Doctor Who (New Series) - Part 78 "Rose"

In 2005, the Doctor Who series was once again relaunched. In the first episode we greet Rose who works for a department store. As she's delivering lottery money to Wilson, she's surprised to find mannequins walking about. What she takes as a college pranks turns out to be an invasion of the Autons. An old foe of the Doctor, who rescues here minutes before he blows up the department store to destroy an Auton relay, sitting on top of the building.

Not much is known this Doctor. There is no explanation what has transpired with him between his last incarnation and this one. We are only given a hint he has recently regenerated as he looks into a mirror to examine himself. He seems satisfied with his current looks, despite the ears. After Rose's encounter with the Doctor, he's forced to track her down as an arm from a disabled mannequin is still active. Using his sonic screwdriver, he deactivates it and tries to say goodbye, once again, to Rose.

As the Doctor leaves her apartment, Rose is intrigued by his actions and follows him. He explains to her about the situation at hand, the Autons are an alien invasion, but Rose continues to listen despite her inability to believe it. Once again the Doctor dismisses her, but when she hears the Tardis take off, she runs back and is surprised to see the 'Blue Box' is now gone. She stops by her boyfriends house to use his computer and finds an internet guy named Clive who seems to have some information regarding the Doctor. He explains to Rose he thinks the Doctor is an alien and dangerous. This information is too much for her and she leaves, believing he's a 'nutter'.

Unaware to rose, her boyfriend Mickey has been replaced with a plastic version. He takes her out for pizza, but suddenly he only wants to talk about the Doctor. Rose tells him she doesn't know anything but the Doctor suddenly appears and exposes Mickey as an imposter. He grabs his head and pulls it off, but the Auton goes berzerk and chases Rose and the Doctor out of the restaurant. The Doctor calmly walks into the Tardis, but Rose is apprehensive. With no where else to go, she follows the Doctor into the Tardis. He sets the Tardis in motion, using the Auton head to track down the lair of the Nestene, which is what controls the Autons.

Inside the Tardis, Rose is distraught her boyfriend is likely dead. Considering the Doctor dismisses him so quickly doesn't help the matter. Once the Tardis lands, the Doctor realizes the Nestene must be using a large dish smack dab in the middle of London to boost it's signal to so many Autons. He's perplexed to wonder what it might be when Rose indicates it's possibly the London Eye. The Doctor takes Rose with him to inspect and they indeed find the Nestene, as well as Mickey, who has been retained in case another copy of him might be needed.

The Doctor tries to reason with the Nestene but when they find a vial of anti-plastic, they assume his sole mission is to destroy them. He argues it was only insurance but the Autons retain him. The Doctor shouts for Rose to escape with Mickey, but instead she risks her life to save the Doctor. While doing so, the vial falls into the Nestene, which destroys it. After dropping Rose and Mickey back at home, the Doctor asks her to travel with him, impressed with her courage. Mickey is not invited, because of his snivelling attitude. Rose kisses Mickey goodbye and runs for the Tardis.

COMPANION: Rose Tyler

ORIGIN: Earth, circa 2005

REASON FOR JOINING: Invited by the Doctor to travel with him. Declined at first, then learned the Tardis also travelled in time.

 

Bonus Photo

The Doctor in the Tardis

Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 26 "Terror of the Autons"

Season eight of Doctor Who opens with a few changes. Yes, the Doctor is still trapped on Earth but he's got a new enemy to fight. A Timelord who calls himself the Master arrives on Earth. His Tardis is fully operations, complete with a chameleon circuit, allowing his Tardis to blend in with the circus he has landed in. Next to the Master is his Tardis in the shape of a horse-box.

While marooned, the producers wanted to give the Doctor a common enemy to fight. The Master became a sort of Moriarty to the Doctors Sherlock Holmes. But the Timelords have not completely left the Doctor in the lurch, one Timelord in particular arrives briefly to warn the Doctor of the Masters arrival. The Doctor isn't too worried, but he's warned the Master has learned a lot since the Doctor last met him. It's implied the Doctor knows who the Master is, but this is the first on-screen meeting of the two.

