Retrospective Discussion | Doctor Who (2005) | 1x13 "The Parting of the Ways"

Written by: Russell T Davies

Directed by: Joe Ahearne

The removal of the series from global streaming has unfortunately had the predicted effect on these discussions, so this will be a "parting of the ways" for this series, as well.

Hopefully we can pick up with series two in the not-too-distant future.

3 comments

I'm going to try something different this time and type out my thoughts in real time. That's sure to make them more coherent and less disjointed...right?
The effect of materializing the TARDIS around Rose is cool.
It's interesting that the Doctor talks about the Time War in somewhat abstract terms - it's his people that destroyed the Daleks - but the Dalek Emperor seems to lay the blame more squarely on the Doctor.
This is the first "Oncoming Storm" nickname. I'd honestly forgotten where it came from.
A little convenient that the Emperor's ship just happened to be the one that survived the end of the war.
The whole "we've been hiding on Earth for centuries" thing really makes no sense, and has no emotional resonance for me at all. We probably needed to see some of the humans they speak of being converted.
That said, a Dalek cult is a fun idea.
The sound mix is terrible, and I can barely make out the dialogue.
My library-issued DVDs are scratched, so I missed the scene where the Doctor tricks Rose into going home. From what I remember, it's pretty good.
The scene in the restaurant is great - I love Rose and Jackie's debate over whether the battle is happening 200,000 years in the future, or right now. And good on Mickey for helping Rose, despite the things she's saying about there being nothing for her in the present being incredibly hurtful. The scene where Rose tells Jackie she met Pete is also dynamite.
It's a lot of fun watching the civilians getting picked off. Waht can I say - I like these sorts of stories. RTD's bloodlust is in fine form here, and he gives each of them just enough characterization for you to give a damn, if only a little.
I wonder if there's an alternate universe - maybe the one in which Eccleston had stayed on - where Rose doesn't survive staring into the heart of the TARDIS, and regresses to an infant or something.
Billie Piper is decent as the Bad Wolf entity, but it's interesting to see the contrast between this and her second time 'round in "The Day of the Doctor".
Hey, who's this new guy? He'll never last.
This episode belongs to Christopher Eccleston, and he makes the most of it, running the full spectrum of the Ninth Doctor's emotions. He turns on a dime from despondent, to aloof, to furious, and everything in between.
And that's a wrap on series 1. I think it's a pretty mixed bag overall - they're definitely still figuring things out. But there are flashes of brilliance throughout. It's definitely not my favourite series, but Eccleston will be missed.
- The Doctor tricking Rose is a very well done scene. He acts as if he's just figured something out off the cuff of what Rose just said and then as Rose is kept busy in the Tardis he runs out and comes to an abrupt stop. It's a good subversion of the "doctor will magically solve everything" trope.
  I agree we needed a bit more from the Daleks being behind the scenes on earth. We get that from Rose/Bad Wolf's meddling in history, and the spreading of the message around, but we didn't really see much about what the Daleks really did throughout history. Which is odd because at one point we hear a human say they died off ages ago - so humans at this point in time know what Daleks are... but we the audience have no clue for the context.
This was a pretty good finale and a nice send off for 9/Eccleston. It wrapped up the various story threads fairly satisfactorily, it managed to be exciting enough, and there were plenty of jokes, meaningful choices, and good direction.
I like the Dalek emperor concept - a sort of napoleon complex megalomanic dalek that fancies itself as a god. The religious language feels very human, which helps to sell the corruption as one thats gone beyond just the basic biology. In a way, these Daleks are less Dalek than the Rose-Dalek we saw earlier in the series. Doctor's speech here is very good - at the core of hate there lies fear. Fear that you might become the thing you hate, or that you might have to face it, or that you may have to question your hatred. Eternally applicable message for the real world.
When the Daleks are invading the station, as pointed out, they have no need to go and kill the humans on level 0. They do it anyway - maximum cruelty is the point. Later Lynda in her safe bubble (though not as safe as Rose's) also meets the her cruel fate. The use of the slow-cutter-through-steel trope subverted by a silent extermination is an excellent piece of writing and direction. The idea that they're not just exterminating individually rather melting entire continents at once is horrifying.
This is really where Rose's feelings for the doctor turn into something beyond simple friendship. You can see it in the jealous look she has for Lynda-with-a-Y, and her later saying she has nothing left to live for in 2005. The doctor-initiated kiss scene still feels a little too early for the Doctor for it to be romantic, but it is a nice moment all the same, and it works in a breath-of-life metaphor kind of way.
On The Bad Wolf - this is a very nice wrapping up of the storyline as it mirrors well what the Daleks have done. They went through humanity's history and changed it to drive the outcome they wanted, which is exactly the same as what Bad Wolf did. It also sets up a character that gets to appear later on (and maybe a second time, depending on what the most recently finale meant).
Both the mid-episode goodbye and the final farewell are really very well done. Holo-doctor turning to face Rose is a nice touch. It could be programmed in, or her might just have known exactly how she'd react when recording it. 9's sorrow at not being able to follow on with Rose is a good lead in to her and 10's much closer relationship. 10's regeneration is nice, his spiky hair popping in was a nice touch, and Tennant looks so young here.
Nit pick: As much as I like the concept of the Dalek Emperor, its design is silly. It's totally impractical. Not a nit-pick for this ep, rather for the state of current TV: I remember when it was only ever at most a couple of months hiatus between a season and holiday specials. Not years-and-maybe-never.
Final remarks for 9s run: It was a good revival, as revivals go, and it definitely got the momentum going even if it had a couple of off moments. It is a pity that 9 never had longer to develop his character.