1.1: Rose
Synopsis: An outwardly typical London teen, Rose Tyler, becomes trapped in the basement of a department store by what seem to be plastic mannequins come to life. A mysterious, blue-eyed man in a leather jacket appears, calls himself the Doctor, and ushers Rose out of harm's way. He blows up the store, and Rose goes home. Later, however, Rose finds the Doctor lurking about the estate flat she shares with her mother. They have another run-in with what the Doctor calls living plastic.
Curious, Rose enlists her boyfriend, Mickey, to drive her to see an internet blogger who studies the Doctor. She dismisses him as a nutter, but while she's inside, Mickey is attacked by living plastic and replaced by a plastic copy. When the Doctor catches up with them again, he and Rose discover the transmitting consciousness of the living plastic nestled beneath the London Eye. The consciousness becomes threatened by the Doctor's presence, and the presence of his TARDIS, and it transmits its signal to all the living plastic in the world. Everywhere, department store mannequins come to life and begin killing. Rose's resourceful chain-swinging skills save the day as a vial of anti-plastic is knocked into the consciousness, severing the connection across the world.
In the end, the Doctor invites Rose to travel with him, and after an initial refusal, she accepts.
Golden Comic Moment: The Doctor is in Rose's flat, investigating a signal he has picked up. His first encounter with her mother, Jackie is as follows:
Jackie: (Coquettishly) I'm in my dressing gown.
The Doctor: (Indifferently) Yes, you are.
Jackie: There's a strange man in my bedroom.
The Doctor: (Smiling) Yes, there is.
Jackie: Well, anything could happen.
The Doctor: (Uncomfortably) No.
Golden Fangirl Moment: The Doctor grabs Rose's hand as they dash across Westminster Bridge in search of the Nestene consciousness, and they run down the stairs together, hand-in-hand. It might be the definitive beginning of their relationship, and at this point in the series, it still has the power to make us say "aww."
Cringeworthy Moment: In an episode that's relatively cringe-free, I'll add this as the "Oh, please," moment. After Rose has been to see Clive the blogger, she gets back into the car with Mickey, and continues with business as usual. Come on, now, it's wicked obvious that he's made of plastic at this point. Are we really supposed to believe that she doesn't notice anything wrong?
Golden Moment: Rose is following the Doctor out of the estate, asking the usual questions such as 'who are you' and 'are you for real?' In response, he tells her, in an extraordinarily-played monologue: "It's like when you're a kid, the first time they tell you that the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it 'cause everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it (grabs Rose's hand). The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet spinning at a thousand miles an hour and the entire planet is hurdling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go... (lets go of Rose's hand) That's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home."
Why I Beg to Differ: DWM chose the moment toward the beginning when the Doctor tells Rose "Run for your life!" Yes, this establishes the Doctor as an action hero, but his monologue about the turn of the Earth is much more powerful in showing the Doctor as a Time Lord. He will deliver a speech in series 4's The Fires of Pompeii which is similarly themed.
Curious, Rose enlists her boyfriend, Mickey, to drive her to see an internet blogger who studies the Doctor. She dismisses him as a nutter, but while she's inside, Mickey is attacked by living plastic and replaced by a plastic copy. When the Doctor catches up with them again, he and Rose discover the transmitting consciousness of the living plastic nestled beneath the London Eye. The consciousness becomes threatened by the Doctor's presence, and the presence of his TARDIS, and it transmits its signal to all the living plastic in the world. Everywhere, department store mannequins come to life and begin killing. Rose's resourceful chain-swinging skills save the day as a vial of anti-plastic is knocked into the consciousness, severing the connection across the world.
In the end, the Doctor invites Rose to travel with him, and after an initial refusal, she accepts.
Golden Comic Moment: The Doctor is in Rose's flat, investigating a signal he has picked up. His first encounter with her mother, Jackie is as follows:
Jackie: (Coquettishly) I'm in my dressing gown.
The Doctor: (Indifferently) Yes, you are.
Jackie: There's a strange man in my bedroom.
The Doctor: (Smiling) Yes, there is.
Jackie: Well, anything could happen.
The Doctor: (Uncomfortably) No.
Golden Fangirl Moment: The Doctor grabs Rose's hand as they dash across Westminster Bridge in search of the Nestene consciousness, and they run down the stairs together, hand-in-hand. It might be the definitive beginning of their relationship, and at this point in the series, it still has the power to make us say "aww."
Cringeworthy Moment: In an episode that's relatively cringe-free, I'll add this as the "Oh, please," moment. After Rose has been to see Clive the blogger, she gets back into the car with Mickey, and continues with business as usual. Come on, now, it's wicked obvious that he's made of plastic at this point. Are we really supposed to believe that she doesn't notice anything wrong?
Golden Moment: Rose is following the Doctor out of the estate, asking the usual questions such as 'who are you' and 'are you for real?' In response, he tells her, in an extraordinarily-played monologue: "It's like when you're a kid, the first time they tell you that the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it 'cause everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it (grabs Rose's hand). The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet spinning at a thousand miles an hour and the entire planet is hurdling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go... (lets go of Rose's hand) That's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler. Go home."
Why I Beg to Differ: DWM chose the moment toward the beginning when the Doctor tells Rose "Run for your life!" Yes, this establishes the Doctor as an action hero, but his monologue about the turn of the Earth is much more powerful in showing the Doctor as a Time Lord. He will deliver a speech in series 4's The Fires of Pompeii which is similarly themed.