Father's Day

This episode has one of the strongest plots in the Doctor Who series. Yes, it is from season one. And the lead actors Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper have good chemistry. The supporting cast does their job well too. The premise of the episode is going back in time to try to save a life. The emotional dialogue and acting made this episode interesting. Rose is really likable and the Doctor is at it again! The Doctor also shows some bravery. Rose's dad is a funny character but he also has some redeemable traits. And Rose's mother is funny too. The monsters in the episode are not too scary for a younger audience to watch. And the special effects were cool.

He may have only had ownership of the TARDIS for one series but I thought Christopher Eccleston's Doctor was great, and never better than in this smart and heartfelt episode.

It's a simple "what happens if you alter something in time?" premise, but the performances given by Shaun Digwell and Billie Piper elevate it to being so much more.

For his part Eccleston may not have to carry the drama, but everything he does say, every little facial expression speaks volumes.

Since these early 'new who' episodes the show has got increasingly complicated, over dramatic and dull. These early series episodes were accessible and enjoyable.

I think this was one of the best episodes from his one series as the Doctor.

Father's Day has been criticized by some fans for having a supposedly absurd premise which would effectively contradict the essence of the show itself. That's not the case. Instead, it's a pretty touching story that centers on Rose and allows the character to be a lot more than just another sidekick.

With the Editor defeated and the "boyfriend" gone, Rose asks the Doctor to take her back to the day her father Pete Tyler (Shaun Dingwall) died, since she never really got to know him and would like to see him one last time. The Time Lord complies, but warns her that if a time traveler alters his or her own life story, a time paradox will be created. Obviously, Rose doesn't pay attention, and so she saves Pete from being run over by a car. The consequence is that strange winged creatures appear and start wreaking havoc. Everyone (including a younger Jackie Tyler and an infant Rose) hide in a church, but that won't solve the problem: the only way to get things back to normal is to restore the original time-line, otherwise they will all die.

The main criticism aimed at the episode is that it's quite ridiculous for the Doctor to talk about paradoxes when he alters events on a daily basis (well, as daily as it gets for someone who constantly leaps through time and space). In reality, it's a widely accepted notion in science fiction literature, cinema and television (and it's fiction, not real science) that time travelers can do whatever they want, as long as they don't try to mess with their own history (case in point: the 2002 film version of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine states pretty clearly that the protagonist can't change his own past, no matter how hard he tries). This is also why the Doctor has never considered going back in time and saving the other Time Lords - he can't do it without possibly destroying the Universe.

That said, does Father's Day qualify as a good episode? Yes, because it does to Rose what the Dalek episode did to the Doctor: it gives the characters an opportunity to show the full extent of their internal tragedy, thus establishing them as real people (in the Doctor's case, as real as a 900-year old alien can get) and not just two goof-balls who use the TARDIS whenever they please. Dingwall, playing a role originally intended for Simon Pegg (who took the part of the Editor in The Long Game because of scheduling conflicts) adds plenty to the dramatic arc, and Camille Coduri gets to do a bit more as well, as opposed to the pure comic relief she was asked to provide in earlier episodes.

Any downsides? Well, there's the usual problem with some of the visual effects (the winged creatures look like video game monsters), but that's about it. Everything else - writing, directing, Eccleston, Piper et al - makes for another 45 minutes of above-average British sci- fi.

Rose tells the Doctor she wants to go back and see her father at the moment he was killed. This happened in 1987 when she was a baby and she never got to know him except by the stories her mother told her which have painted him as a perfect man. She just wants to be with him when he dies. The Doctor is reluctant but thinks it will not interfere with history as he will be dying and she will not interact with any other people or events. Rose freezes, understandably, when she sees the accident so asks to go back again to try a second time. The Doctor feels sorry for her and agrees even though this means there are two Rose's and two Doctors present. Rose then suddenly decides to run out and save her father's life which causes the fabric of time to be damaged and creatures called Reapers appear. They attack things weakened by the damage to time and start to devour everyone.

In terms of dialogue quality, interest, entertainment and emotion this is top standard. The negative some viewers note is the concept of The Doctor agreeing to let Rose travel to this moment of her known history not once but twice. In my view the first time makes sense as it is not meeting her father in life which could change history, only holding his hand as he dies. The second time the Doctor takes a risk based on him thinking that it still won't make them cross paths with themselves. It is a believable mistake I think.

The Reapers are basically the exact same thing as Vortisaurs from Big Finish audio adventures and other media. I think it is easy enough to say they ARE Vortisaurs and 9 just calls them Reapers as a common term used to describe them. They are good scary monsters and the idea of them is interesting. There are lots of great scenes and ideas which are fascinating and fun.

Eccleston is on top form with his darker, more intense side being his strength. Rose is given great character development too and her parents are also engaging and believable. The escalation of events is exciting and leads to really dramatic moments and the choice her Dad makes in order to set things right is emotionally impactful. Great stuff.

My rating: 10/10.

After the tedious Long Game the new series picks up again and it's at this point you realise you're not only watching a new series but an entirely new show . The Doctor takes Rose through time to 1987 on the day her father died and lets her witness the event , but Rose is overcome by emotion and intervenes causing the laws of time to be enforced

Russell T Davies and Paul Cornell have conspired to write a tale that no one else thought about in the classic series , one that revolves totally around the depth of the companion . It's true that Rose Tyler is the most thought out , most multi layered companion there has ever been in the show and one complaint that can be levelled with some justification with the first season is that we're watching a show called ROSE TYLER and in the hands of a lesser actress this wouldn't be so well received but Piper does not disappoint in her performance

Praise too for the great Christopher Eccleston . I was shocked when it was announced he was going to be The Doctor since despite being an outstanding actor I thought he was wrong for the part , but then I had no idea he was going to be playing it in the style that he's best known for - An angry , brooding , introspective man . Watching the scene where he scowls Rose for being " another stupid ape " is one of the great moments of 2005 television and there's no way you could envisage a scene like this taking place in the old series

The older audience will be able to recognise these dramatic strengths and enjoy them while the younger fans are very well catered for by the appearance of The Reapers , demonic space bats that have arrived to sterilize the wounds in time caused by Rose's actions . If you've seen the original series 1963 -89 and didn't think much of it then watch this episode and don't tell me you didn't enjoy it