That Time Doctor Who Took Time Travel Very Seriously

For a TV show all about travelling in time, Doctor Who has rarely explored the realities of time travel. However, this was the focus of 2005's 'Father's Day'. Almost 15 years later, does this episode deserve the cult classic status it has developed?
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#DoctorWho #Series1 #Review

[@seanalbro3689]

When Rose and Pete are driving together, the car radio is playing "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. This episode Rick-Rolled us before Rick-Rolling was actually a thing!

[@ShamrockParticle]

And unlike modern movies this episode took more time in finding temporally revelant music! Still, the reapers should have eaten Rose and not the Doctor.

[@nightowl8477]

@@ShamrockParticle - it was the Doctor light episode so.

[@seandabest4329]

@@ShamrockParticle why would that make the episode better?

[@AngelStickman]

I remember catching that.

[@astra3310]

No. The time anomaly clearly brought a meme from the future

[@CyborgCollective]

Fun fact, the kid who plays the young Rose Tyler is now around the same age that Billie Piper was when this episode was shot. Do you feel old yet?

[@theanarchistocelot1620]

D:

[@hannahjwhitson]

I wanna say you’re joking but then I realize when this episode came out, wow

[@Elizabeth-lh3et]

She was also one of Peter Capaldi's daughters in Torchwood's Children of Earth.

[@nancyhi8357]

This episode came out before I was born (:

[@yannatoko9898]

It's more common for the colon to be followed by the right-bracket, rather than the other way around. :)

[@nightowl8477]

Given that this is the 'Doctor-lite' of the series, Chris took some time off to visit his dad before production, and was told he had developed cancer. This episode is the most personal to Chris, and I know he loved the script - no wonder his performance was so good.

[@quickhakker]

i didnt even realise that part about it

[@jessmith7324]

Im glad he survived

[@nightowl8477]

@@jessmith7324 - he didn't, he sadly passed away a few years back. I don't know if my phrasing confused you, but it was Chris's father who developed cancer, not Chris himself.

[@paulmooney4654]

They do briefly explain that the reapers showed up because of the paradox of having two doctors and roses and then having their recent past changed while also changing the distant past. If she had saved him on the first trip they probably wouldn't have showed up, at least that's what the episode implies.

[@nightowl8477]

Plus, they are just temporal bacteria. They're not gonna show up at every paradox.

[@HarboWholmes]

Ah, that's a really good point! I didn't notice that implication, but it makes a lot of sense

[@dorb8830]

it was a small thing, but the Doctor had mentioned him being experienced with time travel and knew when not to meddle with time and Rose obviously wasn't so I believe that was something else that they used to explain their possible absence

[@jrs4753]

Don't forget at one point in the episode there were three Rose Tylers. One Rose watching her dad die, another Rose watching the first Rose, and Rose as a baby

[@seandabest4329]

They wouldn't have shown up before this episode because the Doctor mentions that their numbers were controlled by the Time Lords. They didn't show up later because it either wasn't a paradox (river and the doctor is changing a fixed point, not creating a paradox) or because the time lords had returned in secret and were taking up their old duties

[@stellatuslupuscanis7592]

Father’s Day: You can’t change the past to avoid a known future, or you’ll create a paradox. A Christmas Carol: *Laughs in Moffat*

[@HarboWholmes]

The laws of time are Moffat's and they will obey him

[@Magic12553]

Harbo Wholmes the true show runner victorious

[@Ben-vf5gk]

Father's Day: There's a man alive in the world that wasn't alive before, a single human being that's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive. Hell Bent: Guess who's back? Back Again?

[@julianadlyngton6806]

@@Magic12553 I don't care who he is. The showrunner victorious is wrong!

[@xenon8117]

The laws of physics were devised by the mind of a madman!

[@alfiethomas5632]

"There's a man alive now who wasn't alive before." I like to think that this quote from the 9th Doctor explains why the Reapers only show up here - there aren't any other incidents in Doctor Who that I can think of when someone changes an established moment of death so that the person doesn't die at that moment anymore

[@HarboWholmes]

Waters of Mars is a big one. Also depending on your criteria Fires of Pompeii might count. It's also the driving force of the Series 6 finale

[@alfiethomas5632]

@@HarboWholmes I could argue that maybe there has to be a personal connection between the person changing time and the people affected by it, which is why they don't appear in The Fires of Pompeii or The Waters of Mars, but I don't really believe that myself 😅 and given that no actual life was ended/extended in the case of Series 6 finale I tend to disregard that. Kicking myself for not remembering The Waters of Mars sooner though 😂

[@lockretvids]

@@HarboWholmes In Waters of Mars, the captain still ends her life after she learns that she was supposed to die on Mars. I can't argue with the Fires of Pmpeii though. With the series 6 finale, I always thought that since it was an artificial fixed point, the Doctor doesn't *have* to die but can fake his own death.

[@HarboWholmes]

In Waters of Mars Mia and Yuri survive, though, when they should have died.

