In some ways, the Ninth Doctor's run- which marked the return of Doctor Who to regular television after 16 years- represented some of the most deeply personal stories in the history of the show. This single season pivoted on the relationship between the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler, which provided some of the most heartwrenching moments in recent television history.
Father's Day expands and deepens their relationship by stretching it to its near-limit. Rose, who lost her father when she was a baby, asks the Doctor to take her back to the day he died. When the moment comes, she's unable to stand by and watch her father die. She saves his life, but in the process causes a fatal wound in time (not to mention her relationship with the Doctor, who's absolutely livid with her recklessness- and attracted a swarm of creatures who consume temporal anomalies. Trapped in a church with a handful of survivors- including the Doctor, younger (and ill-tempered) versions of her parents, and her infant self- the episode becomes a thoughtful and touching meditation on family and loss, framed on both ends with the death of Rose's father:
In Father's Day, the Doctor and Rose are pulled far apart before coming back together, highlighting the strength and tenacity of their relationship. Rose herself also shows a great deal of growth, as she's finally forced to come to terms with the death of her father by taking an opportunity to say goodbye in a way no one ever does.
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