I must admit first off that it has been a considerable time since I sat down and watched this all the way through, so this review is based purely on memory. What I drew from this story the first time I saw it (about 5 years ago), and continue to find it dripping with (last time I saw it, 8 months ago), are allegorical references to the Cold War: two warrior races locked in a war lasting thousands of years (I believe, memory is sketchy) without a shot being fired.

The fact that Daleks are referred to as robots and logical may strike many as wrong, but think of the allegory for a moment. Both the Daleks (USSR, no offense to any russians, just the way it came across to me) and Movellans (US) entered the war on ideological/emotional/whatever grounds and then became stuck in the logic of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction: one side attacks, the other retaliates, both are wiped out). Waiting around for the moment of maximum advantage, a moment that will never come, is very reminiscent of 1979-80. By then the Cold War had dragged on decades without the actual war being fought, as both sides were in an arms race waiting for the moment where they could attack, and not be destroyed in the process. When Davros referred to the Movellans as "another race of robots," he seems almost mystified that both sides could become trapped in the logic of MAD, robotic slaves to wartime logic.

As for Davros himself, I feel that the portrayal of him is excellent, given the fact he has been sitting around on his own for eons. The last time we saw him he had run into the Doctor who provided, for once, some stimulating conversation, then his Daleks betrayed him and he was trapped for however long and the Doctor finds him. He may not be dripping with evil, but he seems glad of the company, while still remaining evil. Later on, in Resurrection-Remembrance, he has been out of his hole in the ground a while, but here in Destiny he has been freshly awoken. 

Destiny may not be as dark as Genesis, but it is worth keeping in mind that, though a war is (not) being fought in the skies above, on the ground the Daleks and Movellans are stuck in the Logic of MAD, and as such do not want to kick-start the war (until Davros starts manipulating things). The idea that, at any moment, an action by either side could start one of the greatest wars in history creates a great deal of tension, which is sadly the downside of this story. That tension, the logic of MAD, Davros' weak showing, all of these are only apparent if you use your imagination to make them so; the script does not do a good job of supporting these ideas, other than a casual reference here and there. 

Overall, I feel this was a well done story that is only let down by the lack of explanation. Fortunately, this does not detract: you can make up your own explanations for missing expositions, you can't explain away obvious faults (as in some other stories). As the next story after the superb Genesis, I feel this story has been hugely underrated over the years as its faults are minimal, and the allegorical reference to the Cold War (though it could have been better) was well done, coming as it did after the Nazi references in Genesis.

This is the first time I've felt completely undecided over the critical success of a film / television production. Whilst far from perfect, this opening episode is a quirky romp that reenergizes a previously-waning series. The seemingly relentless 45-minute format is welcome, although this suggests little consideration for character development in the near-future.

Christopher Eccleston provides what may transpire to be the most intense Doctor, although he plays second-fiddle to Billie Piper’s unexpectedly well-acted Rose – who effectively ‘saves the day’. The superficial Auton plot succeeds in introducing the protagonists, although the situations and scenarios are somewhat so-so. Camille Coduri and Noel Clarke’s respective acting leaves much to be desired. Mark Benton’s Clive and the whoisdoctorwho.co.uk site could be deemed cringe-worthy – was this aspect necessary? Likewise, some of the more self-demeaning moments: Auton Mickey’s ‘double take’ and the Auton wheelie-bin’s belch. 

The opening and closing theme is excellent homage to the Delia Derbyshire/Ron Grainer original, although Murray Gold’s incidental music is all wrong. Additionally, Russell T. Davies’ dialogue requires strengthening, although there are admittedly some chirpy one-liners. Keith Boak’s direction does the job. 