[@lockretvids]

@@HarboWholmes Maybe I'm seeing too much into it, but can't the solution be that the reapers only come when a fixed point changes? In waters of Mars, it's only the captain who is supposed to die, the others are, for lack of a better term, collateral damage. In Fires of Pompeii, it is the destruction of the city that is the fixed point not the death of the family. And, like I said before, the Doctor's death was artificial, so faking it should suffice. Then again, I feel like I'm approaching serious headcanon territory here, so who knows?

[@lewisadcock4459]

The fact that we're nearly as far away from the airing of this episode to when it was set is shocking 🤣🤣🤦‍♂️

[@xenon8117]

Oh how time passes. It doesn’t feel like 15 years.

[@richardlitwin4046]

@@xenon8117 O Lord, I was 35 and now I'm 50, what a difference 15 years makes.

[@LookItsMrT]

What the fuck

[@ThePsycoDolphin]

That's legit horrifying. Make it stop I don't like it.

[@thehorrorcounselors4747]

Father’s Day was so emotional...and very very serious when it comes to paradoxes and altering time and also jackies reaction in parting of ways when she finds out that rose was the girl who held Petes hand while he died still gives me goosebumps

[@jemimajust827]

I loved the whole simplicity of this episode too, especially when you compare it to the recent seasons of Dr Who where the budget has ridiculously exploded. Just look at BIllie Pipers hair and makeup. I feel they would never leave an actress's hair or makeup like that now, yet Rose feels so relatable and believable because of it. Dr Who now (to me anyway) looks like more of a Hollywood movie and doesn't have that raw feel to it anymore. I keep trying to watch more of the new seasons but I just can't get into them.

[@Gamelover254]

Thank you for summing up what I disliked about series 5 and onward. Never been able to sum up my feelings before lol.

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

Yes! Everything is too polished now.

[@aleccino]

You are spot on with this observation. Season 5 onwards lost a lot of that sheer, raw humanity that made the golden era so special.

[@intergalactic92]

Don’t forget that this episode demonstrates why the Doctor cannot go back and save the Time Lords. I personally always liked the reapers. my understanding was not just that they would always appear whenever something changed, but they were an ever present threat just waiting for the barriers between our reality and theirs to be weakened by major changes to timelines and paradoxes. But crucially it has to be a major change, not just a small one. In this episode it is not just the fact that Pete survives, it is the fact that there was more than one Rose at the same point and place in time, which is reinforced when Rose touching her younger self causing a Reaper to appear in the church.

[@jrs4753]

Don't forget at one point in the episode there were three Rose Tylers. One Rose watching her dad die, another Rose watching the first Rose, and Rose as a baby

[@julieeverett7442]

it was established very early in the classic series that the first law of time states very clearly you CANNOT cross your own time stream! If you watch the multi doctor stories it is NOT the doctor causing the crossing, in two instances its the time lords, in day it was the moment, in the 2 doctors 6th was pulled into 2nds time because he was being changed and if 2nd died 6th would too. Same could be said for TUAT if 1st chose not to change NONE of the other doctors would be there! In fathers day there were 2 Roses in the same time stream and she DELIBERATELY went to change the past, not an accident, so the reapers were there to try to repair the damage, the fact that that car kept on appearing with that same action over and over, was a clue that it WAS possible to repair it!

[@mtaimry]

well, I guess its time to rewatch father's day. god I love series 1. also that image of the tardis NOT being bigger on the inside was great I love it.

[@HarboWholmes]

Yeah, that's one of my favourite visuals of the entire show, honestly

[@jdg9825]

As a kid fsr I always thought that he opened the doors to... another set of doors :')

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

I freaked out the first time I saw it lol.

[@CulturePhilter]

My understanding of the Reapers is that it’s not JUST Pete being saved when he originally died but that because he was saved Rose wouldn’t have actually been there to save him , hence paradox.

[@calliecalamity8787]

- the 10th doctor in waters of mars

[@b-chroniumproductions3177]

@@calliecalamity8787 The difference is that the 10th doctor didn't go back in time with the intention of saving the crewmembers, so if they're alive, he'll still go back and save them. With Pete, if he's alive, no one goes back to save him, so he dies, which means Rose goes back to save him, which means he's alive so she doesn't go back... It's an infinite loop that sort of 'breaks' the timeline. If the Doctor (or anyone else) ACCIDENTALLY saves someone, or does it on a whim after accidentally arriving in that time and place, there's no paradox.

[@TheWolfXCIX]

I'd put it in the S or A tier personally, but that's just my preference! Great vid nonetheless haha

[@HarboWholmes]

I can definitely see why people rate it highly, and it is a great episode! I'm just very strict 😂

[@aleccino]

Easily an S tier episode for me. One of my favourites ever. Brings me to tears every time.

