Doctor Who reviews – Series 1, Episode 8 – "Father's Day"

Well. I now know what my friends (and the Internet, and the entire Western hemisphere) meant when they told me this show was sad. I can safely say that this tearjerker of an episode certainly had me reaching for the Kleenex box; I'm not heartless and I assure you I not only bawled when I saw the last Harry Potter film in cinemas, I also faithfully sob my heart out each time I watch the end of The Return of the King from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. (It's the Grey Havens scene that reduces me to a dead bit of meat on the floor every time.) But I also think that the strengths of "Father's Day" come not from its tearjerker moments but from its clever plot and time story. It was a welcome episode after sitting through the abysmal 45 minutes that were "The Long Game." (An aside: I apologise for referring to Cathica as Callista. No I am not going to change it; I think the fact that I forgot her name shows just how much I hated the episode). I'll also be experimenting with a more formal writing style, but I'll try my best to still be entertaining, and you can expect a few caps lock rages in the future. But moving on.

Paul Cornell's fine episode opens with Rose introducing us to her father, who died when she was a baby. The scene opens with a photograph and a voice over and transitions into Jackie telling a young Rose about the father she never got to know, as she is yet another character suffering from Dead Parents Syndrome. (A tired old trope, don't you reckon? I mean, we knew her father wasn't in the picture, but couldn't he have left them or something? Actually I think that would have added more complexity to the characters of both Rose and Jackie, complexity to their situation, but this episode was far too good for me to complain over much. The actress who plays young Rose isn't credited, but I want to applaud the casting director for finding a girl who looks so much like a seven-year-old Rose; the resemblance to Billie Piper here is striking. The scene then shifts over to Rose telling the Doctor about her father as she asks to go and see him, as she doesn't want him to be alone when he dies. The Doctor is of course very opposed to changing the timelines, so I was surprised he was so willing to permit Rose to change this one detail, but I suppose if no-one was around and if they cleared off by the time the ambulance arrived, it wouldn't have mattered.

As soon as the Doctor and Rose are seen standing on the street waiting for her father to arrive before being hit by a car, I knew exactly what was going to happen. Rose was going to save her father, and the episode that would follow would be a time story about paradoxes and the effects of Rose's rash choices. I was completely right there, but I was also hopeful that the episode wouldn't be degraded to a standard monster-of-the-week story, which it did wind up doing. I was quite disappointed when the creatures (which, unless I missed something, are never named) showed up and began eating people.

So Rose, after being unable to go to her father the first time, asks the Doctor for a second and final chance, which he grants her. I completely praise the work of both the actors and Cornell here as this really adds to the beauty and complexity of the dynamic between the Doctor and Rose. I've only had seven episodes to get to know this character, but it's clear to me that he knows the risks of the situation he's putting himself and Rose in; he knows that by giving her a second chance he's only increasing those risks; and he knows how impulsive and emotion-driven humans can be. Yet the Doctor gives Rose her second chance, because that's how much he cares about her, and I'll be damned if that doesn't mess with my own emotions.

So sure enough, Rose goes on ahead and winds up rescuing her father at the last second, much to the Doctor's fury. I did kind of want to shake Rose by the shoulders a few times during the episode, though, because it took her so long to recognise the consequences of her actions. I know she was blinded by her emotions and all, but she seemed far too pleased with herself at Pete's apartment with the Doctor. I mean, really, Rose, you should know better, maybe at least acknowledge that you made a mistake. But nooo, it takes the DEATHS OF SEVERAL PEOPLE before she even considers that she might have done something wrong.

I very much enjoyed the scene in the apartment; Billie Piper and Shaun Dingwall have a charming chemistry together as father and daughter that really helps to carry the episode's emotions forward. It was also refreshing to see the Doctor's fury and harshness towards Rose, as this episode took their dynamic to a new level.

While Rose and Pete head off to a family friend's wedding, where they will meet a young version of Jackie, the Doctor storms off to the TARDIS, and we get this episode's greatest 'oh shit' moment when he opens its door only to find out that – oh shit – it's no longer bigger on the inside. I think that several of the episodes have had such moments as these, but not quite to this degree. Without the TARDIS, the Doctor and Rose are stuck in 1987 with no way of escaping whatever hell might come down, and hell certainly does come down.

