When the concept of Doctor Who was first conceived in the 60’s, it was intended to be an educational program that would use time travel as a device to explore scientific ideas in the future, and famous historical moments in the past. Somewhere along the way it started to focus more on the sci-fi parts, but if there was ever a modern episode that got close to the show’s original intention then it would be ‘Rosa’.
The third episode of Jodie Whittaker’s debut series indeed presents itself as much more of a historical fiction than a classic sci-fi. Sure, there are some pretty obvious timey-wimey aspects tied up in the main storyline, but ‘Rosa’ dispenses with campy aliens for a more grounded plot that purposely avoids messing around with Rosa Parks’ own personal history. It is one thing for the Doctor to influence Shakespeare’s writing or Van Gogh’s artworks, but given the controversial and sensitive nature of Rosa’s story, it is a smart move to take a step back and let her character exist independently of the Doctor’s direct influence.
Racial discrimination and segregation were always going to be tricky topics to tackle in a family show, but Chibnall and new writer, Malorie Blackman, don’t shy away from its confronting and downright scary presence in 1950’s Alabama. After spending only a few minutes there, Ryan is physically abused and threatened with a lynching simply for approaching a white woman – and that’s only the beginning of their problems.
It is moments like these where we ask ourselves whether we would step in and potentially escalate the situation, or let things play out and become another passive bystander. In Doctor Who we can ask these moral questions in a safe environment, watching how the Doctor and her companions wrestle with these issues. It is not always as easy as one or the other. In a clever bit of wordplay, the Doctor dances around questions about whether she is hiding any black people by answering “I’m not harbouring anyone who doesn’t have the right to be here”, effectively dealing with the situation without betraying her own moral dignity.
Ryan and Graham remain well served in Chibnall and Blackman’s writing, with plenty of opportunities for both to keep developing as sensitive but imperfect men. They continue to honour the memory of Grace, and her presence is still being felt two episodes after her death as they consider what she might have done if she was with them, and how her admiration of the civil rights movement affected them personally.
We are also starting to pry further into Yasmin’s background, discovering little bits and pieces we didn’t know before – her Islamic beliefs, her enthusiastic ambition, and even a potential love interest in Ryan. Whittaker similarly flexes her dramatic muscles in a much more underplayed version of her Doctor, turning down the manic liveliness to deal with the serious, personal consequences of 1950’s bigotry.
‘Rosa’ is one of those rare occurrences in Doctor Who where pop music has helped elevate a significant moment, with ‘Rise Up’ by Andra Day playing over the climax of Rosa’s arrest. This, along with Akinola’s music that takes a more orchestral approach this week, helps to drive home the emotional beats throughout the episode. Despite this there are some points where the swelling strings seem to reach a little too far for sentiment that is already being carried well enough by the strong writing and performances alone.
Although the story isn’t watertight and leaves some obvious questions out in the open (why didn’t Krasko just use the temporal displacer on Rosa?), the placement of the characters at the centre of the story hold it together as an engaging piece of historical fiction that doesn’t tread too far into historical revisionism. Krasko is an interesting but superficial villain whose role is nothing more than to embody the white supremacist ideals of the past, present, and future, and yet perhaps it is for the best we don’t delve too deeply into his motivations, which would surely be too dark even for Doctor Who.
‘Rosa’ will undoubtedly be considered a classic in years to come, as it demonstrates how science fiction can respectfully interact with historical events without diminishing their significance. Although a little heavy-handed at times, it effectively deals with racism head-on – no metaphors or aliens, just straight up racial discrimination between humans. Our TARDIS team led by Whittaker’s vibrant Doctor continues to entertain and intrigue, and keeps paving the path for a series that has now proven it can tackle both serious and upbeat stories.
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