Father's Day was probably my favorite episode of this new series of Doctor Who thus far. Billie Piper continues to be a joy to watch on screen and as the new series evolves we get a companion that is allowed more depth and substance than anything that we have had before. This is the way Doctor Who should be written. Any story with a premise that showcases a non-human protagonist must take care not to reveal too much about that character. It has been my experience that the more that is revealed about such an alien the less interesting and 'alien' the character becomes.

The Doctor needs to remain an enigma. He needs to remain alien. This series seems to understand that. It gives us stories where the Doctor is the means, but not the ends. This is a series about the companion... about Rose, about you, or me, or any other human person who steps foot inside the TARDIS. The humans tell the story. They don't need to stay hidden. We can put them under the microscope and see exactly who they are. Never has Doctor Who allowed us to examine a companion so closely. Never has it given us such beautiful human drama.

My thanks to Russell T. Davies for this wonderfully insightful new direction. One that begins with the opening moments of the very first episode and never turns loose. I compare it to the popular American Television series, "Lost". Where a group of ordinary people find themselves stranded on a very dangerous and very mysterious island. The stories are human stories and each week we learn more about the characters on the island, their lives, their loves, their history. And sometimes we are given the tiniest clue about the island. The Doctor is the island and Rose is the lost, struggling to survive and learn just a little bit more about the mystery that surrounds her.

I don't feel I need to reiterate the quality of story or production of this week's episode. I have been reading the reviews of "Father's Day" that are here on "Outpost Gallifrey" and see that these things have been well addressed. I do want to express my opinion regarding one of the running themes that has been permeating the reviews of late, however.

The scripts for this new series ("Father's Day" included) that were not penned by Russell T. Davies have been by-and-large received as superior. While this may be true, it has bred a lot of anti-RTD sentiment here that is undeserved. Each and every one of Mr. Davies' scripts has contained powerful and engaging scenes of human drama as good as what we got here last Saturday with "Father's Day." That's not to say each of these scripts did not also contain stumbling blocks. I was quite unhappy with much of "Aliens of London" and offered a review that voiced serious concerns about that episode. But I now feel a need to jump to the man's defense.

Let's assume that each of the writers for Doctor Who had X number of months to work on their scripts. Each of the writers in question produced one single script in that time. One script to polish and perfect and mold into the very finest gem of which they were capable. RTD on the other hand has had to produce 8 different scripts to their 1. Eight! Russell T. Davies is responsible for the lion's share of our Doctor Who story content, because this is his vision. He is responsible for the continuity, the atmosphere, the life, and breath of this new Doctor Who series. Russell T. Davies provides the foundation upon which these other writers are able to present their master pieces. "Father's Day" would not have been possible without that foundation.

I am sure if RTD had possessed 8 times the amount of time to polish and perfect each of his scripts that they might have been very different indeed. As it stands, his offerings so far have each provided us with a fair share of good enjoyable Doctor Who. Please don't belittle his efforts and suggest that he should relinquish his writing responsibilities for the series. His is the direction, the vision, and the heart that gives this new Doctor Who life. Praise him for that. Look at the big picture... at his efforts on the whole. They are Fantastic!

Before we get into this, I know from reading others' reviews that this is one episode that has had a lot of emotional resonance with viewers. Many have commented they were reduced to tears after watching it, one in particular that I saw (and I'm sure it can't be the ONLY one like it) saying it reminded him/her of his/her upbringing, where his/her father had died before s/he was born. So out of no disrespect whatsoever to anyone who felt the way they did, but...

I really, REALLY don't like stories that try to manipulate your emotions. There is a difference between stories that generate an emotional response through the course of the story, and one that tries to pull your heartstrings without a hint of subtlety about it. And that's precisely how "Father's Day" felt to me.

And what gets me, is that the set-up to the whole episode requires the Doctor to be an absolute schmuck. "Let's see, we JUST ditched a traveller who was trying to influence history in such a way to alter the past, I think for an encore I'll take Rose to see the exact moment her father died. There'd be no personal meaning there, oh no, what could POSSIBLY go wrong?!" Uh...yeah. Which is why I don't think the Doctor's anger at Rose over it was very warranted -- HE took her back there, TWICE even.

