57. The Romans, Part IV: Inferno

Tavius is easily the most confusing character in this story. In the span of two or three episodes, he goes from gentle savior of downtrodden slave women, to sneezy oaf who keeps awkwardly whispering to the Doctor, to devious conspirator plotting to kill Nero, to early Christian martyr. I guess it’s helpful to writers and producers alike when you have a character who is a Swiss Army Knife of plot developments and you have to pay only one actor.

On the Christian martyr front, Tavius clutching a crucifix did seem unnecessary to the plot. It seemed like it could be explained only as an attempt by the writer to burnish his Christian credentials. Relatedly, I was perplexed in recent new Who – “Joy to the World,” specifically – when it turned out the Star of Bethlehem was now part of Doctor Who canon. But I guess that plot thread started with Tavius in this episode.

Also, Sevcheria was surprisingly easily killed. All it took was a split second of a torch in his face. I’m not saying that wouldn’t hurt, but immediate death seems unlikely.

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