Overall, this entry radiates an underlying ‘getting on with it’ attitude, with which it succeeds, unlike the contrasting Doctor Who (1996) tele-movie – which introduced the new Doctor at about the half-way point. This new Doctor's simplistic and less dandified choice of attire emphasizes this new cutting-to-the-chase approach. The Autons are never referred to by name, suggesting that references to the past will be minimized and used only where necessary – these stories will stand on their own. The new Doctor shows promise, although Billie Piper may well threaten to upstage him [again?]. Bottom-line: he’s back…, and it’s certainly about time! – just take it lightheartedly and not too seriously.

Adric’s rubbish isn’t he? Totally rubbish. What did the production team think they were doing when they cast an inexperienced Doctor Who fan as one of the male leads in one of its longest running television programmes? Thank goodness they got rid of him in the end. Except in the last few seconds of Earthshock you won’t be thanking anyone. Part of you will be hoping against hope that this time the dying Cyberman isn’t going to blast the control panel and condemn Adric and the spaceship to a messy dinosaur exterminating end. Why? Because Adric’s death touches us all.

Episode one of Earthshock is, for me, Doctor Who at its best. It’s got some lovely character moments for the Tardis gang; crew doesn’t really describe those four does it? More of a mob (funny how the fifth Doctor’s Tardis seems crowded with four where the First Doctors never did). Including a reference to the previous story in the shape of the ‘Black Orchid’ book (a reference that I really enjoy for some reason). Nyssa and Tegan ‘handling’ the Doctor and Adric is lovely to watch and Davison and Waterhouse perform a couple of great character scenes with style.

The game, meantime, is afoot with a bunch of jump suited pot-holers getting turned into bubble and squeak by something nasty in the darkness! It’s tense, it’s convincing, it’s cheap and it looks great. Naturally it isn’t long before Blue Box Army get blamed for the murders and the Rastan Warrior Robot’s less anatomically correct cousins show up. Then the killer as, in what was at the time a complete surprise, the Cybermen turn up for the first time in eight years. JNT did well to turn down a Radio Times cover, such a surprise would be impossible today. Just like the Master’s anagrams. Episode one of Earthshock is damn near perfect Who.

So what about the rest of the story? The plot itself is simple but so well delivered that it doesn’t matter at all. Sawards script ties in some continuity but not enough to weigh the serial down. Malcolm Clarke’s music, with the exception of the Cybertheme, is a little pedestrian. There is a guest appearance from the boom mike in episode four and an hilarious Cyberslip as the villains negotiate some tricky stairs. Peter Grimwade’s direction is tight as usual. The guest artists are fine though James Warwick is excellent and Beryl Reid, though fine, is an undeniably odd choice to play a starship captain. Of the guests David Banks excels as he delivers a towering performance as chief baddie. His Cyberleader behaves in ways we do not expect a cyberman to. He is without mercy but far from without emotion. His penchant for gloating leads to some great exchanges with the Doctor. He is sadistic, forcing Tegan to watch the destruction of her world. His thirst for revenge upon the Earth and the Doctor is palpable. The words are Saward's but the performance is Banks. He is magnificent. The moment he struts onto the bridge he moves and behaves like a leader. I’m reminded of David Prowse in thinking how stunning it is when people act through that much costume. Many have speculated that this emotional Cyberleader is a mistake, a goof, an item of discontinuity. I say rubbish. I’m sure we can, between us, come up with a reason why Cyberleaders display some types of emotion. Whatever it takes don’t take my vengeful, spiteful Cyberleader away.

We round off this little excursion with a massacre which starts on the spaceship and concludes with the death of the Doctors youngest companion. Selfish, greedy, childish Adric fragged in the stratosphere of a planet he only visited three times but decided to settle on! Does it hurt? Of course it does, it’s the Doctors greatest failure. The twenty-sixth century Earth is only saved by accident and Adric, well. He doesn’t put up much of a fight does he? Adric's death is touching but more than that it’s essential. Every time the sixth, eighth, seventh, ninth or tenth Doctors companion is in trouble I will see in his eyes Adric twisting his brothers belt in his hands. Never again. So join me in thanking Matthew Waterhouse, John Nathan Turner and Eric Saward for that little bit of pain and that extra bit of depth of the Doctors character that is Earthshock.

