Doctor Who Series 1 Episode 13 - The Parting Of The Ways (Part 2) - Review
Starring: Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, John Barrowman & Jo Joyner
Written By: Russell T Davies
Directed By: Joe Ahearne
Welcome back to my review of Bad Wolf and The Parting Of The Ways. You can find my review of Part 1 here:
So let's waste no more time and crack straight on with Part 2: The Parting Of The Ways.
Picking
up directly from where Bad Wolf left
off, the Doctor and Jack make their way to the vast Dalek fleet in a bid to save Rose, only to discover a deadly threat in control of the Dalek army. With Rose saved, the Doctor and the crew of Satellite 5 are the only line of defence between the Daleks and the conquest of Earth. The opening to this episode is beautifully and
cinematic, in a wonderfully
directed scene by Joe Ahearne that sees the Daleks open fire on the TARDIS. It's a great action sequence to kick off the second part that builds on the tension created at the end of last week's episode. Being his last episode, it's great to see Christopher Eccleston dominate the scene whenever he's on screen, even managing to equal the Daleks. We must remember how much the revelation of the Daleks' survival must have hurt the Doctor. It was bad enough for him when he learnt that one Dalek survived earlier in the series, but an entire battle fleet means that his race effectively died for nothing.
The Doctor's confrontation with the Daleks initially puts him in a position of power, but it isn't long before the
tables turn, and at this point, the Dalek Emperor makes a comeback. Last seen
thirty-eight years ago during Patrick Troughton's time as the Doctor, the Emperor has been given a considerable makeover. The new design-work is stunning, while managing to
keep the essence of the 60s design. I love how it seems to be wired in to the heart of the Dalek
ship and the Emperor just oozes atmosphere, largely thanks to Nicholas Briggs. Nicholas Briggs is back to voice both the Daleks and the Emperor, and if there was any doubt that he wasn't the right man for the job back in Dalek, there isn't now. The Emperor's voice is one much deeper and menacing than the rest of the Daleks, giving it a sense of authority and fear.
As for the rest of the Daleks, they're put to arguably better use here than they were earlier in the series, giving us possibly the strongest Dalek army we've ever seen. Here, they are insane, dark and twisted, hating their own existence as well as everyone else's. It's one of Russell T Davies's best ideas yet to make the Daleks so dark, going as far as to give them a concept of blasphemy. When the Doctor talks with the Emperor, it initially seems to be too flippant about what he is facing, but as soon as he retreats to the TARDIS, we can see that it was all just a front. The Doctor has no advantage here, or any way of fighting this. And if the Doctor doesn't have hope, then how can we? By this point, this is getting to be Russell T Davies' best and most mature work to date and makes for a stunning finale.
It's his swansong, so Christopher Eccleston is definitely the star presence in this episode. He entirely sells the image of a Doctor with no options left to take and no way of winning. Perhaps his best moment is when he decides to send Rose home, and throughout this sequence, we can see all of his past lives, sorrow and tragedy on his face. This further allows for one of the most beautiful scenes seen in Doctor Who as a hologram of the Doctor speaks to Rose as the TARDIS takes her home. Just as Christopher Eccleston leaves the show, he reminds you of why his Doctor is up there as one of the best, and certainly one that deserves to be remembered for a long time to come.
While Christopher Eccleston takes the spotlight, Billie
Piper is once again brilliant as Rose. Her character still might not
be the best companion ever, but you certainly can't fault Billie Piper. It's a shame that once Rose does return home, Mickey is still put to one side by the character. I understand her desperation to return to the Doctor, but Mickey is treated really unfairly. As for John Barrowman as Jack, I
still can’t find any faults. The character may not have been around for as long as
Rose, but he’s still made the transition from a conman to a hero in the space of just five episodes. By now, Jack will give his life to aid the Doctor and (Spoiler Warning!) that's precisely what he ends up doing. Even when all the other recruits have
been exterminated, he still fights on, backed in a corner with a tiny pistol against the Daleks.
This episode doesn't focus too heavily on the Daleks, but then again it doesn't really need to. Their still on their top form and this is exactly the kind of episode they deserve to be in. As they were in Dalek, the Daleks are still able to be scary thanks to a clever script, fantastic directing and great production values. Murray Gold’s music also gives them an impact, particularly through some stellar use of the ominous choir music. This is probably the Daleks' darkest story since Resurrection Of The Daleks (but done SO much better), seeing them kill people not because their in the way, but just because their different. It's grotesque, yet it's what the Daleks should be. It isn't all doom and gloom though, as they do entice the odd laugh - in particular with their shootout against the Anne Droid.
