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Doctor Who review: Rosa – the first masterpiece of Jodie Whittaker’s era?

By James Aggas

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Rosa was an episode that dealt with controversial issues in a big way. But just how strong was the episode?

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

Rosa was a huge episode that left us all with a lot of food for thought. What do our writers think of this very different Doctor Who story? Let’s find out.

Well, that was certainly quite the episode. Rosa was an episode that dealt with some very heavy themes, and a historical episode set during a time that many people watching could still remember.

A lot of key elements were in place to really make this episode work. Firstly, it needed really strong writers. We got that with Malorie Blackman, a popular writer of both books and television who’s written about similar themes in other works. The episode also had Chris Chibnall on co-writing duties, who can usually be relied on for strong characterization, especially in an Earth setting.

Of course, after having a decent script written by the right writers, it also needed a strong cast. Particularly with Rosa Parks herself.

Fortunately, Vinette Robinson more than rose to the challenge. She gives a very strong performance as Rosa, capturing both the strength and the vulnerability of a woman living in a very difficult time.

Aside from all of this, this was also an episode that used the companions very well. Not just Ryan and Yasmin, who of course were going to be more directly affected by the time and place that they had arrived in. But even Graham was used well, especially towards the end.

And of course, Jodie Whittaker continues to give a strong performance as the Doctor. Whether she was making quips, facing the villain of the piece, or even working out exactly what their role was in history, her Doctor was great to watch in this episode.

So, with all of these key elements in place, did we all enjoy it? What were our thoughts on how well it handled the subject matter? And were there any flaws that stood out? Read more from our writers to find out.

The Doctor and her friends were all affected by the time they were in. How did their reactions and feelings to the era contribute to the episode?

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

Raphael Kiyani – Contributor

Rosa takes Doctor Who back to its 1960’s roots with a historical episode less reliant on science-fiction – instead opting for a more grounded, educational affair. Does this take on Doctor Who work in 2018? That’s a resounding yes.

When the news first came out that Doctor Who would be tackling a story set during the midst of the Civil Rights movement – eyebrows were collectively raised with interest and trepidation. A bold creative move, no doubt.

But fears were struck in terms of how a story with heavy themes like racial segregation will be handled. Something as evocative and as recent as segregation in the United States needed to be treated with sensitivity and tact. Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall achieved this with deft and created a script with balance and poignancy.

Most important to this balance was the choice to make Rosa Parks the central hero of this story. Her plight, courage and conviction to stand up against gross injustice are the heart of this episode. Our TARDIS team were no doubt heroic in their bid to guard time against unwanted change and intrusion – but they did not actively influence Rosa Parks and rob her of any agency.

This was a significant writing decision. Rosa Parks played by Vinette Robinson was a treasure and brought both stoicism and fierce determination to the role, which was a dichotomy that worked greatly. A truly uplifting yet heartbreaking figure.

Strong character moments

1950’s Alabama was depicted well. Rosa did not shy away from portraying and exposing the brutal ugliness of racial segregation. This created an atmosphere of bubbling tension, making you fear for the safety of the characters, in particular Rosa Parks and Ryan. The raw realism of the setting gave the story maturity in a way I did not expect.

Our TARDIS team have never felt better here. We really get a sense of synergy and camaraderie between them. All three companions have time to shine and feel more fully formed. Bradley Walsh’s performance being one of the main highlights with excellent comedic timing and emotional beats that broke my heart.

During Rosa we have a variety of good character moments. The scene where Ryan and Yasmin are talking about their contemporary experiences with bigotry was one such moment. Yasmin explaining how people accost her as a “Paki” or a “terrorist” was a small, but hauntingly relevant exposure of the fact that ethnic/racial prejudice still exists in some forms today. As someone with Indo-Pakistani heritage that hit me hard.

A weak villain

The chink in Rosa’s armour is the villain, Krasko. The right decision was made to make a Civil Rights story a non-alien endeavour, but Krasko didn’t have great screen presence or have much in the way of any depth. He was simply ‘time-travelling white supremacist guy’.

I understand the approach but it was handled in a way that was basic. Though the concept of him not being able to kill or maim lead to an interesting idea of him trying to nudge time like a proverbial stone creating water ripples.

In conclusion, Rosa is a landmark episode in Doctor Who history. A balanced, relevant and emotional venture that deals with heavy, uncomfortable themes smartly. Stellar performances from our respective TARDIS team members and Vinette Robinson which entertain and upset in equal measure. Despite a basic villain, the story as a whole elicits anger and fear. Arguably a masterpiece.

The third episode this series focuses on the importance of Rosa Parks. Was this difficult subject matter handled right in Doctor Who?

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

Luke Molloy – Contributor

It’s about time. Three weeks in and Whittaker’s era of Doctor Who has its first doozy. Rosa was a confident 50-minutes of class storytelling.

On the surface, Rosa looked like an episode certain to generate controversy one way or another.  Dealing with racism at 7pm on a Sunday night, how was Who to approach the subject? Answer: by the horns.