I did like the Reapers. I did like the TARDIS funkiness once history went a bit bizarro (Although come ON, Paul, how many times are you going to use the "Object From TARDIS Makes Lost TARDIS Appear" trick??). And I did like the car repeatedly appearing and disappearing.

But I really just didn't like all the NOT VERY SUBTLE AT ALL emotional ticks. Too many generated "Awwww" moments. Oh look, it's little Mickey, hugging Rose in the church. Awwww. Hey, Pete Tyler realizes he needs to sacrifice himself in order to stop all this craziness. Awwww.

Despite some nice ideas regarding the nature of an altering history, it was Paul Cornell by numbers. And unfortunately, it was the Paul Cornell who wrote Shadows of Avalon instead of the one who wrote Human Nature that showed up. In the latter, we truly FELT for the Doctor, and for "Dr. John Smith," and his human lover. It was a genuine heartbreak. Whereas with the former, we were signposted and bludgeoned with why we should feel for Lethbridge-Stewart, or Compassion, or...

Show, don't tell.

And again, if you felt a personal connection with this story, I don't hate I congratulate. But it didn't do it for me. In fact, it went pretty much the opposite. To me it felt phony, but perhaps, perhaps, it's a situation where you had to be there.

I've seen the episode a few times, read the reviews and been entertained by both. Wonderful episode, very interesting reviews...

(Pause) (Thinks)...this is a programme I adore seeing off the irritating rubbish that was 'Celebrity Wrestling' in the ratings and inspiring lively, articulate and diverse comments. Ahh, good times to be a fan.

I think this is possibly my favourite episode so far. Like 'Dalek' , 'The Unquiet Dead' and , to a lesser extent 'The End of the World' I was emotionally engaged and gripped throughout. This is not just quality 'Doctor Who' ; not just quality 'genre' television; this is quality television. Full. Stop. Quite right that plot holes are dissected, flaws found and criticisms made.We're fans...s'what we do and bl**dy marvellous and entertaining it is too! But as I responded to this episode on an very emotional level, my comments might reflect this...

Pre-titles sequence...spot on. Draws you in straight away (cue *that* theme music) . 'Little' Rose is told that her Dad died alone.Oh, blimey. I'm going already. What a sap.

Peter's death/rescue...very well done. This director can come back! (Oh, he is. Good.) Shaun Dingwell doesn't miss a beat throughout the episode. Excellent performance.

Doctor/Rose dynamics...Rose is right and wrong at the same time. Reacting to save your dad...who wouldn't? From the Doctor's more universal perspective...oh dear, *Bad*. Very ambiguous stuff, superbly played.

Doctor 'loses' Tardis. Rose looks a bit smug as the Doctor comes running after her. Reaper appears and she looks a little less smug. More...terrfied. (Good scream!) So, a few convincing deaths and into the church...this is terrific stuff.

The Doctor takes charge.Chris Eccleston at his best....."You're my Rose." "Daddy..." (I've got something in my eye, honest.) Stuart and Sarah...who says they're not important? The Doctor certainly doesn't. (I've been..um... chopping onions, honest.) Rose is genuinely sorry and the Doctor accepts this. Yay, the Doctor's *back*...and he's taking off that flamin' jacket for once!

Rose touches the baby (doh) and a reaper is inside...the Doctor's instincts kick in as he protects the more vulnerable...and gets eaten for his trouble. Okay, his death wouldn't have really helped anyone that much, but I'm a sucker for noble self-sacrifice ("bloody fifth Doctor fans....") and love the slo-mo shot of Roses horrified reaction. Powerful stuff...

Peter knows what he has to do, and so do we, obviously.Another great scene as he prepares for his fate. "Who am I, Love?" "My daddy." (got something in both eyes now)

BAM...he's a goner. (I even find the way Billie runs poignant at this point!) The shot where Rose finally glances up...and there's the Doctor in close-up; and he *knows*, I think. Knows how Rose feels...woah. Even Billie dropping her head slightly as they walk back to the Tardis...No onions, nothing in my eye. I'm moved.

