steely as she faces off against Fisk, calmly calling his bluff and throwing the power switch, then escaping in the resulting commotion. That’s my girl!

Communicating with the Professor (Series 17, Episode 22 – “Shada:  Episode 2”)

Clever Romana for the win (although, really, is there any other kind?) When Skagra leaves Professor Cronotis in a coma, Romana uses a Gallifreyan med kit to technologically take over his autonomic functioning, freeing up his autonomic brain for conscious thought. Despite being repeatedly told that the professor still won’t be able to communicate with them, Romana recognizes a way. She gets K9 to amplify the sound of the professor’s heartbeats and realizes he’s beating his hearts in Gallifreyan Morse. This allows them to receive the professor’s warning.

Escaping Her Captors (Series 18, Episode 7 – “Meglos:  Episode 3”)

The Gazteks nab Romana and demand that she lead them back to the TARDIS. After giving them quite the run-around and in general low-key acting like she has the run of the place, Romana sics some carnivorous flora on them and hightails it out of there. Nice way to see her use her own dangerous run-in with the plants earlier in the story to her advantage, and I love it when the Doctor and/or a companion is captured and still act like they’re the one holding all the cards. Both Romanas are basically the queens of this attitude, and I am here for it.

Favorite Characters: Romana II (Doctor Who)

You really can’t go wrong with Romanas.  True, we only see two incarnations of her on the show, but both of them are slamdunks.  And, just like with Doctors, both are very different from each other while still being recognizably the same Time Lady.

I don’t know how common a practice it is or isn’t on Gallifrey, but Romana is the only instance we really see of an elective regeneration.  When Romana I generates, there’s no indication at all that she’s near death, whether due to injury, age, or any other reason.  Instead, she changes bodies the way someone might change their hairstyle, on a whim and by choice.  She simply steps into the console room one day announcing that she’s regenerated.  Furthermore, she not only has control over what she looks like (taking on the form of Princess Astra, who she and the Doctor met a previous adventures,) she also seems able to try out several different appearances before settling into her permanent Romana II body.  Again, maybe a lot of Time Lords do this, but after having mainly seen the fatally-injured Doctor regenerate into bodies he has no say over, it’s interesting to see how coolly and casually Romana does it.

The new Romana is similar to the previous one in plenty of ways.  Her intellect is still the first thing you notice about her, although she mostly trades her psychological observations for scientific/technical knowhow – the woman even makes her own sonic screwdriver!  She also continues to have a high opinion of said intellect.  While not quite as imperious as Romana I, she definitely knows she’s the smartest person in nearly every room and isn’t shy about saying so.  I love the exchange in “City of Death” where Duggan says, “You know what I don’t understand?” and Romana simply replies, “I expect so”; best nonchalant burn ever!  Another similarity between the two Romanas is their tendency to be fairly cool under pressure.  When captured, Romana is as likely to give the baddies a withering side-eye as anything else.

But every regeneration, of course, has differences from the iteration that came before it, and Romana II is no exception.  To some extent, she feels like a reflection of how her time with the Doctor is changing her, because she picks up some more Four-ish traits with her regeneration.  She’s more adventurous, doesn’t take herself as seriously, and isn’t as much of a stickler for protocol/convention.  She’s a little more impish, with more of a mischievous glint in her eye and a bit more of a habit for stirring up trouble.  This can be seen even in her dress.  Like Romana I, she has a penchant for new ensembles, but while Romana I generally chooses the most fitting (and glamorous) outfit for the occasion, Romana II’s style is always a bit off the mark.  It’s just a little quirky, a little out of place – much more experimental and not so concerned with whether it’s “right.” 

All in all, it adds up to a somewhat looser, freer Romana very different from the one fresh out of the Academy who’d never left Gallifrey before.  Really, she’s something of a literal demonstration of how people are shaped and changed by their experiences and those around them.