Ryan was hit, forced to sit at the back of the bus and threatened near-consistently whilst the Doctor and friends visited 1955 Alabama. Ryan and Yaz also mentioned the problems they still face in the modern day, with very very real language. It was great to see Doctor Who tackle this problem and in such a well handled, balanced way. Never in your face or to teach the audience but seemingly natural from the story.

Comedy and tragedy

The dialogue, whilst sounding real, was also hilarious. This was the funniest episode of Doctor Who in a long time. The Doctor’s “Banksy” back-and-forth’s with Graham, Graham’s hilarious harassment of James Blake, Graham and Ryan’s failed fist pump…OK Graham was very funny here.

However, he also prompted the most tragic moment—when the Doctor and friends realised they were part of events. They had to preserve history and Rosa had to suffer the consequences of refusing her seat for a white man—and that man was Graham.

Bradley Walsh was stunning here, visibly breaking inside whilst not moving a muscle. He is one of the high points of this new era. All the TARDIS team were served well here and, although originally doubting them, I’m starting to really enjoy seeing this gang go on adventures together.

And then the music kicked in (Vincent and the Doctor-esque). We see the turmoil of everyone—the Doctor, Ryan, Rosa…This tiny act on a bus the first of a very long struggle, one that lasts (at least) to the 71st Century.

The villain—Krasko—was well thought out and beautifully suited the theme of the episode. Like his views, he turned up in a modernly-outdated Grease outfit and was pathetic when challenged.

The best touch, with a minute left of the episode, was to not talk about him. He’s that insignificant, so un-needed, that we didn’t need to know anymore about him—he was racist. That’s it. We instead spend the last-minute celebrating Rosa Parks, a delightful end to this grimly-real tale.

This week’s installment proved that Who doesn’t need big alien threats to hold suspense. The plot was simple (“get Rosa on the bus!”), yet incredibly tense and reminded me of the brilliant early Hartnell historicals. Due to the real script, the issues raised and the TARDIS team hitting their stride, Rosa is one of my favourite episodes of recent times.

And if you are longing for the Doctor to battle gruesome baddies once more, the spiders in Sheffield are starting to stir… (I’m excited!)

5/5

Krasko trying to change history was the main threat in Rosa. Was he an effective villain?

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

James Aggas – Site Expert

I’m not going to lie: I was really worried about Rosa. While I appreciated that the production team were handling such difficult subject matter, there were so many ways it could’ve gone wrong.

It could have tried to restrain the racism too much, and thus take away from the core of Rosa’s story. It could have focused too much on the classic Doctor Who alien invasion type of plot, which in this case, would’ve felt badly judged against a story as serious as Rosa Parks’s. It could even have suffered from terrible accents letting down a good story, particularly with a British actress playing Rosa.

But the biggest way the episode could have failed? By having the Doctor give Rosa a speech. It would have been so easy for the writers to ensure history happens by having the Doctor tell Rosa directly just how important she would become. Of how important her simple decision would affect America, and even the world.

We usually see the Doctor tell a famous historical celebrity how brilliant they are. Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Vincent van Gogh. The last one of course was especially brilliant, and gave us one of the New Series’s most beautiful and memorable scenes.

But if this had happened with Rosa’s story, it would’ve been badly misjudged. It would’ve taken away from what made Rosa’s choice so important – that it was completely her own decision, her own choice to make, with no help from anyone else. Even if Yas or Ryan had told her, that still would have been the wrong way to tell her story.

A well-judged moment

So it was a huge relief when the episode made it clear that, while the TARDIS crew did speak to Rosa, they would also keep their distance. They knew how important the day was, but more than that, they knew how important Rosa’s decision was.

More from Winter is Coming

So when the moment finally came and Rosa chose to remain sitting down, it was handled perfectly. Yes, there was drama from the Doctor and her friends being there, but only because they knew they couldn’t help her. Even worse: Graham was the passenger that Rosa was told to stand up for.

Graham’s reaction to this was perfect. He knew history had to happen, but he didn’t want to be such a huge part of it. It was a fantastic moment, and Bradley Walsh’s performance was heartbreaking to watch.

The story was aided even more by the fact that the sci-fi threat of the episode was very low-key. It wasn’t an alien invasion that the crew were trying to stop. In an interesting twist on the usual “stop history from changing” formula, Krasko wasn’t trying to kill Rosa, only prevent her from making that choice in that specific moment. It’s a great fresh take on the formula, and shows how the smallest things can lead to the most important actions.

One small flaw

If there was one problem that I had with Krasko, it was that he was almost too light of a villain. Once again, like in The Woman Who Fell to Earth, the villain of the piece was pretty forgettable. We didn’t even get a real villain in The Ghost Monument.

In this case, however, it doesn’t detract too much from Rosa. Particularly as it’s the closest we’ve had to a pure historical episode in a very long time.

Rosa could have been an episode that took an important story and used it terribly. Instead, we had a well-written, beautifully shot episode that explored some serious subject matter. It never shied away from the ugly side of history, but at the same time, it still managed to tell an entertaining Doctor Who story. Not just my favorite episode this series, but perhaps one of the best we’ve had in a long time.

Next. The Brigadier and Liz Shaw have been recast in the Third Doctor Adventures!. dark

What were your thoughts on Rosa? Did you enjoy the episode as much as we did? Let us know in the comments below.

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