Father's Day is a unique episode, character-driven and emotional, letting us learn more about Rose, her mother and their past. It also interestingly deals with time and paradoxes. Much the same The Aztecs (1964) taught the viewers of the 60s why history can't be changed, Father's Day did the same for modern viewers. It's a quirky time travelling story with huge dramatic tension, making it a rewarding watch.
The script immediately creates an engaging mystery around the fixed point in time, and the atmosphere is intense thanks to the Doctor and Rose being trapped in the past while watched by mysterious creatures.
This is a fine episode for Billie Piper and Camille Coduri, who steal most scenes they are in. Shaun Dingwall is great as Rose's father. He's awkward, slightly clumsy but incredibly warm and loving. The scene between him and Dingwall are wonderful.
Another great and dark episode for the Doctor, who realizes the danger of changing history and almost cannot stop the disaster Rose's actions caused. He sacrifices himself to save the rest, but in the end, it isn't up to him to save the day.
A Rose-centric episode, we learn how she works and how she doesn't agree with the Doctor on everything. It creates beautiful dramatic tension.
The Reapers almost feel like an unnecessary addition to a plot, where the most important villain is the paradox which almost changes the future forever. They look good and seem very dangerous, though.
This is an episode created to save money. Everything is shot on one little location and the Reapers are used sparingly. The direction is intimate and the music beautiful. It also feels like a story set in the 80s.
This story perfectly keeps tension at the forefront, but also a strong dose of sadness. It's a thrilling and emotional ride, where the stakes feel high. The moment where Rose's father realizes what is going on and what he needs to do is touching. The ending is one of the saddest in Doctor Who history.
With this story, Paul Cornell showed us that Doctor Who can be a strong, character-driven drama, where the science fiction element is merely one part of the story, but not the main focus. These type of stories are often the very best.
In one of the most heartbreaking and emotional standalone episodes in the series' history, Father's Day is an amazing experience, well worth many rewatches.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
If the Reapers appear whenever fixed points in time are changed, why haven't we seen them in other situations?
Score: 105/120
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.
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!