The End of the World

"You never take time to wonder the impossible. That maybe you survive."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 2nd April 2005

Series: 1.02

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis 

The Doctor takes Rose on her first voyage through time, to the year five billion. The Sun is about ti expand, and swallow the Earth. But amongst the alien races gathering to watch on Platform One, a murderer is at work. Who is controlling the mysterious and deadly spiders?

Verdict 

The End of the World is a very good episode of Doctor Who and I don't think it gets the credit it deserves on times. It's in an extremely important slot in the series and after all the hype that went with Rose, the first televised regular Doctor Who episode since 1989, what would happen second time around? Would the high ratings maintain beyond the first back? This episode does very well in attracting viewers to stay for the rest of the series. It's rather a daunting title wouldn't you say? For Rose's first trip in the TARDIS she sees the destruction of her home planet five billion years in the future! Surely the Doctor could have shown her something a little more comforting. I like Rose a lot better with the Ninth Doctor because things are still relatively new for her. She just enjoys her travels with this incarnation but following his regeneration, I think things become a lot more serious for Rose and she ultimately falls in love with the Doctor. Here though, he's still a stranger. Their arrival on Platform One was good with the introduction of the psychic paper in humorous fashion. The Doctor does know it all. Christopher Eccleston gives an outstanding performance as the Doctor, especially when recalling about the Time War. Although names weren't mentioned, we got everything that we needed. Gallifrey was gone. The Time Lords were dead. The Doctor was the sole survivor. Things would become a lot clearer in Dalek, but for new viewers who perhaps haven't watched Doctor Who before this gives a different edge to the hero of the series, especially seeing as this incarnation follows the War Doctor. He's living with the guilt of blowing up his entire planet which was actually reversed in The Day of the Doctor. I love the anger that Eccleston can bring to the character, but then he can contrast that with such huge emotion as seen with Jabe when he sheds a tear for his people. Jabe's death was difficult to watch but at least she died for a good cause, after revealing to first time viewers that the Doctor is a Time Lord. The number of alien species coming to witness Earth's demise was great though I can imagine it must have been quite overwhelming for Rose! She had the Face of Boe, the Moxx of Balhoon and Lady Cassandra! Upon first viewing I was quite surprised that it was the latter who was behind the sabotaging robot spiders. The last human? She was more like a trampoline. Rose calling her Michael Jackson was pretty amusing I must say. Out of all the new enemies that came during series one, I'm surprised that it was Cassandra that became the first recurring villain in revived Doctor Who. Or do the Slitheen get that honour? I'd argue that Boom Town is a sequel to their first story so it wouldn't quite count as recurring. I'll leave that to the technical people to decide. It's more surprising though that she's able to come back in New Earth given how she goes out here - literally with a bang. The Doctor has no sympathy for her trying to kill everyone in the Platform. He lets her expand and stretch until she just breaks. Everything has it time. After all the times saving Earth, I'm surprised that the Doctor just wants to kick back and see the show. He obviously knows everything has its fine but although it's not his home planet he shares great affection for it so it must have hurt a little to see it smashed to smithereens. The effects in this episode were very impressive I must admit and it shows how well technology has advanced and why the show will benefit from the newfound modernisation. It's a lot more action packed and with the new format the pace has quickened dramatically. Though, I don't doubt for one second that this story would have worked well in the Classic era because overall, it is fantastic. 

Rating: 8/10