Doctor Who S11 E3 Recap

"We are a part of the story."

What Chibnall is accomplishing in these first three episodes of the new era of Doctor Who can only be described as daring, meaningful, and meticulous. While the season itself has the ongoing narrative of the Doctor trying to return her new companions back home it can also be viewed as an episodic show. This one in particular is quite a magnificent stand alone episode that really captures the essence of Who while also giving these familiar footsteps new depths.

The Doctor, now with her new TARDIS, is coming back to Earth. It is time to say goodbye to her new companions, and while it was a nice weird ride they have certainly had their fill of adventure...that is until the TARDIS famously brings the Doctor to a moment in history that need fixing. This time? Alabama, 1955. Their Quest? To protect Rosa Parks and make sure her stamp on history isn't erased.

To make matters more problematic the Doctor and company find out that the person responsible for mucking with time is an ex-inmate of Stormcage, the same prison that held River Song, named Krasko. His motivations fit the theme of this episode, racism, when he tries to stop Rosa's stand against the bus driver. What I found really interesting, and have to applaud Chris Chibnall and writer newcomer Malorie Blackman, is that the villain of the week is implanted with a non-violence "motivator" and has to stop Rosa Parks in small ways; like switching bus drivers, or putting up fake flyers that say the bus is not working that day so that there would be empty seats.  It creates an interesting narrative on the small ripples that could seem inconsequential, but can actually change time and history in a big way.

Not only that, but more than the previous two episodes this one utilized her new companions in helpful ways. No more are they just quirky baggage that initiate exposition. Here, each is utilized in ways that help the Doctor. Ryan in particular is heavily impacted this episode. Starting off the episode with a vague notion of Rosa Park's significance he comes to learn the hate, and fear, that people can harbor, and by the end of the episode he's actively trying to help. Graham and Yas are also delightful in this episode. Graham is yet again pooling information from the sacred brotherhood of bus drivers, and Yas really pulls her weight by doing the most research and helping out with the final plan. You truly believe the camaraderie between everyone is starting to come together and how their emotional journey is starting to really intertwine.

This episode also features a fantastic score. In the last recap my two biggest worries were the music and the tone. Episode 3 quickly dashed those fears away as the score really went for the gut punch and delivered a beautiful medley that is totally Doctor Who, but also respects the time period by giving certain scenes the emotional impact it deserved. Also, the more serious tone works perfectly for an episode like this, but more surprisingly were the amount of small whimsical scenes that balanced the hard reality of racism in the United States, such as Graham and Ryan ruining the bus driver's fishing day. Then the final ten minutes really drove home how important certain points in history are by showing the pained restraint of the Doctor and her companions.

Overall, this is a very emotional and timely episode that perfectly uses Science Fiction to teach us about history while also mirroring our present. Reminiscent of older Who this episode works as an historical learning episode, but also shows the discrepancy of our generation, portrayed through Ryan, and the actual impact of historical events. It also allowed the companions to bond and grow closer through a difficult time in history that still isn't fully gone in modern society, nor the inevitable future as seen by Krasko.

Key Points

• Stormcage
• Emphasis on small ripples, big consequences
• Graham and Ryan bonding
• Learning the power of a certain point in history

What did you think of "Rosa"? Do you think this season is shaping up to be as good as I think will be? Leave your comments down below!