Watched Rose again two days ago and I loved it. I think the decision to focus on her instead of the Doctor is fantastic and I think this is the best introduction episode to the show. It slowly builds up the mystery of the Doctor in a way that is intriguing for new viewers. The threats from the Nestene are not the most interesting, but I think that is not that important in this episode. The important thing is world-building and character building and I think the episode nails that.
The only thing that has not aged that well is the special effects. But that has never been an issue for me.
5/5 and a favorite for me!
Can also recommend the Target novel which enhances the experience of the episode even more.
This is where my journey into Who began in 2013. When the Doctor took Rose’s hand and said “Run!” I was hooked and went through 7 seasons in about a month and went straight back to 1963, after a little detour with the TV movie. For this I will always love this first episode.
Following Rose around to introduce the Doctor was a great choice in introducing/reintroducing the mysterious Doctor.
Seeing the internal dimensions of the TARDIS through Rose’s eyes was just amazing.
That said, the plot of the story is rather lacklustre and probably stretched a bit to fit a predesignated timeslot.
This could have been addressed in RTD’s novelisation of Rose, however RTD is more interested in creating back stories for his characters and increase the amount of mayhem, death and destruction inflicted upon London. Mickey’s group of friends/band members are great but doesn’t really do anything for the narrative (except for a Bad Wolf mention). And the story about the chief electrician’s plot of stealing the lottery money goes nowhere, I think it was better on TV with a simple “Wilson’s dead” from the Doctor.
The short sequel story/extra chapter 21 “Rose: The Sequel” or “Revenge of the Nestene” that came from the brilliant Doctor Who Lockdown content, again doesn’t really add much (except for being an outlet for RTD’s apparent wish for Boris Johnson to die?)
I love “Rose” for being the story that introduced me to this crazy Whoniverse, but on the whole I find it rather average - but average Who is still good in my book
Rose 3/5
Rose: The novelisation 2,5/5
Rose: The Sequel 2/5
I understand all your points and they are all valid but I can’t stop loving this episode and the novel. But I agree that the sequel did not live up to the rest.
Please don’t stop loving what you love!
I also love this story, I just try to analyse it from my own personal perspective and experiences.
RTD the showrunner and RTD the novelist are basically two different people for me, I suppose his literary preferences and choices just doesn’t agree with me.
I love that fans have different favourite episodes and eras, let’s discuss from our own likes and dislikes - as long as we remember the 12th Doctor: Be kind
Ah yes, the episode that started the trip of my lifetime slightly more than a year ago. I loved everything about this episode, from the characters (to the Ninth Doctor himself, of course) to the music. The 2005 theme tune was implanted in my brain the moment it started playing, and by the next episode, I was already singing it with pride, which is basically a ritual for every Whovian who deems themselves as such.
I will not stop. But it is interesting to read other person opinions. That’s what I like about this forum everyone is nice. After years on Twitter, this is a nice detox. It is like being on the internet in 2005 again.
I love the first story Rose. Start off with Rose view. Bring back classic Autons monsters. Then the Doctor being goofy and if he needs to be serious is able to pull it off. May have had some goofy bits but I loved seeing Doctor Who finally see a rejuvenation on Tv again.
That reminds me over in the US don’t think we got Doctor Who till 2006, me being to much of a fan found ways till I could finally get the dvds.
Some self-indulgent personal history first. I was born in the 70s so watched Classic Who I enjoyed it but was never a superfan, I don’t recall reading many of the Target books, I didn’t get DWM nor was I that disappointed when the show got cancelled. I didn’t think much about the show during the wilderness years although I enjoyed the TV movie & thought it would have been good for a series coming out of that. So when it was due to return it was the pairing of RTD & Eccleston that sparked my interest (I enjoyed the previous show they worked on, The Second Coming) & since then I have become a bigger fan than I was in my younger days. In fact if it wasn’t for them Dr Who would probably still be that show I remember watching as a kid.