More episodes to come and my concerns about the Ninth Doctor's attitude have been addressed to an extent.(Still, poor old Adam!) But my bottom line here is.....this is *quality* television connecting with a big audience; and it's 'Doctor Who'! Bring on the rest of the season.

Nine out of ten.

November 1987: I was fourteen years old and watching Delta and The Bannermen… But never mind eh?

Once again, we were on Earth. Are we ever gonna see an alien planet in this series? Fortunately, Father’s Day was another emotion-crunching episode that would tug at the heartstrings at even the hardest Doctor Who fan. For once we were actually treated to a proper time-travel plot, which is a rarity in Doctor Who. Admittedly the episode had a very obvious ending but the power of the acting covered that up.

Shaun Dingwall as Pete Tyler was superb, especially in the scenes where Pete has his "Gethsemane" moment, realising he has to die to save the world. Once again Billie Piper was outstanding, give her a Bafta next year for goodness sake.

The Doctor didn’t really do much. He even admits at one point, that he doesn’t have a plan. More often than not in this series, the Doctor seems to have been made redundant in the stories conclusions, often being reduced to a bystander. Here, he at least gets to save Rose in a gallant gesture before disappearing. When he appears by Rose’s side after time is changed back again, it was so much more subtle and effective than if he had re-appeared in a flash of light.

However, despite all the emotion, intelligent acting and horror, there was time for a little humour. Who didn’t enjoy the Doctor putting Jackie in her place. Plus anyone who thinks Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor is all northern grins, "fantastic" and not a proper Doctor, should watch the scene where he’s talking to Baby Rose or the couple getting married. The first was a true Doctor-like soliloquy, the second a reassuringly traditional Doctor moment, both delivered with warmth, humour and wisdom. [Shaun feel free to edit out this next sentence] On the strength of this episode alone, Ian Levine can shove his "moral right" up his arse, because Eccleston was at his best here, proving that he was the man for the job. Thirteen episodes are better than no episodes at all!

1987 was very accurately brought back to life, even down to dreary old Rick Astley singing on the car radio. The Reapers were an excellent creation, not only in appearance but, they sounded terrifying too. The scenes of their point of view were genuinely eerie and when they devoured Steve’s father and the vicar, it was as near to a modern-day horror film than Doctor Who has ever been. If I have one complaint, it was the TARDIS key subplot which made very little sense and appeared to be just padding, lengthening the episode and delaying the obvious ending.

Father’s Day is more proof at how flexible and adaptable the series format is and also how much Doctor Who has grown up. Another rosy-glow moment which makes me proud to be a Doctor Who fan!

Russell T. Davies has been heavily criticized by some fans for his ‘domestic’ emphasis – Davies, it is said, is more interested in the companion Rose and her family connections and melodramas than in the Doctor and old-fashioned ‘Who’ adventure. It’s a criticism that is both somewhat warranted and somewhat exaggerated, but it’s interesting that the story perhaps *most* interested in Rose’s family life, Paul Cornell’s ‘Father’s Day,’ turns out to be an utter triumph, by far the finest of the 2005 series. Not only is it a fast-paced, classically Whovian adventure with great monsters, but in tying the emotional component that Davies worked to bring to the series in to an exciting plot (as opposed to merely tacking it on, as happens in stories like ‘Aliens of London’/’World War Three’), it also brings something truly fresh and new to ‘Doctor Who,’ while at the same time making better use of time travel than perhaps any story in series history.

First things first. This story hinges on a questionable hypothesis – surely no other Doctor would have the bad judgment to grant a companion’s request to witness the death of someone so close. But the Ninth Doctor is different from the others – in fact, we’ve already seen him make mistakes several times by this point in the series (trying to help the Gelth, encouraging Adam Mitchell to experience future culture and then lambasting him when he does, etc.). But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, in terms of the series’ dramatic element – how many times in classic ‘Who’ did all sense of danger evaporate because this infallible Super Time Lord was on the scene? I’m thinking specifically of certain Pertwee and McCoy stories, but it really could be said for most of them (except maybe Davison) . . . . Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor is different from them all – he is at once more alien and estranged from humanity than any Doctor since Hartnell, and yet more *human* any of the others, in his imperfection, his failings. Eccleston is truly at his best here – dark and furious when he stares down Rose and insults her, authoritative and classically Doctor-ish when taking over the situation at the church, child-like and haunted when he listens enviously to Stuart and Sarah talk about their banal lives . . . and of course shocking when he pays for his caprices with his own life (for once). It’s hard to say how fans will ultimately remember Christopher Eccleston – fondly, as the actor who brought ‘their’ character back from the dead, or as an uncommitted deserter, as well as a symbol of Russell Davies’s sins as producer? Time will tell, but is can’t be denied that he’s in fine form here.

