"Banksy doesn't have one of these... Or do I?"
Aiming for modern-day Sheffield, the Tardis instead drops in on Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, which turns out to be a very scary, dangerous place for the current crew, as Ryan is immediately slapped for trying to return a dropped glove to a white woman. Aside from the dangers of Jim Crow segregation, however, there is another time traveller in town; one set on changing history, in a little way, by interfering in the actions of one Rosa Parks on the 1st December. Thus the gang set out to protect history, not by making it, but simply by making sure that Rosa Parks has the time and the place to be Rosa Parks.
The Good
 |
| This week, shifting focus from a mad woman in a box, to a great one on a bus. |
This review will contain spoilers
Aiming for modern-day Sheffield, the Tardis instead drops in on Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, which turns out to be a very scary, dangerous place for the current crew, as Ryan is immediately slapped for trying to return a dropped glove to a white woman. Aside from the dangers of Jim Crow segregation, however, there is another time traveller in town; one set on changing history, in a little way, by interfering in the actions of one Rosa Parks on the 1st December. Thus the gang set out to protect history, not by making it, but simply by making sure that Rosa Parks has the time and the place to be Rosa Parks.
- The script - co-written by former Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman - neatly avoids all the perils of setting a time travel series in this period. The Doctor doesn't drive history here; Rosa Parks is the hero of her own story. Indeed, the crew are ultimately forced to be, if not the villains, then a part of the antagonistic crowd.
- The episode shows the horrors of segregation - an advantage of the diversity of the current crew is the ability to show the different reception received by a white woman, a white man, a black man and a Pakistani-English woman in a historical setting (in Yaz's case, being mistaken for Mexican) - without ever being hamfisted. The result is, honestly, uncomfortable to watch in places, btu so it ought to be.
- There is no attempt to pretend that Rosa Parks solved racism, or even that racism is a thing of the past for our contemporary characters.
The Bad
- This is a singularly excellent episode, which not only does what it needs to do effectively, but owns the fifty-minute format.
The Ugly
- A twenty-seventh century white supremacist; now that's depressing.
The Thirteenth Doctor
As noted previously, this episode isn't really about the Doctor, but we do get to see some more of her character. She's a little reckless, even slightly aggressive, and willing to provoke an enemy as much as any of her past incarnations ever were. Some might argue this, given her unwillingness to tackle the race question head on, like the Twelfth Doctor punching whatsisface in the episode with the frost fair, but note the situation: She has three companions to protect, so of course she'll try to defuse a situation, but put her face to face with a single foe and she'll gamble on overheating a gun or a neural limiter doing its job.
Once again, a strong reaction to a name, although personal dislike isn't enough for her to actually mock Krazko's moniker.
Theorising
As noted previously, this episode isn't really about the Doctor, but we do get to see some more of her character. She's a little reckless, even slightly aggressive, and willing to provoke an enemy as much as any of her past incarnations ever were. Some might argue this, given her unwillingness to tackle the race question head on, like the Twelfth Doctor punching whatsisface in the episode with the frost fair, but note the situation: She has three companions to protect, so of course she'll try to defuse a situation, but put her face to face with a single foe and she'll gamble on overheating a gun or a neural limiter doing its job.
Once again, a strong reaction to a name, although personal dislike isn't enough for her to actually mock Krazko's moniker.
Stormcage and vortex manipulators; are we going to see the Time Agency make an appearance? I'm hoping not to see River Song, because she was kind of done to death (literally,) but with no Daleks or Cybermen on the cards, a little bit of continuity might not go amiss.
No Timeless Child this time.
No Timeless Child this time.
Best Bits
Rosa Parks' stand - or not stand - was epic, set off to perfection by Graham's look of horror as he realises that, in order to keep the bus full enough for history to proceed, he has to stay on the bus and be one of the white people she is asked to move for.
Top Quotes
- Graham: You haven’t got Elvis’ phone number?
The Doctor: Don’t let anyone know I lent him a mobile phone. - James Blake: Stand up now.
Rosa Parks: I don’t’ think I should have to.
'Rosa' is possibly the finest pseudohistorical of the nuWho era, and probably the nearest the series has come to a pure historical since Black Orchid. As noted, it makes for uncomfortable watching, but good Doctor Who has often had something of that about it. It has never been cosy, and it is only right that real history be even more chilling than scifi analogy.
Rating - 10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment