Doctor Who (2005) - first impressions
Come one, come all to the Pillow Fort as we travel across time and space! We shall explore planets, galaxies, universes yet unknown! All the while being cosy AF, wrapped in blankets, hugging plushies, and sipping tea. Today we are talking about Doctor Who. Specifically the first season of the revival with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper.
TW: an image displaying body horror
The only other season of Doctor Who that I’ve watched is the first one with Ncuti Gatwa. While I love him as the Doctor, the whole season felt kind of juvenile. However, I wanted to give it another shot, so I started watching the 2005 one at the start of December.
As of writing this, I’ve seen the first 3 episodes and I want to share how I feel about them, as well as cast some predictions for the season to see if any of them will be correct.
Rose
This was the best episode of the three, hands down. It had me hooked since the opening montage. Did the rapid transitions give me slight nausea? Yes, but I don’t care. It seems quintessentially British 2000s and I was here for it. So does Rose’s bedroom.
The immaculate vibes continue as Rose enters the basement. I was on the edge of my seat from the moment she is filmed through the dark corridor, which is seen in the picture below. It’s a great start of the sequence with how Rose is framed and the use of lighting.
The rest of the basement sequence is really suspenseful, and that suspense is not released until she is almost killed by the creatures that are after her. I knew she was gonna get saved, but even so, I was genuinely scared.
To keep it brief, let’s skip to the end. I feel like Rose is established as a smart, independent, and capable companion. This is proven by how many times in this episode alone she saves herself or someone else. As she herself says, had it not been for her, the Doctor wouldn’t have survived. Neither would anyone else on the planet. Her useless boyfriend surely wouldn’t help.
The scene where the TARDIS is disappearing and Rose is watching it happen with the wind blowing in her hair is perfection! The fact that she holding her boyfriend while he’s holding onto her for dear life cements her icon status.
My favourite quote from this episode comes from the last scene. Rose decides to go with the Doctor and this is how she says goodbye to her boyfriend:
Rose: Thanks.
Mickey: For what?
Rose: Exactly.
After saying that, she practically skips over to the TARDIS with the biggest smile on her face. Iconic!
The End of the World
Out of the three, this episode showcased how amazing Doctor Who can be when it taps into campiness. Sure, it imparts an important message but it does so with a healthy dose of humour.
I was excited to see Cassandra since she’s been impersonated on Drag Race UK recently. I think she was the perfect example of camp in the show. She was a woman who took the idea of beauty to extremes. Such a good example of the intersection of horror and glamour that queer people love. I also thought she was a fine villain and was quite surprised when it was revealed.
Cassandra is canonically trans. When I was watching the episode, it seemed like that was supposed to be a punchline or it was a way to highlight her changing her body so much. At least that’s what I expect since the episode came out in 2005. Regardless, she is a queer character which I found unusual for the time.
My favourite moment of the episode happened as Cassandra was gathering everyone to watch the Earth end. To mourn the planet, she played its “traditional ballad”. And it turned out to be Toxic by Britney Spears. Then there’s a high-stakes action scene where the Doctor is trying to save the space station from being incinerated, backed by this iconic track. I love it so much!
One of the things I highly dislike about The End of the World is the final scene where Rose and the Doctor are going for chips. There’s almost a flirty moment between them which grossed me out. I could say the same about the start of the episode, but this scene is a much worse offender. I really hope I’m wrong and I really hope there’s not some kind of romantic subplot with them. Just no.
To end on a positive; I really liked that we get to see so many alien people in this episode. One of my favourite things in an SF setting is seeing how the writers handle the world-building because the possibilities are endless. This episode planted the seeds for some great worlds and races. I hope we get to see a lot more.
The Unquiet Dead
I loved how suspenseful the opening scene of this episode was. It set the tone well for the rest of it. However, I don’t remember much of it other than the fact that it was spooky and the story was set up quite well.
I liked how they took the idea of ghosts, which usually leans towards fantasy, and made it science fiction. One of my favourite aspects, though, was the Doctor. In this episode we get to see him as a flawed being. His past gets used against him. The aliens knew exactly how to exploit it and he becomes the perfect tool in their hands. He even snaps at Rose and puts her down for having the worldview of a human, as opposed to one of a “higher cosmic being”.
This may be a common occurrence in Doctor Who, but to me it was refreshing. The Doctor was an asshole despite being seen as a hero. This was present in the other episodes, but not to this degree. I hope this becomes something the Doctor has to work on throughout the season and we get to see him grow and heal.
It was interesting to see neither the Doctor or Rose be right in this episode. Whereas the Doctor tries to impose his views on Rose, Rose tries to impose her views onto Gwyneth. While she has the best intentions, Rose ends up not allowing Gwyneth to make her own choice until she speaks up. The Doctor and Rose competed to make a decision for this girl, yet none stopped to ask what she wants.
I can’t really say much else about this episode. I liked it, but it wasn’t great. Peak creepy vibes but it probably won’t stay with me. It did make me spill my coffee with a jumpscare, though. And again, there is a flirty moment between Rose and the Doctor. I really hope it wasn’t that and I’m just reading into it wrongly.
That’s it for this trip across the universe, thanks for joining me! I will continue watching Doctor Who and possibly make a post once I have finished the season. Until then, I would love to continue yapping about it, so leave a comment if you want to. See you next time!
Sincerely,
Dorian
The blog’s header and the drawing featured atop this post were made by @ambybun on Instagram
The DVD cover featured on the drawing was made by me