Doctor Who explores racism and major history in Rosa

The latest episode Rosa focused on some very difficult issues. Did the episode handle them well?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Tonight’s episode of Doctor Who had the TARDIS crew arrive in Alabama in 1955, where they face racism and encounter a legendary figure: Rosa Parks.

Rosa began a little differently compared to most other Doctor Who episodes. Beginning in 1943, we see Rosa Parks get on a bus. However, the bus driver, James Blake, is keen to tell her that she’s used the wrong entrance, and needs to use the back entrance instead. While initially resistant, with her coming close to sitting down in a “whites only” seat during a particularly tense moment, she reluctantly gets off. Of course, Blake immediately drives off without her.

It’s not often that we have a scene like this in Doctor Who. Usually, either an episode begins with a scene establishing a mystery to solve or a horror to face, or the TARDIS crew having fun on the ship. Of course, Rosa was never going to be an ordinary episode.

Unsurprisingly, the next scene does focus on the Doctor and her crew, as they’re trying hard to get home. But once again, after numerous attempts, the TARDIS has landed in the wrong place: Montgomery, Alabama, 1955. Graham’s reaction to this is absolutely priceless:

"Can we see Elvis?"

A tense moment

However, it’s not long before the Doctor realizes that something is wrong, and the TARDIS has brought them there for a reason. Detecting unusual traces of artron energy, the TARDIS crew step outside to investigate.

As they’re walking around, Ryan notices that a white woman has dropped her glove. In trying to return it, however, we get the first major shock from the episode: Ryan is physically assaulted by the woman’s husband. It’s a clear moment that very quickly establishes that this episode isn’t going to shy away from the ugly side of history, not even for the companions’ sake.

Thankfully, Rosa Parks comes along to resolve the rather tense situation. After a moment of the TARDIS crew being incredibly excited to meet her, the Doctor soon realizes that whatever’s happening, it’s centered around Rosa Parks.

The TARDIS crew face some difficulty while trying to make sure that history stays on course in Rosa.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

History lesson

At a diner, the TARDIS crew try to work out what’s going on. Ryan is a little more unaware than everyone else of who Rosa Parks is, giving us this gem of a line:

"First black woman to ever drive a bus."

The reactions from everyone, especially Graham, were priceless. Naturally, they explain to him (and of course, to the audience,) that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person when she was requested to by the bus driver. She was arrested for her choice, but it lead to a gradual but massive improvement in terms of civil rights in America.

Of course, it’s not long before the group get into even more trouble, as once again, both Ryan and Yas were singled out. (Yas is not only offended but also annoyed at being mistaken for Mexican. Something Ryan has a lot of fun with for the rest of the episode.)

It’s not long before the gang bump into the villain of the piece: Krasko. They’re not sure what his motives are, but he’s not out to simply kill Rosa. But his plans do center around her in some shape or form. For the first time in this episode, we get a confrontation between the Doctor and Krasko, and it’s a pretty good one. A battle of words more than violence, which suits the Doctor just fine.

Racism, old and new

At a hotel (where of course Ryan and Yas had to sneak in), the group try to work out what Krasko is up to. However, they’re interrupted when a police officer comes round, partially to check if they’re hiding minorities in a “whites only” hotel, but mainly to show that he’s in charge.

As Yas and Ryan hide outside of the hotel, they have a conversation regarding their own experiences of racism. They both know that it’s not wiped out completely in their own time. On the other hand, there’s acknowledgement that things do change, and they’ll continue to change for the better. Out of these two, it’s clear that Yas is the more optimistic. It’s a bold moment to include, but it also acknowledges the characters’s ethnicity while avoiding to make it their defining characteristic.

This episode also gives us a nice mention of Grace. Which isn’t surprising, all things considered, but it’s definitely welcome. Graham wishes she were there with them, but Ryan believes that she’d be making more trouble than any of them. Even though she only appeared in one episode, it’s definitely hard to disagree with that.

Ryan meets another of his heroes, Martin Luther King.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Krasko’s plan

We get another showdown between the Doctor and Krasko. We learn a little more of what he’s planning. As a criminal from Stormcage (yes, the same prison that River Song was in for killing the Doctor), he had been implanted with a restrictor that stops him from killing anyone. But he’s not planning to kill her. Just change history enough so that she never takes that seat on the bus when she needs to.

What happens over the rest of the episode is a battle of wits between the TARDIS crew and Krasko. For every plan Krasko makes to change history, the TARDIS crew find a way to change it back again, and vice versa.

For example, when James Blake’s schedule is changed so that he’s not driving the bus, the TARDIS crew make the new driver a lucky winner of a raffle so Blake has to take his place. When the bus originally planned to take the route gets destroyed, Graham and the Doctor steal one to replace it instead.

Krasko’s motivation is pretty simple. Perhaps too simple. He’s essentially just a racist from the future who wants things to be how they once were. However, Ryan isn’t having that, and instead sends him back in time using Krasko’s own device.

A difficult choice

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When the moment comes, everything is exactly how it should be: the bus is taking the correct route, it’s full, and white people need a seat. However, while Graham sees that their work is done, and is all too happy to get off the bus, the Doctor quickly realizes that they have to stay on the bus. Otherwise, there will be empty seats that the new people on the bus could take, and Rosa wouldn’t need to make her choice.

It’s a huge moment, and one that’s handled very well. Even though he knows it’s history, Graham is not remotely comfortable with taking any part in it. Of course, he and everyone else realize that they’ve got no choice, and so they – and we – watch the exact moment when Rosa refuses to give up her seat.

The ending features the Doctor explaining what happened next for Rosa, and acknowledging how important her life and her actions were. It’s a very fitting end to an episode that dealt with some very difficult subject matter and handled it just right.

Overall, despite my initial worries, Rosa was a very strong and effective episode of Doctor Who, one that many fans will remember for a long time to come.

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Did you enjoy tonight’s episode of Doctor Who? How well do you think Rosa handled the difficult issues it dealt with? Let us know in the comments below.

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