The Parting of the Ways

A Brilliant send off to a brilliant Doctor. The Daleks are shown to be more powerful here then they were in Dalek. And that's down to the fact this time there's an entire fleet of Daleks that must be stopped. This is a real tear jerker, and the episode will have you on the edge of your seat. It's that brisk with the pacing, and it aligns with the scaryness and the power that the Daleks have. Even shooting at the Tardis and it hits it, but that was part of the trick from the Doctor. Bad Wolf can still be seen from anywhere, and the seasons arc throughout remains one of the most successful arcs this show has ever had. And the final send off to the Doctor is chefs kiss, Christopher Eccleston was a brilliant Doctor. And in comes David Tennant, I think he's going to "Barcelona" haha, his words not mine.

So the Eccleston era ends with an episode that's a little underwhelming, when you consider its overall significance, but a decent enough way to end the season and to prepare for the things to come.

With the Dalek Armada heading for Earth, The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and those remaining on Satellite 5, prepare to mount a last ditch defence to try and buy him enough time for a last gasp plan to come to fruition. Knowing that his plan is likely to be suicide, The Doctor tricks Rose (Billie Piper) into the Tardis and sends her home, but after all she's seen and experienced, she can't leave him to fight alone.

With regards the specifics of this episode, I thought it was alright, but not that amazing. The ending is a bit of a deus ex machina, particularly as it's not the effect that we've seen other people have from looking into the heart of the Tardis. Eccleston is again great and though I did get a little buzz from seeing a super young looking David Tennant at the end, in many ways I'm sorry that we didn't get to see more of the 9th Doctor. (I always wonder why they don't go back now and make more one- off adventures with Eccleston from the time before his Doctor met Rose, now that time and changes in personnel seem to have healed some of those wounds.) I'd also say that there are a few aspects of this episode that drift away to not much, particularly the idea of tension between Rose and Lynda - in fact Lynda is rather short changed by the episode as a whole.

But what of the first season of rebooted who? Generally I think it's a really good start, with some great individual episodes and one excellent two-part story. The effects aren't quite what they would become, but as the show is a hit, it's allowed to invest more and more in that aspect. It's going to get interesting reviewing the show from here on out, as my memory is probably not going to be quite as sharp for the episodes as it has been with this first run. But my recollection is that the show is going to really hit its stride in the Tennant years and I'm looking forward to reliving it.

Following on immediately from 'Bad Wolf' this episode opens with The Doctor rescuing Rose from the Daleks. In the process he learns how they survived the Time War... or more precisely how they were recreated by their emperor, who is now their god. Returning to Satellite 5, The Doctor formulates a plan to defeat the Daleks. He then puts Rose in the Tardis and sets it on a one way course for Earth in 2005. Rose is determined to return to him but the Tardis appears to be dead. Back on the station it becomes apparent that if The Doctor's plan to wipe out the Daleks succeeds it will also exterminate everybody on Earth... a price worth paying to rid the universe of the Daleks?

I enjoyed this episode more than I expected; there was plenty of tension, several exciting scenes, emotional intensity and we finally learn why the words 'Bad Wolf' kept appearing throughout the season. The number of deaths is quite surprising; particularly in the case of one character although he does 'recover'. Having The Doctor send Rose away along with a message saying he didn't expect to survive worked well; it showed us just how far each of them was prepared to go to try to save the other. Christopher Eccleston was on fine form as The Doctor; he may only have been in the series for one season but he was a fine first Doctor for the new era of the show. Billie Piper and John Barrowman were impressive as Rose and Captain Jack; the former bringing real emotion to her role. The Daleks made an impressive enemy; I especially liked how the say they survived the Time War slightly changed them. The final scenes serve to indicate that the next Doctor will have a distinctly different personality.

Fantastic is a positive and versatile word used to describe something that is exceptional, extraordinary, or beyond what one would normally expect. It is often used to convey enthusiasm, excitement, and admiration for a particular thing, person, or situation. The word can be used as an adjective, adverb, or noun, and is commonly used in literature, art, and everyday conversation. Overall, the word fantastic is a powerful term that is useful in a wide range of contexts and conveys a sense of joy and pleasure.

The word fantastic derives from the Latin "fantasticus," meaning "imaginary" or "visionary," and has evolved to include things that are great, amazing, or outstanding. It intensifies an adjective or adverb as an adverb and can refer to something imaginative as a noun.

That it all. This episode was Fantastic.

The Daleks are confronted by the Doctor in the best way, he's not dealing with their mess, he's their to solve it. He's not wasting any time, and Jack being immortal was a decent and interesting route to take as he's always been a delight on screen. Both the Doctor and Captain Jack's energy is a breather and they all collectively make these episodes so much better and stronger with the writing, the stakes and the storytelling.

And the Doctors end speech will always be an Iconic scene. It mastered it's true identity and extended the genre in many ways, superbly done and the episode feels abit less rushed and less dated for that reason with excluding the game series.

Merit does have to go to the Daleks really taking centre and showing their brute force for the first time with a fleet, so that'll always remain Iconic for that reason too.