[@jayvalenz9447]

In one fanfic, it was pointed out that rose saving her dad was a paradox because it was specifically her who saved him. Rose grew up without her father - which shaped her life deeply. If her dad were there, she probably would’ve stayed in school, and would have a nice job - not working in Henrik’s, which would’ve meant she never would’ve met the Doctor, or been able to travel back in time to save him. Just another twist on the classic grandfather paradox, when you think about it.

[@TriadManInit1_]

I’m pretty sure that it’s literally the paradox which happened in the episode, albeit a bit more detailed. Rose stopped her father from dying, which meant that she grew up with her living father and subsequently would have had no reason to go back and stop him from dying in the first place - paradox loop. Bit trippy icl.

[@cornparade6874]

​@@TriadManInit1_ It's less that Rose stopped her father from dying and more that Rose didn't save him the first time or see a copy of herself running in front of her, and then the second time around she broke the continuity of her own experience of the first go around AND saved her dad, which nullified the first go around, as seen by the earlier version of her and the Doctor vanishing before they could go back and try the second time. It's a big paradox pileup compared to the singular change that would have occurred if she'd just saved Pete the first go around. Which still would've changed time, but it wouldn't have contradicted quite as much as the mess of what actually happened.

[@q9968]

The key is in and of itself a little hunk of tardis. I think when rose changed time the tardis had a little tantrum and separated her outside from her inside and made the key a little bit of a beacon to say "I'm alive, I'm scared. Tell me when it's over."

[@angel-kitty-inuyasha]

I always figured the reapers came specifically because Rose changed her OWN timeline

[@connorschultz380]

What about that time the doctor didn't die tho? Spacesute man that was missey I think

[@bigz4349]

@@connorschultz380 No, it was River Song

[@connorschultz380]

@@bigz4349 isn't that missey?

[@triothesongbird5564]

@@connorschultz380 Riversong is the doctor's wife, while Missy is a regeneration of the Master.

[@chadamwilson8268]

Biggest shock of the video: a lot of people don't like Jackie..... wtf

[@allmybasketsinoneegg]

'Realistic time travel plot' - what a sentence to say out loud.

[@nightowl8477]

I forgot Joe Aherne directed this one. He's such a good director, I'm glad we got half a season of him.

[@daniele7989]

The only time the reapers should really shown up again is when River Song didn't shoot 11. Then again because this paradox was caused by the tardis doubling back on a moment, maybe that's what summons them?

[@nightowl8477]

4:23 Classic Who reference to those cheap filters they used for alien POV haha. When you're setting an episode in the 80s, you've got a poke some fun.

[@ShamrockParticle]

Or 70s. Or 60s.

[@nightowl8477]

@@ShamrockParticle - the episode's set in 87.

[@Ammoniumbicarbonat]

The Rutan POV filter in Fang Rock is peak budget Who

[@eugeneruby433]

Definitely one of my all time favorite episodes. That climax of Pete running out into the street, with Murray Gold's music... True story - I had the funeral home play Gold's song "Doomsday" at my father's funeral. It reduced my already sobbing step mom into a complex wreck. She'd never heard it before, and I had to give the funeral director a copy of the song because their music library had no idea what the song was. That song breaks me down every time I hear it. And I love the fact that in the accompanying Doctor Who Confidential for Doomsday, Russell T. Davies said the entire production crew expected Murray Gold to come back with a classical, romantic piece, and he came back with a pop electric violin and an opera singer with a neck whose muscles look like they can crack granite in two

[@nortynight8532]

You know the episode has strong emotional narratives when just seeing the sees, well portrayed by the actors, without the audio and you tear up

[@SmoothRacing99]

Thing is at the end of the day, this episode is nothing to do with time travel nor interested in establishing consistent boundaries. Instead, it's a brilliant episode about parenthood and mortality, and it's just fantastic isn't it.

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

And that is what I love about it.

[@autumnmatthews3179]

My first car was an Escort two years later than Pete’s and I’m gutted the stereo wasn’t updated

[@jonathanskinner7647]

"I life I could never have" is such a great monologue and is one of my favourite themes that doctor who keeps returning to (family of blood) which makes the doctor very alien in a very human way

[@christopherbennett5858]

Yeah, everyone discusses the logistics of why the reapers should be there. Here's the issue I have. I like this episode a lot because it's a companion messing up for a reason that shows their humanity. A reason which, looking back on it, has been on the back of their mind. This is an episode which challenged their dynamic and gave a lot of character and dynamic exploration. Kind of like how, in love and monsters, we got a lot of exploration into Jackie and Elton. Honestly? I would love to see the Reapers return because it would be a case where the companion messed up. A lot of recent companions never seem to put a toe out of line or, if they do (like Amy killing the Eyepatch woman), it's either really secretive or in an environment where it doesn't matter and/or is reset before people know about it. Honestly, I'd love to see a story where it delves into this because of a companion having motives. Say if we have a companion who isn't doing well for money. The past has a ton of trinkets and the like. Just take one thing, take a toy from the time period and make some money on the side. Having that found out would be fun. Or have someone so bound by regret that they feel like they HAVE to change events.

