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Doctor Who: Rosa – the five biggest takeaways from the episode

By James Aggas

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Rosa was an episode that dealt with controversial issues in a big way. Today, we look at 5 key things that we took from it.

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

Rosa was an episode that stood out in a big way, and whether it was with its portrayal of history, or how the companions were handled, there was certainly a lot to take away from it. Here are five of the biggest takeaways from last week’s episode.

Rosa was quite the episode for Doctor Who. It focused on some very serious themes and surprisingly recent history. It dealt with those themes in a very mature way. But it also made sure to tell a good Doctor Who episode, and ensured that it entertained as much as it made you feel uncomfortable.

This was also an episode that was keen to explore the companions in a very different way. Ryan and Yas got to learn more about the dangers and risks of travelling into Earth’s history, especially as minorities.

Of course, they had a different experience compared to Graham, but even he was deeply affected by the time and the place that they were in. Especially towards the end of the episode. Realizing that he was part of such a crucial moment in history was heartbreaking to watch.

Overall, Rosa was an episode that was low on the usual sci-fi threat that a lot of Doctor Who fans are used to, but balanced it out with a fair look at history. As a result, the episode gave us a lot to takeaway from it. Particularly with its genre, its focus on the companions, and how it could potentially contribute to later episodes. Here are the five key things that we took from it, starting with…

Rosa was keen to explore history in a big way, and wasn’t afraid of showing the difficult side of it.

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

The series doesn’t shy away from history

I’m a big fan of the historical stories in Doctor Who, especially when they’re handled well and their era is a key focus in the episode. If the story makes the history come alive by really exploring it, and not shying away from the worst parts of it, that’s when a historical episode stands out.

For example, First Doctor story The Aztecs made sure to focus on a great deal of their culture, both the beautiful and the horrific. It also used the companion of Barbara well in the story, as she tries hard to avert the downfall of an entire civilization.

This didn’t just happen with the pure historicals, either. The pseudo-historical The Time Meddler, while a very enjoyable and fun story that introduces the Meddling Monk, it also included moments that made you feel like you were living in the time period. (Admittedly, the fact that the Vikings had horned helmets in the story was more than a little inaccurate, to say the least.)

What made Rosa so great was how much the history was focused on throughout. Yes, this was the era of vintage cars and Elvis Presley. But it was also a very difficult time and place to live in if you weren’t white.

This episode didn’t shy away from that in the slightest. Right from the start, we see Rosa essentially forced off the bus twelve years before. We’re given a clear image of the time period, and it is not pretty.

Even worse, it’s an attitude that not even the companions can hide away from…

Ryan and Yasmin’s ethnicity was explored in a natural and crucial way in Rosa.

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

Ryan and Yas’s ethnicity was explored naturally

Dealing with diversity in something like Doctor Who is a tricky thing to do. On the one hand, you do want to show everyone being equal, of showing situations where it doesn’t matter what race or gender you are.

But on the other hand, if you’re having a show that deals with time travel, then you also should be honest about the history, when possible. It’s not something that should be shied away from. After all: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” It’s a simple lesson, but also a true one.

So it was fantastic to see both Ryan and Yas so clearly affected by their experience in 1955 Alabama. They each see the experience differently, and each take different lessons from it. Ryan initially becomes more cynical about how some things don’t change, but Yas knows that, while racism isn’t gone completely in their time, things are better. And they’ll continue to get better, too.

It’s bold focusing on the companions’s ethnicity so openly, but it’s definitely appreciated. It’s also well-handled. Sometimes, portrayals of diversity can come across as clumsy or forced. (While I did like Bill as a companion, there were a few moments when her sexuality was mentioned more for the sake of it than from natural development, especially in Twice Upon a Time.)

But in this case, it felt right. There was a strong balance there, and while Ryan and Yas’s ethnicity was openly acknowledged, it’s also clear that it won’t be the focus of every episode, either.

However, there is one thing shared between the two that could be focused on more…

Yas and Ryan seem to be growing closer with every episode. Could there be something more to their friendship…?

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

Hints of something more between Ryan and Yas?

