Certainly the most emotional episode so far. The characters got to shine.
I just recently started my Doctor Who "journey" with season one of this 2005 version of the show, and this was the best episode by far in my opinion. I hope there are others like it in future seasons!
Oh! It's good to know this episode still makes me sob my eyes out even almost a decade after I first watched it. What Dalek does for Nine's character Father's Day does for Rose. Just excellence and Billie Pier's best performance of this series.
:heart:96%
:heart_eyes:Masterpiece!
:ok_hand_tone2:Essential!
Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!
THE SINS OF THE FATHER!
This is a monumental episode in the early days of the revival; it’s an emotional character piece, further establishing Rose and her family past, and it’s an important lesson in some ground-level aspects of space-time travel, the way The Aztecs was for Classic Who.
Paul Cornell weaves a brilliant tale about Rose's dad and his death, making Rose and Nine integral players in that heartbreaking story. The adventure puts a temporary strain on Nine and Rose’s relationship as Rose risks all of time and space to save her dad, which the Doctor is furious about. The Doctor/companion relationship depicted here does feel a bit like the Seven/Ace relationship, with Cornell writing a Doctor who is frustrated about not being able to control the situation, while Rose makes matters harder for him to fix.
There’s something inherently horrifying about Nine actually taking Rose to the moment of her father’s death to let her witness the event and then give her a chance to say goodbye, only for her to cross timestreams and change fixed events with disastrous consequences.
Billie Piper offers another all-time performance as Rose, driven by her passion to right past wrongs and see her family whole again. Chris Eccleston portrays a darker and moodier Doctor, motivated by his determination to act morally to avert more catastrophic events. This is the 9th Doctor in one of his more serious states, and I'm all for it. Camille Coduri is back as a younger version of Jackie, and she is just as feisty as ever. But the big-hitter is Shaun Dingwall as Rose’s dad, Pete, a loving but absent father, so preoccupied with other passions in life that he risks ruining his marriage.
Our first glimpses of the Reapers come through the red-tinted POV shots and the screechy sounds; it is an effective way to build tension and makes me think of The Silurians or Robot, which use similar methods. Throughout the episode, several shockingly scary scenes effectively employ the brilliant concept of the Reapers, which, sadly, the show has never used since. They look a bit plastic-y by today's standards, but remain effective thanks to their basic idea and function.
It’s a statement of great writing and direction that this episode never feels rushed, despite the usual 45-minute length. There is plenty of time to flesh out the main threat while also giving the important emotional and character beats the attention they deserve. This episode is also an effective exploration of the consequences of creating paradoxes, crossing timestreams, and making changes, as well as the deeper meanings of parenthood's responsibilities.
The last few moments between Rose and her dad are heartbreaking, and one of the most emotionally powerful moments in the entirety of Doctor Who. They prove just how serious a drama this show can be without losing sight of its characters or its sci-fi premise.
The Doctor walking back to his TARDIS, only to notice that it’s turned into a normal police box, is such a great moment!
can't believe doctor who rick rolled me
So Rose really changed history. But what about the people who had disappeared?
every episode i watch i go crazy with it
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2018-02-07T10:33:48Z
This episode is my favorite by far. Finally, I have found a truly great episode of Doctor Who. It disappoints me that it took this long, but I am so happy I was able to feel emotion, an insurmountable amount of laughter, and pure enjoyment. The fact that Rose Tyler affects the whole space time continuum when she saves her Dad was incredibly believable and I loved the interaction between her and the dad the entire time. I loved how Rose sees that the stories about her Dad and Mom's relationship were actually false; they were not in a happy relationship, but they had a deep and struggling relationship. Rose was in the midst of it, and I found it all to be extremely powerful. It was also extremely comical when Rose's mom thought that Rose's dad and her were in a relationship. Those moments were priceless. Again, as much as I want to give this a ten, the really shitty CGI throws me off again; so this will be my first 9!
PS: If King Kong can look fine in the early 1930s as a practical effect, then why do these Reapers look disgusting over 75 years later as a computer generated effect. It is annoying, but still. I guess I am going to have to deal with the CGI for a while, until we get to a season that is set in the present day!