Where does one start when talking about this visual treat? Ah, well the visuals perhaps? This episode is a symphony of sight as well as sound. Let’s be honest: this is Doctor Who getting back at the American’s for always saying Star Trek was better because it had better effects… and the Doctor did it with style! About time too! I had long hoped that the day would come when we could tell all the Trekkies that now Doctor Who is better in story AND in SFX! HA… beam this up! And the music is presented, once again, on a high note. Some stunning moments of sound: the Doctor talking about his people, the Doctor walking through the final fan, Rose crying over the destroyed Earth that no one got to see go… amazing!! 

Ok so the most notable plot point is that the Doctor takes Rose to the end of her world; in this way perhaps building a relationship with her based on the none-too-healthy foundation that they’ve both lost their worlds. Yet for some reason, it’s ok for the Rose to go back to hers but the Doctor can never go back to his world… (a sad, and strange, fact undoubtedly based on the transduction barrier and the Time Lords hyper advanced technology). This bond is not solidified until the episodes end when Rose tells the Doctor (in relation to the fact that he is alone) “there’s me” – an essential moment in the understanding that Rose is now the Doctors’ equal – they’ve both lost their home and are essentially the last of their kind. Rose even gets to call her mum to bring home just how dead her mum is the moment she hangs up. A strange start to this friendship, I dare say! 

But as far as first encounters go, Rose is given a cornucopia of aliens to look at, but once again, as in Rose (the episode), she shows her humanity by needing to escape, to take a breather. This is all totally normal for the Doctor but clearly a bit much for a department store teen! This is an interesting counterpoint to Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor, who also gives another stunning performance in the role of public alien #1. Here again we see that the Doctor, while 900+, still acts like a child one moment, weeps over the loss of his estranged race the next and finally is willing to let a woman not just die, but die horribly: an act of vengeance or justice? He is not human, and it shows. Even Rose is willing to release the evil Cassandra (“help her”); a wonderful statement at least from the writer of the episode that humanity ultimately cares for one another and is willing to forgive. Perhaps that is the human element that no Dalek would even understand! I digress… The fact that Rose is willing to help the villain is interesting when thinking back to the conversation she has with Ruffalo that she doesn’t really know the Doctor. What must she think of him now that he has let a woman explode?! That conversation too epitomizes Rose’s humanity. The Doctor again is shown to be … not human, though he is initially reluctant to say what he is! Tom Baker once said that to help highlight that difference between the human and the Time Lord, he liked to depict opposite emotions to what one would expect. Chris does this to perfect effect when asking Jabe if there is anyone to help nearby. Her negative response elicits the ubiquitous “fantastic”! Great stuff! 

So what of those moments outside the range of the visuals? The ones that may not push the story one way or the other, but they make for a more believable story: An iPod… classic. Why is it that they always get it right in so many SF shows? This hints at the very likely fact that the research would not be 100% accurate after 5 BILLION years! Jabe’s inability to understand the machin sounds is another superb touch – the answer was not readily accessible for the Doctor and it shows that Jabe is a different type of alien! Also, such great lines as “use of weapons, teleportation and religion are strictly prohibited”… stunning, brilliant… fantastic! The episode was not hindered by the Umpa-lumpas, nor was it enhanced by them, but Ruffalo was an awesome addition – shame she didn’t survive. And doesn’t Cassandra know that she would have been called a “girl” or is this again some mistake on her part, being as old as she is (calling herself a boy), or did the research not turn up anything about that? Or did she go through changes…? Is the Cassandra/Rose conversation a hint at the fact that humanity is too concerned with being thin? This is the final result? I commented before that Rose is perfect in form because she is real: not a stick model. This is a subtle testament that there are extremes to size; a lesson long overdue in our society! Is the Appearance of the Repeated Meem an obvious “baddie” because they are dressed in black, and hooded? Perhaps another subtle reminder that one should not take things at face value. And finally, what of the brilliant comment, akin to today’s jargon “talk to the hand”; this one is more comical for what it means: “Talk to the face”. HA! Brilliant! 

One question about the phone call: how long has Rose been gone when MUM gets the call? We have to assume, based on what we learn later, that this is probably the day after the attack of the Nestenes; but there again, wouldn’t mum have wanted her home to make sure all was well? A minor quibble, but worth mentioning. The other is why the Steward doesn’t think to leap up and run when the shields go down! Why is Rose, new to all things futuristic, smart enough to get the heck up and run, while the steward (and for that matter everyone in the observation dome) sits there and screams like a pixie…? 

So money may still motivate humans 5 billion years from now, assuming we don’t eat ourselves to death, egg ourselves, crack from mad cow or globally cook ourselves. But would humanity know what the “bad wolf” situation is all about? One must assume so, in the episodes to come. But can we then consider how the Moxx meant that they were in the Bad Wolf scenario? I think so… but that is for another review. For this, I am glad that the Doctor has come back full force in this second episode. He didn’t waste much time; maybe he took Jabe’s excellent advise: “Quit wasting time, Time Lord”.