By the time we come towards the end of this two-parter (Spoiler Warning!), Jack’s been exterminated, Rose has been sent home and the Doctor is surrounded by Daleks. It seems like the Daleks may finally have defeated the Doctor and his companions, before Rose has managed to save the day using the power of the time vortex. This resolution could be looked at in several ways. On the one hand, it could be a giant copout and a poor ending. However, on the other, it could be seen as quite smart. I’m more inclined to favour the latter. It’s not as if Rose destroying the Daleks is unfair as the energy she is using brings about further consequences. Rose's use of such powerful energy can only result in her death, unless the energy is transferred from her to ... make a wild guess - the Doctor. And being the noble choice, of course the Doctor isn't going to let Rose die. Rose's actions aren't consequence free - it costs the Doctor his life.
Come the end of the episode and it's time for the Doctor to regenerate - in a scene that somehow finds a perfect balance between humorous and heart-breaking. We can see that at first the Doctor doesn't want to go, and I don't want him to go either. Christopher Eccleston has been fantastic as the Doctor and it’s sad that he’ll only end up making the one series. However, the Doctor gradually accepts his fate, and even manages it with a smile. His last line about him being fantastic, isn’t being smug - it’s being honest. I can barely, if at all, fault Christopher Eccleston's performance. However, his series arc has been resolved and it’s time for a new man. The special effects for the actual regeneration are explosive and colourful, and make for a better transition than we saw in the classic series. We'll have to wait to see how different the new 10th Doctor is in The Christmas Invasion.
So how did Bad Wolf and The Parting Of The Ways fare as the first series finale? I would definitely say that Russell T Davies has lived up to the immense task of writing Doctor Who's first proper finale. The Daleks are at their best, the production values are amazing, the Doctor is fantastic in his swansong, John Barrowman and Billie Piper both give great performances and the whole story is just dark and sinister. Compared to other Dalek stories, this two-parter is up there with the quality of Genesis Of The Daleks and Remembrance Of The Daleks. Series 1 has drawn to a close, but it’s been a brilliant series that saved its best story till last and this episode is destined to become a classic.
This episode doesn't focus too heavily on the Daleks, but then again it doesn't really need to. Their still on their top form and this is exactly the kind of episode they deserve to be in. As they were in Dalek, the Daleks are still able to be scary thanks to a clever script, fantastic directing and great production values. Murray Gold’s music also gives them an impact, particularly through some stellar use of the ominous choir music. This is probably the Daleks' darkest story since Resurrection Of The Daleks (but done SO much better), seeing them kill people not because their in the way, but just because their different. It's grotesque, yet it's what the Daleks should be. It isn't all doom and gloom though, as they do entice the odd laugh - in particular with their shootout against the Anne Droid.
By the time we come towards the end of this two-parter (Spoiler Warning!), Jack’s been exterminated, Rose has been sent home and the Doctor is surrounded by Daleks. It seems like the Daleks may finally have defeated the Doctor and his companions, before Rose has managed to save the day using the power of the time vortex. This resolution could be looked at in several ways. On the one hand, it could be a giant copout and a poor ending. However, on the other, it could be seen as quite smart. I’m more inclined to favour the latter. It’s not as if Rose destroying the Daleks is unfair as the energy she is using brings about further consequences. Rose's use of such powerful energy can only result in her death, unless the energy is transferred from her to ... make a wild guess - the Doctor. And being the noble choice, of course the Doctor isn't going to let Rose die. Rose's actions aren't consequence free - it costs the Doctor his life.
Come the end of the episode and it's time for the Doctor to regenerate - in a scene that somehow finds a perfect balance between humorous and heart-breaking. We can see that at first the Doctor doesn't want to go, and I don't want him to go either. Christopher Eccleston has been fantastic as the Doctor and it’s sad that he’ll only end up making the one series. However, the Doctor gradually accepts his fate, and even manages it with a smile. His last line about him being fantastic, isn’t being smug - it’s being honest. I can barely, if at all, fault Christopher Eccleston's performance. However, his series arc has been resolved and it’s time for a new man. The special effects for the actual regeneration are explosive and colourful, and make for a better transition than we saw in the classic series. We'll have to wait to see how different the new 10th Doctor is in The Christmas Invasion.
So how did Bad Wolf and The Parting Of The Ways fare as the first series finale? I would definitely say that Russell T Davies has lived up to the immense task of writing Doctor Who's first proper finale. The Daleks are at their best, the production values are amazing, the Doctor is fantastic in his swansong, John Barrowman and Billie Piper both give great performances and the whole story is just dark and sinister. Compared to other Dalek stories, this two-parter is up there with the quality of Genesis Of The Daleks and Remembrance Of The Daleks. Series 1 has drawn to a close, but it’s been a brilliant series that saved its best story till last and this episode is destined to become a classic.
Final Score for Bad Wolf and The Parting Of The Ways
10/10
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