Doctor Who: Episodes 1 & 2 round-up
Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 07:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scarlettinaAs of last night I've received two e-mails and one phone call asking me why I haven't done a round-up on "Rose" and "The End of the World" yet on LJ. Guess it's time. ::grin::
Rose: As has been pointed out elsewhere on LJ (here, for example, and other places), this episode is not the strongest the series has to offer. It does a good job of setting up Rose's life: how she lives, who the important people in her life are, why running off with the Doctor is so attractive. But as a story by itself, it's not particularly compelling. Mickey, in particular, is shown in a pretty foul light, and the political implications of his cowering and relying on his white girlfriend for protection are rather distasteful (which has been discussed at some length on other Doctor Who discussion lists). Jackie's instant proposition to the Doctor makes a bad first impression as well. (In fact, Jackie comes off pretty badly all the way around, suggesting, at one point, the she looks young enough to be Rose's daughter; talk about a f*cked up and destructive perspective!) My only excuse for this episode (and not a particularly good one) is that many contemporary SF TV series start off slowly. I still can't watch the BattleStar Galactica miniseries that aired before the show became a staple of the SciFi Channel; puts me to sleep every time, which may be why I haven't cottoned to the show the way so many other folks have. (Please don't scold me about how I have to get up to speed on the current series. Renting the DVDs is already part of my plan for the summer.)
The virtue that this episode does have, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
markbourne pointed out to me, is that it does what Doctor Who has never done before: it introduces the idea that when a companion goes swanning off with the Doctor, there are repercussions from the decision for other people in her life (especially as it will be illustrated in episode 4, "Aliens of London"). I will also say that it does a nice job of setting up the flirtatious nature of the relationship between Rose and the Doctor. That last moment, when the Doctor invites Rose to come along with him, is just full of attraction and second thoughts and desire, which is part of what makes it so satisfying when he comes back and offers her the last temptation of time travel (oooh, there's a title for a fanfic if I ever saw one: "The Last Temptation of Rose Tyler").
The End of the World: The more I watch "The End of the World," the stronger an episode I think it is. In some ways, it's nothing more than an interpretation of "Ten Little Indians," but in other ways, it has an admirable depth that couldn't have been achieved without having seen "Rose" first. It achieves so many important things for the beginning of the series. It demonstrates to Rose that she really is entering a universe she never imagined. It shows her really thinking twice about her decision to just take off with a stranger based on little more than attraction and a vague idea about time travel. It shows the repercussions of leaving behind that which is known and familiar. It shows her just how dangerous traveling with the Doctor can be. It introduces the first mentions of the Time War, Gallifrey's destruction, and the Doctor's bone-deep loneliness and sadness.
For pure squee factor, I love the Doctor's flirtation with Jabe. She's beautiful and, one gets the impression, brave and intelligent. I'm so sorry we won't get to see more of her because she would have been a wonderful recurring character. I also love the fight that Rose and the Doctor have in the private gallery about him telling her who he is, and concludes with the conversation about the cell phone, jiggery-pokery and ballyhoo. For their differences, these people genuinely like each other, enjoy each other. And I just love-love-love Lady Cassandra, that bitchy trampoline. What a brilliant concept she is, and how entertainingly executed!
So, folks: Thoughts, comments? Discuss!
Rose: As has been pointed out elsewhere on LJ (here, for example, and other places), this episode is not the strongest the series has to offer. It does a good job of setting up Rose's life: how she lives, who the important people in her life are, why running off with the Doctor is so attractive. But as a story by itself, it's not particularly compelling. Mickey, in particular, is shown in a pretty foul light, and the political implications of his cowering and relying on his white girlfriend for protection are rather distasteful (which has been discussed at some length on other Doctor Who discussion lists). Jackie's instant proposition to the Doctor makes a bad first impression as well. (In fact, Jackie comes off pretty badly all the way around, suggesting, at one point, the she looks young enough to be Rose's daughter; talk about a f*cked up and destructive perspective!) My only excuse for this episode (and not a particularly good one) is that many contemporary SF TV series start off slowly. I still can't watch the BattleStar Galactica miniseries that aired before the show became a staple of the SciFi Channel; puts me to sleep every time, which may be why I haven't cottoned to the show the way so many other folks have. (Please don't scold me about how I have to get up to speed on the current series. Renting the DVDs is already part of my plan for the summer.)
The virtue that this episode does have, as
markbourne pointed out to me, is that it does what Doctor Who has never done before: it introduces the idea that when a companion goes swanning off with the Doctor, there are repercussions from the decision for other people in her life (especially as it will be illustrated in episode 4, "Aliens of London"). I will also say that it does a nice job of setting up the flirtatious nature of the relationship between Rose and the Doctor. That last moment, when the Doctor invites Rose to come along with him, is just full of attraction and second thoughts and desire, which is part of what makes it so satisfying when he comes back and offers her the last temptation of time travel (oooh, there's a title for a fanfic if I ever saw one: "The Last Temptation of Rose Tyler").The End of the World: The more I watch "The End of the World," the stronger an episode I think it is. In some ways, it's nothing more than an interpretation of "Ten Little Indians," but in other ways, it has an admirable depth that couldn't have been achieved without having seen "Rose" first. It achieves so many important things for the beginning of the series. It demonstrates to Rose that she really is entering a universe she never imagined. It shows her really thinking twice about her decision to just take off with a stranger based on little more than attraction and a vague idea about time travel. It shows the repercussions of leaving behind that which is known and familiar. It shows her just how dangerous traveling with the Doctor can be. It introduces the first mentions of the Time War, Gallifrey's destruction, and the Doctor's bone-deep loneliness and sadness.
For pure squee factor, I love the Doctor's flirtation with Jabe. She's beautiful and, one gets the impression, brave and intelligent. I'm so sorry we won't get to see more of her because she would have been a wonderful recurring character. I also love the fight that Rose and the Doctor have in the private gallery about him telling her who he is, and concludes with the conversation about the cell phone, jiggery-pokery and ballyhoo. For their differences, these people genuinely like each other, enjoy each other. And I just love-love-love Lady Cassandra, that bitchy trampoline. What a brilliant concept she is, and how entertainingly executed!
So, folks: Thoughts, comments? Discuss!
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Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 05:45 pm (UTC)Like Dr. Who and Stargate LOADS better -- but no one can fault BSG for their acting -- there's some stellar, if a bit more gritty than I tend to like my sf serials, work :>.
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Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 07:11 pm (UTC)Excellent! Looking forward to your commentary.