The scenario: In the distant future, The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) materialize on Platform One – an observation station, where motley and garish visitors congregate to observe a dying Earth’s final moments. Curiously, ‘people’ start getting murdered… What’s this show called again?

Like its predecessor, The End of the World is visually exhausting. In 45 minutes, various story elements and twists have been crammed together in an expensive special effects bonanza. The Doctor is firmly the hero, this time, with more emphasis placed on the arcane “Time War” back-plot. In a welcome touch, Rose is shown reacting to the appearance of particularly alien aliens. There are some quirky scenes. It’s generally surreal.

Aside from details like that, I don’t like it. Having witnessed ‘last week’s’ Next Time preview, I knew I was in for Disappointmentville. I’ve never cared for Star Trek-esque humanoid extraterrestrials. Especially the plural. Imagine my delight on being introduced to – in random order - “Cassandra O’Brien” (Zoe Wanamaker)…, “Trees”…, Jabe [The Tree, naturally] (Yasmin Bannerman), The [Pickled Rastafarian] Face of Boe, Raffalo (Beccy Armory), and The Duck-faced Squad, apparently. They look… terrifying (i.e., not scary). That may be the intention, but I don’t like it, damn it. I’ll let The Moxx of Balhoon (Jimmy Vee) off lightly, as he’s sweetly amusing, if underused. I appreciate the importance of treading new ground, and that classic characters like Daleks and Sea Devils only surface every few years/decades, but surely a little more imagination? Imagine my further joviality when Toxic was fittingly played on a jukebox in the year 5 billion. Embarrassing, methinks. And I like[d] that song. This ‘new’ series’ direction is evident.

Russell T. Davies’ first two script submissions seem like pre-first drafts. He may have reintroduced the series, but I’m concerned that another reintroduction may be required in a few years, to put it lightly. Ignoring the slightly camp tone, there are some amusing moments. The dialogue is an improvement on Rose. Eccleston slides into his role with relative ease – one of the finer aspects of this episode. His relationship with his ‘assistant’ (to the uninformed: a very vague and general term, referring to a companion – another label) is further developed. It appears an unsentimental one, particularly from Rose’s side. “Doctor Who” seems more interested in her than vice versa, most notably in the new pre-title sequence, where he attempts to impress her in a testosterone-fueled manner. Relatedly, the TARDIS is amusingly haphazard – it’s operated by a bicycle pump?!

Supporting cast quality is eclectic: Bannerman offers a shaky performance as The Doc’s dubious and not-at-all coy ‘love interest’. A tree with bosoms; what next? Wanamaker voices Cassandra admirably. Simon Day makes for a good war-painted Steward. Camille Coduri appears in a cameo, where we’re suddenly whizzed back to ‘normality’. Sara Stewart (Batman Begins) provides Platform One’s Computer Voice.

Although I dislike TEOTW, the basic premise is a good one. Contradictorily, I like Davies’ first two offerings, too. Although they’re ‘style’ over substance, I’ve enjoyed the superficial dialogue and gripping emotionality – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The technobabble is ludicrously plausible – if that makes sense. Unlike the Classic Series, the bipolar plot first; character second basis has been flipped. Grudgingly, I have to admit, they’ve been fun to sit through (before being critical), although I look forward to a refreshing new screenwriter Next Time, where I expect things to slow down. Closing call: End of the World’s fantastical, but could’ve been more fantastic. ***[/5]

If “Rose” was the hors d’oeuvres, could “End Of The World” lay claim to being the main course? It was certainly the most-expensive dish on the menu! Who’d have ever thought we could see such a lavish episode of “Doctor Who” on TV?

Russell T Davies, Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper did such a good job establishing The Doctor and Rose in the first episode, I already felt totally comfortable with the two lead characters. Which was quite an achievement after 45 minutes! Even from such an early stage in the series, the interchanges between the Doctor and Rose have become an integral part of the show.

I thought the scene in which the Doctor enabled Rose was able to phone home was a lovely touch. One of the big plusses of the new series over the old one is the “back story” of Rose’s family, an area which was rarely explored in any great depth previously. I must admit, I wasn’t sure about this move, but Davies was spot on, and such scenes obviously play to his main writing strengths – characterisation and dialogue.

But to the actual episode itself. No question that this was a triumph for the special effects team. Whereas I wasn’t quite sure the Nestene Consciousness was a visual triumph in “Rose”, no doubts here. The space station was as good as anything from the big screen. The metallic spiders were perfectly menacing. The various collection of aliens were magnificent. Lady Cassandra (voiced supremely by Zoe Wannamaker) was simply sensational. And the end of the world itself was beautifully done.

It was the big and bold episode Davies had claimed it was. Is there a but coming? Just a little one. Rather like “Rose”, did the style (wonderful and fun and easy on the eye as it was) sledgehammer the substance?

