The End Of The World

The week prior to the transmission of this episode was dogged by the news that Christopher Eccleston would not be reprising his role as the ninth Doctor for a second series. But even without this external influence, the episode was still a disappointment. I don’t wish to sound like some unfairly overcritical fan boy, but ‘The End of the World’ was a below average story which would have been better suited to the format of a novel than a 45 minute television episode. Let me point out that I am in no way opposed to the new series, despite an initial apprehension at hearing of some of the people involved in it. However, after seeing the first episode ‘Rose’ I was won over and convinced that the cast and production team were on the right track, so please don’t take this review to be unfairly severe.

So what exactly do I object to in the story? Well, this was to be the first ‘futuristic’ adventure; escaping the mundane confines of modern day earth and allowing imagination to run wild. In this sense it succeeds, at least for the first ten minutes or so. The introduction to Platform One and the myriad alien ambassadors assembled there is wonderfully handled with a subtle hint of menace as ‘gifts’ are exchanged amongst the different species. It then proceeds to go downhill as Rose and the Doctor descend into unnecessary sentimentality leading to a phone call back in time to Rose’s mum. While all this mushy ‘character development’ is going on in one room, the mystery is unfolding elsewhere...

However, most of the potentially suspenseful scenes are clumsily handled and consequently rather dull. For example, the scene where the “plumber” discovers the intruders in the vent shaft is crude and predictable, as is the sequence in which the Doctor has to negotiate his way through several giant rotating fan blades. But worst of all is the sequence in which Rose is trapped in a room into which unshielded sunlight is gradually filtering. The special effects in this scene are excellent, as is the performance by Billie Piper, but the whole thing is ruined by Britney Spear’s ‘Toxic’ belting out in the background. I’m in my teens, so perhaps my perspective is an immature one, and maybe the inclusion of this song appears young and trendy to the show’s makers; but to someone of my age it feels like watching an embarrassing relative trying to be cool. 

Despite all this, the episode did manage to wield some dramatic impetus. But at what price? The destruction of Gallifrey and the entire Time Lord race (except of course for the Doctor—and probably the Master). In what is clearly meant to be an emotional scene, the Doctor confides in Rose that his home world has been destroyed in a war and that he is the last of his people. It would be rather obvious if it turned out that the Daleks were responsible for this, but since the Doctor didn’t answer when Rose asked with whom the Time Lords had been at war, it seems likely that it was the Daleks. No doubt this revelation is being reserved for dramatic effect in the first Dalek episode. This is the kind of damage usually inflicted upon the Doctor Who universe by the novels. Many writers of dubious literary talent rely heavily on shock tactics (e.g. lets kill off an assistant, wipe out a species, make the Doctor gay, etc) and indeed Gallifrey has already been destroyed in the books. But I for one was perfectly happy to ignore this addition to Whovian chronology, but now the same disaster has been thrust upon us in the television series. So, are we never to again see Gallifrey in all its’ emerald splendour? Apparently not.

These are my criticisms of the episode, but it had its good points too. The special effects were terrific and the aliens equally impressive. I do however think it a shame that the much anticipated Moxx of Balhoon (wonderfully realised and performed) was amongst the gathering of aliens shunned aside in favour of the intrusive sentimentalism which dominated the story. All in all he only appears on screen for about twenty seconds. Nevertheless, when he was on screen he looked wonderful, as did the rest of the aliens. Platform One itself was also convincingly created and made a visually impressive setting. My only fear is that the failings of the script and direction might make the BBC reluctant to utilise any more such imaginative settings for the second series. 

From this first extra-terrestrial excursion it would seem that Russell T. Davies is less concerned with exploring alien worlds and indulging the escapist magic which made the original series so enduring, but rather with looking at our own modern day culture from different perspectives. This is all very well for a show like Star Trek, but for me it just doesn’t feel like Doctor Who. Doctor Who has enough depth of character and dramatic power as it is. It doesn’t need tearful phone calls and pretentious philosophising to make us pay attention. ‘The End of the World’ wasn’t an awful episode, but it was disappointing and certainly wasn’t as good as ’Rose’ had been the previous week. Fortunately though, the preview of Mark Gatiss’ ‘The Unquiet Dead’ was brilliant. It looks likely to be both atmospheric and scary, and hopefully a worthy addition to the classic gothic horror stories. Sadly, ‘The End of the Word’ must be ranked along side less successful stories such as ‘Four to Doomsday’ and ‘Terminus’. To be fair though, had it not been for the revelation about the destruction of the Doctor’s home world I would probably have enjoyed it more.