The End of the World

One of the best episodes of this show, period, full stop.

f**k yeah tree people. f**k yeah trans people. f**k yeah.

Episode twos are always difficult for any television series. Ninety nine percent of the time the production crew tend to focus their efforts mostly on the first episode in order to entice people to watch the show and the second episode ends up overlooked. This is clearly the case with The End of the World, which whilst not terrible isn't quite up to the standards of the previous episode Rose.

The End of the World has a brilliant premise for a Doctor Who episode. The sun is expanding and about to destroy the Earth; on Platform One, the richest beings of the universe are gathering to watch it end on the Observation Desk including Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker), Jabe (Yasmin Bannerman), the Mox of Balhoon (Jimmy Vee) and the Face of Boe (Struan Rodger). The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) arrive to find someone is trying to sabotage the space station with robotic spiders.

The problem with this episode is that what should be an engaging narrative is actually rather boring. It doesn't help that the pace is slowed down by Rose's call to her mum Jackie (Camille Coduri). As well-written the conversation between Rose and Jackie is, it doesn't help to enhance the plot and this feels like an episode that would work better with more emphasis on the main story and less on the familial elements (especially when the whole planet is about to die with everyone on it - something that should be very emotional to see for Rose given this is her home planet).

There are some great scenes - the stuff with the Doctor and Jabe in the air conditioning chamber trying to navigate giant rotating fans is a fantastic action piece well-directed by Euros Lyn - but they are too far and few between. I can't help but feel that later into Russell T Davies' run, the production team would have done a much better job as they would have learnt from experience how to execute the concept. It is a very ambitious idea for the first series of the show's idea and one that Russell T Davies should have perhaps kept back for series four.

The special effects in this story however are very impressive and still hold up today. These are some of the best special effects in the new series of the show; it actually feels like we're watching the real sun expanding to destroy the real Earth and every one of the alien guests look like species you may find in a big Hollywood movie rather than a television series.

The Face of Boe is a brilliant character too; there's something immensely likeable about the big head in the jar known as Boe. I'm not entirely sure what it is that's so appealing but I just really enjoy watching his scenes and was glad when he returned in New Earth and Gridlock. I hope one day the series confirms that Jack was definitely the Face of Boe (as stated in the later three parter Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords as it would explain how he knows to warn the Doctor about the Master).

 

Cassandra, on the other hand, I'm not too keen on. I'm not sure how she became a recurring character as whilst Zoe Wanamaker is good in the role, I found her nothing more than an annoying future Katie Price. She's basically what would happen if a Kardashian became the last surviving human and whilst that makes her a suitably unlikeable antagonist for the Doctor, it doesn't make her a particularly entertaining one. She's just plain irritating and initially it was a relief that she seemed to die at the end of the episode, until they decided to bring her back a year later for New Earth! I mean, what the hell Russell T Davies? Why would you want to inflict that pain on us? If anyone had to return from The End of the World alongside the Face of Boe, it should have been the Mox of Balhoon. He had much more mileage and Jimmy Vee was great in the role.

Let's talk about the main actors: Christopher Eccleston and Rose Tyler. I was never much a fan of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor and I don't think he was too brilliant here. He seemed a bit uncomfortable in the role and it felt like he was phoning in some of his lines during this episode. He certainly wasn't terrible but it wasn't his best performance as the Doctor either (that would be Dalek). Billie Piper, on the other hand, is as brilliant as she always was - especially during her conversation with plumber Raffalo, which helped to demonstrate her character's caring side when realised the plumber wasn't allowed to talk and gave her permission to.

Overall, The End of the World is one of those typical second episodes of a television series where the quality takes a sudden drop after a great episode one. The story has a strong premise but ultimately it doesn't deliver, providing a boring story with too many scenes that fail to drive the plot. There are some great scenes though and the special effects are still great eleven years on. The Face of Boe is also a great character who thankfully made the return appearances he deserved. Cassandra is annoying though and Christopher Eccleston seems uncomfortable in his performance as the Doctor.

Following on from a great opening episode is tough, but this episode manages it pretty well. It’s never been a favourite of mine, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. From the opening scene, the dynamic between the Doctor and Rose is further solidified- ‘you think you’re so impressive’ ‘I am so impressive’- they’re having fun together, even though neither really knows the other. That lack of knowing forms the basis for most of the character-based conflict, which takes a more important role for the majority of the episode than the metal spiders running around in the background do. It’s a way of showing Rose’s impulsivity- rushing off with a stranger- and then the culture shock of suddenly being dropped into this alien situation- ‘the aliens, they’re so alien. I mean you look at them, and they’re alien’.

