Harry -
I will never, never, never forget my 30th birthday.
There I was, at my desk at work, clicking around the Internet. I randomly wandered over to the BBC news website, where the most electrifying headline of all time awaited.
The rest of the day must have passed in a daze. I have no recollection of how the rest of it went. I do remember emailing every human being I knew to share the incredible news. All that mattered that day was that DOCTOR WHO WAS COMING BACK.
Where were you when you heard the news?
Sarah -
I don't remember the exact moment, but I do remember the combination of joy and dread I felt. DOCTOR WHO WAS COMING BACK! But, wait, it came back before and it was amazingly disappointing. Would I get my hopes up just to have them crushed? Could I survive another Doctor Who disappointment?
Harry -
Two years later, we watched "Rose" with millions of other giddy Whovians.
Sarah -
And the sigh of relief was heard around the world! I'm pretty sure I held my breath for the first five minutes.
Harry -
Watching it again 11 years later, I remember the thrill of it all. Seeing the TARDIS again, being scared witless by the Autons again, marveling at this brash new Doctor, revelling in the story and the London setting and all the landmarks and the sheer modernness of it all. As the closing credits rolled, I sat there -- then as again now -- with a manic grin and tears, breathing the heavy breaths of someone utterly besotted.
Sarah -
I never get tired of watching "Rose". It's undoubtedly the new Who story I've watch the most and I love it more every time. The moment when the Doctor tells Rose to run is the moment when I knew everything was going to be ok.
Harry -
Russell T. Davies remembered all the hard lessons of the ill-fated "Movie", and used "An Unearthly Child" as his first episode template instead. Rather than drowning viewers new and old with a tidal wave of explanatory continuity, he made Rose the central character. Through her, we meet this strange man who calls himself the Doctor. She asks a lot of questions and the Doctor seems to know more than he's letting on, and he turns out to be an alien-fighting spaceman who travels in an amazing blue box. That's basically all we learned about him in the first episode in 1963 as well.
Sarah -
RTD made so many right choices with this episode. Rose was the perfect entry character for new viewers -- relatable, smart, funny, and ready for adventure.
Harry -
It was a great way to introduce new viewers to the show. For lifelong Whovians, there was enough continuity to reassure us that the show was in a reliable set of hands.
Autons! Freaking Autons from the word go! I loved it.
Sarah -
Starting with the Autons was a brilliant move. Its callback to "Spearhead from Space" was immediately reassuring for us old folks. At the same time, mannequins coming to life is a nightmare everyone can relate to, so there was no need for an info dump to explain them.
Harry -
Even when the Doctor got around to explaining the Autons, all he said was that they were plastic-based aliens looking for a new home after they lost their planet in "the war". Just enough info to move the story along, but also little enough to leave you wanting to know more.
But let's talk about the Doctor. The new Doctor! My mind was blown when they cast Christopher Eccleston in the role. A well known face from cinema, this was serious stuff. In this first story, he's not as dark as his image seems to have become over time. He's lively, witty, almost fun to be around! That is, when he's not dashing off to do something very important, leaving Rose trailing behind.
Sarah -
Eccleston's casting gave the series a credibility that I found reassuring and he lived up to my expectations. The Ninth Doctor is properly alien -- big ears and all.
Harry -
His clothes are very straightforward and nondescript. Black leather jacket, black trousers and boots, dark coloured jumper. Sometimes I have to look twice whenever someone cosplays the Ninth Doctor at Chicago TARDIS, he blends in so well.
Sarah -
The costume Colin Baker wanted! It's the least costume-y Doctor costume ever and a perfect no-nonsense outfit for a Doctor who has just come through a war.
Harry -
This Doctor is cool without being aloof, and makes an instant connection with Rose. Not so much with Mickey, who starts the story as the adorable boyfriend, but ends it as a gibbering wreck. Not TARDIS material, the Doctor decides.
Sarah -
Poor Mickey, so abused and unappreciated. He doesn't deal with the situation as well as Rose, but then, she wasn't swallowed by a trash bin and cloned as an Auton.
Harry -
Auton Mickey, however, may have been my favourite part of this story.
Sarah -
Right? And how clueless is Rose to not realized that something's a bit off with her boyfriend? Self-absorbed much?
Harry -
The Doctor confronts Auton Mickey, ripping his head off in front of horrified restaurant goers, and makes a run for the TARDIS. For the first time, we hear the TARDIS door squeak. I love that that sound effect has been there since day one. This sequence also gives Rose the opportunity to deliver her version of the classic "it's bigger on the inside" moment.
Sarah -
Rose running outside to make sure the exterior of the TARDIS is the size she thinks it is cracks me up every time.
When she reenters the TARDIS, Rose demands to know what happened to Mickey and the Doctor's reaction is so callous. I can imagine the First Doctor not sparing a thought for Mickey, but not any of his successors. In retrospect, it makes sense for a Doctor who has been through a war and it really emphasizes his alienness.
Harry -
Thanks to Steven Moffat, John Hurt and Big Finish, we have the luxury of a lot more Time War backstory to colour our interpretations of the Ninth Doctor's post-war adventures. Apart from that quick reference to the war earlier, he doesn't delve into it in this story. But it's clear that even without any backstory, he'd have no time for Mickey after that meltdown.
