Time and Space: A Doctor Who Journey

Series 1, Episode 1 : Rose
Written by : Russell T. Davies
Directed by : Keith Beak
Villians: The Nestene Conciousness, The Autons
Synopsis: When Rose Tyler meets a mysterious stranger called the Doctor, she discovers that her life will never be the same.  She is soon thrown into a strange new world of aliens and intrigue as the fate of the survival of planet Earth hangs in the balance.

For it's first episode back on television in quite some time, this one hit the mark.  It does a great job of introducing us to the characters of Rose, her mom Jackie and her boyfriend Mickey.  I really love how the also take the time to introduce us to the Doctor as well since, well this is a new Doctor who has been through a bunch of things during his hiatus from our living rooms and has become a completely different person.  Although in the grand scheme of things, this is not the best episode ever, it is a fair relaunch of the show.  Christopher Eccelston brings immediate depth to his portrayal of the 9th Doctor.  He gives glimpses of the dark humor that his character becomes known for as well as a small snapshot of the rage he can be capable of.  Billie Piper brings a life to Rose that will ultimately make her one of the most beloved companions ever.  Rose brings a balance to the Doctor.  He seems to find a renewed zest for life by seeing things through her eyes.

I found the villains in this episode a little weak but that is to be expected when the focus is really on developing the characters and setting up what will be many more years of the Doctor.  There are a few moments of foreshadowing in the final confrontation scene where the Doctor speaks briefly of the Time War and we get hints of how it has impacted countless races and times.

Russell T. Davies is brilliant.  His vision of the show has all the elements that a true fan of Doctor Who wants, but balances things out by making it accessible to an entirely new audience base.

Rating:  7 out of 10

Interesting Details:

• The new theme song incorporates music from the old show with a full orchestral background.
• H.P. Wilson CEO sign stands for Chief Electrician's office
• It is easy to spot the difference between the mannequins and the Autons in the store's basement.  The Auton's have no details in the eyes.
• The Doctor's first words to Rose are "Run".  The Doctor and his companion spend a lot of time running every episode.
• Exactly 1 minute after his first appearance on screen The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver.
• The Doctor and Rose fall through a glass and iron coffee table and sustain no injuries.
• The search engine that Rose uses to look for The Doctor, search-wise.net is a real website
• It is never explained how Clive first heard of The Doctor as it is clear that he has never met him.  Clive also contradicts himself by first stating that he believes the tile of the Doctor is passed from father to son and then stating that he thinks it's the same man.
• The TARDIS control room is designed to resemble a mixture of coral and various items that The Doctor has used to patch up the flight deck over the years including a bicycle pump, typewriter and telephone.
• The first mention of the Time War is in this episode, however the Doctor simply refers to it as "The War"
• Rose proves her usefulness by finding both the transmitter and the location of the Nestene Counciousness
• The Doctor invokes convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation
• The TARDIS doesn't translate what the Nestene says into English.  No explanation for this is given.  Some assume that is is because the Doctor hasn't asked Rose to travel with him but in later episodes the TARDIS translates for people who haven't even been on her deck. (The Christmas Invasion)
• Clive, when confronted by the Autons, states that "everything I read, all the stories, it's true" and yet he never meets the Doctor.  How he makes the connection is unknown.
• The Nestene Concouisness utters one word in English, "Timelord"
• There are 2 mentions of Chips in this episode
• There are 2 mentions of the Time War in this episode.
• There are multiple mentions of the title in this episode.