This wasn’t something that I was going to comment on, at least not in previous episodes. But there does seem to be hints of something possibly more than friendship between Ryan and Yas, and there were one or two hints in this episode that made that especially clear.

Since they were brought together in The Woman Who Fell to Earth, there’s been a strong bond that has been steadily growing between these two companions. It helps that there’s a connection between the two already there, as they knew each other from school. Maybe not incredibly well, but they knew each other, at least.

She’s also been very understanding when it comes to Ryan and his dyspraxia. While she doesn’t patronize him, she usually checks to see if he’s OK, particularly when climbing ladders, and even making sure to wait for him.

Now, those hints alone aren’t enough to suggest a possible future relationship between the two. While I don’t mind romance on the TARDIS, particularly between the companions, these could still be signs of the two just being good friends.

However, when Yas mentioned an ex back in high school, someone Ryan knew, he wasn’t exactly impressed:

"He was punching well above his weight."

Which then lead to Yasmin asking him:

"Do you just accidentally pay me a compliment?"

The awkward moment between the two was brief but definitely adorable. And if Ryan making the compliment and his reaction to Yas’s question weren’t strong hints, then Yas clearly liking the compliment and the look on her face definitely were.

I get the strong feeling that this will be very gradual and will develop bit by bit with each episode. So we’ll only be seeing occasional hints for a while. But I definitely think that there’s something between Ryan and Yas. Considering how fantastic they are together, I certainly have no problems with this idea.

Krasko was a relatively minor villain by Doctor Who standards. But is it possible that he could return one day?

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

Krasko’s uncertain fate

When Krasko told Ryan his motivation for wanting to prevent such a pivotal moment in human history, which purely came down to racism, it’s unsurprising that it made Ryan angry. Angry enough to deal with Krasko by using the villain’s own device against him and sending him back in time. Way, way back.

It was enough to deal with the problem of Krasko for the time being. Particularly as the Doctor destroyed his vortex manipulator. So wherever he was, he didn’t exactly have an easy way out. And thus, history was set back on course with Krasko no longer there to interfere.

But is he gone for good?

Ryan didn’t kill Krasko, at least, not directly. Perhaps he sent him back to a time and place where the environment was too dangerous to survive for long. Or maybe he’ll be forced to make a new life on Earth.

It’s interesting that his story has been left so open-ended like this. And it was a bold decision of Ryan to do what he did, but more than understandable. In some ways, it even fits with how the Doctor often resolves a situation – deal with the villain in a non-lethal way, if possible.

But if Krasko is still alive, then he’ll want revenge. He might not be able to do that anytime soon, but other Doctor Who villains have had much worse (such as death) and still come back. It’s very, very possible that we haven’t seen the last of him just yet.

Out of all the episodes in the New Series, Rosa has come the closest to a pure historical yet.

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

The purist historical episode we’ve had in the New Series

This was something that really leapt out the most about Rosa. Out of all of the episodes in the New Series that have taken place in the past, Rosa has come the closest to feeling like a pure historical episode by far.

For one thing, the era and the setting are a major part of the episode. Sometimes, a historical period is used as little more than window dressing in a story, particularly in the New Series. Either it’s used more for a particular style, or it’s to meet a famous historical celebrity.

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Rosa does of course fit that bill, to some extent. But unlike many previous historical episodes, the focus doesn’t shift to an alien or otherworldly threat. Instead, the threat is kept small with Krasko, which allows the focus to remain on both Rosa Parks herself, and on the era she lives in.

Even for something as recent as the middle of the twentieth century, it’s still refreshing to have an episode focus far more on an era or a particular place and time than on aliens and sci-fi.

Once upon a time in Doctor Who, pure historical episodes often told stories this way. They usually went much further back in time, but they still focused more on the eras and the people living there than on any alien threats. And these were always stories that Doctor Who told well, so it’s a shame that they were eventually phased out in Patrick Troughton’s era.

We might not get a true pure historical ever again in Doctor Who. But Rosa was certainly very close to being one at times, and it helped to make the episode even more memorable. I hope we’re able to get more stories like this told in future.

dark. Next. What horrors can we expect from Arachnids in the UK?

What did you take away from Rosa? What leapt out to you the most about the episode? Let us know in the comments below.

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