The Parting of the Ways

Well it's over for the time being...time was up on Saturday 18th June 2005 for Christopher Eccleston's doctor and what a finale. The BBC had cleverly built up this episode over the past week with a 'Time Is Up In..' countdown, even going as far as having a countdown clock prior to the transmission of the episode and.. BOOM.. we never looked back.

The pace was unrelenting, with the Daleks in full flow like we have only ever imagined them to be and the characters in classic fashion were separated during the episode to lead their own emotionally driven mini-stories within the episode. Make no mistake about it -this was a powerful, emotionally charged episode from the spectacularly edited pre-credits sequence to the grand finale. Earth was wiped out continent by continent, there was no Davros and the Dalek emperor found out what we already knew about our hero -he just doesn't kill innocent beings even though he may be averting disaster. Oh.. and he doesn't always win, he doesn't always get it right and occasionally he needs a helping hand in times of desperation. Looking beyond all the explosions, the drama and the emotion this episode raised a number of very interesting issues very cleverly hidden away by Russell T Davies amongst all the carnage, the most significant of which was the doctor's relationship not with Rose but with the TARDIS.

I'd always felt there was more to the TARDIS than just being a vehicle for the Doctor to get around -Russell T obviously agreed as he gave our favourite time machine a heart and a soul and made it come alive, saving it's occupant in the nick of time just when he needed it most. The concept of the TARDIS as a thinking, feeling ,caring being which is alive and responsible for the welfare of it's occupant is one which I hope is explored as the series progresses.

On the negatives front the whole series has been built around death and its consequences -death is seen and felt in most if not all of the episodes and it's irreversibility has been impressed upon us on more than one occasion but here in this episode we see it reversed -quite a contradiction to all that has gone before. A minor gripe in an otherwise faultless episode.

Which now brings me on the grand finale -much has been said and written about Christopher Eccleston's decision to leave and I will not tread over old ground here. Suffice to say I watched Chris's interview with Jonathon Ross the night before 'Rose' premiered on UK television and one of Ross's questions was concerning the fact that we all know, despite everything that happens, the doctor always wins. To which Eccleston replied: 'Wait and see -you will be surprised'. So it was always his intention to do just the one season and it should not surprise anyone -he is a very gifted actor who has appeared on stage and screen and wants to move onto new things. Lets just thank him for reviving our beloved show and wish him well.

And a warm welcome to David Tennant - a wonderful regeneration scene which took me completely by surprise and he seems to fit the bill perfectly.

Roll on Christmas and series two.