Doctor Who Series 1, Episode 1 "Rose" Review

 

The Doctor is back! It may not be plastic fantastic but it’s okay. 

Think back to March 2005, the beloved Sci-fi series from 1963 is about to hit our screens once more after 16 years. People from every generation are ready to see what The Doctor will face in his first outing of the new era. Here comes the classic monster, the Autons.

The episode opens with that nice shot of the Earth before zooming in on Rose (Billie Piper) waking up for work – this shot being one of the most realistic in the entire show. We have a fast-paced opening sequence that allows us to gain insight into our new companion’s life and it’s one of the things I appreciated most about the episode. Within the first few moments, we’ve met Jackie and Mickey alongside Rose. Already we know that these three will be who we fall in love with. As the action seems to slow, it picks itself back up as we meet the Autons and The Doctor himself. Rose and The Doctor soon get acquainted albeit by a plastic arm attacking them. This being one of the sillier scenes I feel were more targeted at younger viewers. This episode does this very often like when Mickey is turned into one of these monsters. How could Rose not realise and how can a bin burp as it swallows him? It’s all so childish, even for Doctor Who. However, I do try to remember it’s a family show… This episode just seems too silly on occasion. Eventually we meet the beast that is The Nestene Consciousness and, together, Rose and The Doctor save the day as shop window dummies begin their attack (pictured below):

Overall, this episode is a fast-paced roller-coaster ride of whimsy, thrill and fun. Despite its flaws, that is what Doctor Who is. Murray Gold shows us what sort of music we can expect from him and in this he doesn’t disappoint. He can make the most serene of scenes carry an atmosphere which is important to maintain their younger audience.

Of course, a lot was riding on the cast in this episode. They had to excel as they’re the ones bringing back this beloved science-fiction show… Christopher Eccleston made it work. He had the charm and humour we love to see in the role but in the blink of an eye could change to this dark and mysterious wanderer. He’s re-introducing himself to an entirely new audience, bringing The Doctor into the 21^st Century. He pulled it off, but I can only imagine the pressure he was under to succeed. The relationship created between him and Rose was one of the main plus points of the episode and appears to be something that Russell T Davies does very well. He can create relationships and families that we care about almost instantly, something I haven’t seen too often in the show. Having that grounded realistic family element makes it seem real and relatable which isn’t always easy with a science-fiction show.

As already mentioned, the episode did have its faults. I do feel it was pretty simple and the childish humour and effects were not my cup of tea. I could deal with the arm attacking them, but a growling dustbin burping as it swallows and creates a plastic Mickey? No, that’s not for me. The attack of Mickey pulled me away from the episode and the cheap jabs of humour made me cringe rather than giggle. I also thought the ending was rather rushed with the actual consciousness being in it for such a small amount of time and being killed by a little vial of anti-plastic seemed surprising and not in a super positive way.

However, despite its flaws, the episode was a rather solid start and brought back this beloved series with action, explosions, great characters and fun… Something I want in every episode of Doctor Who. It did shape a fun series and didn’t set the bar too high meaning you had to carry on watching to see what other treats were in store.

RANK: 6/10