The Doctor traces the Nestene Consciousness to somewhere beneath the Thames. The London Eye (squee!) has been harnessed as a gigantic transmitter, allowing the Consciousness to trigger an Auton rampage across the city. This scene always stands out for me because of the London Eye, the Auton rampage, and the fact that most of this story takes place at night -- so many of my favourite things all at once.
When Autons seize the Doctor, Rose takes action and swings to his rescue. Her training with the Jericho Street Junior School under-7s gymnastic team paid off!
Sarah -
Rose's pep talk to herself before swinging on a rope is so endearing, as is her care of the rescued Mickey.
Harry -
I guess Mickey was destined from the start to be a character who wouldn't fit into the TARDIS mindset, and we'll see that played out for the next couple of seasons. Mickey will prove his mettle in the end, but let's not get too ahead of things.
Thanks to Rose's gymnastic skills, the Consciousness is wiped out by a vial of anti-plastic, and the Auton rampage is halted. Among the survivors is Rose's mum, Jackie Tyler. Hello Jacks!
Sarah -
But poor Doctor-hunter Clive has not survived the rampage. I couldn't help think of Whizz Kid, the last fan surrogate to be killed off. A moment of silence for Clive, please.
Harry -
I confess you did far better than me to remember his name. One thing I found odd in this story was that the Doctor had a moment when he spotted himself in a mirror and commented on his new face and ears, but Clive already had evidence of his appearances throughout time: the Kennedy assassination, the Titanic, and Krakatoa. This would imply that this Doctor has already spent a lot of time visiting different moments in the Earth's history. Maybe that's the first instance of timey-wimeyness we encounter in the new series. I don't know.
Sarah -
So, let's talk about Jackie. I know this is just the beginning of her arc, but I've always been bothered by the way she's portrayed. The script feels very contemptuous towards her and I can't help but think that it could have been handled better. Knowing she's just the first of many horrible mothers in RTD's era, I can't help but point in his direction on this one.
Harry -
I guess since RTD included Rose's family and friends in her story, he decided that Rose should come from a decidedly imperfect family. This would include the absent dad and the gossipy mum, but isn't every mum a bit gossipy?
Sarah -
Seriously, you’re going with “moms are gossipy?” Speak for yourself.
Harry -
Every family has its flaws and that's where RTD goes, instead of painting an idyll. I did laugh during the scene when the Doctor arrived chez Tyler and Rose presented him as someone from the inquiry to the events at the shoppe. He spots Jackie through an open doorway...
JACKIE: I'm in my dressing gown.
DOCTOR: Yes, you are.
JACKIE: There's a strange man in my bedroom.
DOCTOR: Yes, there is.
JACKIE: Well, anything could happen.
DOCTOR: No.
Sarah -
This is exactly the scene I hate. We know Jackie is being setup for future character growth, but the contempt she’s treated with by the script has always gotten under my skin. RTD has some seriously misogynistic mommy issues, which we’ll see over and over for the rest of his era.
There are also class issues playing out here. I've always felt that the script is dismissive of Rose's working class background, which is best illustrated by the way Mickey and Jackie are treated. Mickey and Jackie both have better days ahead, but I'll never be happy with their treatment in this first story.
Harry -
In just one episode of New Who, RTD has given a new companion more backstory than any previous. It was a deliberate move and represents a different approach to storytelling compared to the classic series. From now on, companions will do more than just ask pertinent questions and be there to be rescued, their lives will be part of the story.
Sarah -
The central role of companions is the most revolutionary aspect of Doctor Who's return. Making Rose the protagonist was brilliant and Billie Piper's performance made her immediately relatable.
Harry -
Back in 2005, I had no idea that Billie Piper was a young pop singer and that her casting in the new series was cause for consternation for some. I seem to recall Toby Hadoke's initial reaction was something like: "NOOOOO! THIS IS BONNIE LANGFORD ALL OVER AGAIN!"
But there was no reason to be concerned. Rose was great from the get-go. For new viewers and old, she created a character with whom we could explore the Doctor's universe together. And that slow-motion moment when she throws all caution to the wind and joins the Doctor in the TARDIS, it's magical. (It's also mind-blowing that we are writing about Billie Piper in the year 2016 and she's only 34 years old right now!)
Like I said above, watching "Rose" always leaves me with a manic grin and tears as the final credits roll.
And here we are, in the New Who era. A huge sigh of relief after the first episode, and eager to see the next one. Shall we see what surprises RTD has in store for us?
Best Line:
ROSE: So what you're saying is, the entire world revolves around you.
DOCTOR: Sort of, yeah.
ROSE: You're full of it.
DOCTOR: Sort of, yeah.
Favourite Moment: the Doctor is attacked by the Auton arm.
Lasting Image: the Doctor and the London Eye. It captured both the newness and the amazingness of the new series for me.
8/10 (although I probably gave it 10/10 on first viewing)
Sarah -
Best Line: Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!
Favorite Moment: The Doctor telling Rose to run.
Lasting Image: The Doctor and Rose running down the corridor.
8/10
Our marathon continues with Story #158: The End of the World...
