So here I am, about to start my 8th watch-through of the greatest show in all of time and space. One of the reasons I love this show so much is because it has such a high replay value. I've seen the entire series 7 times prior to this, and I still can't get enough! Every time I watch an episode over again, I gain something new from it, some insight into a character or his/her motivations, why they are the way they are, etc. I also gain a new appreciation for characters that I might not have liked so much in previous watch-throughs (*cough*Martha*cough*). Let's embark on this adventure together, shall we? Let's take it back to the Doctor that started it all for the people in my generation: The 9th Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston (who I wish could have had a longer run as The Doctor, because he was…FANTASTIC!). I'm basically just going to be watching the episode and typing my thoughts in this entry as they come along, so this won't be a typical review, I suppose…but I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless. I think I hear the TARDIS whooshing in now, actually!
Most people would criticize the first episode (and much of the first series, really) and complain about the low quality of the special effects or the dialogue or the acting, etc., but every time I re-watch it I just love it even more. A lot of people, when they try to introduce newcomers to Doctor Who, advise them against starting out with the first series from 2005 because they worry that the newcomer will not truly become invested in Doctor Who after the first few episodes, but I'm that guy who always tells people to start out at the beginning so that they can understand the whole picture. I love this beginning sequence, where it shows Rose waking up to her alarm and then rushing to work, and all the while this sort of "busybody" music is playing in the background. I feel like it truly shows just how dull and routinely normal Rose's life was before she met The Doctor, which is a very important thing to note, as this is the common theme that all of The Doctor's companions share (at least, from the 2005 series onward). Then, the "busybody" music comes to an abrupt halt as the elevator door opens, foreshadowing the end of Rose's routine normal human life, as her world is about to change forever in just a few moments.
Oh, Rose…of course you would think that an animated plastic mannequin walking toward you is some kind of joke that people are trying to pull on you. I remember the very first time I saw this scene play out back in 2005 thinking how dumb Rose must be to not understand that there is imminent danger heading her way, but now, after having re-watched the episode 7 times, I can understand why Rose's first thought would be that it's all just some joke. I mean, she had been living a perfectly normal human life prior to this point, with nothing out of the ordinary happening to her. Of course her puny little human mind at the time couldn't possibly comprehend the reality of what was going on right in front of her! So she tried to explain it away by thinking that it was just some prank. It's kind of like how we always see those "scary prank" videos that go viral online, so we kind of have this expectation that when something scary or freaky happens to us, it'll probably be just someone out for a laugh.
And there it is! The hand hold that will forever change the life of Rose Tyler…the very first hand-grab-and-run that we see, something that will end up becoming quite the habit of The Doctor in the coming series. I get so happy whenever I see this because I can't help but wonder how I would handle being in such a situation.
Here we get our first brief glimpse into the The Doctor's quirky charm, as well as an idea of how he's come to see the Human race after he became hardened by the Time War (when he tells Rose to go home and have her beans on toast, it's in a somewhat condescending tone, as if to say "that's what you humans do, right?").
This is the very first time we are treated to a glimpse of the TARDIS, The Doctor's time machine and spaceship. First time viewers won't quite get the excitement I have whenever I see this scene, since they have no idea what is to come as the series moves along, but man oh man, I can't help but feel a sense of exhilaration whenever I see this scene because I know all of the adventures they're about to have in that little blue box!
Further confirmation that The Doctor currently kind of looks down on the Human race. He sort of considers himself the center of the universe, and that playful little exchange between him and Rose where he smiles and says "Sort of, yeah" to her questions shows this. I love this scene in particular because, even though this is a science fiction show, this part, I kind of felt, is somewhat of a social commentary of contemporary society in today's world. The next line after the one in the screenshot is "When all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on." We're so caught up in our daily routines, so focused on making a buck in order to stay afloat, that we completely ignore the fact that there is indeed a war going on underneath it all (and I'm not talking about any wars in the Middle East, either). He tells Rose that "They" want to overthrow the Human race and destroy us, and then asks her if she believes him, to which she answers no. Then he says "But you're still listening." Likewise, in real life, when we are presented with information that seems far too outlandish and absurd to be true, our first instinct is to deny it or not believe in it, but many people still listen, keeping themselves open to whatever slight possibility there might be that what we're being told/shown is actually true. Such moments of subtle social commentary in Doctor Who is one of the many reasons why I love this show so much.
