written by Paul Cornell; produced by Phil Collinson; directed by Joe Ahearne
He introduction is promising with its unusual and engaging flashback structure; even though Murray Gold overeggs the music (I�ve never been a Gold hater, but his emotional scores do grate a bit) Camille Corduri scores points for toning down her usual mania and being treated as a serious character � and I can sit back and bask in the sight of the regular cast actually being likeable characters.
What helps the tone of the episode a great deal is its small scale, as it�s able to bring the danger to an unsettlingly everyday setting and also means that it�s able to highlight the small details that add to the emotiveness of the car crash. However, the thought of the Doctor doing something so monumentally stupid for Rose is difficult to credit, and this central concern to an extent lets down the entire episode slightly.
Once Pete has been saved, the episode begins to get very creepy � the well-directed shots of an unseen presence in the sky, the music changing on the radio and the voice of Alexander Graham Bell on the telephone all ladle on the atmosphere and create a slowly-building sense of foreboding. This is something I always react well to in Doctor Who. The Doctor�s first confrontation with Rose is excellent as Eccleston has real gravitas, and Rose is nicely underplayed and serious. However, the �we�re not a couple� emphasis contrasts starkly with the fan-baiting of the second series.
With the exception of Pete though, the supporting characters are rather thinly defined as Paul Cornell�s writing takes a few shortcuts, like having Stuart�s father fill in the period detail by going on about what people can do �these days�. However, Corduri rescues them to some extent (and I never thought I�d say that) and Rose�s reaction to her argument with Pete is superb.
The playground scene is very dark and creepy, like the later sight of the forgotten bicycle and shoe; the killing of children is almost unheard of in this show, and it works here through the lack of sensationalism and the serious tone. And the fact that everything gets restored in the end, of course.
Shortly afterwards we get our first glimpse of the Reapers, and they�re amazing. In fact, they�re my candidates for the new series�s best original monster, partly because of their wonderful realisation (although I�m not convinced that their scale is consistent in some shots) and also because they are effectively just animals. The personalities given to monsters are one of the most contentious aspects of the new series (an example being the by-the-numbers �noble savage� portrayal of the Sycorax) but here this isn�t a problem. By necessity though they become background villains swooping about, and they work extremely well as an omnipresent threat; the sight of their silhouettes gliding past the church windows are some of my favourite visuals of the new series. The only thing about them is that conceptually they�re such a peculiar idea that I can�t help but feel a bit puzzled by them. So, if you mess with the timeline in the Doctor Who universe, giant dragon things will come and eat you? Er, okay then.
There is some great interplay between Shaun Dingwall and Billie Piper as Pete realises who Rose is; the presence of the Reapers serves to make the exposition rather easy as there�s no need to worry about anyone not believing Rose�s rather far-out story. The well-done character moments continue with the Doctor ordering Rose not to touch the baby; its always affecting to see the supposed identification figures mess things up (see also: Planet Of The Spiders) and the Doctor�s helplessness makes the Reapers all the more impressive monsters. It�s their simplicity that makes them so unstoppable � they have no hidden weakness that can be used as a lever.
The use of the TARDIS key to reconstruct the ship isn�t so impressive since it�s little more than magic and is really nothing more than a plot device for writing out a troublesome Reaper once it�s done its job. Gold�s drum-machine music doesn�t help things (you�d think that after the McCulloch years they�d have learned about drum machines in the show), but Pete is on hand to rescue this slight let up, as his simple �that�s not me� in response to Rose�s story is another key moment in his realisation of his role in events.
The Doctor getting eaten seriously pushes forward the emasculation of the character that is seen in the series in general, but in this case at least it�s dramatically appropriate (not to say inevitable, like the entire resolution � writing in invincible monsters is impressive but Cornell does limit his options with regards to getting rid of them again). That said, the sense of hopelessness that results is striking, like the grey tint on the screen � another brilliant directorial touch from Joe Ahearne.
Pete�s final realisation upon seeing that spooky time-looped car is very well played, and his final goodbye to Rose is effective despite my cynicism � it�s not exactly subtle. The restoration of everyone to life is a necessary evil in many ways, as although its totally justified and required there is a sense that the series can�t really go as far as this episode does in terms of darkness without sweeping everything up at the end. Then again, if that playground full of children had stayed wiped-out I�d probably be complaining about that instead � it only goes to show.
I can appreciate that this episode isn�t for everyone, but to me it epitomises the experimental and risk-taking attitude of the first series. It wasn�t always successful, but it�s fundamentally the way to go and if the new series wants any lasting success I feel it could well to look at this episode�s originality rather than its emotional content. Despite some shakes, Father's Day is a strong episode of the show.
Overall: ****
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