2nd Opinion: “Rosa”
Connor Johnston & Gustaff Behr give their takes on the third episode of Series 11.
Connor’s View – “Equipped With A Voice and Emanating Power”
A common trope (or more accurately, thought), that usually weaves its way into a character’s first time travelling into the past is the concept of “The Butterfly Effect” – the idea that the smallest change can have mammoth repercussions to established history.
It’s a concept that’s embraced more significantly in “Rosa“ – uniquely not through the concerns of first-time travellers, but as the motivations for an antagonist hell-bent on unravelling the progress and accomplishments of the American Civil Rights movement, and the universal fight for equality it insinuatingly kick-starts. In this way, Krasko’s character isn’t one that requires an explicit backstory to justify his actions – in that he personifies the fragility and inability many people have in recognising or sacrificing the privilege they obtain from the social oppression of others. It’s a strong stance to take politically but isn’t at all unfamiliar to the show’s own ideology.
Doctor Who has always been defined and remembered by the discussions it encourages, be them regarding sexuality, morality, conflict or even environmentalism. It is inherently a political show, though goes further this week in having the injustices in the law and the blindness of those who enforce it act almost as secondary antagonists. Through its unique ability to have characters from the present interact with the behaviours of the past, the script doesn’t allow us to distance ourselves from the issues it tackles. ‘Rosa’ forces us to recognise the relevance this episode holds in 2018 and becomes as much of a conversation about modern-day injustices as it does historical ones.
What ‘Rosa’ achieves in its commentary of modern and historical society may lack subtly, but so too does the oppression it seeks to highlight. This is a conversation that can’t be “too on the nose” – because for all the progress heroes such as Parks have made in the last fifty years, it’s still a conversation that many people still try and avoid. ‘Rosa’ doesn’t allow us to distance ourselves from historic racism, because our society is yet to do so.
Regardless of how politically charged the episode is, it maintains its responsibilities as a Doctor Who historical to educate, engage and entertain. This is achieved mainly through its handling of Parks and her story, captured in a striking performance by Vinette Robinson who channels her composure and strength effortlessly. In having the narrative revolve around details surrounding her protest, we’re presented with one of the most accurate and informative portrayals of a historical figure we’ve ever had. Refreshingly the episode puts real effort into interacting with the personalities and stories of the past, avoiding the common trap of trivialising its setting.
From a wider series perspective, ‘Rosa’ continues in strengthening the dynamic of our ensemble while making a distinct effort in each of our characters individually. For Ryan and Yas, their experiences in 1955 Montgomery are used to open discussions on their own outlooks of life and what effect travelling with the Doctor is already beginning to have. Graham’s loss of Grace remains present in his own personal journey without feeling shoehorned in, while his relationship with Ryan continues to become more and more paternal.
Whittaker’s portrayal of the Doctor continues to grow in strength, and already embodies a certain level of familiarity and confidence in the role. Despite shining in the comedic moments of this week’s script, her strongest moments remain when it comes to confronting and outsmarting a rival. That is until she faces the most difficult situation her Doctor’s been put in thus far, unable to defend Rosa and forced to be a bystander to the very injustices her character has fought against for thousands of years. The entirety of the final confrontation on the bus boasts incredible performances by all our cast and holds nothing back in leaving its audience utterly breathless.
Rosa Parks is a figurehead for equality, justice and strength – and in creating a space to access her story and her struggles more intimately, Doctor Who rings true to its historic track record of fighting for the same values. Forget benchmarks that the show sets for itself – ‘Rosa’ is television at its best: equipped with a voice, serving a purpose and emanating power.
Gustaff’s View – “The Best Episode Yet”
With the episode count cut to ten a season now, it becomes critically important for Doctor Who to prove to fans that it’s quality that matters, not quantity. So far, Series 11 has only managed to appear marginally better than average, but Rosa showcases the best episode to grace our screens since the season began.
We’ll get the negatives out of the way first: Subtlety. Doctor Who needs to relearn what this is and use it. In every episode if possible. If I have to massage my head every five minutes because the episode’s message keeps hitting me like a brick, something’s wrong. While racism was obviously very prominent in the 1950s, that doesn’t mean EVERY single person was at that time. Not to mention that the episode’s narrative doesn’t even try to tell a divisive discussion, instead falling back on the most basic plot line involving racism: those guys bad, everyone else good. Compared to other time travelling shows which have dealt with racism in the past (looking at you Legends of Tomorrow and Timeless), Rosa comes off as unnecessarily preachy at times. Wouldn’t it have been a more compelling story if the villain wasn’t basically just a neo-Nazi from the future with vague motives?
Speaking of the villain, like most of them this season, he’s just there. While he isn’t the focus of the episode, it would’ve been nice to learn a bit more about Krasko other than his ‘I am a racist’ attitude. This is especially bad considering the entire geek world spent the weekend watching an amazing feud between Daredevil and Wilson Fisk. Krasko’s potential for being competent at railroading history using minor incidents is hampered deeply by how easily he is defeated. What if we found out that his family was killed by an ethnic minority? It wouldn’t have made him super compelling as a character, but at least it would colour his motives.
This might just be my favourite outing for Jodie’s Doctor. She has toned down the constant reassurances and replaces it with wit and cunning, feeling more like the Doctor I know of old. Her interactions with Krasko were entertaining to watch, but it’s her outwitting of him during the warehouse scene that provided a highlight and a clear showcase of how to ‘out think’ your opponents instead of ‘out blasting’ them.
Graham and Ryan continue to improve, Ryan getting hit with the themes of this week the most (both figurative and literally). While it lacks subtlety, Ryan’s comments on how racism never truly goes away acts as a grim reminder of just how broken the world is if after thousands of years together, humanity still can’t seem to get along. Bradley Walsh is rapidly becoming my favourite companion this series. Graham’s only-sane-man attitude continues to shine through, but it’s the emotional beats that take centre stage here. Despite being clocked at the episode’s beginning, Graham still declares to everyone within earshot that Ryan is his grandson. That’s familial love, people. Yaz still hasn’t done anything to set her apart from a generic companion and until she does, her section will continue to be short.
Rosa Parks is a character I have heard of, but don’t know very well, so having an episode dedicated to show this wonderful moment in history with as-close-to-accurate details as Doctor Who gets with these things greatly improved this episode for me. There are several noteworthy scenes with Rosa, but the first and her last prove to be the most powerful. Personally I’d expect someone in Rosa’s situation to be at least a little fearful. Bravery is hardly ever awesome in the moment. It’s usually downright scary. But the episode portrays Rosa as someone who isn’t afraid of anything.
So far Chris Chibnall has relied on character work in all of his episodes to make up for the poor villain presence, but with just seven episodes left, at some point this has to change. While character work is very important for a show, it needs to balance this with captivating intricate plots featuring villains that audiences love to hate (like Marvel’s Kingpin!).
