The Parting of the Ways pt 2 S01E13

 

1. Summed up in one sentence

The one in which the ninth Doctor makes us all cry a lot because we love him so much.

2. The Doctor 

He goes through a lot of changes in this last episode, and I do mean more than in the physical regeneration way. This entire season has been a journey of transformation for him, starting from the moment he met Rose. Though all the Doctors have very similar core personalities and behaviors, Nine is on the serious, guilt ridden, and combative side of the spectrum. He was just heavy, despite his delightful moments  of humor and whimsy. But Rose helped both his hearts to soften and lighten, giving him someone to believe in and care for and love. 

We see his final moment of metamorphosis (before the literal one that is) when the leader of the Daleks asks the Doctor if he is a killer or a coward, because the Doctor has the choice to kill the Daleks, but it also ends up killing humans too, or allowing the Daleks to live so they can transform the humans into Daleks. The Ninth Doctor isn't too far removed from his military past, holding and wielding a variety of weapons in the course of this season. But in the moment of this question, he takes his hand off the trigger and replies, "Coward. Coward any day." He's seen and inflicted enough death, but instead now wants to focus on keeping things alive, the way he's desperate to keep Rose alive.

With his inner change complete, just seconds before his regeneration, we see his moment of healing when he's finally able to admit that he is good, and does so much good.

I really can't think of any better last words for Nine. 

3. The Companions

And here we have Rose, finally coming to terms with who she is and what she wants in life, and is able to finally communicate that to her mom and Mickey. She doesn't love the Doctor just because he has cool toys and takes her to cool places. She doesn't love him because he saves her from a boring monotonous life. She loves him and wants to be with him because he teaches her how to better live life. She's finally able to realize this herself, as well as articulate it to her loved ones. Rose has scenes with Mickey and her mom individually where she's able to convince them that this isn't just fun for her, but her being with the Doctor is how she wants to live her life and grow as a person. Both Mickey and her mother are convinced, and do everything they can to help Rose get back to the Doctor. Doesn't mean they won't ever complain about her being with the Doctor ever again, but they know that standing on Rose's side means standing with the Doctor as well.

Not only that but she gets to be her bad ass Bad Wolf alter ego! And it was her actions as Bad Wolf that literally brings the biggest changes of all to her Doctor.

I explain.

I've seen a fan of the show identify what element each Doctor was born in as they regenerate (so I cannot claim this awesomeness as coming from my brain). But this fan claims that Nine was born from war, while Ten was born from love. And when I saw that I thought, "Aw, that's nice and makes sense." But as I watched the finale of season one, I realized just how literally true it is. Because we've got Rose, who while want's to save humanity, is mostly motivated by her love for the Doctor so she can save him. The way she does this is by forcing the TARDIS to open so she could absorb the time vortex energy, hence becoming Bad Wolf, who travels back through time and space to the Doctor, and eliminates all the forces threatening the Doctor's life. 

Of course she can't handle this power for very long because she's only human, so the Doctor in turn takes the power back from her and absorbs it himself. He not only absorbs the time and space vortex, but he absorbs Rose too, her love. And even though he's a time lord, he's not able to hold all this energy for long either, so it brings about his own death, and the birth of another.

4. The Villain

Though there are many more awesome villains in the Whoverse than the Daleks, the Daleks are the only ones who are able to get as personal with the Doctor and get under his skin because of their shared history in the Time War and whatnot. So it makes sense to have them here at the climax of the entire show while there's so much at stake for the Doctor. It is kind of a cool twist this time around for the Daleks because they are breeding new Daleks from the dead bodies of humans. Because of this, the Doctor points out that they're kind of insane, even for a Dalek, and are driven by a hate for their own existence, which makes them even more dangerous, so says the Doctor. 

5. The Score

8/10

Despite the messiness of the previous two episodes due to the attempt to bring back so many elements from the season for the finale, the very final episode is clear, succinct, and moving. 

6. The Very Whoiest Moment

Besides the part I already mentioned about the Doctor choosing to be a "coward" over a killer, I really like Rose's monologue to Mickey and her mom when she is starting to realize why the Doctor is so important to her:

ROSE: It was a better life. And I don't mean all the traveling and seeing aliens and spaceships and things. That don't matter. The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You know he showed you too. That you don't just give up. You don't just let things happen. You make a stand. You say no. You have the guts to do what's right when everyone else just runs away!

And with that, be bid a fond farewell to season one, and to Nine.

And hello to someone altogether new . . . . 

But first, I'm taking a well earned break before I tackle the next season. So, see y'all later!!!