Thank you.

I’ve been reading some of the reviews here and decided it was time to re-watch the series and offer my take, for what it’s worth. First and foremost, the opening music is electrifying, catching the audience without preamble. This is followed by 2-3 minutes of a day in the life of Rose Tyler. The “desperate soap opera” creates a backdrop to what is otherwise a very ordinary life for a fairly ordinary girl. She has a job, a dip-stick of a boyfriend (if anything can be said by the way he eats a sandwich or dances in the street!) but ultimately she is down to earth and lives like so many other people her age. The fact is brought further to light when Rose is in the basement with the Autons and does not even think there’s anything unearthly going on as mannequins start walking towards her. My only gripe here is that, when she initially thinks she gets locked in the basement, she doesn’t take out her phone to contact help before everyone leaves! Oh, well… bad reception, no doubt!

The Doctor’s arrival is as well-timed as any Time Lord could be. His brief introduction to Rose (“I’m the Doctor… run for your life”) is typical of his age old eccentricity. When next we see him, he is chasing an arm through a cat-flap. Where I take the greatest issues with the episode are here: 1) The Doctor is seen to kneel on the couch to see if Rose has a cat – take careful note fellow Whovians, the couch is against the wall when the Doctor kneels on it: how is there enough of a gap for the arm to come rocketing out? Clearly when the arm comes out, the couch is NOT against the wall; did The Doctor shift the couch in an off-camera moment when he gets up? 2) The Doctor finds a mirror (just before the arm incident) and comments on his ears. This leads us to believe the latest regeneration has happened relatively recently; but according to Clive he has been in that form long enough to get on the Titanic, to visit JFK (an awesome reference to the day that Doctor Who premiered in ‘63), and elsewhere. Now, while in Clive’s past, this could still take place in the Doctor’s future, and unless a book is written, for those who watched the whole of the 2005 season, we know that it doesn’t happen in the televised stories… so this means that the Doctor never got around to looking himself in a mirror since the last regeneration or someone wasn’t paying attention to details. Ho hum…

Incidentally, the pictures Clive had should have been used to reaffirm the series that came before: pictures should have indicated other Doctors (McCoy, McGann, Bakers, etc). That would have been a neat thing for the long time fans and an item of mystery for the newer ones. Moving on…

Jumping forward, who puts an empty garbage bin out on garbage day? But even the dolt who does this, doesn’t think a rubbish bin is more frightening than a daffodil, does he? Back during Terror of the Autons, we had some truly scary notions: frankly, the trash bin was not scary; in fact, courtesy of a “lowest common denominator” moment, the bin becomes a symbol of idiocy. Why did we need a burp? In this day and age, I would think parents would want to discourage such grotesque behavior… It was a ploy to be funny for the kids, no doubt, but it worked against the whole. 

Those moments that best capture the episode, and the show on a whole, are the moment when Rose enters the TARDIS and the dialog that follows: “… are you alien?” coupled with the music. Why they have not released a soundtrack is anyone’s guess, but the music in this moment, and the earlier talk when the Doctor explains who he is (“Now forget me Rose Tyler…”) is just, to coin a phrase, FANTASTIC. Chris maybe inadvertently flashes back to Tom Bakers “What’s the use in being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes…” outside the TARDIS thus once again showing the alien-ness of the Doctor. (Don’t get me started on the McGann episode!) His moods are not like our own. His excited, Baker-eqsue “Fantastic” when he finally realizes the wheel is the transmitter… he is a product of his past! The Davison-esque “I’m not here to kill it…” mentality once again gives long time fans a chance to see the other Doctor’s still present in this incarnation. 

