Rosa

"All roads lead to Rosa Parks."

Writers: Malorie Blackman & Chris Chibnall
Format: TV
Broadcast: 21st October 2018
Series: 11.03

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Montgomery, Alabama. 1955. The Doctor and her friends find themselves in the Deep South of America. As they encounter a seamstress by the name of Rosa Parks, they begin to wonder whether someone is attempting to change history...

Verdict

Rosa was a phenomenal episode of Doctor Who! Wow. This was easily the best episode of the Thirteenth Doctor's run yet and I think it is going to take something special to beat it. It was right up there with the very best historicals the show has ever offered and the power behind it was something else. It really was on another level. I liked the idea of the Doctor not quite yet having control over her TARDIS but I still have to say that the TARDIS interior hasn't quite grown on me yet. The setting of Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 was superb and having the Doctor and co meet Rosa Parks was wonderful. It really was quite magnificent and I loved the reactions of every one of the main cast when they found out who they had met. It was a beautiful moment. Ryan getting assaulted by a white man for merely returning his wife's glove set the racist scene of the episode perfectly and it was just such a shock to see it unfold so quickly. It really was striking and I liked the direction of that moment. Krasko was a decent enemy and his meddling with history was good. I did have my suspicions early on that he may be a modern incarnation of the Monk but instead he was just a criminal who had spent time imprisoned at Stormcage. The neural inhibitor in his head that prevented him from killing or injuring put the Doctor in a position of superiority which I loved and I thought Jodie Whittaker was really good once again. I liked that the Doctor and Graham got acquainted together a bit more in this episode and the scene where their hotel room was inspected by a policeman and the latter's story being that he was an inventor called Steve Jobs was quite hilarious. Ryan and Yaz had a lot to deal with in this episode given their skin colour and race and it was hugely powerful. You could see just how helpless the Doctor was and there was nothing she could do. Seeing Ryan sitting at the back of the bus was so powerful but it showed how times have changed in a major way. Ryan dealing with Krasko was good and the desperation of Yaz to get Rosa on the bus on time mixed with the Doctor, Graham and Ryan's attempts to get the bus full was excellent. The realisation that they had to stay on the bus was incredible though and the delivery of Rosa's refusal to give up her seat for a white passenger, along with the arrest, was sublime. The emotion in the reactions of Graham and the Doctor particularly were startling and will resonate with me for a long time. It was so powerful and I loved the reflective ending in the TARDIS where Rosa's achievements were celebrated. Overall, a stunning episode!

Rating: 10/10