[@julieeverett7442]

cool idea!

[@christopherbennett5858]

@@julieeverett7442 Thanks. Just thinking of interesting possibilities. Doctor Who in the Classic era was often seen as a "middle class tea time" affair so having a companion who has a precarious financial life and obligations could lead into several temptations.

[@stevenpyles1470]

Your synopsis jumps over what I believe causes the reapers. They went back twice. The Doctor often often mentions why he can't go back and fix when somebody dies is because once he's the it's established history. He watches Pete die but then they go back again. Saving him the first time would have affected Rose but probably wouldn't have created a huge issue. That would explain the Doctor saying the Time Lords dealt with them a lot previously aka when they were still learning how time travel worked and the laws. It puts their rules of non interference into context and why the Doctor can change most things.

[@YourBeingParanoid]

One of my favourite episodes ever. Watched again last week, still makes me cry every time. Probably because I'm a father of 2 now grown daughters. Love it!

[@nathanwalsh8698]

first, my time machine worked

[@HybridReal]

Thank you! Finally someone who understands. Every time I hear someone say “I wish I could go back in time and fix that.” I would go.... “Yeah. At the same time you can then rip the whole universe in half.” I then give them a whole time travel lecture that ends after 5 seconds with them going “lalalalalaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaa yeah what ever Kyle. I know you love Doctor Who.” And me feeling sad.

[@CineScarborough]

'People don't like Jackie'? Since when?

[@theanarchistocelot1620]

Yeah she’s one of my favourite characters

[@larsswig912]

There is always someone that hates one of the characters lol.

[@astra3310]

I reckon it’s having two time travellers exist in the same time zone that weakened the barriers between the Time Vortex and the place outside or within the Vortex where Reapers roam. Two sets of the same people in close proximity made the walls sensitive, and then changing the past in a key personal event was the straw that broke the temporal camels back. That’s why Waters of Mars and Fires of Pompeii didn’t feature Reapers. Time is sensitive, but malleable. Simply entering the timeline and meddling not too severely is fine as Time adapts. Time is living and will simply be like “oh? Alright”. It was Rose changing her own distant past while simultaneously changing her recent past. Two Paradoxes in a single act punctured the skin of time, and like a virus Reapers crept in to feed on the fresh temporal treats in the now compromised timeline. And I think they didn’t appear in The Angels Take Manhattan because the Weeping Angels were already present there and predators tend to avoid eachother. Temporal Predators are likely aware not to push luck when it comes to Time and hunt prey not already being stalked.

[@emmamueller3921]

i LOVE this episode and i love how human it makes rose. i feel like a lot of companions are like nearly perfect and she's not which is why I like her so much, especially with the 9th doctor who is also so flawed

[@findme7585]

Absolutely in love with the series 1 analysis!!! Eccleston was an incredible Doctor with some pretty baller storylines... Definitely deserves this level of thought! Thanks for sharing.

[@Jeremyparker]

Unless the Doctor travels to the end of space and time and stays there then every action the doctor takes that causes an effect should release the reapers because the Doctor, as a time traveller, is always impacting upon the history of someone or something.

[@xenon8117]

Although if he doesn’t know what happens then he’s not causing a paradox. I always think it needs some form of intent.

[@HughMiller98]

Unless you look at it like the Doctor is supposed to be there. Like in 'Fires Of Pompeii', the Doctor and Donna end up being a part of the eruption. They end up being part of history instead of changing it - they knew what was going to happen but ended up being the reason it did. God it's hard to put what I mean into words!

[@xenon8117]

@@HughMiller98 Some points in history are fixed and some points in their timeline are fixed. This is both, they always go there to make it erupt. I get what you mean you explained it fine.

[@julieeverett7442]

@@xenon8117 agreed

[@alfonsobiggers2452]

This was the very first episode of "Doctor Who" I ever watched. I saw it on a rerun on late night PBS when I was very young. It left a profound impression on me even then, this sad story of a fractured family learning to appreciate the precious time they are given with each other. I don't remember how I found it, I didn't know anything about "Doctor Who" before or even afterwards for a long while. I only remember that I did see the whole thing from beginning to end because the story enthralled me so. Imagery from it would haunt my mind for years. The ominous orange and blue lights of the inside of the TARDIS (though I didn't know what it was then), the machine itself, and the terrifying Reapers. Years later, I would properly discover the series as a whole. I then remembered viscerally that experience from what seemed like so long ago, the experience of watching "Father's Day". I knew then, and grew excited, that I was going to have quite a wild ride with a madman in a box...

[@artsysundae]

i honestly love series 1 so much i really like how they actually talked about time travel and took it more seriously. i feel like father’s day and the satellite 5 episodes really show the consequences of their actions, and how ordinary people will react or take advantage of something powerful like time travel. (like Father’s Day & the episode where the guy gets the chip in his head). it makes it seem more.. realistic?

