JFC WHY DID I NEVER WATCH THIS SOONER? I am in love with the ridiculousness. I was HOWLING when that spider robot thing just casually pressed on the keyboard and lowered the sun filter, then that dude was like "SUN FILTER NOOOOOOO!" and made the most hilarious face. This is camp in all the right ways (though maybe that's just because it's super dated at this point). That woman who is just a stretched-out piece of skin is my spirit animal. And my jaw dropped when they played Toxic to watch the end of the world.
This show is beautiful. 9/10.
The End of the World is such a fantastic episode. 9's character is really defined here. His comedic timing, his sorrow, his rage, his trauma, his empathy. It's all on display here and done brilliantly by Eccleston.
I especially loved 9's interactions with one-off side character Jabe. They had fantastic chemistry and seeing 9 play off of a more knowing, older character with knowledge of the wider galaxy was so fun and especially allowed us to access more of 9's history. I long for an alternate version of series 1 that saw Jabe joining him and Rose on the TARDIS because that would have been such a fun dynamic
Cassandra made her mark as a villain, cementing her status with the iconic "Moisturize me line" and Rose's moments of reflection and existential crisis were a nice contrast to her excitable youthful personality adding some dimension to her character.
While The End of the World probably isn't technically underrated I still don't think enough people talk about how absolutely fucking brilliant it is. What a perfect follow up to the pilot.
Observations:
First appearance of The Face of Boe, Cassandra - the last "pure" human
First time referencing Galifrey and Timelord
First time referencing how aliens seemingly speak English, but really it's the Tardis
Earth dies 5 billion years in the future
Villain: Little spider robot things, Cassandra.
:white_check_mark:78% = Great! = Strongly recommended!
Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a a time! This time, a talking iece of skin, funnily named aliens and air from the Doctor's lungs.
The episode kicks off with a wonderful tonal shift from the Doctor showing off his TARDIS manoeuvring skills (like the romantic he is!) to him and Rose marvelling at the morbid beauty of the Earth dying far away in the future.
The End of the World is a monumental episode in the revival. It shows the 21st century potential of future-set space stories with alien characters and further explores the Doctor's past, his current emotional state, and his modus operandi, while painting a very fascinating and slightly silly picture of our solar system 5 billion years from now.
Rose is wisely at the centre of the story, allowing us to explore this strange place and time alongside her, all the while remaining curious about the Doctor and his mysterious past. I love how she questions the Doctor and is rightfully on her guard, which makes her more relatable, while giving the story a reason to reveal new sides of the Doctor as well.
These aliens and their strange ways and gifts are silly enough to come across as perfectly belivable in the far future. The chief of these is the last human, the talking piece of skin, which is Lady Cassandra. She really shouldn't work as well as she does, but Zoë Wanamaker makes her aboslutely creepy, fascinating, and memorable, and her "Moisturise me!" catchphrase is the first classic villain quote of the new series!
Jimmy Vee makes his first of several appearances on the show, this time as the Moxx of Balhoon, while Yasmin Bannerman's Jabe, a lovely tree alien character, truly brings out the Doctor's emotional side (and her sacrifice in the end always feels so wrong).
The season will reuse the rather simple space station set a few times, and while the VFX is showing its age, the practical make-up effects still look wonderful. I appreciate the light and colourful take on a space station, which is a refreshing change from the usual metallic, grey, and cold. I also really love the soundtrack, from the classic pop beats to Murray Gold's sweeping melodies.
The scene with the Doctor saving Rose from the descending sun filter and the one where he has to avoid the rapidly spinning fans are the standout action moments, but other than that, the highlights of this epiode lie in the more dramatic scenes that explore Rose and the Doctor as characters. The basic threat is pretty simple and not particularly interesting (this is the second episode in a row where the threat takes the backseat), even though it makes Cassandra easy to dislike.
The moment of Cassandra exploding in the Doctor's and Rose's faces is actually a pretty morbid moment and shows the darker side of this Doctor (as he refuses to help her, despite Rose's pleas). And the last scene is another beautiful emotional moment, something that RTD truly excels at writing, and it also finally reveals to fans of the classic show what has happened to Gallifrey and the Time Lords during the Wilderness Years.
How exactly is phoning someone 5 billion years apart from yourself supposed to work?
I love that Toxic is considered "a traditional ballad" in the future; I'm happy to hear that my childhood crush Britney is still appreciated long after my death!
Showing the potnetial of the revived series, The End of the World is a great character piece, let doen somehwat by its limited prodution values and simple plot.
I had weird feelings, it was a good chapter, I don't have much to say....
The last human I liked I think it could represent e in some ways, and that it's only about money despite the time that has passed gave me laughter and sorrow....
9/10
Eccleston proving he may be the best doctor era when he clearly acts the part but doesn't over act even like the great tennant does even with some whacky plot lines. also T Davis is obsessed with death and how we ignore it throughout life. until it hits us.
Why are there tiny blue, Oompa Loompas? Also, the "Adherents of the Repeated Meme".
Rest in peace Jabe and the Moxx of Balhoon. Why is the Doctor hitting on a tree? Is it weird this reminds me of that Clone Wars episode? Why do the spiders look like the robot from The Incredibles?
The CGI has surprisingly held up.
I like how that reminder for "Earth death" changed in the last 10 minutes.
This is the first time we see the Doctors dark side in the new series, and it is chilling. And Rose asking who he is and where he's from was appreciated. She did just jump into the TARDIS, no questions asked. It raised some important questions and paid off beautifully by the end of the episode. That ending was beautiful, though. I almost had an existential crisis.
A little nitpick: there isn't any sign that the Doctor shed any tears in the scene proceeding from the one where Jabe pities him.
IT'S GOOD.
TECHNICAL SCORE: 7/10
ENJOYMENT SCORE: 8/10
I will be quite honest: the episode was stupid and weird. I do not mind if an alien design is creepy, but this crap made no sense. Like what the fuck, "Cassandra." That flat piece of shit was stupid and annoying, and apparently it is a guy. God, if this is how the episodes in the "future" are going to take place, I am not going to enjoy any of it. The only redeeming part of the episode is when Rose sees that the sun swallows the earth, enabling her to be much more thankful for the life she has in the real world. That was slightly emotional, but it was ruined by an overall crap episode. I will say that another redeeming part was the music that was played by the aliens, like "Tainted Love." That cracked me up.
REWATCH:
here i was, annoyed again about how rose thought 'oh it's dangerous' only when faced to that scary moment, but GIRL THE DOCTOR HAD TOLD YOU FROM THE BEGGINING, DANGER DANGER he had to use neon lights on his forehead or what???
loved the 'when i was a little boy' part said by cassandra, like breaking gender roles (cassandra it's usually a woman's name right?) but also breaking with the stereotype of vain women only, idk
Shout by Edson Rafael AraújoBlockedParent2021-12-17T05:49:14Z
Cassandra is the last pure human and carries all the senselessness of the worst of humans. Ridiculous! It was much better than the pilot.