The aliens were superb, but we didn’t see nearly enough of them. This is the problem of the 45-minute episodes. And, as the cost of this one was obviously so high, I’m surprised they didn’t count make this one of the double-length productions. There surely would have been lots more fun to have had with the various creations, and the whodunit element could have more expansive, rather than crammed in.

No question “Doctor Who” is now a fast-paced show, and “End Of The World” wasn’t quite as frantic as “Rose” but, sometimes, there’s just not enough time to take everything in. Less can be more.

However, there were some great scenes in this episode. The pre-credits sequence setting the scene in the TARDIS and then the space station went from breakneck pace to gentle reflection effortlessly – not an easy skill. Jade (has there ever been a sexier tree?) offering her sympathies when she realised who the Doctor was also made her a memorable supporting act. And the closing scene back on Earth when the Doctor revealed he was the last of the Time Lords (I also had doubts about this plotline – but hats off to Mr Davies again) was simple but extremely effective. All in all, the episode successfully built on the promise of its predecessor.

It’s “the End Of The World as we know it”. And I feel fine . . 

‘The End Of The World’ is a story which sits uneasy in my mind. There is much to like about it: a good musical score from Murray Gold (especially throughout the ending), some truly stunning visuals (the destruction of the planet Earth being the highlight), many laugh out loud moments (especially when ‘Tainted Love’ by Soft Cell is played on a jukebox), and some great performances (Jimmy Vee makes the Moxx Of Balhoon more memorable than he deserves to be considering his limited screen time, and both Yasmin Bannerman and Zoл Wanamaker are superb). However, I cannot help but feel that overall ‘The End Of The World’ is a typical example of a story where its parts are greater than its whole.

Again, Russell T. Davies writes some great dialogue; the banter between all characters- human, tree and other- flows so naturally that it gives the impression that the script was entirely effortless to write, which is a testimony to how well the dialogue works. As mentioned previously, the acting is again great- Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston seem to fit so naturally into their roles that it’s frightening, and it is hard to see how anyone can criticise them. The plot, however, is where things fall apart.

Now as with ‘Rose’ this is a story more focused on the back story of the characters as opposed to an actual gripping story; but whereas in ‘Rose’ the focus upon Rose and the addition of an invasion attempt by the Nestene Consciousness was well balanced, here it appears at odds with itself. On the one hand, we have Rose’s acceptance of the future and her contemplation of quite what life with the Doctor shall be like; on the other hand we have background details about the Doctor and the destruction of his home planet (Gallifrey) due to a war; added to this, we have the imminent destruction of the planet Earth and the sabotage being undertaken by one of the delegates there. Now, to balance three separate story strands in a successful way can be done, but here- in my opinion- it falls short. Rose simply isn’t given enough to do, spending a significant amount of time crouching beneath a door; the sabotage plot thread would be a lot more engaging if we were ever in any doubt as to who was behind the sabotaging.

Of all the story strands, it is the discovery of the Doctor’s history that proves itself to be both the most interesting and well realised. This in part is due to the subtle performance of Eccleston throughout, but also because it is meant to seem more interesting. We are left wanting more here, whilst this is not the case with the other strands of plot.

This is a shame in many ways since- as mentioned before- the premise of ‘The End Of The World’ promises much more than it actually delivers. Here is a story which boasts a colourful array of all creatures great and small, but most of the delegates spend their time moping around a small room in crowds of two or three.

I’d also say that the direction is a little stale- whilst Euros Lyn tries his hardest to make things seem grand and impressive (an arty shot out of Jackie Tyler’s washing machine here, a sweeping CGI shot of Platform One there), the slightly cramped scenery somewhat quashes his directorial flair- after all, there are only so many ways you can make a large and rather empty room seem engaging.

However, despite all this criticism, ‘The End Of The World’ boasts one of the most touching, memorable, best acted and best written scenes in the whole of Series One; I am talking about the final scene set on Present Day Earth. Actually, I’m refereeing to just before that too, beginning with Rose gazing longingly out of a window in Platform One at her planet disintegrating into nothingness. It is moments like this that remind you why Davies is such a great writer; it is moments such as this one, also, which make you see just how good the acting is. I guess ‘The End Of The World’, looking back, can almost be forgiven for its shortcomings when it has moments as good as this.

Overall though, I must confess that after how impressed I was by ‘Rose’, I felt somewhat let down here. Bits of it are great, but bits of it fail to live up to the expectations which it itself sets. It is by no means bad, and parts of it shine out so much that it dazzles you, making you turn a blind eye at its shortcomings. Look at it with unimpaired vision though, and the cracks begin to show. ‘The End Of The World’ is just above average, but lagging well below excellent. ‘Doctor Who’ has done worse than this, but it can also do so much better; break off little bits of this metaphorical Easter Egg but don’t be surprised if eating it all leaves you hungry for more.