Overdue Doctor Who Review: The Parting of the Ways

Have a good life.
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[@Ben-vf5gk]

"You were fantastic, absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So was I." Gets me every time.

[@Katherine_The_Okay]

right? i don't know whether to sob or laugh

[@crashfan9997]

Same.

[@MrRjhyt]

For me, it's the holographic good-bye that gets me, every time. The pain on his face, as he sent her to safety. "Have a good life. Do that for me, Have a fantastic life..."

[@horaciosi]

"I don't want to go!" *Everyone: ಥ~ಥ Me: -_-* "You were fantastic, absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So was I." *Everyone: -_- Me: ಥ~ಥ*

[@robo3007]

@@horaciosi THIS. Eccleston's line leading with "You were fantastic..." makes it clear that he thinks of others first, then himself. Tennant's line was much more selfish.

[@deathswitch2404]

After Day of the Doctor, 9's refusal at using the delta wave to wipe out another species makes waaaay more sense

[@Temptation666]

He would also have wiped out the Humans. So i always felt it made sense

[@ukmediawarrior]

I think, personally, the renewing of Who wouldn't have worked quite so well without someone like Eccelston at the helm. I know at the time of his casting people were a little unsure, but his portrayal of the Doctor through season 1 was solid, all the way through. He produced the right balance of authority, emotionalism, attitude and being the wise man that this season needed. It laid the foundation for David Tennant to be the slightly more jovial and energetic Doctor because we all knew the baggage he carried beneath that charming smile thanks to Eccelston. And this was perhaps the perfect way for him to bow out as Who. He played it perfectly right to the very end and I miss him.

[@adorkability]

As much as I love Tennant, I wish we'd gotten at least another season of Eccelston. I really enjoyed his performance.

[@kosh9639]

No one is ever really the same after absorbing the time vortex... and the character can't go on like nothing really happened. He did a good job of showing the wisdom comparison to Rose/human...

[@Ben-vf5gk]

"I reached into the dirt and made new life, I AM THE GOD OF ALL DALEKS!" I really want the Dalek Emperor back.

[@aarononeil9832]

For anyone listening to Big Finish, that was him coming back.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

@@aarononeil9832 Looking forward to the next Gallifrey Time War boxset

[@NostalgiaBrit]

Eccleston was a FANTASTIC Doctor; I've never understood the hate he gets! I mean, he's a phenomenal actor & never once does it feel like I'm watching Christopher Eccleston, it feels the The Doctor at all times! 😃❤️

[@Temptation666]

I agree 100%

[@patrickt.6492]

I respect Eccleston from walking away from a working environment that he found toxic. Barrowman has said that he found Eccleston a wet blanket, but I think 9 and Rose had better chemistry than 10 and Rose. I really like this season.

[@tmmartinesq.6216]

At least the 9th Doctor didn't leave Jack's ass hanging on the outside of the TARDIS in the time vortex. That was a real DICK move on the part of the 10th Doctor.

[@MovieMagic515]

Did Eccleston and Barrowman not get on?

[@booksvsmovies]

I mean, given what we know about Barrowman's very inappropriate workplace conduct now, I can see why he would say that

[@BlackNarutoLOL]

My favourite Rose moment is in this episode. It sort of embodies everything what makes Doctor Who great when she says the part about the Doctor showing her a better way of living your Life: "You don't just give up! You don't just let things happen! You make a stance! You say no! You have the guts to what's right when everyone else just runs away!"

[@englishgiraffe2124]

Not only the best regeneration story in NewWho, but it may well be my favourite regeneration story in all of Doctor Who, next to The Caves of Androzani and The War Games. Some of the best things about the story is that when 9 knows he has to regenerate, he still looks forward to the future, and doesn't whine about it (cough, End of Time, cough), the story doesn't create such a half-assed ending after massive build-up (cough, Time of the Doctor, cough) and the Doctor's character isn't assassinated (cough, Twice Upon a Time, cough). What is it with Doctor Who stories having the title "Time" and generally sucking 75% of the time? While not my favourite Series(hello, Series 4 and 5), nor having my favourite NewWho Doctor (hello, Tennant and Capaldi), this is easily the best finale from NewWho, for a fantastic Doctor

[@bun6134]

My personal headcanon involves the First Doctor actually just messing with 12 during Twice Upon a Time - I think the novelisation implies that as well, and tbh it works so much better, wish it was actually written like that in the episode.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

My favourite finale is the Doctor Falls but this is still a close second for me.

[@bun6134]

The ending does feel a little Deus ex Machina imo. It just doesn't work all that well for me, especially considering the finales that came later during RTD's run

[@markpostgate2551]

Am I alone in thinking Time of the Doctor was the best regeneration episode.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

A little sorry. Actually, that's wrong I've met a few who like it, SamyulDavis said it's his favourite story. I can say that I think its better than the End of Time but then again most stories are. I think Matt Smith's character development is great, much better than the whining the Tenth Doctor did. The regeneration scene (the last one) I love, as well because again, it wasn't whiney and it didn't come after 25 minutes of him staring sadly at his old friends. The Crack in the Wall and the Silence coming back were good ideas and the Timelords are much cooler offscreen having their own agenda instead of just acting like Daleks (End of Bloody Time)> I just didn't like all the monsters being chucked at it at once and was disappointed by the mystery reveals being done is throwaway lines. Moffat apparently intended for the Doctor being on Trenzalore to be a whole series long but Matt Smith left early so I'm not that angry about it as some are.

