I believe the last time I actually watched
this episode in full was upon broadcast. That means it’s been nearly 8 years
since I sat down and watched the whole 45 minutes of it. It must be that my 9
year old self was not as appreciative of high quality drama as I am now,
because let me tell, you this is phenomenal. Father’s Day is packed with so
much emotion, it’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch, and everything about it
is perfect. Not only that but it fits the show well as it makes excellent use
of the complex nature of time travel. I just can’t believe I’ve never developed
such a love for it until now, what was wrong with me?
I fear for this episode I can’t really
discuss a variety of topics as it is very straightforward, for me it can be
summarized into two main features, emotion and time travel. So let’s start with
the time travel element. This episode has done the best in the series to truly
flesh out the ideas of time travel, so far we’ve just had going to different
locations; this episode evaluates more the opportunities and implications of
it. If you had access to a time machine of course you’d want to meet a deceased
loved one, or even rectify it. The episode has the best I’ve seen in terms of
paradox plots. The idea that this causes a wound in time that must be rectified
is intriguing. This introduced us to the reapers, who were an interesting
concept, bacteria that take advantage of the paradox and sterilize the wound.
The story could have easily gone down a different path where the Doctor could
have repeatedly bellowed at Rose due to the paradox until Pete realized what
was right. However this would have been too dark for Eccleston and the idea
that Pete made the choice of his own accord made the episode even more
sorrowful.
Now onto the emotion and drama of the
episode. In this episode it’s not just that there are emotional moments, it’s
that nearly every scene with Rose and Pete is bloody heartbreaking. The first
example would be as Rose must first watch her father die; it’s a horrible
thought and an idea that plays out beautifully. Billie Piper’s acting was
phenomenal, you truly sense the toil she is going through watching this. Further scenes with her and her father also
have a gloom about them. For instance her introduction to Jackie is difficult
for her to watch. She imagined them as this perfect couple, yet it becomes
apparent their relationship has noticeable issues. Jackie frequently chastises
Pete for being a failure; it is even implied that Pete cheated on Jackie
previously. This breaks Rose’s heart as her fairytale image of her parents
marriage is broken. Pete’s realization
that he is Rose’s farther is a moving moment but what follows is upsetting. The
script does well to present Rose’s difficulty in conversing with her deceased
father. This is apparent as Pete questions his future self, to which Rose has
no reply. It’s also a moving scene where
Rose describes her make-believe relationship with Pete, the life she always
desired.
One of the cruelest things the episode does
is give Rose and the audience the indication that Pete might make it through,
as the Doctor finds a solution. However this comes to an abrupt stop when Rose
has physical contact with her younger self, providing the paradox that gives
the Reapers the strength to break through the church. Having the Reapers consume the Doctor was a
powerful story choice as it removes any safety net we feel, the Doctor can’t
save the day. Pete comes to the realization that the only way out is his
demise. As I said this is cruel as it had given Rose and the audience hope, but
now the only way out is by Pete’s death. The most heart-wrenching moment is
between Rose, Pete and Jackie as Pete prepares to face death. The part that
strikes out to me is Pete recalling all the things he didn’t do, but Rose knows he would have. Murray Gold’s score does
an amazing job at capturing the drama and emotion of this scene and the episode
as a whole. Probably the only nice thing about this episode is the idea that
Pete was able to die in a kinder way. He met his future daughter, got to see
what she was to become and was so proud of her. In some ways he died a happy
man, by hid Daughter’s side.
Overall I would say this episode does a
fantastic job at capturing the sadness and emotion of death, drama at it’s best.
10/10
Note: From now on I shall be doing a Doctor
moment of the week, weather moving, powerful or just down right funny
The Doctor: [to the baby Rose in 1987] Good girl. Yes, you
are. You're not gonna bring about the end of the world now are you?
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