1. Summed up in one sentence
The one in which Rose has the Doctor so whipped that he sacrifices himself and all of existence just so Rose can spend some time with her dad.
2. The Doctor
As previously mentioned, the Doctor is from this point forth, henceforth and forever whipped by Rose. He wants to be mad at her. He really, really does and actually tries to throw a tissy fit just to demonstrate to her how very much not whipped he is.
But he is.
A lot.
Helplessly so.
Pathetically so.
The Doctor was well in his right to feel used by Rose when she makes the request to go back in time to when her dad died so she could be with him, but saves him instead. The Doctor points out that Rose didn't decide to join the Doctor when he said the TARDIS traveled through space. She ran to him after he mentioned it traveled back in time, and she admitted that it was always in the back of her mind up to this point.
But he discovers fairly quickly that he is indeed whipped and is unable to save the universe due to his whippedness. I love the scene where Rose is in her parents' house after she saved her dad, and she is just so elated that she actually has a dad now, going around the room, looking at the trophies and photos and other evidence of his life, all the while she is ignoring the look on the Doctor's face. He looks like he just fell into a deep dark hole and is viewing Rose for the first time. He looks betrayed. Scared. Like he doesn't even know her anymore. And like he knows deep down he brought this all on himself.
3. The Companions
Rose also seems aware that she does, indeed, have the Doctor whipped. When he storms out with threats of leaving her there forever, she says that she isn't afraid of him. That she knows he's sad, implying that he would never leave her because she knows she is all he has. It's a low blow for her. She's lashing out, just as the Doctor is. She seems to know, deep down, that she has made a mistake in saving her dad. As happy as she wants to be about it, she senses that it isn't right, but she's far from admitting to it at this point in the episode.
I'm including her dear dad as a companion. Even though Rose also sees her mom in this episode, she's mostly sticking to her dad's side, as if she knows she's on the verge of losing him again. But as she sticks close to him, she realizes that her parents' marriage wasn't at all what she imagined. Nor is her father for that matter. Her mom made him out to be a successful business person, but Rose sees that he's just taking odd jobs to keep money coming in. Rose sees firsthand the rose tinted glasses people view and talk about the loved ones that have departed. Rose didn't see any love between her parents, which unnerved her because her mom always spoke about her dad with such affection.
Her dad is much smarter and braver than he initially seems. He catches on that Rose is his daughter from the future, and that in order for the chaos to stop, he needs to experience the death that his daughter saved him from.
4. The Villain
The big baddie itself is a pretty cool concept. The Doctor referred them to as a bacterial infection that showed up in the wound, caused by Rose changing her father's fate. They're pretty freaky looking too, considering the show's budget. They're these pteranodon-like creatures that fly around and suck up everything in their path.
But you could argue (especially if you're pretentious like me) that Rose is the real villain here. But it's difficult to say that because you can feel exactly where she's coming from. If you had a chance to change the fate of someone you loved, it would at the very least be very tempting to step in. And it's not like Rose had any idea that her actions would cause such consequences in time and reality! It's no wonder at all how she has the Doctor so whipped, even in the face of the destruction of reality.
Look at those eyes! And those pouty lips!!!
5. The Score
8/10
There have been pretty great episodes so far, but when I first saw this episode, I knew this show had heart. It took the time travel storyline we've all heard before, of the person that goes in time to save someone's life, only to find out it's not possible, that despite their efforts, that person dies anyway. But this story is so much more heartbreaking because Rose is actually successful at first. She gets to see the beginnings of a new fate for her family. She sees this, and has to witness all fall away. SO. DAMN. GOOD.
6. The Very Whoiest Moment
This was a hard one for me, but I forced myself to pick one. It was fun to see Rose meet her dad for the first time, but it was also neat to have her meet her mom in this time. We know Rose and Jackie have a tight relationship, so it's such an unreal moment when Jackie really looks at grown Rose for the first time, and that flash of realization comes to her eyes, that yes of course this is her daughter.
Well done, show. Very cool.
I was intimidated by this episode, so I'm glad I got this done. I'm beyond excited for the next one!
PS- I apologize for all the whips . . . . I'll try not to say that word again, for like, I don't know, a really long time.
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