But of course, this story is more Rose Tyler’s than the Doctor’s, and Billie Piper plays the role with all the commitment and good taste we’ve come to expect from her. Camille Coduri is as screechy and shrewish as ever, but for once it works in the context of the story. Still, the best acting here probably comes from Shaun Dingwall as Peter Allan Tyler. It’s a perfect performance: Tyler is a believable and likeable non-hero – we can see why Jacky would be annoyed and impatient with this dreamer’s schemes (a separate compartment for yogurt?) – but we can’t help liking him. He’s beautifully written, too – not ‘the most wonderful man in the world,’ but extremely kind (you can see it in the loving way he looks at Rose, and one of his first questions about his own future is “Am I a good dad?”), and smart enough to figure out who Rose is, and how exactly she caused their dilemma in the first place. *And* brave enough to face what he must do to make it all right . . . .

These characters come together in a rather brilliantly constructed and moving time-travel story. Considering how key time travel is to ‘Doctor Who’s’ basic concept, it’s amazing the series hasn’t asked these sorts of questions more often. The Chronovores – excuse me, I suppose it isn’t exactly established that the Reapers *are* Chronovores, though they seem close enough to me – are scary and believable, and yet ‘Father’s Day’ is really a story about living in the past, and the futility of wanting to change it. Cornell’s script is dotted with interesting takes on the question (Stuart’s father warning him that his future self might not be so thrilled with his match, etc.), and it all comes together in a blissful harmony of ideas and aesthetics.

All in all, a wonderful ‘Doctor Who’ story, perhaps the first real classic of the new era.

“By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?”

Father's Day is definitely one of the most unusual Doctor Who episodes ever. The emphasis is not on weird aliens or monsters, instead this is a character-based drama with a science fiction twist. In order to enjoy Father's Day, it's important to be caught up in the unfolding drama and not be too bothered by the occasional unexplained plothole. So its understandable if the average Who fan is more annoyed than enchanted by this beautiful vignette.

As far as Rose is concerned, it does resolve one outstanding plotpoint – why did she choose to travel with the Doctor in the first place? It was to go back in time and see her father she never really new. Billie Piper produces a terrific performance here – probably her best in the entire series thus far. And Shaun Dingwall as Rose's father plays the part with just the right amount of charm, and perhaps smarm. We can see why Jackie would've fallen in love with him, and how she can forgive him the occasional wayward dalliance. In the end, Pete Tyler is given the opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of his family. So it is an uplifting yet bittersweet ending.

It seems to be a recurring theme during the current series, that the Doctor doesn't save the day, but rather he inspires the people around him to do so. That was the case in the previous episode 'The Long Game', where he persuades Cathica to stop the Jagrafess. What is so fascinating here is that for the first time in recent memory, the Doctor quite literally has no idea how to resolve this situation. It's discomforting, but shows just how serious this situation is. In order to spare Rose's feelings, he attempts to find a roundabout solution that doesn't involve sacrificing someone's life. Unfortunately, that decision is taken out of his hands at the very end.It shows, quite graphically, the depth of feeling that runs between both the Doctor and Rose.

I have to admit, I'm more emotionally and mentally comfortable with the "adventure"-themed episodes - it's what I grew up on after all. Father's Day is certainly a poignant entry in the new series, and if you're in the right mood the bittersweet ending can certainly tug at the heartstrings. This is one episode that I'd much rather watch alone - as I don't want anyone to smirk if I get a lump in my throat. 8/10.