The Parting of the Ways (thing)

Doctor Who - The New Series

1.13: "THE PARTING OF THE WAYS" (2/2)

Written by: Russel T. Davies

Directed by: Joe Ahearne

Running time: 45' 30"

Location: The Game Station, Orbiting Earth/The ships of an invading alien fleet, surrounding Earth/London, England

Date: 200,100 AD/November 2006 AD

Plot Synopsis: The Doctor, Jack and a motley band of television producers are the only ones who know of the half-million alien invaders floating above the Earth. But the stakes are higher than they've ever been, and the solution may be worse than the problem.

Trivia: (1) The ending is an extremely literal interpretation of the concept of deus ex machina.

(2) This episode features the new series' first regeneration, the process by which the Doctor "dies" and is reborn with a different appearance and personality. It also features David Tennant's first appearance as the tenth Doctor. Tennant is a lifelong Doctor Who fan.

(3) The credits promise that "Doctor Who will return in 'The Christmas Invasion'". They also say: "Introducing David Tennant as the Doctor".

(4) David Tennant's previous starring role was in the BBC's Casanova, also written by Russel T Davies. He also appeared in the movie Jude alongside Christopher Eccleston. His Who-related credits include narrating the Doctor Who: A New Dimension documentary, playing the caretaker in the Flash-animated BBC web adventure Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka and appearing in several Who-based audio plays from Big Finish.

(5) According to this story, the Daleks call the Doctor "The Oncoming Storm". This title was given to him by the Draconians (a non-Dalek species) in the novel Love and War. In a novelisation of Remembrance of the Daleks, the Daleks call the Doctor "The Destroyer of Worlds"; this name was used in other novelisations and spin-off novels.

(6) Davros, creator of the Daleks, used human bodies to make more Dalek warriors in Revelation of the Daleks, a sixth Doctor story. The idea of Daleks being warped by human DNA was used in the second Doctor story The Evil of the Daleks as well as in the new series episode Dalek.

Spoiler Synopsis: Trapped aboard the Dalek ship, Rose is interrogated by the Daleks but she refuses to tell them what the Doctor will do next. The TARDIS flies through space toward the Dalek warship, which launches missiles to defend itself. Luckily, Jack has rigged up Margaret Blaine's surfboard from 1.11, Boom Town, creating a forcefield that protects the crew. The ship materialises over Rose and a Dalek, trapping both of them inside the TARDIS. Reacting quickly, Jack uses his gun from the Game Station to kill the Dalek, but it uses up the gun's entire energy source.

They exit the TARDIS, still protected by its force field. The Doctor asks how the Daleks survived and a booming voice says "through me!" The crew turn to see the Emperor Dalek, a Dalek mutant floating in a clear tank. The Emperor Dalek tells the Doctor that after the Time War its ship fell through space and time, coming to rest hundreds of years ago near Earth. The Dalek spent centuries plotting, repairing itself and insinuating itself behind the scenes of society. Once it had established the Game Station, it was able to use the bodies of the games' losers as genetic material for rebuilding the Dalek race. Rose points out that this makes them half-human and the Daleks cry out that this is blasphemy. The Doctor is surprised to hear the Daleks refer to a religious concept and the Emperor Dalek tells him that as the creator of this new race, it is now the god of the Daleks. The Doctor, realising that they have been driven mad with the hatred of their own human DNA, darts back into the TARDIS and sends it back to the Game Station.

Back at the station, the Doctor tells the producers to block out any attempts by the Daleks to teleport aboard. He also finds out from Lynda that aside from the handful of TV executives in the control room, only 100 people are left on the evacuated station, down on Floor 0.

With the Daleks ready to destroy Earth and turn it into a temple for their god, the Doctor has to think fast. He plans to use the station's transmitter to create a Delta Wave that will completely fry up any organic tissue in its way - but it would ordinarily take three days to build, and the Doctor has just 22 minutes. Meanwhile, Jack sets up the surfboard to the station's defences so that it has the same force field power that the TARDIS had. However, it cannot stop them from boarding the station on Floor 494 and working their way up. Once this is complete, Jack goes down to Floor 0 to rustle up volunteers. Some agree, but most say that the Daleks no longer exist. Jack and the volunteers heard up to Floor 500, telling the people on Floor 0 to stay quiet, no matter what happens.

On Floor 500 the Doctor begins powering up the Delta Wave, but it doesn't look like it will be charged in time. Rose asks the Doctor why he can't go back in time and start building the Delta Wave earlier. The Doctor starts to explain why he can't cross his own timeline when he suddenly brightens up and says that it's a fantastic idea. He tells Rose to wait for him in the TARDIS. The moment she steps through the doors, however, he uses the sonic screwdriver to remotely send the TARDIS away. Rose runs to the doors, but they are locked. A hologram of the Doctor appears behind her, and tells her that is she can see this, he's in a situation where survival is impossible. To avoid the TARDIS getting into the wrong hands, she will not be able to use it again. He tells her to leave the TARDIS to die and go live her life. She touches down in her mother's council estate in 2006, and after futilely messing with the controls, runs outside crying. Mickey, having heard the TARDIS, runs up to comfort her.