Another thing this episode brought that I enjoyed was the theme of disappointment. Rose never expected that her parents might have been fighting all the time, so it comes as an unwelcome surprise for her when she learns that her parents hadn't been in the middle of some idyllic marriage and spent their days staring moony-eyed at each other. And there's a disappointment in her father, too, and it's implied that he may have been fooling around.

It was also great to see a young Jackie, but to be honest, I would have appreciated a little more makeup to make the actress look younger, because Camille Coduri kind of looked the exact same as she does in the regular episodes, only with 80's hair.

Then hell comes down as the creatures come down and start eating everyone and the Doctor, Rose, Pete, Jackie, and the wedding guests have to hide out in the church. Like I said earlier, I'd really been hoping the episode would focus on the cool paradox stuff, which serves as the real meat of the story, so the sight of the creatures irritated me and kind of detracted from its quality. I doubt any episode could have reached the heights of "Dalek," at least this season, but "Father's Day" was still very, very good. I know the monsters didn't do very much, so you could argue that at least they didn't really matter or effect the quality greatly, but if they didn't do much, why bother with them? They could have been dispensed with, and we would have had the same story, only more interesting. The paradox is a pressing issue enough and creates plenty of tension.

Anyway, the episode then meanders back and forth between unnecessary shots of the creatures banging against the church windows and tissue moments between Rose and Pete. And yes, I'm not ashamed to say that I did shed some tears when Rose made up the bedtime stories and picnics just to console her father. But speaking of which – I felt that Pete worked out he was Rose's father a little too quickly, and I guess I'm just too cynical to be convinced by 'I just sense it.'

I did however want to give Rose another good shake by the shoulders when she did exactly as the Doctor told her not to by touching her infant self. The Doctor, in possibly some of his strongest and sassiest Northern yet, specifically told her – 'Don't! Touch! The baby' – and what did she go and do? She went and touched the baby, and got the Doctor eaten by the creatures. And then she went and touched the key that fell to the floor, despite being told not to touch it. I was however quite shocked when the Doctor was consumed right in front of us. I knew he would have to come back somehow, but I honestly never expected this show to go ahead and kill him, quite literally. His death added a satisfying desperation and hopelessness to the situation.

Of course, this story was never about the Doctor. It was about Rose and Pete, and it's Pete who saves the day when he realises that the car that was meant to hit him kept appearing and reappearing in front of the church. It's Pete who saves the day by sacrificing himself and stepping out in front of the moving car, re-establishing his death and repairing time, saving the lives of everybody killed by the creatures. The Doctor's 'go to him' made an appropriate bookend to the first part of the episode. Shaun Dingwall goes out with a bang, his performance having contributed greatly to the story. Bad dying acting though. Dying is hard to do.

I liked how the episode really did have its bookends as it finishes with Rose's voice over about her father again, and with Jackie talking about Pete's death again to little Rose, this time saying that a girl stayed with him as he died and held his hand. I thought time wasn't supposed to have been changed, but I suppose so long as the core event stays the same it doesn't really matter?

Overall, a fine episode of Doctor Who.

THOUGHTS AND QUOTES

- It seems fairly obvious to me that Billie Piper is using peroxide, and I've always just assumed the character is also using peroxide (it would fit her background, and is also logical considering Jackie is using peroxide too), but then why did little Rose have such light-coloured hair? Jackie, I'm afraid I must question your parenting skills if you allow for your very young daughter to use peroxide. Maybe give it a few years, yeah?

- 'My whole planet died. My entire family. D'you think it's never occurred to me to go back and save them?' That line hurt my heart a bit. I also want to know MORE ABOUT THE DOCTOR'S PLANET AND LIFE. Did we know anything about his life in the Classic series, and all the Classic fans are pointing and laughing at my ignorance? Will I find out more soon?

- Rose's entire 'don't even go there' speech had me laughing out loud.

- 'Watson, come here, I need you.' This didn't really go anywhere, but it was creative nonetheless.

- I don't care if I still find Mickey annoying, little Mickey was just the sweetest thing.

- If Rose has brown eyes, why did baby Rose have blue eyes?