2023/05/20

When we first met the 10^th doctor in the series one finale, I have to be honest, he didn’t really reassure me it was going to be okay! I really was a fan of Christopher Eccleston portrayal of the 9^th doctor, would really have loved to see him a few series more so when the news came, he was going to leave the show, I really was disappointed and I could not imagine that the successor could be in the same league as Eccleston. And when I saw David Tennant’s first few seconds in the series one finale, my fears seem to be confirmed. Still, I of course wanted to see for myself if my fears were justified and I have to say, from the first moment, in episode 1 “New Earth”, I realized that my fears were unfounded. David Tennant is a wonderful 10^th doctor, he brings his own personality with him, which made him very easy to watch from the first moment. I still would have loved a few more seasons with Christopher Eccleston but since that was off the table, Tennant was a more than capable replacement. I always wonder which is my favorite 2005 series doctor, I never can choose between the 9^th, 10^th and 11^th.

It was quite awhile since I watched the first 4 series of the Doctor Who 2005. I think it was about 10-12 years since I’d last seen Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant’s version of the doctor. Because I bought Matt Smith’s Doctor Who series when they were first released, I watched these not so long ago, but it took me awhile before I purchased the first series on Blu-ray. On the topic of Blu-ray, I also want to mention something about series 1-4. As you might know, the first four series weren’t true HD but still the picture is very good, much better than the DVD sets. I however want to warn you about the sound quality of the first 4 series, which I do not have with series 5-7. The sound is way too soft, not loud enough in the sense that to clearly hear what they are saying you have to crank up the sound but when there are explosions and stuff happens, you quickly tend to reach for your remote again to turn down the volume again! This is very annoying, there isn’t an episode where you don’t need to turn up and down the volume with your remote. I have the first 2005 series from the UK, for series 2-4 I had purchased the North American David Tennant Collection. Of course, I hoped that the sound quality would be better than that of the UK counterparts but unfortunately this is not the case!

The 9th doctor and Rose really worked well but I have to say, as I perceived it, the chemistry between Rose and the 10^th doctor is perhaps even more off the charts than with the 9^th doc and Rose. Their relationship is, obviously, a very important part of the show and it worked with both doctors with a light preference for David Tennant’s doctor with Rose. In the first episode of series two, “New Earth”, humans live on another earth-like planet after our earth has been destroyed. The Doctor has received a message from someone to come here, message was sent from an old acquaintance: the face of Boe. Cassandra is also there; she wants revenge and lures Rose to the cellar and jumps into her body. The Doctor immediately realizes that this is not “his” Rose. Like the Doctor, Cassandra is also investigating this hospital where the Doctor was invited to come, because apparently every sick patient gets better. The hospital was run by cats who have a great secret. The face of Boe tells the doctor they would meet one more time when he will tell him everything.

Episode two, “Tooth & Claw” is a very interesting story! It takes place in 1879, they arrive in that time period because of a calculation error, the doctor intended to bring her to 1979. The doctor and Rose run into Queen Victoria and travel with them to Sir Roberts place. There are strange things happening, a group of monks take over and they have planned this on high moon. They are werewolves and want to take over the power by biting the Queen, she turns and would be a werewolf also. Torchwood was found in this episode. Note – Some fun moments where Rose tries to get the queen to say: we are not amused. The queen however says: I am not amused! But Rose and the doctor are still delighted.

The 3^rd episode “School Reunion” is also a fun episode where we meet some familiar faces if you are acquainted with the Doctor Who world. We meet Sarah Jane Smith and also K9, the metallic dog! Sarah Jane Smith also was a companion of the doctor from the original series. Another interesting guest star: Anthony Head (Buffy) – He is an Alien trying to become some sort of a universal god! It really is a fun episode and we as a viewer can get a tad nostalgic at the end of the episode! Episode 4 “The Girl in the Fireplace” definitely belongs to the best episodes of the second series, perhaps even beyond that! Doctor, Rose, and Mickey enter a spaceship 3000 years into the future, it seems abandoned but when they walk into a room it’s like they step back in time. There is a fireplace where the doctor sees a young girl, in 1727 in Paris. It turns out to be a magic door to the past. However, the girl is wanted by some creatures who seem robotic. They are waiting till she is “complete”, they need her head. They cannot explain however why they need this girl; this is girl is Madame De Pompadour, mistress to King Louis XV and the uncrowned queen of France. In the final moments of the episode, we see the spaceship’s named: USS Madame De Pompadour. Note - A truly wonderful episode! Reinette is played by Sophia Miles.

The next one is actually a two-parter, “Rise of the Cybermen” and “The Age of Steel”. It is an entertaining story, it is an action story and as the title suggests, it is a story about the Cybermen. Now…I have to admit, I am not a big Cybermen fan! I like the Daleks better but they too come by too often is you ask me, but most likely I am one of the few who thinks like that. What happens in these two episodes: Doctor, Rose and Mickey arrive in an parallel universe, the Tardis seems to be dead. In this universe Rose’s dad lives and is very wealthy, working for a lunatic named John Lumic, who wants make robots of humankind because, according to him, the brain is the only thing worth saving. The president has different idea’s but the madman already has its plan in place. As I said, a story full of action, drama and running. In “The Idiots Lantern” an entity who hides in a television needs a big audience to consume them and this way she can become corporeal again. Note - Interesting episode where we see the doctor get really angry a few times, something we rarely see. Especially when Rose is missing and presumably consumed by the entity.

Next up is another two-parter: The Impossible planet & The Satan Pit, these belong to the best episodes of the second series. The Doctor & Rose arrive on a planet near a black hole, the Tardis is gone, There is a creature on the planet, a devil, who wants to escape the planet, which he tries to do by possessing one of the crew. In the pit, the Doctor finds the beast but soon notices, there is nothing left but the beast, the mind of this beast has been transferred to someone from the crew, in the pit he also finds something of his! “Love & Monsters” is a peculiar episode! An episode where the doctor and Rose have shortest screentime of all episodes throughout the series, at least until season 8 because after that I haven’t been watching so could not say. It is about a guy who is tracking the doctor, along the way he meets people who are also very interested in the Doctor. Then they meet a man who also is looking for him and starts ordering this group around and one by one they disappear. Turns out this is also an alien who likes to “eat” people. Great ELO music in this episode! “Fear Her” is about a child is occupied by an alien who is stranded on Earth. The alien travels with billions and feels alone, as the child draws kids who then disappear from real life to keep her company. Note – Some fun moments between Rose and the doctor who are becoming very close!

The 2^nd series ends with another two-parter: Army of Ghosts & Doomsday! The first episode opens where Rose basically says that in this story she is going to die! These two episodes have it all, Jackie, Rose’s mum is there, the Cybermen, Daleks and even the Torchwood institution, although no Jack Harkness or any of the other familiar Torchwood faces. The ending is very emotional between the doctor and Rose, if you can keep it dry you must be a Cyberman also! It is the final episode with Rose as a regular, a great finale, that’s for sure!

Final Word:

Looking back in hindsight, I think Rose is my favorite companion, her relationship with the doctor felt really intimate although they never were intimate in that way! Don’t get me wrong, I love the other companions also, some come real close to Rose but I think she is my favorite. It was the first series with David Tennant as the doctor and he too did a marvelous job, I would not think he could so easily replace Christopher Eccleston, but he laid my doubts to rest very quickly and I think you know by now how much I like the 9^th doctor. So series 3 we get to see a new companion, Martha Jones, I have to say I do look forward to it. First we see a little side-step in “The Runaway Bride” where Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) is the temporary companion.

Screencaps taken from Google Search