78% = Great! = Strongly recommended!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a a time! This time, a talking iece of skin, funnily named aliens and air from the Doctor's lungs.

 

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STORY:

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The episode kicks off with a wonderful tonal shift from the Doctor showing off his TARDIS manoeuvring skills (like the romantic he is!) to him and Rose marvelling at the morbid beauty of the Earth dying far away in the future.

The End of the World is a monumental episode in the revival. It shows the 21st century potential of future-set space stories with alien characters and further explores the Doctor's past, his current emotional state, and his modus operandi, while painting a very fascinating and slightly silly picture of our solar system 5 billion years from now.

Rose is wisely at the centre of the story, allowing us to explore this strange place and time alongside her, all the while remaining curious about the Doctor and his mysterious past. I love how she questions the Doctor and is rightfully on her guard, which makes her more relatable, while giving the story a reason to reveal new sides of the Doctor as well.

 

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POPULATION:

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These aliens and their strange ways and gifts are silly enough to come across as perfectly belivable in the far future. The chief of these is the last human, the talking piece of skin, which is Lady Cassandra. She really shouldn't work as well as she does, but Zoë Wanamaker makes her aboslutely creepy, fascinating, and memorable, and her "Moisturise me!" catchphrase is the first classic villain quote of the new series!

Jimmy Vee makes his first of several appearances on the show, this time as the Moxx of Balhoon, while Yasmin Bannerman's Jabe, a lovely tree alien character, truly brings out the Doctor's emotional side (and her sacrifice in the end always feels so wrong).

 

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PRODUCTION:

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The season will reuse the rather simple space station set a few times, and while the VFX is showing its age, the practical make-up effects still look wonderful. I appreciate the light and colourful take on a space station, which is a refreshing change from the usual metallic, grey, and cold. I also really love the soundtrack, from the classic pop beats to Murray Gold's sweeping melodies.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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The scene with the Doctor saving Rose from the descending sun filter and the one where he has to avoid the rapidly spinning fans are the standout action moments, but other than that, the highlights of this epiode lie in the more dramatic scenes that explore Rose and the Doctor as characters. The basic threat is pretty simple and not particularly interesting (this is the second episode in a row where the threat takes the backseat), even though it makes Cassandra easy to dislike.

The moment of Cassandra exploding in the Doctor's and Rose's faces is actually a pretty morbid moment and shows the darker side of this Doctor (as he refuses to help her, despite Rose's pleas). And the last scene is another beautiful emotional moment, something that RTD truly excels at writing, and it also finally reveals to fans of the classic show what has happened to Gallifrey and the Time Lords during the Wilderness Years.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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How exactly is phoning someone 5 billion years apart from yourself supposed to work?

I love that Toxic is considered "a traditional ballad" in the future; I'm happy to hear that my childhood crush Britney is still appreciated long after my death!

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Showing the potential of the revived series, The End of the World is a great character piece, let down somewhat by its limited prodution values and simple plot.