Lastly, the departure with Rose at the end has sent a chill through my spine since the first time I’ve watched it. This episode is not perfect. But it does lay the groundwork: it sets the players on the board. It needs polishing in some areas while others could not have been better. Eccleston is fantastic. Even his attire, which I was initially against as it lacks the eccentricity of his former selves, eventually grew on me. Piper is amazing. I love the fact that when she hugs Mickey, she does not look stick thin; she’s REAL! The chemistry between the two rivals that of McCoy and Aldred, Baker and Liz Sladen… it’s amazing! Perhaps 5 stars is a little lofty, but how can you not give it high marks when the last image is of Rose in a slow motion dash for the TARDIS, with a gigantic smile beaming all the way???? 

Welcome back, Doctor!

Before any retrospective of the opening episode of “Series One” of “Doctor Who” can take place, it’s important to realise that, traditionally, the first adventure of ANY new Doctor’s tenure usually leaves a lot to be desired.

For instance, had “An Unearthly Child” not been followed by an iconic serial such as “The Dead Planet”, would the series ever have caught the public’s imagination in the first place? Are there many weaker Pertwee serials than “Spearhead From Space”? How out of place was “Robot” in arguably the best season in the show’s history? Did anyone really understand “Castrovalva” apart from its esteemed writer? And how hard were “The Twin Dilemma” and “Time and the Rani” to love? Also, if this theory holds true, what a big problem for Paul McGann, who needed his first episode to buck that trend to even have a second episode. And, of course, it didn’t . . . although I believe McGann could have been (and still could be) a great Doctor.

So, despite my delight at the end of the nine-year wait for the return of the legend, I did wonder if “Rose” would follow in this rather-inglorious tradition? And you could say it did – but only in comparison with a series which must have exceeded everyone’s expectations. Mr Russell T Davies did “exactly what he said on the tin” – and masterminded a 21st-century “Doctor Who”, sitting comfortably alongside the classic series, while creating a dynamic new era of its own. And perhaps the latter is more significant, which is why it should call itself “Series One” rather than “Season 27”.

And, if “Rose” won’t be many people’s favourite episode from “Series One”, that doesn’t mean it was without appeal. Far from it. There was so much to pack into that 45 minutes to ensure enough viewers were hooked enough to come back the following weeks, there was always a chance it could be accused of being “style over substance”.

However, who wants to dwell on that suggestion when there were so many positives to accentuate? Pre-“Rose”, the “givens” for me would be the quality of Davies’s writing and Mr Christopher Eccleston being a wonderful choice as The Doctor. And those predictions were quickly realised. Davies’s opening story structure – and indeed his treatment for the whole series – was excellent, and his dialogue of the highest order, executed superbly by the cast, headed by Eccleston. At the risk of being ungracious, one expected nothing less from a writer of Davies’s calibre.

Even from the pre-series teaser trailers, Eccleston was, for me, The Doctor. Romantics may – and I’m sure have – suggested that, within “Rose”, he wove elements of all his predecessors into his characterisation, and I’m sure he paid more than a cursory glance to those who came before, but he was more his own man, or Time Lord. He grasped the nettle of what was required in the role from his opening scene and grasped the viewer at the same time as he grasped Rose’s hand and took her away from the pursuing Autons. This was a character worth getting to know, full of dynamism, full of intrigue, full of humour, full of life.

And talking of dynamism, intrigue, humour and life brings me to Rose herself. I have to say I wasn’t too familiar with Ms Billie Piper’s acting work – but she more than lived up to the daunting challenge of playing a character who actually had such an important episode named after her.

I think Davies wrote an amazing part for a young actress, but Piper’s the one who breathed life into Rose, and how impressively she did just that.

I don’t quite hold with the view that The Doctor having an intelligent and “ballsy” companion is a new concept. What was Ace? Peri? Tegan? Leela? Sarah? Hardly shrinking violets – and I think Rose follows in the tradition of good companions rather than being out on her own.

Admittedly, Davies gives her a bigger piece of the action than her predecessors – saving The Doctor and the world in her first episode is quite a starting point (but, as we discover in Episode 13, you ain’t seen nuffin’ yet!) and, even at this early stage, Rose and the Doctor are more of a pair than the teacher/pupil relationships favoured by the past.

