56. The Romans, Part III: Conspiracy

I’m unclear whether Tavius is supposed to be a good-hearted slave purchaser – as he seemed to be when he took pity on Barbara and spent a lot of money on her – or a sneezy doofus prone to poorly planned conspiracies. I guess people can be complicated; maybe I shouldn’t overthink this.

I was a little disturbed by the camera starting out with an unnecessary closeup of Nero’s bare feet when he and the Doctor were in the sauna. Then I remembered that the implied imminent sexual assault of Barbara involving an extreme power differential is probably inherently more disturbing than some gratuitous feet pics. Dudes lusting after female companions does seem to be a through-line in classic era Doctor Who stretching from Barbara to Peri.

Ever wonder where THE Monty Python foot came from? | Tellyspotting

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