Doctor Who Series 1 (2005)
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Doctor Who Series 1 Review
Doctor Who Series 1 is the first modern Doctor Who season in its Revival Era. It is a very strong, mostly wonderful season.
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“I think you need a Doctor“
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The seasons from now on will have episodes and not serials. Some episodes continue into serials but most are one-offs. This season has thirteen episodes and the first is Rose. It’s isn’t great as I’ve seen something like this before, but it is a very strong opening for the new era of Doctor Who which refreshingly introduces us to the companion and not the Doctor first.
I just love Rose, I have to say. She is one of my favorite companions so far as she is such a relatable, likable and charming woman and she got the best growth and story of all the companion women so far, but more on that later. Billie Piper is wonderful in the role.
As for the Ninth Doctor, he is also very good. Not as good as Rose is, but still highly memorable. Although Christopher Eccleston’s looks depart too much from the classic Doctor’s looks, he still mostly excelled at playing the Doctor and I liked the mix of crazy and goofy in his personality.
The End of the World has pretty solid world building and it is overall an interesting experiment, but a flawed one with Lady Cassandra looking very odd in design and the entire second half never quite delivered as the first one did.
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The Unquiet Dead is not my cup of tea. It has one solid scene between Rose and Gwyneth, but other than that, this Charles Dickens episode is an uninspired historical story. Aliens of London and World War Three are very weak and the most lackluster episodes of the entire series. I did like the look of the Slitheen and they were menacing, but the humor is childish and the overall serial is just spectacle over substance.
Dalek is also another very boring and forgettable episode. It is the dullest one here. As for The Long Game, it featured an interesting departure for Adam who was deemed unworthy of the Doctor’s company, but because he was underdeveloped as a character, it didn’t quite him home.
Father’s Day is of course one of the season’s highlights. It is a character study where Rose time travels and saves her father from certain death only to learn that she has been idolizing her father too much all along. It is a clever exploration of how we admire and exaggerate our relatives after their passing.
The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances are overall just okay episodes, but the serial did introduce us to Jack Harkness so it is pretty important. Jack is very well played by charismatic and handsome John Barrowman and he brings a lot of necessary energy to the show.
Boom Town is a solid emphasis on Margaret the politician and it has very good dialogue with some excellent conversations between her and the Doctor, but overall it is an odd, unconnected to the whole season episode with a silly conclusion.
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Bad Wolf is a solid, fun episode that showcases reality television in the future. It is silly, but quite fun. The Parting of the Ways, however, is the highlight of the entire season. Here Rose gets left on Earth and eventually comes back to save the day, but not before we witness her depression with regular life. I loved that as it was very sophisticated and highly emotional. The ending is also fantastic and the Tenth Doctor tease is exciting.
In the end, Doctor Who Series 1 has its very subpar and dull episodes, but most are actually pretty good and a couple episodes are some of all-time best. I really enjoyed this season as both Rose and Ninth Doctor have excellent dynamic and are very likable. It is a great return to form for the show and a terrific beginning of the new era.
Worst Episodes: The Unquiet Dead, Aliens of London and World War Three.
Best Episodes: Rose, Father’s Day and The Parting of the Ways.