In this scene, Rose has decided to go and do her own research into The Doctor, and it led her to Clive, who has apparently been digging deep to try to figure out who The Doctor is. I like this scene because I feel like it's very true to real life. When we are presented with information or a situation that we find hard to believe or accept, we tend to either dismiss it completely or look into it further, and Rose has chosen to look into it, going as far as meeting up with a complete stranger who seems to know a lot more about it than she does. Similarly, in real life, we seek the company of those who can shed some more light on the new information we have been exposed to.
This is one of the low-quality, cheesy special effects that I mentioned earlier which people have criticized in their justification for wanting to skip the first series. It's also a moment that perfectly exemplifies the old adage, "curiosity killed the cat."
This is the moment when everything that Rose has been exposed to so far is about to be blown out of the water by this latest shocker as she steps into the TARDIS for the first time ever. I really love this scene, not only for its historical value (the first time that people in my generation have watched a new Companion's reaction to being taken inside the TARDIS), but also because it makes me think about how I would react in her shoes, if all my life it's been nothing but normal mundane human life, and then one day I'm presented with a big blue box that ends up being way bigger on the inside…would I believe what I'm seeing, touching, would I think that I'm just dreaming? Or would I jump straight into the heart of adventure without a second thought? As for Rose, she jumps in, takes one look at the interior of the big blue box, stares in disbelief for a moment, and then runs right back outside because she can't quite process what it is that she just saw.
This is a great scene, because it shows first time viewers exactly what kind of person, what kind of hero, The Doctor is. Rose tells him to tip in his anti-plastic so they can leave, and he tells her that he's not there to kill it, he's got to give it a chance first. That's the kind of man The Doctor is, he wouldn't just kill something even if it's done a lot of bad, he wants to give it a chance to change and grow from the experience.
But he certainly knows how to command an audience and maintain control of the conversation. The Doctor goes on to say something that reveals his deeper love for humanity and its potential for greatness: "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk. But they're capable of so much more." And then we learn about the magnitude of the Time War and how it destroyed many worlds, and we get a glimpse of the enormous guilt that The Doctor carries for it because he feels like it was all his fault.
This is the defining moment in Rose's life, the moment when she realizes that she's lost her job and has no future, but she isn't useless because she can help The Doctor. This is the moment when Rose Tyler answers the Call of Destiny and leaps in to save The Doctor (and the world) by swinging over and knocking the auton holding the vial of anti-plastic into the Nestene Consciousness and killing it, providing The Doctor with enough of a diversion for him to be able to break free from the other auton. She swings back and The Doctor catches her, and they escape with the TARDIS and Mickey.
And so we arrive at the final scene of the very first episode of Doctor Who that most kids in my generation got to see, the episode that started it all (for us, anyway). This is where The Doctor offers the Companionship to Rose Tyler but Mickey does his pathetic little lost puppy whimpering thing and Rose decides not to go. The Doctor says okay, backs into the TARDIS, and phases away. Rose is left with a look on he face that just screams "Did I really just turn down the opportunity of a lifetime, my one shot at finally getting away from all of this pointless drudgery?" After a few moments, Rose picks Mickey up and they start to walk away from the scene. The TARDIS comes whooshing back in, The Doctor opens the door and pops his head out, and says the magic 11 words that finally convince Rose to rush in full speed ahead: "By the way, did I mention? It also travels in time." He backs into the TARDIS again, but this times leaves the door open, as if he already knew that Rose would not be able to resist that. She turns around to Mickey, says "thanks," Mickey asks "thanks for what," and she replies "exactly" before kissing him on the cheek and running straight for the TARDIS as the theme starts to play.
Like I said earlier, this is a pretty important episode of Doctor Who, and I'd never suggest that anyone ever skip it or the rest of the first series. You can't get the full picture of who The Doctor truly is and why he does the things that he does or why he is the way that he is, without understanding all of his past interactions and relationships with his Companions. Luckily for my generation, Russell T. Davies managed to reboot the series in a manner where we, the new generation of viewers, don't necessarily have to see all of the Classic Who episodes to understand who The Doctor is (though I'd highly recommend that as well if you consider yourself to be a true Doctor Who fan; I'm working through the second season of William Hartnell right now, myself). Thanks for reading. See you the next time the TARDIS whooshes in!
