Deadly Furniture

"Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways"

There's a moment when every Doctor steps into the role and makes the title his own. For Ten and Eleven it's pretty early on in their runs, but they have a beloved and experienced show behind them. Nine never really  had that. Everything was filmed before a single episode was shown to the British public. The writers were still trying to figure out what to keep from the classic series and what to throw away. Plus, the Doctor had been through some stuff lately and who really knew who he was anymore?

Elizabeth and I were talking about when Nine's moment was--the moment when Eccleston claimed the role for himself and decided--this is the man the Doctor is. Elizabeth thinks that it was that moment back in "The Doctor Dances" where Nine realizes that today, everyone will live. And it is a great moment, a fantastic moment. The joy on Eccelston's face captures joyous madness in a nutshell. But my moment, my moment when I finally understand Nine, is in "The Parting of the Ways."

The pesky Daleks have once again returned and Nine's journey has come full circle. He's once again in the midst of a war where two entire races are at stake. So naturally the Doctor goes to talk to the Daleks face to face (rescuing Rose along the way) and he realizes that they're all made out of humans--human biologically elements with all the soul removed. But the imperfection of humanity's taint has driven the Daleks insane. And then the Doctor says one of those great Doctor Who lines: " They hate your own existence, and that makes them more deadly than ever."

Sure, this could all be meant to be straightforward. But, if you turn it around and apply it to the Dalek the line takes on an entirely different meaning. The Doctor runs off with his companions and finds safety behind the door of the TARDIS, but then there's this fantastic moment when Eccleston leans his forhead against the door. And that's Nine's moment. That moment when we as an audience realize how much our Doctor hates himself.

But the second part of that sentence still has to play out. And the Doctor realizes that he's going to have to be the Oncoming Storm. So he sends Rose away the only way he knows how--by lying to her. And then he creates a weapon of mass destruction that will exterminate the Daleks but take most of humanity and the last of the Time Lords with them. And as he builds it, person after person dies for him. Jack, the bad guy, the time bandit, goes off to lead a small militia. But before he leaves, he tells the Doctor, "Wish I'd never met you Doctor. I was much better off as a coward."


And then Jack dies, because being a companion with the Doctor comes with a horrible price. And the Doctor has to set off the device. But he can't do it. He's no longer the Oncoming Storm. Traveling throughout time and space with a shop girl has healed him in some way, and he would rather die a man alone, then a monster with others.

But Rose saves him. Or rather the Bad Wolf saves him. After staring into the heart of the TARDIS, Rose comes back with all the power and foresight of the Time Vortex. Powerful enough to send words back throughout time and space as clues to lead her to this moment, Vortex Rose can deflect a Dalek's laser with the flick of a hand. She can destroy the Dalek God with words, and she can bring Jack back from the dead with a single thought. But the power of it is burning Rose up, and so the Doctor kisses her. And with that kiss, he dies for her.


A lot has been written about how Nine needed to regenerate to fully be healed from the Time Wars. And I mostly agree with that. But I also think that Nine and Rose could have continued to travel the galaxy together and been perfectly happy. Nine was never a complete lost cause. Besides, future episodes will prove that Ten and Eleven have just as many problems (if not more) than Nine ever did.

Instead, I choose to see Nine's regeneration as a final gift. He was born out of war and he died out of love. It's a poetic ending, the right ending. Or rather--beginning. Because the next step is Barcelona.


Next Up: "The Christmas Invasion," "New Earth," and "Tooth and Claw"