Oh God, these episodes. The episodes which kickstared my love for 21st Century Who. The episodes where we get to see the Ninth Doctor put on the back foot by Jack and a seemingly incurable virus, only to triumph over both by turning Jack into a good guy and work out the missing link.
These episodes have some of the best dialogue (well, it's Moffat) and Jack as his charming, unreliable self before he got loaded down with wangst. Barrowman looks amazing in the WWII get up and he has great chemistry with Billie Piper AND with Christopher Eccleston (even if he didn't get on with him as well as he did with David).
The flashes of absurdity are necessary because until Silence in the Library/Planet of the Dead, these episodes are some of the bleakest in the new series. London is being torn apart by bombs and human beings are being torn apart by ignorant alien technology. The Doctor and Rose and Jack are threatened by a dead child - a dead future - who is desperately searching for his mummy. Meanwhile, Nancy and her gang are living rough on the streets, thinking the Blitz preferable to evacuation and conscripted foster parents. For the Ninth Doctor, born from the horror of the Time War, the Blitz is familiar territory. His ease within this chaos and misery contrasts strongly with how uneasy and out of place he was in Rose's safe flat in 21st century London. In this episode, we discover by inference just how guilty he feels at being responsible for ending the Time War, for the death of his species, in watching his sheer joy at being able to save Jamie and the other people affected by the virus and his happiness at reuniting Nancy and Jamie (because he will never be reunited with his family). He does this by forcing Nancy to face a truth she has hidden from herself, much as he has done, and admitting her true identity and responsibility. Restoring parent to child allows him to open up and bring Jack on board (rewarding him for his sacrifice), extending his own little family, tease Rose about being Father Christmas (Santa Claus to Americans) and best of all, brings back the memory of how to dance, how to engage with someone again. Christopher Eccleston is amazing in this episode.
I should also mention Florence Hoath as Nancy, who is amazing and completely believable in her role. I love Nancy as a character. Even though she has made mistakes, she made them through love and it is her love which saves the day.
The Doctor Dances is one of the few television episodes that has ever made me choke up. Nancy falling to her knees and telling Jamie "I am your mummy! I will always be your mummy!" brings tears to my eyes every time I watch. Even typing the words makes me feel a little weepy.
Nancy falling to her knees and telling Jamie "I am your mummy! I will always be your mummy!" brings tears to my eyes every time I watch.
I tell you, I flat out BAWLED when I saw that for the first time! And when the Doctor takes off the little boy's gas mask, and there's this cute little kid inside, and he's all fixed and BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD (just ignore that part, brain, and move on...) and everybody lives and it's all better and...
*gasp*
Yep, definitely my favorite episodes from Series 1. Hands down.
Pray that Tulsa technology never falls into the hands of the Master.
This episode is all about identity and loss. Jamie needs to know his mother to know who he is. The Doctor, who was once a father and a grandfather but is now 'just' a doctor, rediscovers his own identity as the man who makes people better. He is able to bring life instead of death.
For the Ninth Doctor, born from the horror of the Time War, the Blitz is familiar territory. His ease within this chaos and misery contrasts strongly with how uneasy and out of place he was in Rose's safe flat in 21st century London.
This has never occurred to me, but holy crap, so true. Nine was absolutely in his element.
These episodes have some of the best dialogue (well, it's Moffat) and Jack as his charming, unreliable self before he got loaded down with wangst. Barrowman looks amazing in the WWII get up and he has great chemistry with Billie Piper AND with Christopher Eccleston (even if he didn't get on with him as well as he did with David).
The flashes of absurdity are necessary because until Silence in the Library/Planet of the Dead, these episodes are some of the bleakest in the new series. London is being torn apart by bombs and human beings are being torn apart by ignorant alien technology. The Doctor and Rose and Jack are threatened by a dead child - a dead future - who is desperately searching for his mummy. Meanwhile, Nancy and her gang are living rough on the streets, thinking the Blitz preferable to evacuation and conscripted foster parents. For the Ninth Doctor, born from the horror of the Time War, the Blitz is familiar territory. His ease within this chaos and misery contrasts strongly with how uneasy and out of place he was in Rose's safe flat in 21st century London. In this episode, we discover by inference just how guilty he feels at being responsible for ending the Time War, for the death of his species, in watching his sheer joy at being able to save Jamie and the other people affected by the virus and his happiness at reuniting Nancy and Jamie (because he will never be reunited with his family). He does this by forcing Nancy to face a truth she has hidden from herself, much as he has done, and admitting her true identity and responsibility. Restoring parent to child allows him to open up and bring Jack on board (rewarding him for his sacrifice), extending his own little family, tease Rose about being Father Christmas (Santa Claus to Americans) and best of all, brings back the memory of how to dance, how to engage with someone again. Christopher Eccleston is amazing in this episode.
I should also mention Florence Hoath as Nancy, who is amazing and completely believable in her role. I love Nancy as a character. Even though she has made mistakes, she made them through love and it is her love which saves the day.
The Doctor Dances is one of the few television episodes that has ever made me choke up. Nancy falling to her knees and telling Jamie "I am your mummy! I will always be your mummy!" brings tears to my eyes every time I watch. Even typing the words makes me feel a little weepy.
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I tell you, I flat out BAWLED when I saw that for the first time! And when the Doctor takes off the little boy's gas mask, and there's this cute little kid inside, and he's all fixed and BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD (just ignore that part, brain, and move on...) and everybody lives and it's all better and...
*gasp*
Yep, definitely my favorite episodes from Series 1. Hands down.
Reply
This episode is all about identity and loss. Jamie needs to know his mother to know who he is. The Doctor, who was once a father and a grandfather but is now 'just' a doctor, rediscovers his own identity as the man who makes people better. He is able to bring life instead of death.
Reply
This has never occurred to me, but holy crap, so true. Nine was absolutely in his element.
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