[@adamgordon-boyle1560]

Chris Eccleston seems like a purely decent guy he made a deal with the BBC to not publicly discuss the specific details of his departure and has honoured that.

[@Joel1998_]

Christopher Eccleston was a credit to Doctor Who. Even though we only, got one season with his Doctor, I’m just glad he was part of Doctor who. He’s a fantastic actor and did the role justice! Even when he wasn’t in the greatest episodes.

[@ITSMeatMan]

Man this is so sad, ood play my song before it’s over

[@k-p116]

I know people wish Eccleston stayed longer, but his regeneration is well placed. I binge watched season 1 without knowing a thing about Doctor Who, so the regeneration is what blew my mind and made me want to watch season 2. This is my second favorite regeneration moment, the first one being Tennant's. As for regeneration stories (counting the full episode), Capaldi takes the gold

[@meris8486]

I wish more doctors went out with a grin like Eccleston

[@twilliamspro]

Its about time They did a mid season regeneration Imagine the shock if they did it without it getting out

[@MrLegendofLP]

Honestly, I could see it happening. Keep the crew under a strict, STRICT non-disclosure agreement.

[@BelovedSamsEtc]

Tom Williams Productions hopefully they squeeze it in during series 11

[@MrLegendofLP]

@@BelovedSamsEtc Well aren't you just a barrel of sunshine.

[@markpostgate2551]

You know what would be awesome is if they could do a regeneration mid-season and not even make an announcement of who the new Doctor is, and then post-regenration there's two characters both claiming to be the Doctor and we won't know until the end of the episode which one is lying!

[@BelovedSamsEtc]

I know that there is a small chance of it happening at all, never mind while Jodie is the Doctor as people would call sexism, but I don’t care what happens, as long as she’s gone ASAP and is replaced by a man.

[@spiggypop]

I was 7 when I watched this episode and it remains the only time I never knew who the next doctor was going to be during the regeneration, for that reason this is absolutely one of my favourites.

[@cicada.and.pomegranate]

Same here. By season 4, I had become invested enough in the show that I knew that the next doctors would be Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi. (I started watching the show from the beginning during Capaldi’s run) Because of this, I knew “The Next Doctor” was a false alarm.

[@clara_bandicoot]

The Dalek Emperor is one of my favourite villains. As a kid he terrified me, and now I just adore how, unlike the standard shouty shooty Daleks, he is much calmer for the most part and he destroys the Doctor with words alone.

[@Lovemypirates11211]

I can't argue with any of it. Eccleston was fantastic, and I agree with you about the Deux ex machina, there are a lot of those in the series, though some seem more obvious than others. The bad wolf showing up from one episode to the next, jumping to suddenly Rose as the Bad Wolf. Martha's quest to save the day, and Donna becoming the Doctor Donna, that was still a deux ex machina, but not quite as out of left field as Rose's, I think. But oh, you know, every time I watch the regeneration I cry because as much as I love Tennant, it's hard to let Eccleston go, because he was great, even when the episodes weren't, as much. By the way, love your commitment to dressing like the Doctor for each review!

[@T2266]

Dalek Emperor is awesome, he's the only one who actually "beat" the Doctor, if not for the Bad Wolf, the Doctor was giving up. BTW the line " I want you become like me. Hail, the Doctor, the Great Exterminator! " is kinda yandere if you ask me.

[@FitzyCify]

I rewatched this episode a couple of weeks ago, and I still think it holds up really well today. Like you say, the farewell scenes are really effective (Come on, no mention of Jack's goodbye kisses?) And the Daleks have never been scarier - silently patrolling the corridors, not even fazed by the gunfire heading their way, ruthlessly, methodically wiping out each of their attackers, Jack's last stand, and the literal extermination of the floor 0 staff... chills every time! If you do rank the regenerations, I would say factor in both the episode in which it takes place, and the scene itself. Like, is the episode a satisfactory final outing for that incarnation of the Doctor, and if not, does the moment of regeneration salvage the story or make it worse? Especially seeing as Troughton never actually transitioned to Pertwee on-screen, but _The War Games_ is generally considered one of the most important stories from the classic series, it would be a shame to not be able to include that one on a technicality.

[@magus104]

Hes only so bitter about Dr Who because BBC black listed him after he didnt stay with the show. He basically credits himself for the revival of the show or at least the character and rightfully so he owned the role. But them refusing to give him work and him basically having to move to america to be able to continue working who wouldnt be bitter about 1 season of a show over shadowing your whole career and costing you further work in your home country

[@kosh9639]

would of liked him to do a 2nd season... people were just starting to like him & the new show.

[@jonsnor4313]

He had a right to not continue. Sad story. BBC are idiots for not letting him join a new show.