Along with a new enemy to fight, the Doctor gets a new assistant; Jo Grant. The Brigadier has hired her to replace Liz who has gone back to Cambridge, but the Doctor argues he needs a competent scientist, and Jo is not. The Brigadier reminds the Doctor how Liz always told him he only needed someone to 'pass him his test tubes and tell him how brilliant he is'. Jo indeed fits that role nicely, when she isn't being hypnotized by the Master.

Fortunately, the Doctor is able to snap Jo out of the Masters influence and they learn what his plan is. He's sided with the Autons in hopes of dominating the Earth. He takes over a plastics factory and begins to produce dolls, chairs, flowers and even telephone cords, all made of plastic and very deadly. Dolls and chairs come to life, flowers spray chemicals to asphyxiate people and telephone cords wrap themselves around people and strangle them to death.

Among his talents, the renegade Timelord is also a Master of disguise. He disguises himself to sneak into UNIT to replace telephone cords and when he's ultimately defeated he disguises someone else to look exactly like him. But the Doctor isn't fooled by the 'Old Man Peabody' routine. The Autons are defeated but the Master gets away. Only he can't use his Tardis as the Doctor has stolen his dematerialization circuit. The Master is now as trapped on Earth as the Doctor is.

WHO: Jo Grant

PLANET OF ORIGIN: Earth, circa 1970

REASON FOR JOINING: The Brigadier hires her as a replacement assistant for the Doctor.




WHO: The Master

PLANET OF ORIGIN: Gallifrey, circa unknown

REASON FOR JOINING: Despite being from Gallifrey, the Master is a renegade like the Doctor, but wishes to 'Master' the Universe and destroy all who stand in his way, namely, the Doctor.



NEXT: Cursing the Ice

Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 24 "Spearheads From Space"

The Doctors trial is over and the Time Lords have done exactly as they said they would do. He has regenerated and suffering from memory loss, primarily in regards to the Tardis and it's functions. They materialize the Tardis on Earth and he stumbles out, traumatized by the regeneration. The Doctor is exhausted and somewhat erratic, a trademark for future regeneration stories.

Does anyone know the golden rule when finding a flashing meteorite from space? ALWAYS! Wait, no. NEVER touch it! But some people are not so smart. The Time Lords have seen fit to deposit the Doctor on Earth at the start of an Nestene invasion. The Nestene is able to control plastic such as dolls or mannequins, and a nearby plastic facility has begun to produce mannequins en masse.

Investigating the strange meteoroid storms is the Brigadier from UNIT. He has sent for Liz Shaw who is an expert on Meteors and the like. But when he hears a man is found in Oxley Woods along with a police box, he is immediately aware the Doctor may be available to help. Because of the regeneration, he doesn't recognize the Doctor, but the Doctor recognizes him. However the Doctor is still tired and exhausted, so he's left to rest in the hospital.

The Nestene has already detected the Doctor may be a threat and attempts to kidnap him from the hospital. The Doctor escapes however, only to be shot by a UNIT soldier. He's only grazed though, and quickly recovers. The action seems to have fueled the Doctor and he's ready to go. He procures a set of clothes as well as a car and heads for UNIT and his Tardis. But the Tardis is locked and the Brigadier has the key.

Reluctantly the Doctor helps, but tricks Liz into acquiring the key to the Tardis. She doesn't believe the Tardis is a time machine and sees no harm in giving it to him. The urge to run overtakes the Doctor and he attempts to take off. But the dematerialization code has also been changed, he is marooned. He formally agrees to help as long as he is able to work on his Tardis and have Liz Shaw's help.

With the combined resources of UNIT and equipment from the Tardis, the Doctor is able to create a device capable of stopping the Autons. Problem is, he has to get close to the Nestene to affectively use it. With UNIT's help, he makes his way to the Nestene, but the device fails to work. Fortunately Liz is able to quickly determine what's wrong. The Nestene has been defeated.... for now.

WHO: Liz Shaw

PLANET OF ORIGIN: Earth, circa 1970

REASON FOR JOINING: Enlisted by the Brigadier, she remains to help the Doctor as his assistant.





NEXT: Operation: Mole-Bore