[@StealthMaster86]

Definitely one of my favorite episodes of Season 1, but it did show me that Canon. Does. Not. Matter. Once I realized how fast and loose the canon was, the show became much more enjoyable and it allowed Doctor Who to do things it would never be able to do if Canon was important.

[@jaimej40]

Come on? Who doesn’t like Jackie?!

[@Tasorius]

Too self-righteous, and we all saw how terrible she became in the universe where she was rich.

[@dominickeijzer5844]

It's the same reason people like The Master or Davros, they're all not good people, but still have interesting character.

[@mustberice]

I have always liked Jackie... might be cuz she used to work in are you being served? Lol

[@flashgamerdeath9614]

This idea does come up at least once per Doctor I think. The waters of mars at the end show this when the doctor realised that he does have the power to change the future yet that is never the right choice (as he realises with the suicide at the end). This kinda shows that future will always come and while the reapers should appear he does face the idea that changing time is wrong. Then the angels in Manhattan shows this as once the Doctor is told what happens in the book, that is set and can not change, the future is in flux until you know what’s coming then it will. Which is why Rory has to dye in Manhattan as they have seen him dye that day after what happens

[@beetlejuice4893]

I love that you’re still pumping out vids for us. Thank you

[@dinodar8765]

The problem with your reviews is that about half way through, you convince me I need to go and rewatch the episode, then 5 hours later I’m still sat watching Dr who while my responsibilities stare at me angrily from across the room

[@landfish7a]

The Time Vortex is like its own ecosystem and is constantly changing and evolving. The Reapers don't appear as a rule, they are just a possible consequence. The show has shown several different ways that time has responded to disruptions, and I think the Reapers help build the complexity of time and how it can respond to threats in various ways.

[@spookyspeks1259]

I mean there was the Utopia episodes with the master when the so called "Toclophane" went back to murder their own ancestors, but that paradox was avoided when the master turned the tardis into a paradox machine to contain it

[@brentonverlo7419]

I always explained the reapers never being shown again as it happens in the background all the time but they erase themselves from existence after the timeline is "healed" leading to the scar tissue or "cracks" in space and time.

[@aquaticasmr184]

2:49 I really thought he was gonna say he enjoys burning pizza

[@jamesalexander8193]

I loved the fact pete figures it out and when their was no other way he sacrificed himself for the daughter he never got to watch grow up. I don't know if its a brave face but pete saying "yeah its not fair i got all thess extra hours and to see who you would grow up to be" hits so hard

[@calligrapherfun1616]

It’s often mentioned in Doctor Who that there are certain events that are fixed, and the doctor can’t meddle with these. It could be that the reapers only show up when the doctor messes with fixed events, although this doesn’t explain why they weren’t there in episodes like Pompeii in series 4, when the doctor did a similar thing to in this episode

[@adamstewart9052]

It wasn't a fixed point as they can never be actually undone but they came because Rose paradoxically removed the cause for going back in the first place.

[@TyrMcDohl]

The music that plays in Pete's car in this episode is, and I kid you not, Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. This was before it had become a meme.

[@Ammoniumbicarbonat]

This story always gave me a great sense of dread - it feels closer to something like Donnie Darko than most of Who. The idea of these otherworldly forces at work when reality goes out of balance.

[@lewismassie]

When I was younger my mother watched series 1, and I sorta half paid attention to it while she watched. This is one of the episodes I remember her watching. I can still hear The Doctor shout "I'm the oldest one in here!" As I would explain it, the reapers only appear if the time lords don't have a hand in what happens. That perhaps there's a way to return to a path that over time averages back out. I suspect that the time lords have an innate ability to very very subtlely wind the timeline back into place

[@goji253]

Ok three things I think help in making the Reapers absence more plausible: 1. They probably only show up when changing a fixed point in time 2. The Doctor being unprepared for this type of situation might also contribute to their appearance. Maybe when he changes time he ensures it doesn't escalate like this 3. Maybe they are not omnipresent or something. Think of them like sharks in the ocean. They're obviously not everywhere, but if they are nearby when there's blood in the water it's bound to catch their attention.

[@martinmaguire-music6692]

8:10 My head cannon is that the Doctor could turn the TARDIS into a paradox machine to fix the problem. Of course, that concept probably hadn't been thought up yet, but still...

[@mattlord97]

I love this episode, my favourite bit is when they're in the car and the Streets comes on the radio lol

[@ReySkywalker2]

The problem is: the Doctor goes back and “fixes things” all the time and this issue never comes up again.

[@frazzlesreviews5379]

Funny how you say this would be the perfect introduction to Doctor Who as my parents watched this on broadcast with no context as to what it was and after realising it was Doctor Who showed me the series as a whole beginning my lifelong obsession.

[@strbourne]

I always thought the reason Reapers don’t appear more often is because they are not time fixing itself, they are opportunistic parasites: they don’t infect every wound, but if they find one they’ll suck it dry. Plus, they can turn invisible, so a lot of the side effects that appear later on (looking at you, « The Big Bang ») can be enhanced by assuming some havock wad caused by reapers taking what they can and scurrying away.