Back on the Game Station, the Doctor's work is interrupted by the Emperor Dalek, who tells him that whilst the Delta Wave may be completed in time, it will not be able to tell the difference between human and Dalek, and will wipe out both species. The Doctor tells him that there are other human colonies in the universe and that they will survive, but the Daleks are so dangerous they must be destroyed utterly. Jack, having overheard this, stands by the Doctor.

Lynda moves up to an observation deck that will allow her to co-ordinate the troops' movements. It is protected by a heavy bulkhead which will hopefully protect her. Through the enormous window, she sees thousands of Daleks streaming out of the spaceships, using the vacuum of space to approach the station. They soon get aboard Floor 494, destroying the automatic defences with ease. The first wave of humans is killed almost instantly, since their bullets cannot penetrate the Dalek's protective forcefield.

Back in London, Jackie and Mickey's attempts to get Rose settled fail when she spots BAD WOLF graffiti all over the tarmac of a children's playground. She somehow realises that the words are a message to her that she can still rescue the Doctor and returns to the TARDIS, hoping to break open the TARDIS' console so that she can speak to the heart of the TARDIS herself. Mickey offers to help by tying a chain from his car to the console and using that to open it. Sadly, the console proves stronger than Mickey's mini and stays resolutely shut. Jackie tries to talk Rose out of it, but Rose tells her that he dad would have wanted her to keep trying. Jackie asks how Rose could know that, and Rose tells her that she went back in time to meet him. Jackie remembers seeing a blonde girl kneeling by Pete's body and rushes off in tears

Back on the Game Station, the Daleks are stopped by a modified Anne-Droid, who manages to blast three of the Daleks before being destroyed herself. Before travelling up to Floor 496, the Daleks travel down to Floor 0, where they round up the civilians and murder them. They then travel up to Floor 496, where Jack and the remaining survivors have set up a barricade. By concentrating fire on the eyepieces they manage to destroy one Dalek, but the rest slaughter everyone but Jack, who decides to make his last stand on Floor 500. Meanwhile, a group of Daleks float up outside Lynda's control room and shatter the glass, sucking her out into space. Jack, trapped in a corner, sprays bullets wildly but soon runs out. The Daleks kill him without a thought.

Meanwhile, the Dalek armies descend on Earth, obliterating millions within seconds.

Back in the 21st century, Jackie turns up in a massive recovery vehicle, borrowed from her latest boyfriend. Jackie tells her daughter that Peter would have been in favour of doing something so stupid, and attaches the truck's heavy chain to the console. It pulls open, and a brilliant golden light shines out into Rose's eyes. The girl stares into the TARDIS' heart, transfixed, as the ship's doors close and it dematerialises.

In the Game Station's control room the Daleks break in and confront the Doctor, who is ready to launch the Delta Wave. The Emperor Dalek mocks him, saying that if he goes ahead he will become a bigger murderer than the Daleks ever were. It tells him to choose between being a killer and being a coward. The Doctor loses his nerve and lets go of the Wave launcher, saying he would much rather be a coward.

As the Daleks take aim, the TARDIS appears in the room and Rose steps out, surrounded by a golden aura. The Doctor realises that she looked into the Time Vortex, a phenomena which should never be seen by mortal eyes. With the power of the Vortex channeled through her, Rose is able to stop a Dalek blast with just a wave of her hand. She then takes the words from the Bad Wolf Corporation logo and scatters them backwards through time as a message to herself. With another motion, she gives Jack his life back. Finally, she reduces the Dalek fleet and every single Dalek in existence to glittering ashes.

But the energy is still channeling itself through her. Knowing that the human body cannot withstand the force of the Vortex, the Doctor tries to convince Rose to give up the power, but she says she cannot. The Doctor leans in to kiss her, and in doing so transfers the energy into his body before returning it to the TARDIS. The Doctor takes the now collapsed Rose in his arms and carries her into the TARDIS. Unaware that Jack is still alive, the Doctor dematerialises the TARDIS; Jack arrives in the control room just in time to see it disappear.

As Rose wakes, the Doctor tells her that he was hoping to take her to see many more places in the universe, like Barcelona (the planet, not this one). He adds that he still might, but he won't take her there in this form. He explains that the energy from the Vortex is killing him. But he says that his body will come back to life - regenerate - in a different form. He tells her that she was fantastic, and so was he.

The Doctor convulses as the Vortex's glow consumes his body, but beneath the aura his face begins to shift and alter; his hair grows and becomes floppier, his ears shrink and his teeth straighten. Rose stares as the new Doctor feels the strange shape of his own mouth. He notices her presence again and grins.

"Now, where was I? Oh, that's right! Barcelona!"

Monsters and villains: ***MOVED to avoid spoilers*** The Daleks (mutants genetically engineered to feel nothing but hate for all non-Dalek life forms).

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Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/ - The Internet Movie Database http://www.gallifreyone.com - Outpost Gallifrey http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/9doc.html - A Brief History of (Time) Travel