But the relationship worked from the off. Love at first sight? Of sorts. We won’t find out, and we shouldn’t find out where it could go. Davies had a great unrequited love story between his two principal characters in “Queer as Folk”, and elements of the depth of Stuart and Vince’s unspoken affections are there in Rose and The Doctor – if you look closely enough! And if you want to.

Having to establish Rose and The Doctor – plus the TARDIS (just one of the many stunning special effects which really marked this show as being from the 21st century) in this opening episode did mean the plot would almost have to take a back seat. This was always the problem of the two-episode (in old money) serials in the past. Pleasant enough, but no-one ever marks them down as classics (there is an exception to this rule and it’s called Episode Six of Series One!).

And, in “Rose”, destroying a creature which controls all things plastic with a phial of anti-plastic does rather confirm the assertion that plot was of secondary importance. It was just a bit too convenient. But understandable. And probably unavoidable. Poor old Nestene Consciousness, I didn’t think it got much of a deal plot-wise in “Spearhead From Space” either!

But minor gripe about the actual story aside (and it did hang together quite well) there’s no doubt “Rose” marked a triumphant return for the series. It was well-written. The lead characters were quickly established as being worthy of the importance attached to them. The back-up characters were also beautifully crafted by writer and actors (I really enjoyed Clive – but you know characters like him have to die!). The effects were stunning throughout, and now I know what the phrase “high production values” means – you splash the cash, and the rewards are there for all to see. And the whole thing crackled along at a breakneck pace, enhanced by the ever-excellent incidental music.

“Rose” did what it had to do – established “Doctor Who” was back, and was back for good. And, as I know now, it was the tasty hors d’oeuvres for the feast to come.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, no? It is so easy to now say that there was never any doubt that Series One of ‘Doctor Who’ would be as successful as many of the previous Seasons. Looking back now after the thirteen Episodes have been and gone, I feel now is the best time to review them; the trouble with going ahead and reviewing them smack bang after transmission is that you are not giving yourself enough time to calm down after the excitement of watching new ‘Who’ on television (it feels so good to be able to type that), but now that Series One has been and gone, it is time to reflect on what was transmitted, and of course the best place to begin is at the beginning. 

‘Rose’. The first story of the new series was wonderful, brilliant and exhilarating back when it was first transmitted, but now, with the remainder of Eccleston’s tenure as The Doctor known to the world, does it still stand up? Thankfully, the answer to this is yes. Perhaps it’s the way that everything seems so innocent throughout, but ‘Rose’ succeeds in making the world of ‘Doctor Who’ every bit as enjoyable as we know it to be. From the frankly terrific opening shot of a camera hurtling towards the planet Earth, only to reach an alarm clock, to the ending with Rose running towards the TARDIS in slow motion, everything here stinks of excitement. For a forty-five minute long piece of television the pace is exhausting, rushing as it does from one scene to another, from one life-threatening scene to yet another one. One of the main successes with ‘Rose’ though is not its pace or its directing- more on that later- but its sheer number of iconic moments. We have (among others) the explosion of a Department Store, a killer Wheelie Bin, Rose entering the TARDIS for the first time, murderous Shop Window dummies and an evil Plastic Mickey. Many ‘Doctor Who’ stories struggle to have one defining moment; ‘Rose’ has several.

So, on to the actual plot: is it any good? Well, yes, again, it is. ‘Rose’ decides to focus upon, well, Rose, rather than The Doctor or the Nestene Consciousness, and it is much better due to this. By following Rose and her reactions to everything that is happening, we are thus introduced to all the elements of ‘Doctor Who’- the TARDIS is bigger in the inside than on the outside; The Doctor is an alien who saves the day, fighting injustice and alien beings up to no good; you can go anywhere in time or space when you join him. We are also given the main points which need to be known concerning Rose- she lives on an Estate; she has a boyfriend named Mickey; she has a Mother, who she still lives with, but there is no sign of a Father; and she has left school with, as we are told directly, no A-Levels. The score as it were is set up for us to take a liking or disliking to.

