Rose

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!"

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 26th March 2005

Series: 1.01

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

When Rose Tyler meets a mysterious stranger called the Doctor, her life will never be the same again. Soon, she realises that her mum, her boyfriend, and the whole of planet Earth are in danger. The only hope for salvation lies inside a strange blue box...

Verdict

Rose was an excellent episode and it really is a fantastic way to bring Doctor Who back to our screens on a regular basis after a 16 year hiatus. I think I may have preferred things if Paul McGann reprised his role as the Eighth Doctor for the reboot but I can see why Russell T Davies opted for a new incarnation. I do wish that we saw the regeneration however in the pages of DWM and I still can't believe they turned that opportunity down! Obviously, it allowed us to have The Day of the Doctor but a comic strip regeneration would have been something amazing. The episode obviously sees a lot of firsts with a new Doctor, companion, opening credits and TARDIS interior. I like how the Doctor is kept quite a mystery to the new viewers that would have been watching Doctor Who for the first time and we really don't get to learn a great deal about him. We hear the Nestene Consciousness mutter that he's a Time Lord and he does confirm himself that he's alien, but despite the bigger on the inside time travelling spaceship, we don't know much about the northerner. I think the format decided upon really does modernise the programme and a 45 minute single episode (most of the time) really does add excitement to the story. It's fast paced and with the array of special effects now available, Doctor Who really was brought into the 21st century with this episode. I think it's great how we see the companion first. The focus is all on Rose and it's clear from the start that we're going to be introduced to the Doctor through her perspective. A clever move for new fans I think. I'm not a fan of meeting the companion's family and boyfriend even if Mickey is important to the plot. The moment the Doctor was standing in Jackie's bedroom was pretty funny though I must say! I liked how despite this being a debut for a whole new generation, there was still a blend of the Classic era in the episode. We had the return of the Autons controlled by the Nestene Consciousness and we have the looming presence of the TARDIS. The relationship between the Doctor and Rose was excellent and you could see that despite the quarrelling they were going to get along magnificently. The Doctor referencing what we'd later learn to be The Time War was intriguing and it also makes me wonder how many other planets and races were affected by a war between the Time Lords and the Daleks. The Doctor acknowledging his apparently newly regenerated body for the first time was great. Though I do think it was a good idea to depict this incarnation as having previous adventures - just without seeing a mirror obviously! Clive was fantastic and I liked his theory on who the Doctor was. The fact that shop window dummies came to life is a massively frightening one and shows that danger just about lurks everywhere. The moment where Rose pointed out the London Eye as the transmitter was wonderful. I think that was the moment she became companion. Either that or the moment she fell back on her previous gymnastics and heroically saved the Doctor and allowed the anti-plastic to destroy the Consciousness. I really liked the end scene with Rose initially saying no to the Doctor's offer before accepting after he returned to tell her it travels in time. So there we are, an Auton invasion thwarted and a new Doctor and companion introduced. Not bad for the first episode of a debut season! The first in 16 years! 

Rating: 9/10