[@LadyDoomsinger]

I've always thought that it would be impossible for time-travel to change the future; because any interference caused by the Time-Traveler in the past would result in the future they came from. Past, present, future being all connected; any interference made in the past, will already have happened in the future they know.

[@malypavel25]

My theory on the reapers: They in fact always do show up and their presence has to be dealt with in some way and it always is. We just don't see that as it plays out in the background. Everybody then forgets it happening the same way Rose did.

[@Lia23235]

I'll always love this episode, simply because it is the first episode I'd ever seen

[@whisperingcrown591]

The thumbnail didnt pop up so I thought you were gonna talk about how "new earth" and the doctor taking away the test subjects, while saving them, doomed new earth to death by a plague. Or that one time in the 9th doctor (cant remember the episodes) but the doctor had done something. I dont remember what. But later on, you realize that his actions curbed the golden age of humanity.

[@dustinhatfield8373]

It was always my opinion that it wasn't just history changing that caused their appearance but also The doctor and rose time traveling to the same point within the span of 5 minutes, and then the actions of their second trip caused a paradox meaning they never went there in the first place and THAT was the cause of the Reapers. The doctor meddles with time a lot but disregarding so many main rules at once and so quickly is what caused them to appear.

[@joangibb7480]

The Reapers have red eyes and when we see thru their eyes the screen is red. I knew The Doctor wouldn't leave Rose here. Just walk away. Jackie would find him and kill him. I do love Jackie!! Bringing little Mickey into the story is a wonderful touch. The Doctor's speech to the couple under the lamppost is heartfelt and warm. He rarely exposes his feelings like that to strangers. When he tells Rose he has no plan, that's when we know they're is real trouble.

[@cursedgeorge939]

I think we don’t see the reapers later on because we follow people who are outside the wound. This is just the episode where we get to see what the wounds in time look like, and how people inside them are affected.

[@Mariathesubscriber]

They sort of do explain why the reapers don't always show up because that moment was especially vulnerable because of the two sets of the doctor and rose being present and the first set vanishing from existence .

[@grim1469]

one key element here is that, unlike most times the past was changed, this time it's by a character, Rose, who is affecting her own personal past. it's like a variation of the grandfather paradox.

[@The13thElysium]

I think the reason the Reapers appear because there is a combination of two sets of The Doctor and Rose, and the fact that Rose saves Pete. Like not only did they save a man who died, but they crossed their own timeline which caused the Reapers to appear. I'm not sure if anything like that happens again in the series (Probably does lol) but I'm sure the Doctor says how risky it was for there to be two sets of them at the same point in time. Also, because Rose saves her dad, she wouldn't have ever needed to travel back in time, or try the "Redo". I would like the Reapers to make a comeback one day, but it would have to be constructed in a way like this episode where multiple paradoxs happen at once to justify their appearance.

[@cornparade6874]

I think you could justify the Reapers appearence here and not elsewhere because theres probably a difference between altering history and altering history while also looping back on your own timestream and seeing versions of yourself that werent there before. Like merely going back in time and saving Pete is only one layer but going back in time then going back to the same time and changing the thing you already changed which wasnt changed from the first set of time travelers perspectives is a big double whammy paradox that probably hurts time more than just nudging something semi-fluid in another direction.

[@shunyaku7759]

"Fixed moments" are, I think, the only times reapers would show up, thus requiring The Masters Paradox Machine.

[@chanahminuk8485]

This episode of Dr. Who is very similar to an episode of a Canadian series, Being Erica. (Episode "Leo." ) A woman has an opportunity to go back in time to say goodbye to a loved one who died prematurely, but she breaks the rules and saves him instead. There are consequences, but different than here, especially since Being Erica is not a science fiction show in spite of the time travelling. (Check it out if possible. It's really good.)

[@BrunoEwok]

Anyone else think that Rose's Dad looks like a cross between the Doctor and the Master (Saxon)?

[@Dreamprism]

Father's Day is great on its own but not in the context of all of Doctor Who.

[@TheSantaCruzJokerShow]

As someone who lost his father at a young age this episode hit home with me very very very hard and it will always have a place in my heart as a very good episode

[@Shade409]

Jodie has been going back in time on earth every episode I’m surprised she didn’t anger the time gods for changing so much

[@flashgamerdeath9614]

This idea does come up at least once per Doctor I think. The waters of mars at the end show this when the doctor realised that he does have the power to change the future yet that is never the right choice (as he realises with the suicide at the end). This kinda shows that future will always come and while the reapers should appear he does face the idea that changing time is wrong. Then the angels in Manhattan shows this as once the Doctor is told what happens in the book, that is set and can not change, the future is in flux until you know what’s coming then it will. Which is why Rory has to dye in Manhattan as they have seen him dye that day after what happens

[@amandusan4821]

think of the reaper as fourth dimension time testicle, they usually lay back, until their control room alarm annoys them too much

[@BambiTrout]