The main story- aliens invade, and it’s up to The Doctor and Rose to save the world- plays second fiddle to setting up the premise of ‘Doctor Who’, but the very threat is always lurking around the corner, and by directly involving Rose it pulls off its subservient position with aplomb.

Russell T. Davies’ writing here is above and beyond great; from throwaway one-liners, such as the attack of the breast implants, to the death of Clive, everything here gels. In fact, the decision to not show any on screen deaths was a great one. It eases the viewer into the world of The Doctor without being unnecessarily gratuitous about the destruction he leaves in his path; later scenes in Series One that show death on a wider and more horrific scale would have undoubtedly lost much of their impact if such slaughter was witnessed on-screen from the word go. As it stands, the later deaths are shocking due to their visual depiction, and full credit must go to Davies for being daring enough to attempt this.

The directing by Keith Boak is very impressive; from the chaotic swinging to and fro in moments of confusion (the explosion of Hendrick’s being a prime example of this) to the shot of The Doctor and Rose simply walking forward and talking to one another, Boak has given ‘Rose’ a certain visual flair which compliments the excitement of the actual story.

The incidental music by Murray Gold has come under a lot of criticism but again I must say that I felt it complimented the visuals perfectly- it was nippy, exciting and fast, just as everything else was.

Visually, the story was great too, really making a good impression for ‘Doctor Who’ in terms of putting a stamp on its overall look for the New Series. The dark is moody and sinister, the light is bright and friendly; everything is as it should be.

The acting throughout ‘Rose’ is superb, with only Noel Clarke’s turn as Mickey leaving a bit of a sour taste in the mouth. That is not to say that he is bad, on the contrary he is not, but her appears to be somewhat finding his feet throughout and does not give as good a performance as that which he turns in during later Episodes. Mark Benton as Clive is simply incredible, and the shock and sorrow felt when he is killed is a tribute to both his acting and Davies’ writing. Camille Coduri as Rose’s Mum also impresses, and her failed seduction of The Doctor provides ‘Rose’ with its biggest and best laugh out loud moment.

Christopher Eccleston instantly shines as The Doctor, and his on-screen chemistry with Billie Piper- who plays Rose was such ease that it is impossible to imagine anyone else doing so- is a thrill to watch. More so here than in any other Episode in Series One, Eccleston appears to be like the eccentric, fun-loving and adventurous Time Lord from the past; whilst I immensely enjoyed his turn as The Doctor, he was less eccentric than pervious incarnations have been, harkening back more to William Hartnell than anyone else, but here, for one night only, he played it odd, quirky and a bit unsettling.

So, what are the flaws then? Well, I suppose the never-named Autons could have been given more screen presence- certainly, their threat is never seen to be too huge as they start invading only minutes before ‘Rose’ is due to conclude. Also, the capture of The Doctor by two Autons whilst the invasion is going on is arguably a little too long, and it makes The Doctor look less heroic and more useless, but this is meant to be the case as ‘Rose’ has to prove that not only is The Doctor vulnerable, but that Rose herself is a worthy companion for his travels. For me though, the biggest flaw of all is the truly awful continuity error with the Killer Brides and there hands- first we see three brides; then one hand open, then three, then two… hang on a moment, who can’t count? Seriously, it’s a small moment but one which, once noticed, forever grates.

Overall though, ‘Rose’ is superb as an introduction to Series One and the whole format of ‘Doctor Who’, and it also succeeds in being a great story in its own right. Things here seem innocent- people die, but you do not see it, but not for too long; there are threats abound but they may not be real, but not for too long; The Doctor is relatively happy, with only the passing reference to a War threatening to show us otherwise, but not for too long. On March 26th, the theme tune and title sequence to ‘Doctor Who’ blasted out of my widescreen television and I shed a tear or two; looking back now, I know they were worth shedding.