While fan's count it as series 27 (as opposed to those that consider the New Adventures books as S27 or those that count McGann's first series on Big Finish as 27) the best way to consider the new series is as a sequel series. Although 1996 show cased an Americanized pilot, the gap between 1989 and 2005 meant that a generation of TV SF fans grew up without Doctor who, likely watching Red Dwarf, X Files, Babalon 5, and Farscape instead.
It also meant that fans had time to delve into various forms of franchise material to sustain interest, and also take up places within the the TV industry. Writers such as Steven Moffat or Mark Gatiss and Mark Wallims lampooned the shows conventions, contradictions or even their fan base.
That the series eventually found success in the hands of an industry fan is of no surprise then. That it also restructured itself as a revisionist piece, is also no surprise. Unfortunately this was also true with regards to it being disconnected from its SF source, coming to fruition in the centre of a decade focused on fantasy, and from a creator who was desperate to convince casual viewers and TV bosses that his was not rubber monsters and wobbly walls show of old, or the ailing joke that the show had become known as through the mid 80's. This is ultimately what Rose is as an episode, and a manifesto: a very knowing revisionist piece, which wrong foots itself by the negation of its own components.
Russell T Davis (RTD), the writer and executive producer, takes the three iconic introduction stories: The original series' pilot and first episode THE UNEARTHLY CHILD; The first story of the 70's, the first story in colour, and the Third Doctor's (Jon Pertwee) introductory story SPEARHEAD FROM SPACE; and the 1996 TV movie, and melds the three under his own contribution.
While a clever idea, the effect is muddled. The idea from AN UNEARTHLY CHILD of Earthlings being removed from their daily life by the Doctor took 20 minutes, Davis aptly handles it in the first 5, and then back peddles in order to re-introduce his companion and family even though a montage at the beginning of the episode did this. It is this inspection of a companions life outside of the Doctor which is Davis' revision, fleshing out the character. Unfortunately Rose has already been introduced to the Doctor's world, and rather than a steady and well delivered transition from one world to the other, the two generic identities of Domestic Melodrama and Science Fiction, contest for position rather than work in conjunction.
Similarly the Auton invasion, the plot taken from SPEARHEAD IN SPACE is played in very ethereal detail, it provides the backbone of the narrative, yet is so flimsy and dealt out so jokingly, that it actually challenges the audience to withhold their sense of disbelief. The symbolic idea that the Auton's equate a mechanized mindless way of living, which the Doctor opens Rose's eyes to (which she chooses to liberate herself from), is the most admirable part of this plot. That aside they are largely put on show for ignition sequences and acme style slap-stick gags. Also to play on the older audiences, casual or not, of iconic shop-window dummies.
The TV Movie's presence is applied more through aesthetics rather than narrative, from elements such as the TARDIS interior to homaged shots. It also utilizes an American sense of dynamism, which makes it out of the three, the best utilized. Though Murray Gold's Music occasionally is over-baring and not as incidental as it should be.
Beyond this sourcing, Davis' revisionist eye gives a script and characters which are loaded in order to give his companion both the main role, and a largely favorable response from the audience, which is successfully handled thanks to Billie Piper's performance. Rose's mother (Jackie), and boyfriend (Mickey), are both presented as self involved and though Davis ads some texture to each through dialogue, neither become characters the audience cares for. So the three brides posturing to attack Jackie at the end have a diluted effect.
Mickey although initially depicted as opportunistic and unconcerned after Rose's traumatic involvement in an explosion, is then shown, supporting her through the episode in her investigation. That he is even abducted as a result, only to be ridiculed, when he turns up later unharmed, being left behind by Rose in favor of the Doctor, in a cruel and glib fashion, highlights the inconsistency of Davis' writing.
It is this solitary scene at the end which reveals Rose to be as selfish and opportunistic as the others, and also quite callous. Although ultimately this is a quick means to leave Mickey behind rather than have him join the TARDIS crew.
The final main guest character is Clive, who is a revisionist point on the archetypal Doctor Who or general Science Fiction fan. Again as with Mickey, he is ridiculed, although in this case uniformly by the other characters, Davis acknowledges that this is how fans appear to the rest of the world, although arguably he is just playing up type.
Interestingly RTD has Clive as the only main character to have no contact with the Doctor, illustrating the point, valid or not, that such a person has no place in the Doctor's world.
Clive's main function is both to inform Rose about the Doctor, and also to be the symbolic comparison between old fans and new fans which Rose represents. His death is the summery purpose of his character: the eradication of the old fan in the rise of the new one. Again Clive acts as a point of comparison by which to make Rose look favorable for the audience.
The final revision and one which is an umbrella for others, is that of the titular character The Doctor. The Doctor is another area in which the TV movie has had a great deal of influence, yet the 9th Doctor acts almost as a counter point to the 8th which was laden in foppish curls and frock coat, caricatured as an 'eccentric Brit' both by accent and conformation from other characters.
Davis has pulled in the opposite extreme by giving the Doctor a regional accent, (and presenting him in modern clothes and hair cut). The point of accent is a challenge to the received pronunciation of the old series, and tries to give the Doctor an air of classlessness, or more accurately working-class, since northern accents have been used down the ages (in TV/Film) to codify as such.
As the series progresses this classlessness is revealed as a symbolic gesture to the eradication of the Doctor's species, The Time Lords (who among other symbolic uses have represented English aristocracy). This is a well thought out idea and a good approach to have the Doctor stripped down and once again mysterious, though the 'All planets have a north' quip is unnecessarily blase.
Ecclstone's characterization for this episode is noticeably uneven, and messy, which is understandable since this is his first, but it is also possible to see his interpretation of a man putting a brave face and a forced bravado upon what is essentially war trauma.
The one down side to the Doctor's role though is that Davis alters his dynamic with the companion. Where as the Doctor picked up companions in the classic series either by chance or simply because they were thrown together, here The Doctor seems to be sizing Rose up for the role of companion and then quite desperate to have her join him.
While one could argue that after the Time War which receives only the ghost of a mention at this point, he is in need of company and the episode is the transition of him admitting that, ultimately from this point its angled that the Doctor is playing intergalactic Taxi Driver.
It also positions the Doctor as the worst exponent of this loaded reality. Since the show is written in Rose's PoV, short of the actual camera technique (which would have made a rather interesting variation on Channel 4's PEEP SHOW) the episode works as fantasy not only because of the intentional negation of sf structures, but because it equates to a vague day-dream, rather than a fully realized escapism.
This loaded reality and the sacrifice for narrative over pace, (the show starting with a montage literally bombarding the viewer with information), combine to create a bizarre viewing. One which is, with some nice dialogue in places, under-pinned by a partially successful revisionist approach, and superb actors which make this a charming mess rather than just a mess.
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