Spearhead from Space |
BBC Rose |
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| Story No. | 161 |  |
| Production Code | Series One Episode One | |
| Dates | March 26, 2005 |
|
With Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper,
Camille Coduri, Noel Clarke Written by Russell T. Davies. Directed by Keith Boak. Executive Producers: Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Mal Young. |
| Synopsis: A young woman's life is turned upside down when she meets a mysterious stranger called the Doctor. |
'Hello. It's Rose' by Stuart Cottrell 29/8/09
I am ashamed to say that I was not one of the 10 million people who sat and watched Rose in March 2005; I think I got round to this episode sometime after the end of Series 2. I believe that this is the reason why my opinion on this episode differs to the majority. Maybe if it had been the first bit of Doctor Who I had ever seen, it would have thrilled me to bits. But it wasn't. And I found myself vaguely unimpressed.
It just seems a bit unfinished. It feels awkward watching it in some places. The long continued shot of the Doctor and Rose walking and talking is horrible; there's no flair or drama there at all, it feels dull. The domestic scenes are full of awkward laughter and shuffling about, feeling more like a Mike Leigh play than Doctor Who. And even when there are huge explosions going on, or the Doctor being menaced by Autons, the shots feel overlong and repetitive and unnecessary; it shoots the pace of the episode to bits. I abhor Murray Gold's score in this episode, it also feels awkward and inappropriate. Generally, the whole episode feels like it was made by a nervous, excited child, and judders and halts in the same way.
But there's no disguising the gems this episode holds. The opening 10 minutes are fantastic, creepy and exciting, creating tension and pace and real enjoyment. Our introduction to the Doctor is so quick and hectic that it leaves us feeling breathless and bewildered like Rose. The only problem is we slow right back down and never really build that same energy back again. Rose's entrance to the TARDIS is beautifully done, however; it's paced and scored well, and really feels like stepping into something new and exciting. The TARDIS interior is also fantastic, welcoming and warm whilst being completely alien and unknown. And, of course, the Autons themselves, who are astoundingly good. The brilliant creations of Robert Holmes are sinister when attacking Rose, and downright brutal and terrifying when they unleash in the shopping centre. The highlight of the episode is watching them smash through their glass and attack everything in sight; it's breathtaking to watch the destruction and the helplessness of everyone.
But the real gem of this episode is Rose herself. And really, this episode is all about Rose, it's only about Rose, its purpose is for the audience to meet Rose and for Rose to meet the Doctor. The character of Rose is crafted and presented to us is brilliant; she is the archetypal companion, and so she should be. She appears lost and bewildered for the first half hour, but she still acts bravely and honestly the whole way through. I'm on her side from the beginning. And there's no getting past it, Billie Piper is good, particularly good in this episode. She makes Rose very human and that makes her very endearing.
Christopher Eccleston is superb as the Doctor. He's a harsher Doctor, a much more isolated Doctor, and far harder to impress. If it had been Tennant, no doubt he would have gone out of his way to say how fantastic Rose was for noticing his shoelaces were undone or something, but Eccleston pushes Rose much harder, making both characters grow to a point where they quite conceivably can go and wander through time and space together, because they have the measure of each other. The chemistry between the two of them is excellent and Eccleston remains friendly yet enigmatically dark.
I am also a big fan of Jackie. I like her 1-dimension-ness in this episode; Camille Coduri plays her so well and she is great fun to watch. Mickey is rather annoying though. But then the two of them are supposed to be insubstantial, that's why Rose leaves them. Mark Benton as Clive provides the interest for me during those dull middle 15 minutes.
To me, this episode is a child, but that's only to be expected. It's a new series, finding its feet, struggling with production and tone, and all those things. There's minimal plot, the Nestene's naff, the music's irritating and I don't like the editing, but to be honest, so what? It introduces the Doctor, it introduces his world, it gives us the lovely Rose Tyler. It doesn't need to do anymore than that, but in places it does give more; comedic edge, threatening Autons. More importantly it makes us want even more, which is what a first episode should do.
Doctor. Check.
Rose. Check.
The start of something special. Check.
I am like everyone else then. I love it. And I love Doctor Who.
Hurrah... the Timelord has returned to our screens at long last! by Nathan Mullins 8/10/10
Rose was an episode highly anticipated by fans, awaiting eagerly for the new series of their beloved television show, Doctor Who to start. When I was little, I had all the old episodes, and used to watch them, nearly all the time. Then, when it was announced that the show might return, I became a fully fledged fan of the show. But I had seen many episodes when I was at the age of four, especially those that had Daleks in them, as well as the Cybermen, and the Autons. I have vivid memories also of the giant maggots and BOSS. My two brothers had collected many videos from the olden days, back in the 80's. Now, the show has come back and I have my very own Doctor, or should I say Doctors, and seeing the show continue has made me very happy indeed. Before the show came back, I knew quite a lot about the old show, that started all the way back in 1963, up until the very last episode, Survival. I genuinely knew a lot about the show.
When I sat down with my mum and my brothers to watch Rose, I was genuinely impressed. The show had been brought into the 21st century terrifically. We were first introduced to the character of Rose. Her backstory was that she lived with her mum, Jackie Tyler, at a South London flat, somewhere in the Woolworth Rd, that she had a boyfriend called Mickey, and that she worked in central London. Then, we had the scene where she had to find Wilson, and instead found the Autons, where she then met the Doctor, who then blew the shop she worked in to smithereens. When I read in the Radio Times that Billie Piper had been cast as Rose Tyler, I did not know whether that would be a good thing or not. I had been told she had been a teen pop star, and that the records she had made were all right, but weren't great. Then, I read the Christopher Eccleston had been cast as the 9th Doctor, and then I sort of stopped worrying. He looked all right as the Doctor, in my eyes, though I had a few issues with him. But they came later.
The Autons looked a lot different. To be honest, I thought that when I
first saw them in Rose and her boyfriend Mickey at first have a 'nice' relationship, but,
in later episodes, the relationship between them both has been ruined by
the Doctor, who took Rose away with him. The Doctor (9th), is, for me,
just above average. There were some things I didn't like about
Christopher's Doctor, and that was that he smiled a hell of a lot and,
most of the time, it wasn't necessary. But Rose carried half of the
episode. Rose was about that one character and the Doctor was put
on the sidelines, because Rose had to be introduced to a whole new
audience. Mmany of the viewers who tuned in were not fans of the show, and
so the show had to reintroduce the character of both the Doctor and his
companion.
Other than what I have mentioned above, I rather liked the TARDIS, and
that it had been given an update. It is supposed to look as though it were
organic, which I quite like, however Russel T Davies put me off a little.
His intentions for the updated version of the TARDIS were to have just the
console room, and not have any other unusual rooms, such as bedrooms,
bathrooms, a swimming pool, etc... Apparently, he wanted to move away from
a 'living quarters' completely.
Rose is a fantastic episode! Many of the episodes that followed
were great also, but Rose was something special. It reintroduced an
old foe, and did so superbly. Having the show back, being made by superb
showrunners, has made the show what it is: Saturday evening television
viewing. Just what the public ordered!