Series 11 “Rosa” Review – Doing “Wrong,” for All the “Right” Reasons
Clint Hassell gives his spoiler-filled commentary on the third episode of Doctor Who Series 11.
Note: this review contains full SPOILERS for episode 3 of Series 11.
In writing “Rosa,” scriptwriters Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall have to accomplish two herculean tasks: educate a global audience, perhaps unfamiliar with the social context of the American civil rights movement, regarding the biographical facts of one of its most famous players; and make interesting a story in which remaining seated – – the definition of inaction, and the seeming antithesis of a Doctor Who adventure – – is key to the third act. How does one build suspense in a story for which educated viewers already know the ending? Luckily, Blackman and Chibnall eschew Who’s standard method of creating dramatic tension, i.e., tying Rosa Parks’ act of defiance to an alien menace, which would disregard the courageous action of a real-life heroine. Rather, “Rosa” focuses less on plot – – the Doctor ensures that Rosa Parks is arrested, thus starting the Montgomery bus boycott – – and more on character work, which is both the episode’s greatest strength, and it’s one shortcoming.
“Rosa” is unique in that it pits the Doctor against racism, a societal norm so great that it can’t be changed by a bellowing speech or timey-wimey adventure. Facing this cultural stigma, the pacifist Doctor chooses to not engage, repeatedly placing her in an unusual situation where she must do the “wrong” thing for the “right” reasons. Not confronting the racism of a waitress refusing to serve Ryan and Yaz may be hurtful to her companions, but protects them from further hostility. The episode begs the audience to question what is the Doctor’s correct course of action, and Jodie Whittaker’s expressive face connotes her inner dilemma. Note how cleverly the Doctor responds to the Montgomery police officer looking for “a couple of mongrels: [a] Negro boy [and a] Mexican girl” as she truthfully states, “I don’t recognize anyone by that description,” and then, “We’re not harboring anyone who doesn’t have a right to be here.”
Even more interesting are the character arcs for the Doctor’s companions, who survived their adventure on Desolation only to be rewarded with the worst-ever first trip aboard the TARDIS. The scene where Yasmin and Ryan hide behind a Dumpster is a standout, because it ditches the theatrics of the episode’s depiction of racism to quietly examine how the prejudice of the past compares to what the two experience in their relative present. Ryan struggles to contain his temper, knowing that, despite being “a day away from a tipping point in Earth’s history,” Rosa Parks doesn’t eradicate racism – – that it is still present in the future. Yaz is more hopeful, realizing that, in the annals of history, “those people don’t win.” She is afforded more rights because of trailblazers like Parks, and notes that, in only 53 years, a black man will be President. “Who knows where they’ll be 53 years after that? That’s proper change.” Here, Doctor Who’s unique, time travel premise allows it to reflect on humanity’s past in order to make a statement about the present human condition. “Rosa” is science fiction at its finest.
While it is Ryan who is ostensibly closest to the issue at hand, the episode does little more with him – – he mainly fills the stock companion role, the life-changing evening he has with Martin Luther King, Jr. occurring largely off-screen. Yasmin is much better served, as her struggles are less about reminding the audience that racism is bad, and more about her character arc of self-discovery. Mistaken for “Mexican” and refused service at the diner, yet not pushed to the segregated part of the bus, Yasmin is forced to reconsider who she is in the context of “white” or “colored.” It’s a conundrum of ethics for her character – – enjoying a bus ride, while Ryan sits behind her, yet similarly being called a “mongrel” by police – – and the episode doesn’t shy away from her questioning her identity. Later in the episode, Yasmin interviews Rosa Parks, a role model since childhood, who identifies with Yaz’s desires to find fulfillment helping others in her career and to be in charge. This builds on the story arc of Yasmin trying to find her place in the world, as she enters adulthood, first seen in “The Woman Who Fell to Earth.”
It is Graham, however, who is most affected by the events in “Rosa.” Still processing the loss of his wife, Grace – – who looked to Parks as an icon of strength and spirit, and pointedly asked that her bus driver husband never disrespect a passenger of color – – Graham finds that he is the man to which Rosa denied giving her seat. The moment is both heartbreaking and character-defining.
“We were here,” Yaz stammers, realizing they’ve been pivotal to the story the entire time. “We’re part of the story, part of history.”
“No, no, I don’t want to be a part of this!” Graham cries, tears welling in his eyes, a shattered look on his face.
“I’m sorry. We have to not help her,” the Doctor says, bowing her head in shame, unaccustomed to not standing up for the oppressed.
While the character work in “Rosa” serves the regular cast exceptionally, it fails to deliver for any of the guest characters. The episode’s main villain, Krasko, is barely formed, a mere figurehead for the real “monster-of-the-week” – – racism. He’s so meaningless that his backstory is mired in Who Easter eggs, just so the audience can quickly relate and move on to the episode’s important lessons. What was his past crime? Why is he so prejudiced? Does his racism indicate that, even in the enlightened future, humanity is still cruel and intolerant?
Further, the episode presents racism as the only defining feature of the Montgomery bystanders encountered by the Doctor and her companions. While there is nothing “humane” about racism, by not contrasting the prejudice, the episode is limited in the conversations it can have about intolerance – – the guest characters are too one-dimensional to support any sort of developed storyline. Racism is obviously terrible, but racist characters don’t have to be terribly written.
Ironically, in “Rosa,” Parks herself is treated as less of a real person than as a deified icon. Rosa is depicted as flawless – – always composed, even when accosted or persecuted; quick to dismantle an argument with well-timed grace; impeccably polite – – the episode’s score swelling with importance, every time she does something heroic. While Vinette Robinson turns in a star-making performance, she is limited by a script which ignores the fact that Rosa Parks was not the first black person to be arrested for refusing to yield their bus seat to a white passenger. (The first woman, Claudette Colvin, was pregnant and therefore considered unfit for the pressures of being the face of the Montgomery bus boycott.) Focusing on the doubt Parks faced as she struggled with taking such a public position would not only have presented a more-layered depiction of her story, thus bolstering her character, it could have leant the denouement its necessary dramatic tension.
Still, these criticisms of “Rosa” have more to do with style than content. The episode attempts to make real the horrors of racism, both as a facet of the past-century American South, and of the present cultural landscape. Offering brilliant social commentary in a way that Class and The Sarah Jane Adventures aspired to, but which few shows about time travel ever achieve, “Rosa” is an instant-classic, and deserves the praise it will surely reap. Like “Vincent and the Doctor,” “Rosa” is Doctor Who at its best: science fiction as relevant exploration of the human condition.
Random Musings
(Time) Capsule Review
As a “historical” episode of Doctor Who, “Rosa” is saddled with a third act already familiar to many viewers that, ironically, involves the titular character standing up to racism by remaining seated. By focusing solely on the blatant racism of the supporting characters, the episode misses the opportunity to examine Parks’ inner dilemma as she considered her role in the boycott. Despite this, Vinette Robinson delivers a star-making performance. Where the episode really shines is its use of Doctor Who’s time travel premise to compare the racism opposed during the American civil rights movement to what is commonly encountered today. A terrific example of why science fiction is relevant as a genre, “Rosa” is sure to be considered an instant classic.