Rose, what a fantastic episode & still the best introduction of a Doctor and/or companion that RTD has done so far. I can only imagine what it must have been like watching this if you’d never heard of the show before, I think it expertly sets up the foundations for new viewers. Of course it feels very early 2000s & the score is overbearing but that’s typical of Murray Gold. However Billie Piper is so good as Rose, immediately likeable & relatable as a young woman looking for something more from life. I’d forgotten how much comedy there was here & Eccleston plays both sides well although seems more comfortable with the serious stuff. The alien threat is fine, but of course we have to take into account what was on UK TV at the time. Certainly nothing like this. It presents a fun alien danger with some ‘domestic’ alien attack scenes, in recognisable places like shopping malls which makes it more real than if we saw giant spaceships blowing up famous landmarks. In fact the whole thing is set in a very ordinary world.
Like so many of us, I had pretty much given up on there being any new ‘proper’ Doctor Who after the lukewarm reception of the McGann movie. The announcement of a whole new series in 2005 was astonishing. When this episode aired we all sat down as a family and watched it together. My kids were under 10 at the time, and became instant fans. Christopher Eccleston was immediately’their Doctor’.
As a comback episode it is brilliantly well-balanced. There’s humour, but not enough to make you laugh at it (burping bin excepted, of course). There’s exposition and back-story, but not enough t o get in the way. There’s relatable characters, but it’s not a soap opera. There’s action, but it’s paced with periods of calm.
Billie Piper as Rose is great, of course, and brings a freshness to the idea of a ccompanion. Eccleston nails the Doctor’s alien but still caring nature. Sadly, Mickey is not served well by this episode, and I’m glad he gets some better stories later. Above all, though, I can never get enough of Jackie Tyler. Camille Coduri steals every scene she is in.
As others have said, a textbook way to introduce a new series to a new audience.
Who couldn’t understand why they could hear Graham Norton whittering away through Billie’s first scenes? Who thought it was actually part of the episode to start with? Who even watched the show that Norton was bleeding through from?
And who knew Norton invading Who would become a running gag!
Haven’t watched it in a bit, but I remember Rose well enough. (Especially since I sometimes watch people react to shows, including Doctor Who.)
I tend to feel like RTD took some cues from Spearhead in Space, which is by no means a bad thing. Spearhead was great as a reboot of the whole series, as was Rose.
I do remember at one point looking at a picture of Rose and a picture of Buffy Summers next to each other, and thinking that that may have somewhat been what RTD had in mind.
Christopher Eccleston was immediately fantastic as the Doctor, and still one of my favorite new Who doctors.
Weakest bits:
The fake Mickey: How did Rose not realise that wasn’t him?
antiplastic: Honestly, kind of a cheap out. Of course, what can you do when you aren’t going to commit to 4-6+ episodes per story…
Was Rose being good at gymnastics ever mentioned again?
And of course, the Doctor takes off just long enough to have a ton of Big Finish adventures, then comes back at the end…
I don’t think I watched this live when it first aired - I was at university and probably out partying. This wasn’t the episode that got me hooked - the episode that made me a fan is a few weeks away…
But, what an episode! Yes it has its faults. Yes it can be silly. But it does such a good job of reintroducing the Doctor and most of what you need to know, from the perspective of the companion (My absolute favourite thing about Russell’s reboot is how it’s all about the companions).
Probably my favourite bit is when Rose first goes into the TARDIS. How she runs in, is shocked, then leaves and runs around the box to check if it really is bigger on the inside. Then her face as she stares in awe at the interior. Then the Doctor’s simple but brilliant line:
“The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn’t get through that door, and believe me, they’ve tried.”
Just excellent, I love it!
This episode gets a 5/5 from me, probably too much and definitely affected by the nostalgia and the epicness of the show coming back, but without this we wouldn’t I talking about Doctor Who today!
I agree about the fake Mickey, but in this episode Mickey is hardly there as a character anyway, so maybe he was always a bit ‘plastic’ anyway?
The thing that bugs me every time is how the Nesteen managed to fit a huge underground chamber (complete with a little cupboard just the right size for the TARDIS ) under the Thames embankment, below water level, and then blew it up James Bond style without affecting the surroundings. When the show did something similar with the Racnoss a few episiddes later in The Runaway Bride, it drained the river dry!
I did think for a minute that maybe Rose just didn’t know/pay attention to Mickey enough, but then on Fathers Day, we can see he’s been around her entire life…
) under the Thames embankment, below water level, and then blew it up James Bond style without affecting the surroundings. When the show did something similar with the Racnoss a few episiddes later in The Runaway Bride, it drained the river dry!