[@elliottwatt5297]

Ned Barks yeah he had a right not to continue but don’t show up for a role like the doctor if you can’t commit to it. He wanted to do doctor Who as a stunt to show he could do hero roles he didn’t respect it or RTD’s plans, he wanted the recognition then to get out which no, he doesn’t have a right to use an institution like that.

[@borjankosarac3645]

@@elliottwatt5297 I'm not sure what you're implying here - that it's Eccleston's fault for leaving what he considered a toxic environment? That he just wanted to coast off name recognition and never intended to stay longer than a series? No, the latter is NOT what happened - to my understanding, it's that after signing on Eccleston didn't like how a lot of the crew were being treated, and while he did his job he opted out after his one and only series; it's unclear to me whether he was bound by contract to stay longer and broke it, but regardless of whether that's the case the BBC didn't take kindly to him leaving. Worse still, he actually said he'd keep his mouth shut so long as they did NOT blacklist him and let him continue business as usual, only for them to go back and blacklist him ANYWAY which forced him to find work overseas for the next odd decade. Adding insult to injury, RTD didn't back him up at all and kept his head down - probably to avoid the BBC's wrath falling on his own head - and Chris was rightly upset since he expected Davies to at least have his back; he has said he wouldn't work with the man again because of this. Mind you, when Steven Moffat invited him to come back for the 50th Anniversary Special, Chris wasn't opposed outright (or at least, not hostile) and his declining was amicable, so it's clear while he's got some bitterness over how he was treated, he apparently didn't hold a grudge against Moffat (who is RTD's friend) and more refused due to bad memories and the like... or maybe I'm just blowing hot air, whatever floats your boat.

[@modmaker7617]

How fantastic was 9?

[@DeathGodRiku]

I saw this one video where Christopher helped a guy propose to his gf and Chris was 100% IN CHARACTER as 9. He may have an axe to grind with the crew and BBC, but he clearly is thankful for his fans

[@billlowery3898]

That's the video I use to point out the BBC 's bs about Eccleston nor liking the fans. If he didn't, he wouldn't do stuff like this.

[@roro-mm7cc]

There were consequences even tho she destroyed the daleks.. all the people who died on satellite 5 and literally all the continents on earth were wrecked killing billions of ppl. And the doctor had to regenerate.. loads of consequences.. the only person who gets brought back to life is Jack.

[@markpostgate2551]

But it began the "reset" button trend that continued in later seasons, right up to and including "Lie of the Land" which was the latest culprit.

[@AJ-bp9jp]

"Coward... any day" That moment always stuck with me

[@DovahkriidRoy]

I always had a thought that BadWolf in the day of the doctor was not the Moment but the TARDIS herself. Even though I knew its not true, the Moment is really intelligent and picked the most powerful form of Entity in Doctor's life, and by doing that it could manipulate the Time-Space itself.

[@jonathanskiner4405]

Great review. Here we come series two! (Yay or Nay?)

[@jaymiechan]

Bad Wolf was an accident. Set designers kept putting up the phrase, and Davies decided to turn it into foreshadowing. That is why it feels so sudden and out of left field. Also, it sort of taught the wrong lesson regarding seasonal arcs; Davies would stick repetitive phrasing in as a 'buildup' rather than actual story threads. i always considered it the weakest element of the Davies era. Moffat was better on threads, but sucked on payoff.

[@borjankosarac3645]

Except Series 5; that one DID have great payoff. ;-)

[@Emme-Kappa]

I liked this a lot, though the "I think you need a Doctor" line by Eccleston pre-kiss with Rose-Bad Wolf is one of the corniest and most cringe inducing moments in the Davies era. God that is B-movie level bad.

[@Daelyas]

I agree... though its also because of the music rising just at that line read... the combination makes me shudder every time :D

[@robbytomminson5807]

So is all of series 11

[@Daelyas]

@@robbytomminson5807 Oh hello MAGA dude... Im sure you will have actual arguments informing that opinion and are not just trying to get a rise out of others or anything. Btw how is that wall funding coming along? Scary brown people still haunting your dreams?

[@CouncilofGeeks]

"Chris is leaving after next season"* *Citation needed

[@Daelyas]

@@robbytomminson5807 oh man... youre faaaaaar gone arent you? No point even trying to argue with you :D Have a nice life... well... I would say that, but its clear how bitter you are at your core about so many things in the world so in the end you will be unhappy and see perceived attacks on men/white people everywhere anyway. Must suck hard being so wound up.

[@roguebritgravy1]

Aw this is the last Eccleston doctor who review you'll ever do. I like these reviews that you've done.

[@SashaRicky]

There are many hints throughout the first series that 9 had romantic feelings for Rose. Which for me even more justifies their kiss. • On their first trip together, 9 is clearly trying to impress her, which is why he takes her all the way to the end of the world. • In the 3rd episode he gets stunned by her and her 'past' outfit, calling her "beautiful". • The Dalek goats 9 to "save the woman you love" (Rose) for its escape. • 9 shows subtle hints of jealously between Rose and Jack/Adam. Even more so from the performance of Chris. • You also can't deny there's a romantic undertone played when 9 says, "I could save the world but loose you" to Rose and is conflicted by it. For me it's there, it's just way more subtle than Rose and 10.

