1.8: Father's Day
Synopsis: Rose asks the Doctor to take her back to the place and time where her father died, so that he doesn't have to die alone. However, instead of holding his hand, Rose saves Pete Tyler from the speeding car that was supposed kill him.
Taking an inexplicable liking to her, Pete brings Rose with him to a wedding, where his wife Jackie is waiting with baby Rose. Before long, the Doctor is yelling for everyone to get inside the church because there are dragon-like creatures called Reapers devouring the human race. They have been let into our world via what the Doctor calls a "wound in time," created by Rose saving Pete. He devises a way to bring the TARDIS into the church, but it will take a few hours. But once he has it, he can heal the wound, dispatch the Reapers, and Pete will get to live.
Meanwhile, Rose gets to know her father a bit. His instantaneous trust of her, coupled with the Doctor's musings about time travel, allow him to work out that Rose is his daughter. Speaking to her and the Doctor, he realises that he should have died that morning, and that his presence in the world is allowing the Reapers to wreak havoc. When the Reapers get inside and kill the Doctor, all hope seems lost, but Pete knows that his death would heal the wound and put things right. He allows a speeding car outside to strike him, Rose holds his hand, and he dies in the street, but not alone.
The Doctor is back, the wedding is on, everyone who has died by the Reapers is resurrected and remembers nothing. History is changed, but back on-track.
Golden Comic Moment: In a story that is relatively devoid of funny moments, the lone exception might be Rose's disjointed rebuke of Pete's attempt at consoling her after the Doctor leaves her. All Pete's got to do is say, "If I was going out with you..." and Rose dives headlong into, "I know what you're saying, and we're not going there. At no point are we going anywhere near there. You aren't even aware that there exists. I don't want to think about there, and believe me, neither do you. There, for you, it's like the Bermuda Triangle." It's a very well-written little rant because we know what Rose is talking about, and yet we can hear how insane she must sound to Pete. She cannot be specific about why this conversation grosses her out, she doesn't want to alienate her dad, and yet she has to put a stop to any untoward thoughts he might have. In those few moments, Rose is on a slippery slope, and it's sort of enjoyable watching her slide!
Golden Fangirl Moment: This episode deals with Rose's relationship with her father, not with the Doctor. But in doing so, as DWM points out, it hints at a possible reality in which the Doctor might have become a father figure to Rose, rather than a romantic one. Rose herself even suggests to the Doctor that he might be jealous of Pete because, "For once, you're not the most important man in my life." The Doctor is a caretaker, always has been, and obviously, he wants what is best for his companion.
But he is also now the caretaker of the universe and of time itself. Which makes it all the more surprising that when Rose asks, "Can I try again?" after failing to hold her father's hand as he dies, that the Doctor obliges. The camera pulls in close on his eyes as he looks at Rose, contemplating what she is asking. She wants to go back and cross her own timeline, risk a paradox. And he's about to let her. He actually puts Rose ahead of what's best for the universe. The pain in her voice is reflected in his expression. Just as Rose cannot bear to let her father die alone in the street, the Doctor cannot bear to let Rose carry the weight of knowing that she could have helped and didn't, that her own dad died the loneliest death possible and that it was now partly her fault.
It may not be a fatherly emotion he is feeling just then, but it's as conflicted and complete as his love for her gets - demonstrably, anyway. It is not pity nor lust nor protectiveness he is exhibiting. It is her pain.
Cringeworthy Moment: Though any suggestion that Pete might pursue Rose sexually or romantically is debunked early on, Jackie continues to think it. "Another one of yours, is she?" Jackie asks, upon meeting teenaged Rose. Later, "The world is ending and what do you do? Cling to the youngest blonde." We don't need to dwell upon why this makes us cringe, so we'll just move on.
Golden Moment: "People say there was this girl, she sat with Pete while he was dying, she held his hand, and then she was gone. Never found out who she was." When Jackie tells little Rose the story in contrast with the original, "I wasn't there, nobody was... I only wish there'd been someone there for him," it brings home how noble Rose's intentions were in the first place, and what a great thing she wound up doing for her dad. Rose's gesture was thankless in the end, but Pete died, not only not alone, but in proud appreciation of his only daughter. How else could any father hope to go from this world?
Why I Beg To Differ: DWM identifies Pete's line, "I"m your dad, it's my job for it to be my fault," and his self-sacrifice, taking responsibility for his daughter's mistake, as its Golden Moment. In a story that is mostly about a man and a girl learning what it means to be father and daughter, I cannot beg to differ. This is a brilliant moment, defining the timeless relationship of parent to child. It is the moment which lies at the emotional heart of the episode.
But I would like to put Jackie's final speech to little Rose alongside it as the moment which lies at the structural heart of the episode, and brings closure to the audience. Father's Day is the first episode of the new series which really toys with what happens when you mess with events in time. This scene, a revision of an earlier scene after time has been altered, is the only "payoff" we get for the action of the episode and how it changes the Tyler family. It's like when Marty McFly comes home to find his parents wealthy and happy. Without it, the expertly-done storytelling would all have been for nought.