I mean you could make the argument that the Reapers only appear in direct paradoxes - i.e. where someone makes a change that would prevent them from making the change in the first place. Most meddling can be smoothed out with some wibbly wobbly timey wimey, but when you make a change that directly cancels out itself, that's when the Reapers appear. In this case, Rose went back in time to save her dad, but because this would have caused her to grow up with a dad, even if she still ended up travelling with The Doctor, she would never have had a reason to go back to this day and save her dad, so her dad would have died, so she would have gone back to save him... In most other cases, depending on how you want to view time, you could imagine it as our main characters shifting into a parallel universe where everything in Rose's direct experience stayed similar enough that she wouldn't notice anything different other than the fact that she was present at a historical event, which is ok as long as the changes she made wouldn't directly prevent her from going back and doing whatever she did. Basically, Time travel is weird, but you can fudge most things other than grandfather paradoxes, which this falls into, and the Reapers only appear when things cannot be fudged and need direct intervention.

[@z-rex6068]

I genuinely think this is one of the best Doctor Who episodes

[@Ghostking5904]

The way I've always rationalised the Reapers only showing up here is the fact that Rose interacted with her past twice in one moment. Once in saving her dad, once in letting her past self witness her doing so. The fabric of space and time was already weakened by her being in the same place as her past self, meaning what might have been relatively minor damage to reality was amplified to the point it allowed the reapers to enter our dimension

[@matthewhenthorn3343]

I think that the timeline brake is a lot more than what the doctor normally does. One thing that you briefly mentioned but didn't get into was the fact that Rose and the doctor were there before and saw Pete die, only for that rose to run off. The doctor actually said that it's risky trying more than once to be there for Pete and yet the second time Rose ran out and saved her dad. That's not just a shift in time on the scale of a person's life history, but a contradiction of recently established timeline. It's not just the grandfather paradox, it's your Grandfather shooting your friend, you shoot him and then go back in time to shoot him before he shoots your friend. I defiy anyone to give me a similar example from any who, without any major consequences. I think this is why the reapers are here but in no other episode (in lore), the timeline isn't just changed or bent, it's tied into a knot and then ripped in half.

[@CutifulKaity]

Fantastic analysis! I was wondering if you were going to continue doing episode analyses for series 2,3,etc? It seems like a lot and I’m not sure if you talked about it before, but it’s a good idea. I look forward to these videos though, thank you for them!

[@HarboWholmes]

Yep, I'm going the whole way!

[@CutifulKaity]

Harbo Wholmes yay that’s great to hear!

[@dominickeijzer5844]

There's only one episode I can currently think of that also violates a fixed point, which is Wedding of River Song. I suppose we have to assume that Reapers can change form, and thus became an army of Silence?

[@jaykaygxd8497]

the doctor explains that there are fixed points in time where things must happen in there set sequence where as usually when he time travels and alters things its because of a fixed point being disrupted by something and that's why you won't see the reapers in later episodes (also just look at what doctor who has become they [Chris Chibnalls team] want nothing to do with the WHO we love.

[@IGSA101]

Here's a theory that can explain the Reapers. Perhaps there are various degrees of fixed points in time. Some are like River Song killing "The Doctor" at lake Silencio, where they must absolutely happen and if they don't all of reality will collapse. Some are like the deaths of the Mars colonists where history can accommodate the change by changing slightly. Then some are like Pete's death, where history can't change without serious repercussions, but it's not enough for the universe to collapse. For instance, would Rose even have met the Doctor if Pete had survived, it also creates a paradox, since she wouldn't have saved him had he lived. Reapers are there to clean major paradoxes, while most sort themselves out.

[@G.reviewz]

2:25 that scene shocked me sooo much. *snorts*...DINGWELL XD

[@jaehurd3524]

Just straight up skipped that one episode, but considering I can't actually name it, I guess its a fair one to skip.

[@HarboWholmes]

The Long Game? I already made a video about it before, so I'd just have ended up saying the same things again

[@jj4l]

Funny cause somewhere in the timeline, the guy that got 3 year for manslaughter is eternally getting the business in the cells.

[@roryevans4295]

Wibberly wobberly timey whimey, the people always went back in time and saved that person or changed that thing, hence no reapers in every episode

[@benrichardson1515]

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.”