[@themastersmadface8241]

I love the overall theme of loss in this episode. The murder of literally every character on the station still gets me shocked.

[@FuchsiaShocked]

Eccleston is absolutely an actor who is of a calibre far above the material he was given. We were blessed to get him even if just for one series.

[@MovieMagic515]

My favourite Doctor.

[@joshweston829]

The Ninth doctor was just amazing, I really recommend the fan made audio's featuring the ninth doctor voiced by Pete Walsh, the likeness is uncanny! One great example including the 12th doctor (yes 9+12 in one story!!!) called Exhausted supplies is an audio just as good as big finish imo, a great story with an incredible ending.

[@jackbassindale4336]

My late father introduced me to doctor who, and eccleston was our first doctor. I have a weirdly strong emotional attachment to him, and it really upsets me that he won’t/can’t come back, not that I blame him at all for that. He will always be my favorite doctor

[@dcsignal5241]

The only true surprise regeneration of new who.

[@Ben-vf5gk]

It's interesting you note that you don't like Deus Ex Machinas in the finales when they have no consequences for the world just for the characters. Because the usual complaints I've heard about it state that they're no consequences when I don't think that holds water. The reason I defend Last of the Time Lords is because there are genuine consequences for the characters, the Jones family were still tortured and traumatized for a year, Martha decides to leave, Jack appreciates his team more, the Doctor is the last of his kind again. I thought that was all great emotional impact. But I can't argue with the point you make, they didn't need to threaten the world in order to do this. The scale of the threat was too big for a story that only had consequences for a few characters.

[@roessigma7395]

I agree with you completely and watching Torchwood after watching that episode holds more water and makes me feel for Capt how be it I do wish I seen it before but didn't have excess to the episode at the time

[@francisbartoszewski2284]

I think the ending of the story seems a bit weird because the Doctor wasn't originally going to regenerate but then they had to write it in late on in filming without changing the main script.

[@borjankosarac3645]

My impression was that Eccleston probably became discontent partway through filming, and decided to leave before this two-parter was even filmed; but that's running off not having read on the full context of the production, so I can be wrong. I just don't remember him stating that he chose to leave last-minute. Either way, I think RTD did structure the season as a whole to work as self-contained, if they weren't successful enough to continue, so he even anticipated possibly needing the last story to work as a regeneration story as well. Again though, that's opinion mixed with limited knowledge here.

[@serrasedai]

"I've never gotten this vibe off him and rose" says the critic while watching the character literally kiss the other character while music swells and the fairy tale trope is visually played out on screen. lmao I totally get opinions of not wanting to see romance happen, but I will never understand viewers who see series 1 and think that it wasn't well established to that point. We had another character call her out as someone the Doctor loves in episode 6 (not disputed by the Doctor), we have dancing and flirting to the point of distraction in episode 10, and we have a full on lip kiss in the final episode. And countless moments of smile-flirting in between. I hear that dismissal of 'not seeing it' from certain fans and it sounds the same as if I watched the Avengers and said "You know, I just don't think Captain America is really brought into the future from the 40s. I mean I know he said stuff about it and the plot has jokes about it, and other characters know, but did it happen? I just don't see it. Seems like it's not part of the story." As far as not liking "manner in which it happens"... I would say something that I almost never think when watching your videos, because usually I agree with your intuition in many ways....I think you missed the point of the kiss as a trope. It's literally a magical love kiss. It saves her life, sacrifices his, and causes both change and resolution. It's a fairy tale kiss. It adds drama, it's a common trope that speaks to our understanding of certain types of storytelling, and it brings a climactic finale to the romantic undertones of their dynamic. And as a series, Doctor Who, especially new who, LOVES fairy tale tropes. They're everywhere. A finale that ends in a dramatic magical kiss is both traditional and cool, and I think the Parting of the Ways is an excellent rendition of that trope. Not every season could, should, or has ended that way. But this one did. And it's not a detriment on the show just because it's not the dynamic that you may prefer.

[@Venemofthe888]

I know they did 9th doctor stories with Nicholas briggs being 9th with Billie piper and occasional John barromen. It made me miss Chris Eccleston even more plus points for this episode for references to the doctor who books they were talking about justica roses first other planet adventure

[@markpostgate2551]

