TV Blogging: Doctor Who Season One Ep 13
Tonight I decided that, after having watched "Bad Wolf" in broadcast a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to watch "The Parting of the Ways" on DVD, first without, then with commentary (finally).
This episode still breaks my heart. It's the consummation of everything built up in the entire season, but the heart of the story is really where the relationships between these characters all finally conclude: Jack's trust, Rose's loyalty and dedication, the Doctor's ultimate sacrifice, and the love each of these characters feels for the others. The effects are terrific, the performances are spot on, but without the quality of the writing, none of it would matter. That moment at the end, when the Doctor looks at Rose and says, "I just want to tell you, you were fantastic" kills me; the look on Eccleston's face says it all: "Thank you, I love you, you saved me."
The commentary offers some interesting tidbits, like the fact that Jack's leather pants were a little oiled up so they'd shine better, and that a secret scene--Rose's death!--was shot to help keep the true end of the episode a secret. But it also turns out that Billie Piper doesn't watch her own finished work, so the session in which the commentary was recorded was the first time she'd ever seen the fully produced episode. I enjoyed getting to hear her reactions. I also enjoyed listening to John Barrowman prove that he's just as big a geek as the rest of us.
For me, this episode is a wonderful ending to a terrific first season, a season that was generally even, generally high quality, and that set the standard for me as far as "Doctor Who" is concerned. I feel as thought the second season, while it's offered some goodness, has been pretty uneven quality-wise. I hope the remaining episodes for Season Two are more consistently good.
This episode still breaks my heart. It's the consummation of everything built up in the entire season, but the heart of the story is really where the relationships between these characters all finally conclude: Jack's trust, Rose's loyalty and dedication, the Doctor's ultimate sacrifice, and the love each of these characters feels for the others. The effects are terrific, the performances are spot on, but without the quality of the writing, none of it would matter. That moment at the end, when the Doctor looks at Rose and says, "I just want to tell you, you were fantastic" kills me; the look on Eccleston's face says it all: "Thank you, I love you, you saved me."
The commentary offers some interesting tidbits, like the fact that Jack's leather pants were a little oiled up so they'd shine better, and that a secret scene--Rose's death!--was shot to help keep the true end of the episode a secret. But it also turns out that Billie Piper doesn't watch her own finished work, so the session in which the commentary was recorded was the first time she'd ever seen the fully produced episode. I enjoyed getting to hear her reactions. I also enjoyed listening to John Barrowman prove that he's just as big a geek as the rest of us.
For me, this episode is a wonderful ending to a terrific first season, a season that was generally even, generally high quality, and that set the standard for me as far as "Doctor Who" is concerned. I feel as thought the second season, while it's offered some goodness, has been pretty uneven quality-wise. I hope the remaining episodes for Season Two are more consistently good.