Why would the Doctor bring Rose to watch her planet explode on her first proper trip with him? It makes no sense, except, right there at the end we learn his planet has exploded too. That tells us more about the Doctor, his want for connection, the need to have someone somewhere understand what it’s like to be the last one, and Rose says it herself when confronting Cassandra- if anyone onboard Platform One is the Last Human then it’s Rose, not the bitchy flap of skin.

The darkness Nine shows after saving the day, (everything has its time and everything dies) is the first real hint of the Doctor being dangerous that we get in the revival - obviously the previous episode had danger, but that wasn’t him, it was the aliens, yet here, that darkness comes to the fore and shows another side to the Doctor that I think Nine portrays fantastically throughout his short run.

As with the previous episode and a lot of series one, the side characters here feel developed- with such a large cast this time, it’s less-so here, but Cassandra and Jabe are used very well to show that a connection to Earth isn’t simply a human-thing, and that not all humans have the best in mind for the Earth. Jabe, the beautiful tree lady, spends most of her time flirting with the Doctor which makes for some great lines. Knowing what we know from future series’, I wish the Face of Boe had had more to do, though it is his dodgy plumbing that allows more of the world to be explored- Raffalo’s conversation with Rose is short, but it gives an insight into the post-Earth future. We also get the first Bad Wolf namedrop here from the Moxx of Balhoon, who I can only assume is Doctor Who’s answer to Star Wars’ Max Rebo, in a blink and you’ll miss it comment that even BBC iPlayer’s subtitles get wrong.

Overall, I think The End of the World is a solid second episode, and throws a lot of information out to a new audience without being overwhelming, whilst exploring these new characters and their dynamic. Having the early episodes be so character-centric is, as Nine would say, fantastic.

---

This is a fun and dynamic story, and a pretty heartfelt start to the new series.

Of course, it gets dogged for some goofy costumes and special effects, the latter of which I would argue is definitely the weakest aspect of the episode of the four categories, but it also is what I love most about these episodes. It's a sincere and lovely take on not only the human experience but also all the wacky and wonderful aspects of the franchise. It isn't afraid to be alien as hell, all the while working in plenty of great character moments for the Ninth Doctor and Rose.

I'm not surprised this episode isn't considered the strongest among the fan community, but it is a lot of fun and does good work in establishing how weird Doctor Who can be. That it happens so early in the new franchise is a blessing I really appreciate.

There is a lot of fun mix of humour and neat ideas too. From the idea of one final "pure" human against an ocean of normal people that just have a bit of alien in them this far into the future, to the "classical music" played on the jukebox (which never gets old to me as a joke), there's a lot to like here.

Stuff like the Doctor having to go through a video game level to save the day, with the whole moving fan bit, is quite silly, but even that services to show us (especially new viewers) how special and alien the Doctor really is. The CGI and practical effects can be a bit wonky, but by 2005 television standards, they are on the whole more impressive than not.

It's certainly not an ideal jumping on point with Rose a single episode away, but an excellent second episode for new viewers.

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.

 

---

STORY:

---

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.

 

---

POPULATION:

---

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).

 

---

PRODUCTION:

---

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.

 

---

ATMOSPHERE:

---

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.

 

---

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

---

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!

 

---

FINAL THOUGHTS:

---

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.

In terms of excitement, emotions and characters this is another watertight reinvention of Doctor Who. It’s so far in the future, and so widescreen, with so many monsters - but still a connection back to humanity, watching our Earth’s dying days and the “last human”. You get an interdimensional phone call home and Rose quite rightly challenges The Doctor for letting the TARDIS get inside her head - a completely new spin on the Doctor/ companion dynamic. You continue to see the universe afresh through Rose’s eyes.

This second episode looks a lot stronger than Keith Boak’s opening one as well, it looks less rushed, more confident, more expensive. The effects sequences are also (for 2005) state of the art.

Some of the internal logic of the story is what stops it from being a classic. For example, a single button on the controller’s desk that lowers the sun filter, that when pressed the controller seemingly doesn’t know how to reverse. Also, there are deadly fans running across a platform that you need to pass in order to access important controls. Untidy plot points like these make the high stakes drama feel a bit forced in places. But this doesn’t matter because the main takeaway is the human drama.

The growing relationship between Rose and The Doctor is incredibly successful. They are funny together. She is so relatable and he is so alien. They are already an iconic duo.