I think the kiss was "fan-baiting". It's an unfortunate aspect of the character of Doctor Who fans of my generation is they carry a certain self-loathing that translates into contempt for other fans. You've got to remember, during the eighties being a Doctor Who fan made you a target for public ridicule, which led to, what I suppose you could call "the one cool fan syndrome" where you'd sort of accept the negative stereotype as referring to other fans and then put other fans down in order to make yourself not one of those, and in fact over-perform the distinctions, so it would be cool to not care about canon or not care about realism or not care about anything that other fans were ridiculed for caring about. And of course the biggest controversy in the fan community at that point would have been the telemovie that ended with the kiss between the Doctor and Grace, and to a lot of fans this was inconsistent with the character of the Doctor as seen so far; if the Doctor was going to be romantically linked to a companion why wasn't it Romana? The Doctor's relationships had been clearly platonic up until then, and it felt with the telemovie as if the kiss was a conforming to expectations to appeal to non-fans, because every adventure serial has a love interest for the hero and so Doctor Who was conforming to this formulaic expectation. And whenever fans were upset about something of course they were mocked for being upset about it, and then what they were really upset about was misrepresented as "they don't want the Doctor to kiss a woman because they've never kissed a woman". It's interesting really that any fan that was not cool with the Doctor regenerating into a woman last year is now being portrayed as misogynistic heterosexual white males, but they are probably the same fans, or at least the same type of fans, who after the Telemovie were complaining about what was really the imposition of heteronormative behaviours upon the Doctor. Fans are always getting misrepresented; it's just in a different way this time - shifting with the fashions I suppose. Anyhow, I think that that was RTD asserting that he was cool with the Doctor kissing his companion and anyone who wasn't was a bit "sad" and deserving to be mocked. Which is why fan baiting is quite a nasty behaviour, and not a very sensible one. The thing about fan service easter eggs is they please the fans but only the fans notice them so that's all right. Fan baiting on the other hand is they upset the fans and STILL only the fans notice them, so to whose benefit is it actually? The obsession with finding excuses for the Doctor to kiss his companion ran through the RTD era - a weird obsession with upsetting a sub-section of the fan community. Whilst RTD teased fans on the issue, Moffat on the other hand completely seized the nettle and established the Doctor definitely does have a love life, at fist with Girl in the Fireplace and then later with River Song. Unfortunately Moffat did this BEFORE Human Nature/Family of Blood, and I say unfortunately because the strength of that story relies to a certain extent on the idea that as a Time Lord the Doctor doesn't have romantic feelings so they take him by surprise when he becomes human, so that would have actually been a stronger story if it had occurred before Girl in the Fireplace.

[@fionndalton9939]

The thing I don’t understand about this episode was the weakest link bot because there was only one but in the other episodes (can’t remember which) it’s established that all of the shows have at least one floor each.surely there would have been more than right?

[@Jedi_Spartan]

"The doctor has finally been exterminated, now we can.. why do I hear the Tardis?"

[@TheDragonHistorian]

I totally agree with your point on the deus ex machina finales--stakes need to be smaller in order for them to work. I feel that the Series 9 finale tried to do that but the execution wasn't very good, while the Series 10 finale excelled at this.

[@judgemario]

I loved both parts of this two-parter. A great first regeneration to New Who.

[@M-E_123]

I always have slightly mixed feelings about this one. It's a good episode for him to end on but I still am always a bit sad we never got more episodes from Eccleston. I always found the scenes with Micky a bit off (just inconsistent with where the character ended in Boom Town). I liked Jack being left behind / being made immortal but it never really tied into the Torchwood version of the character (no real explanation for how he got back to modern day Earth - unless I missed it). But overall a really good episode with a nice emotional punch at several points (the Dr's goodbyes as you mention & the fate of Lynda). I still disagree with separating this from the previous episode - I actually think it works great with both together because you get to know Lynda (and the other characters on the game station) a bit before they start dying - but I respect your reasons for making the decision to split them up. These have been interesting videos now we're quite removed from the first broadcast and its nice to see that this season actually holds up well. Overall this season has some issues but what worked best then still works very well now - Eccleston was a great Doctor.

[@jonsnor4313]

Eccelsons leather jacket is plain badass. Nice detail.

[@glygriffe]

The kiss did not bother me: I saw signs of the Doctor's love for Rose as early as the Unquiet Dead. It felt like he was thinking "if I do nothing she is going to die. So, why not save her and go to my own death while indulging in a kiss - a thing that I would never in any other circumstances permit myself to do." But for me it is clear that the Doctor is "fighting" is affection for Rose since The Doctor Dances. And with the personality of the 10th Doctor... it is a losing battle.

[@henryg4377]

I saw the description and I liked.

[@Spiritwhisperer11]

I love this episode with all my heart- I recognize that it has some flaws, but this has some of my favorite character defining moments. Rose in the chip shop ranting about how traveling with The Doctor is more than the adventures is one of my favorite moments. Also Jack's death and The Doctor's refusal to use the Delta Wave. AH! All of it is so good.

[@anthonychapman5835]

Christopher Ecclestone is still my favourite Doctor, he's by far the most intense. No doctor has bettered his performance in 'Dalek'

[@MovieMagic515]

Eccleston*

[@anthonychapman5835]

@@MovieMagic515 pedant!

[@MovieMagic515]

@@anthonychapman5835 Indeed i am. Sorry just a big fan of him. I recommend his autobiography 'I Love the Bones of You'

[@anthonychapman5835]

@@MovieMagic515 No probs mate. There was no hostility intended in my reply.

[@Famegal123]

i think you should do best regenerations AND regen stories. bc i know i dont think that Smith had the best regen story but man if i dont cry every single time i hear "raggedy man, goodnight"

[@MrLegendofLP]

Eh, not so much the raggedy man thing, but watching Smith struggling not to cry through "I will always remember when the Doctor was me" always KILLS ME. Fuck man I'm tearing up right now. I fucking love Smith's regeneration moment.

