Sets off the whole tone for the series, doesn’t it? Seems like they are always running.
Warning. There will be spoilers. But if that get’s you interested, then watch the episode!
Series 1 episode 1 of the New Who starts out aptly titled, “Rose.” This is there the characters are somewhat established. We meet Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), a young woman who had a job at Henrik’s until the store blew up (yep, Doctor was involved); her mother, who we later learn is named Jackie (Camille Coduri); her boyfriend, later named Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) ; and of course, the man in the leather jacket with the distinguishing ears himself, the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston). And it seems in every episode there is a distinct “Who are you?” “I’m the Doctor.” “Doctor Who?” “Just the Doctor” moment. I’ll try to remember to mark these episodes on a list.
Ahem, yes. I don’t want to give too much away here for those who haven’t seen it. Mainly, all you need to know is that it is a starting point. Even if you’ve watched all the old Who before you started New Who, this is the basic shake down. You have Rose, setting up to be the companion, then the Doctor himself. Rose’s Mum is portrayed as more of a clueless, nagging mother in this episode. I do believe she gets a little better as the series progress. She comes onto the Doctor, which is just weird and creepy, but the Doctor gives her a firm “no” without even really knowing what she’s going on about. Mickey tries to be the loving boyfriend, but really he’s more interested in the latest rugby match. (BTW, I love Noel Clarke. His twitter is one of the most entertaining I’ve read. He’s directed and won awards for his writing. Imdb.com is a wonderful source for more info on him and any of the other actors!)
What I find interesting is how clueless both the Doctor and Rose are within the episode. The Doctor identifies things in her apartment and then is attacked while Rose basically has a conversation with herself while fixing tea. Jackie comes onto the Doctor by saying I’m in my dressing gown, with a strange man in my room. The Doctor nods that her statements are correct, but when she says something to the extent that so many things could happen, he basically says no and moves on.
There’s banter in questions and logic between Rose and the Doctor throughout. Stuck in an elevator, Rose questions and the Doctor responds with more questions. They try to see each other through logic and some times it just matches up. Other times it leaves me (and Rose) going “Wha?” But they end up paling around with each other like they’ve known each other for years.
Rose finally asks the direct “Who are you?” The Doctor gets a bit cryptic with the whole “the earth spins and I can feel it” speech only to say, “Now forget me, Rose Tyler.” How are you supposed to forget that? It would do my head in to have that speech and then be told to go home! I’d be like, a little more detail, please? Especially after he’s held my hand for the second time in 12 hours and this time no running was involved!
Like all people in our generation, Rose heads toward the internet for answers on this mysterious man. After a few errors, typing Doctor Blue Box puts her face to face with a pixelated picture of the man who just told her to forget him. (Have you noticed Rose doesn’t listen yet? Keep this in mind. It has a lot to do with the running too.) Of course, she then goes to meet the man behind said website. And sees pictures going back to the 1800′s of the man she’s let hold her hand. I think that would trip anyone’s mind…
Strange things are happening to poor Mickey. And the first time I saw it, I thought “Well, that’s the end of that guy.” But I’ve seen the rest of the series. The CGI isn’t the best in the world, but then again, it seems like the BBC wasn’t giving the New Who a shot in hell. I promise you, they have done some improvements over the years. But then again, what’s sci-fi without dodgy CGI?
Well, that’s enough for this episode. Don’t want to give too much away. Come back next week and I’ll boot up episode 2. “The End of the World” Rose’s first off-world journey…..