[@godqueenbidoof]

I had explained the Reapers and the time paradox not being due to their changing the timeline but to their past selves seeing their future self. The doctor if I recall specifically tells Rose not to let their past selves see or hear them. When they do however the past selves vanish which made me think that was the main catalyst. I got that further entrenched when the episode about the water zombies from Mars happened, where the Doctor declares it to be a static point in time he cannot change or interfere with but ends up doing anyway, only for the events to unfold similar to how they were supposed to anyway in as close to it as possible at the time. Making me think the reapers were only there to eliminate the paradox's cause (Rose) and not to eliminate the paradox itself, while paradoxes were self nullifying by the events unfolding as close to the original as possible. I do admit when multiple doctors are present together it does throw a wrench into my explanation so I had to stretch a bit to find an answer, I simply presumed that different incarnations were sufficiently different in mind and body to function as different beings. Since they wouldn't immediately recognise themselves or perhaps it was just the proximity of the past selves and future selves meeting that had caused the issue, there being only a handful of minutes in father's day but potentially months or years in other occurrences. It could also simply be at timelords can meet their past selves for some unknown reason without problem while the human Rose wasn't supposed to. Perhaps the universe and time had just gotten used to timelords' shenanigans or they had some way of concealing themselves to it like how some bacteria will have a protein shell to isolate them from the immune system and fool it into thinking it is not an invader but that protection did not extend to Rose at least to an extent sufficient for this scenario to not go poorly. Possibly a combination of multiple ideas. Though I know this is no official explanation it's good enough for me to explain to myself why the reapers don't show up ever again and why the doctor can meet himself and change the past at will. 1: Self Nullifying paradoxes as in "The waters of Mars" 2.1: Different regenerations of the Doctor being different enough to not cause an issue as in "Day of the Doctor" 2.2: Timelords may have some form of protection to keep them from causing the kind of paradox Rose created by witnessing her future self. 3: The Reapers exist to clear the cause of paradoxes not the paradox itself. Those were my thoughts anyway

[@nixboox]

I think the part that this episode got wrong is in not accepting that Rose's actions actually created an entirely different universe and its own timeline. There was a great potential for a Marty McFly event but instead we got a see-thru TARDIS? The issue is and always has been that the people who write Dr. Who have never understood how time works. They write an episode and a few episodes later its like they can't remember that they've already written something that makes the new thing impossible.

[@BarioIDL]

the weeping angels would be a great villain for this episode

[@bmvthemoviefanatic7282]

Another great video about another great episode. Damn Series 1 is FANTASTIC! You even made me appreciate Rose in this episode a little, as I thought she was kinda unlikeable in the way she talked to the Doctor. However, contextualising it as Rose become vane in a way was interesting. Also, not sure if this was the intention, but it made me also think about another bit of context. When watching this episode, I question why Rose could be so ignorant to the laws of time travel and its effects, as it something repeated constantly, but when this episode came out, maybe it was a fairly unexplored concept. Anyway, great episode, even though this all starts because the Doctor was stupid enough to take Rose back to the scene of Pete's death TWICE XD

[@stephanderendinger8769]

A person can always time travel as a ghost observer only. Anything else gets into paradoxes or at least angrier and angrier situations.

[@SuperFitzyBoi]

This episode scared the shit out of me when I was younger; I've always dreamed of travelling back in time but this ep made me realise how dangerous that would potentially be. The moment when the Doctor opens the TARDIS to find it's just a blue box especially freaked me out for some reason.

[@golden_gloo]

I think that the reapers don't show up in the show because the Time lords dealt with paradoxes before but the reapers only come when a fixed point is changed. After Father's day 2 fixed points are broken in the Water's of Mars and The Wedding of River Song but those paradoxes fix them selves so reapers don't need to get involved. Without knowing it how was Pete ever going to sacrifice himself so the reapers had to get involved. However in the other two episodes the characters perform actions to get everything back to normal.

[@StarlasAiko]

I believe, what brought in that time reapers was not that she saved her father but that she changed an event she witnessed. There were many instances where it was stated that events in the past only become unavoidable once witnessed. That is why the Doctor didn't want to hear what was written on the grave stone of Amy and Rory and why he had to dislocate River's shoulder after having read in the novel that that is what he de facto did. The past can only safely be changed by people who did not witness it.

[@HexArtificer-j9e]

I'm currently 5:47 into the video, so excuse me if I talk about something mentioned later on... I believe the focus of this episode was less on "Rose saving her dad" and more on "Rose being seen by herself". In the episode we see the Doctor and Rose witness her father's death, then going back in time to watch it once more. The second time Rose ran out and saved him, being seen by her past self. If the episode's main focus was on Rose saving her father, I doubt they'd have included that scene of there being two doctors and two roses- it just wouldn't be needed. Later on in the episode, the Doctor tells Rose not to touch herself as a baby, since any disturbances in the natural time stream could strengthen the "Reapers" I believe the main reason that the "Reapers" aren't usually shown in episodes where history is changed, is because "History isn't changed enough"- The reapers aren't strong enough tear cracks in time and enter the world. The act of the past rose seeing the future rose caused disruption and then saving her dad gave the reapers the strength to appear. I know there are multiple cases where new Doctors see past Doctors... but maybe the Doctor's status as a "TimeLord" allows for that. I've not really done any research into the above, it was just my interpretation of the episode.

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

This episode, Human Nature/Family of Blood and Turn Left are my all-time favourites!

[@KK-qf8mm]

There are events set in stone. Rose's dads death was a fixed point so by her changing it that's what causes the reapers to come. All other episodes the events aren't fixed points so the doctor can change minor things without messing with the timeline.