[@blackswan6075]

Rate the regenerations moments please!

[@NarcoticCasseroleProductions]

Regardless of his feelings on the matter props has to be given to Eccleston for still giving it his all to this personification of the role

[@giovannidimaggio7961]

Could it be that they are treating each of these regenerations as an end of the series? Hence why they need to undo everything that happens in the final episodes that include regeneration. They might not come back even if they are popular.

[@charlestownsend9280]

This is one the the two new who regenerations that i really like, the other being capaldi's final three episodes (the worst being the end of time) and I even find the first part of this story fun and propped up by some great moments. When it comes to Eccleston I like him as the doctor and think that he's a good actor but from what I can gather he seems to be a difficult actor to work with (unless you take the narrative that the BBC were so petty about him leaving that they blacklisted him for no reason and that every other dispute have been down to others) but I can't fully take a side though until the full story comes out really.

[@JakeAdamtheflamelord]

fun fact: in old doctor who there wasn't any kissing between the companions and the doctors. never.

[@lucasdolding6924]

Unless you count the TV movie.

[@andrewbowman4611]

And Troughton kissing Zoe goodbye, albeit on the forehead, at the end of The War Games. Or there's that moment with Nyssa in Terminus. Admittedly, they're not passionate kisses, but they're still kisses.

[@patrickt.6492]

There was also no Jack Harkness.

[@frankiestein7852]

Yeah but plus Zoe was supposed to be 15 so it it was a passionate kiss..Um that would be a bit wrong.. 😓

[@ChronoUchiha]

Nathaniel, what Doctor Who moments, if any, made you cry?

[@paulwalker3758]

You should do two lists: one for the regenerations. One for the regeneration episodes MINUS the regeneration. Ideally they would be combined classic/modern lists.

[@ingonyama70]

Huge, HUGE X-Men nerd, so: "No longer am I the TARDIS you knew! I am Time! And Space Incarnate! Now and forever, I am...BAD WOLF!" ...that kept going through my head the whole time I watched this. Rose's later appearances, as herself and as Bad Wolf, only reinforced that vibe. (especially post-Doomsday, where her ghost just WOULDN'T GO AWAY throughout Season 3) Rose Tyler and Jean Grey have a lot of parallels, and yet I always liked Jean a LOT more. Probably because Jean's awesomeness when she's present in the comics, either as full-on Phoenix or as regular-flavorJean Grey, justifies the pain her loved ones feel in her absence. But Rose? Don't get me wrong, I really DO like Rose. She's sassy, she thinks on her feet, and it's easy to see why she's the one who brought Nine back from the brink after the Time War. But she's not the paragon of perfect Companionhood that the Doctor seemed to think she was afterward. Furthermore, the Doctor kept talking about her like she died. To Donna, to Martha, to everyone. She became Saint Rose of Tyler, and that grief and adoration was entirely disproportionate to how good she was as a companion. This was retroactively made MUCH more believable in "Day of the Doctor", when we learn that the Moment-as-Bad-Wolf helped to pull the War Doctor back from the brink before he ever met the real Rose Tyler. Even if the Doctor/s technically forgot about it until near the end of Eleven's tenure, it's conceivable that that bond would still there on some level, and therefore it makes sense that it could carry over into his relationship with Rose.

[@roxxychik06]

I really did love Ecclestone. He was such a fun dr. He was the perfect mixture of familiar and alien. Because of rewatching your reviews it has forced me to finally start buying all the series of dr who myself and not just find them in various places

[@MovieMagic515]

Eccleston*

[@theshadowdirector]

I would suggest regeneration moments mainly because 6-7's regeneration didn't really have a story leading to it, at least on TV.

[@shaunhouse8634]

I think the what happens after thing would apply to Sarah Jane - the length of time she was in the TARDIS, the fact that neither her nor the Doctor were ready for them to separate. I wouldn't have necessarily applied it any of the other companions, definitely wouldn't have thought it should apply to Martha

[@qualifiedidiots2165]

He has a fair point. One ship hosting 12 Daleks and the Emperor would have been enough to PLAN about cultivating humans. Then only 6 of them have to invade Satellite 5 and attack the Doctor.

[@HiperPivociarz]

Bad Wolf isn't an entity separate to Rose. The Moment just took Rose's form, and it said this form is called "Bad Wolf"

[@greasyhair5754]

Fantastic!

[@ZipplyZane]

I feel like they never quite pull everything together in the finales of Davies's run, at least. I specifically remember this and series 3 having a bit of a deus ex machina feel in having something we didn't know could do what it did.

[@tmmartinesq.6216]

LOVED THE 9TH DOCTOR OF NUWHO! Cannot wait to read Christopher Eccleston's memoirs! Eccleston is #1 in actor ability followed by Capaldi followed by Tennant.