Taking an inexplicable liking to her, Pete brings Rose with him to a wedding, where his wife Jackie is waiting with baby Rose. Before long, the Doctor is yelling for everyone to get inside the church because there are dragon-like creatures called Reapers devouring the human race. They have been let into our world via what the Doctor calls a "wound in time," created by Rose saving Pete. He devises a way to bring the TARDIS into the church, but it will take a few hours. But once he has it, he can heal the wound, dispatch the Reapers, and Pete will get to live.
Meanwhile, Rose gets to know her father a bit. His instantaneous trust of her, coupled with the Doctor's musings about time travel, allow him to work out that Rose is his daughter. Speaking to her and the Doctor, he realises that he should have died that morning, and that his presence in the world is allowing the Reapers to wreak havoc. When the Reapers get inside and kill the Doctor, all hope seems lost, but Pete knows that his death would heal the wound and put things right. He allows a speeding car outside to strike him, Rose holds his hand, and he dies in the street, but not alone.
The Doctor is back, the wedding is on, everyone who has died by the Reapers is resurrected and remembers nothing. History is changed, but back on-track.
Golden Comic Moment: In a story that is relatively devoid of funny moments, the lone exception might be Rose's disjointed rebuke of Pete's attempt at consoling her after the Doctor leaves her. All Pete's got to do is say, "If I was going out with you..." and Rose dives headlong into, "I know what you're saying, and we're not going there. At no point are we going anywhere near there. You aren't even aware that there exists. I don't want to think about there, and believe me, neither do you. There, for you, it's like the Bermuda Triangle." It's a very well-written little rant because we know what Rose is talking about, and yet we can hear how insane she must sound to Pete. She cannot be specific about why this conversation grosses her out, she doesn't want to alienate her dad, and yet she has to put a stop to any untoward thoughts he might have. In those few moments, Rose is on a slippery slope, and it's sort of enjoyable watching her slide!
Golden Fangirl Moment: This episode deals with Rose's relationship with her father, not with the Doctor. But in doing so, as DWM points out, it hints at a possible reality in which the Doctor might have become a father figure to Rose, rather than a romantic one. Rose herself even suggests to the Doctor that he might be jealous of Pete because, "For once, you're not the most important man in my life." The Doctor is a caretaker, always has been, and obviously, he wants what is best for his companion.
But he is also now the caretaker of the universe and of time itself. Which makes it all the more surprising that when Rose asks, "Can I try again?" after failing to hold her father's hand as he dies, that the Doctor obliges. The camera pulls in close on his eyes as he looks at Rose, contemplating what she is asking. She wants to go back and cross her own timeline, risk a paradox. And he's about to let her. He actually puts Rose ahead of what's best for the universe. The pain in her voice is reflected in his expression. Just as Rose cannot bear to let her father die alone in the street, the Doctor cannot bear to let Rose carry the weight of knowing that she could have helped and didn't, that her own dad died the loneliest death possible and that it was now partly her fault.
It may not be a fatherly emotion he is feeling just then, but it's as conflicted and complete as his love for her gets - demonstrably, anyway. It is not pity nor lust nor protectiveness he is exhibiting. It is her pain.
Cringeworthy Moment: Though any suggestion that Pete might pursue Rose sexually or romantically is debunked early on, Jackie continues to think it. "Another one of yours, is she?" Jackie asks, upon meeting teenaged Rose. Later, "The world is ending and what do you do? Cling to the youngest blonde." We don't need to dwell upon why this makes us cringe, so we'll just move on.
Golden Moment: "People say there was this girl, she sat with Pete while he was dying, she held his hand, and then she was gone. Never found out who she was." When Jackie tells little Rose the story in contrast with the original, "I wasn't there, nobody was... I only wish there'd been someone there for him," it brings home how noble Rose's intentions were in the first place, and what a great thing she wound up doing for her dad. Rose's gesture was thankless in the end, but Pete died, not only not alone, but in proud appreciation of his only daughter. How else could any father hope to go from this world?
Why I Beg To Differ: DWM identifies Pete's line, "I"m your dad, it's my job for it to be my fault," and his self-sacrifice, taking responsibility for his daughter's mistake, as its Golden Moment. In a story that is mostly about a man and a girl learning what it means to be father and daughter, I cannot beg to differ. This is a brilliant moment, defining the timeless relationship of parent to child. It is the moment which lies at the emotional heart of the episode.
But I would like to put Jackie's final speech to little Rose alongside it as the moment which lies at the structural heart of the episode, and brings closure to the audience. Father's Day is the first episode of the new series which really toys with what happens when you mess with events in time. This scene, a revision of an earlier scene after time has been altered, is the only "payoff" we get for the action of the episode and how it changes the Tyler family. It's like when Marty McFly comes home to find his parents wealthy and happy. Without it, the expertly-done storytelling would all have been for nought.