The Parting of the Ways

At the end of the day, its just a TV show right? It sure is and it is not written exlusively for Doctor Who fans.... if it was, the show would not have come back at all - look at the state of the show in it's dying years in the late 1980s, tired old ideas, poor writing and an over reliance on the show's past.

This series was written for the general public (there are a lot more of them than there are of us!) and despite the subtle nod to us fans with little things here and there, RTD and crew pitched the show at Saturday night family audiences.

Where am I going with all of this you are no doubt asking...? Well I guess I am responding to much of the criticism Parting of the Ways received in relation to the plot, the tying up of the many threads from various stories from the season (in particular the Bad Wolf reference), and the traffic-jam climatic moments of the episode leading to the regeneration.

I will be the first to admit, that with my "old fan" hat on (I can't believe Ive been a fan of (and watching) this show for over 20 of my 32 years!!), much of what happened in the episode in relation to bringing all the threads together isnt perfect. But if I put my "general audience member" hat on, I agree that yes the plot is a little creaky, but the writing (do not confuse the two!) is very clever. When youve got 45 minutes to squeeze in the culmination of the 12 previous weeks plus explain and execute a regeneration to a relatively new audience - and manage to do so in a reasonably coherent manner, you should be given credit.

Those audience members RTD and co have aimed the new series at probably would not have got themselves all worked up over the the holes in the plot. They would have enjoyed it for what it was - fast paced, action packed adventure with edge of your seat moments. A regular cast so tight, you believe in their relationship and enjoy the chemistry between the two. Add to that the return of the Daleks and the "death" of the main character and you really cant go wrong - mission accomplished!

With that out of the way, I'd like to put my "old fan" hat back on and look at the moments in the episode that caught my attention the most. Firstly, The Daleks - they look great, but talk far too much. Less is more...part of their menace is their limited vocab and their silent gliding around (matched with relentless and indiscriminate killing!). As soon as you give the Daleks a vocab that goes beyond the obligitory "Exterminate!" and the like, they seem to lose that menace. The Emporer Dalek looked impressive, but the effect is probably more suited to the big screen.

I still cant work out if the regeneration sequence in the TARDIS is a post-production add on... sometimes it seems to be so. But looking at the events leading up to it, you would also be justified in thinking that it had been there all along. After kissing Rose (nicely done RTD and totally believable within the context of the story), there is a moment where the Doctor looks as though he knows just what he has done to himself in saving Rose from the power of the vortex. But then at the start of the final scene, it doesnt feel as though he is aware of his impending change.

Much has been written about the scene, how it seems to walk away from past regenerations and makes light of it. Personally I find it totally in character with Eccleston's Doctor. It was sad. Yet he found an irony in the events that were about to occur. He was sad to be leaving Rose - yet happy in knowing he will still be with her in his new form. The scene was not bogged down in Timelord gobbly-gook about regenerating (note the term wasnt used at all!), a simple explanation was all that was required and then the change took place. It is different to the past. But then they have all been different - no one regeneration looked the same as the one before it. So I had no problem with it.

The departure of Eccleston is a real loss. You simply cant argue over his talent as an actor. He also did a great job when some of the scripting let him down earlier in the season (Aliens of London!!). He was a Doctor you could not help but like. It was one hell of a job to pull off - and one hell of a risk for an actor of his ilk. Had the role got into other hands, the success of this season may not have been as great as it is.

So enter Doctor no.10 - I remember at the end of Caves of Androzani, I was very excited about Colin Baker. Those few lines he said to Peri got me hook, line and sinker - we all know what happened with The Twin Dilemma!! So this time round, Im going to reserve my judgement. I hope the Christmas special wont ignore the regeneration and the ramifications of the change on the Doctor - Tom Baker's post-regeneration antics were fun and a good way for the audience to settle in with the new Doctor. Hopefully time will be set aside in the special for this.

And so Season One comes to a close. Here in Australia, we're almost half way through the season on the ABC, so for me there is still joy in watching it unfold through the Australian side of things. Parting of the Ways achieved all of it's objectives and more. It has been one hell of a ride and the culmination of the season with the Doctor's regeneration was the icing on the cake.

Roll on Season Two and Doctor Who number 10!!