[@leonkent1365]

I agree with you about the way that the Dalek Menace gets dealt with. There are too many plots in New Who which have their resolution in 'oh the universe just rebooted' ... 'oh all of time is occurring at once'. I'm not going to argue with what you say about 'Bad Wolf', but basically the stakes are that the last time they were on the space station, it was all about News and the dispersal of information, whereas in 'Bad Wolf' people no longer care and are addicted to reality (death) TV ['Stars in your eyes']. I agree with you that I'm not a big fan of that premise, partly because I couldn't care less about reality TV, but the stakes are that the new Daleks are basically refugees or the weaker and rejected members of society who have been galvanised into a hatred of where they came from as well as themselves. Unfortunately, with the work that Russell and New Who had done on making the Daleks scarey again, there was the risk of the same thing happening with classic Who that once they get defeated and they seem ever more incompetent as time goes on. When Davros returns (who in classic Who was a way to have dalek stories that contained more than the words 'halt' and 'exterminate', but who aslo became more and more incompetent) in the Tennant era, he makes a point about this being a fully functional dalek empire, implying it was much more powerful than the one in 'parting of the ways', yet it kind of didn't sell it for me then that the Stars going out, and people being hunted down by Daleks who spoke German was all that much more of a danger than whole continents being instantly and irrevocably bombed out of shape. As you say a great episode, but Rose is sooooo nasty to Mickey (as always)

[@Fejrus887]

I really hope Christopher Eccleston will return someday and makes some Big Finish later on. He really was fantastic. I do ask myself know, if you will include the minisode before the Christmas Invasion. I personally think it is quiet important, just for the reaction from Rose to the Regeneration

[@gunlovingliberal1706]

Great review. But what do you really think about Bad Wolf?

[@herbivarsawus4359]

I, like many, spotted 'Bad Wolf' very early on and in most episodes of the season.

[@greghawkins59]

The kiss was just the easiest way to show the transfer of the power.

[@nightowl8477]

There are so many awesome Dalek Emperor lines that were taken out. You REALLY need to buy the series 1 shooting scripts. They have whole scenes that were cut out for time. You'll never watch Series 1 again.

[@maxeyre2024]

I'd rank the regeneration stories as there's more material to talk about there. Pretty sure you've seen all of them now right?

[@lightning7936]

Do you ever plan on reviewing The Caves Of Androzani?

[@brnhd1991]

I always view regeneration moments seperate to regeneration eps as a whole. Chris and Matt final moments are amazing. Eps are less so Where as Davison and Troughton have good regen eps overall. 9s final goodbye. You were and fantastic and so was I is one of the best moments in the shows history it's just the perfect way to leave

[@Supersonic_Supernova]

Are you going to do a review of the minisode "Born Again"?

[@MANB91UK]

It makes sense for the first season of New Who to feature a regeneration - it quickly established to new viewers that this was a feature of the show. Having it happen two or three seasons down the line might have made less sense. Say what you will about Eccleston/Davies but it was essentially a smart move. I also want to say Eccleston does seem to complain about the roles he's taken on quite often... He's a little Heigl in that regard, if you ask me.

[@crashfan9997]

Saddest regeneration imo along with Tennant's. Capaldi just behind. Smith had the saddest speech and I wish his actual regeneration lasted longer. Nevertheless, all four New Who regenerations have been amazing and emotional imo.

[@jacklawrence2212]

Rose's destruction of the Dalek fleet using the vortex energy isn't a deus ex machina. It doesn't descend out of nowhere, the vortex power and the idea of the Bad Wolf being set up through the series. People like calling it a deus ex machina, i think, are people who like to chuck the term around without really understanding it.

[@craigfrancisjohnson]

I really really love this episode but I always wondered...if the Doctor died from absorbing the energy from the time vortex from Rose...how come Rose managed to survive?

[@martinmaguire-music6692]

Just a small point... there were global consequences in this episode, since the Daleks really messed with the Earth's continents, by bombing them, to the point of changing their shapes, and Rose/Bad Wolf didn't undo that. That's actually one of the reasons this finale is my favourite.

[@rebeccahodgson5742]

Can u order the best missy’s appearances?? Loved this video

[@greghawkins59]

One thing that bugged me rewatching this episode is why on earth didn't captain Jack use his massive laser gun to fight the daleks? They just keep shooting useless weapons at them instead.

[@boofyhalfpint8559]

My original Doctor was Tennet who I didn't like - I loved Donna, then Tennent grew on me. I went back to catch up with the first season. It took me about 5 shows to warm to Eccelston, then suddenly he was gone!! I didn't mind the kiss but what grated on me was the fact that Rose basically commits genocide without any personal consequences (guilt or otherwise), she even gloats about it to the Daleks from the void. Yet the Tennent's doctor berates his doppelgänger for committing the same sort of genocide and hands him over to Rose to fix...hmmmmm....

[@theaquinnwrites]

i feel you on that kiss. i did get that vibe from rose in a way, but man that's just corny and uncomfortable

[@booksvsmovies]

Ive loved going through these series 1 reviews right after my first rewatch in years. I will say the only poiubt ive disagreed with you on is Nine and Rose dynamic not being very romantic throughout the series. Yo ke it was a very strong undertone of their dymanic which reached it climax with the regeneration kiss. I actually like that romantic undertone (i ever prefer it to Ten and Rose's romance) but i can see why someone who doesnt like that kind of dynamic between the Doctor and the companions wouldn't love it.

[@gingergoddess8953]

So here's my justification for Thr Bad Wolf Kiss: in Rose, the first truly intimate moment we see between 9 and Rose is when he takes her hand and says he can see and feel all of time and space. In Parting, as Bad Wolf, Rose basically repeats what he said, how time and space is going through her head. 9 perks up, a little too happy to hear something like that, and says "Thats what I see all the time!" I think thats the moment The Doctor fell in love with Rose. Even though it was just for a minute, Rose now knows how it feels to be The Doctor more than any companion (except arguably Romana) hes traveled with. Its probably something that would tighten their connection. I think The Kiss was a choice to sort of communicate that.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

I get the justification. But being narratively justified doesn't mean I suddenly like a think that I just fundamentally don't like.

[@gingergoddess8953]

@@CouncilofGeeks No no no, of course not! I'm not trying to change your mind or anything. I'm just saying I guess I can see where the writers were coming from a bit.

[@kirstyshadowdancer5095]

I suggest rank the regenerations out of 10 for story, out of 10 for last moments and out of 10 for first moments!

[@barryparker9341]

I’ve always wondered, who died and made him the Emperor of the daleks?

[@k.stewart007]

What's always bugged me about this eppisode is that Margaret looked into the time vortex and it regressed her, because the tardis is telepathic and it did what was best for her. Probably tapped into what subconsciously she wanted. Rose looks into it and it makes her a god! Says alot about roses character. She absorbs it all though. It's too strong but it takes a good while before it starts to go wrong. The doctor Absorbs it and starts to regenerate in minutes. He's always saying how humans are more fragile then he is. He can absorb radiation barley flinching, expell cyanide, withstand lighting strikes and solar flairs. But absorbing the telepathic sole of his own ship forces him to regenerate?

[@Katherine_The_Okay]

You could do one vid with two lists? One each for regeneration moments and regeneration stories? Or is that too much work...

[@tideoftime]

In Re: Rose/Bad Wolf. I have to disagree with you on that. This is a case where a _proper_ "deus ex machina" is done *correctly*. The season-long bits/clues (Bad Wolf everywhere, representing how The Truth(tm)/"awareness" is everywhere -- you just have to notice it), and the setting up of the Tardis-as-godforce previously, makes this *not* a "deus ex machina" in the classical sense wherein the writer just has a "god" end/resolve the story simply because they (the author) couldn't be bothered to have a better/different ending (or didn't know how to end it in the first place). RTD actually did a good job with this one. I also didn't have a problem with the kiss. While it of course has a very intimate connotation to it, it isn't that it's simply a "kiss" but rather an direct connection between the beings in the exchange: it's transferring the "breath of life" (the godforce of the Tardis, in this case), which is a recurring mythological theme. (This concept continued, to a minor degree, in later seasons as well as with Torchwood, where in Season 1 of that show Jack revives Ianto with a kiss that low-key shares a touch of Jack's energy which revives Ianto after being shocked/momentarily killed.) Myth-wise, it's along the same lines as Rose's "Little Red Riding Hood" motif at the end where she has her red hoodie... and is also The (Big) Bad Wolf -- she's both the mortal girl and the immortal godforce, simultaneously. A lot more goes on, symbolically, in DW that meets the eye... ;)

[@Epsilon1Zeta]

When the Doctor left Susan behind on Earth, he left her on a world that had been devastated by a successful Dalek invasion. No magical intervention to clean-up and undo the consequences of the Dalek conquest. The dead remained dead, the cities and towns remained as bombed-out ruins, and the Human survivors had to get on with the task of surviving and trying to re-build their society after a horrific war, against a race of space-nazis. Deus ex machina has become the order of the day in 21st century Doctor Who.

[@NaramSinofAkkad790]

I haven't heard eccelston was unhappy on set. It felt like all his grievances happened after. They ended his run and then put up a fake quote of him saying he was "tired" with the role. So now no one wants to hire someone who gets tired of a role. So he sued BBC and made them issue an apology. The fact that he is still humbled by the fans is a testament to his character as a lesser man would be rightly bitter about the whole experience. Love eccelston ❤️.

[@MiroDaisuke]

If you're going to rank the regenerations, I'd prefer it be the stories as a whole, but with an emphasis on the regeneration itself. (Like first you give 1 to 10 points to the story and then 1 to 10 points to the regeneration but itself, and then rank them by the score. Or the equivalent of that without math and numbers.) How do they explore the thematics and personality of the leaving Doctor in this last episode is as important as those last moments and the last words.

[@timbogymbro66]

Brilliant episode. Easily Davies best finale, and in my opinion Moffat only surpassed it by the series ten finale. Eccleston was brilliant from start to end. I REALLY hope he'll come around and do some Big Finish. But it's his desicion obviously. Maybe one day he'll give it a go.

[@BobsiPringlez]

Can you rank regeneration moments please??

[@aaronlutz4436]

I'd like to see regeneration moments