Monday, 2 June 2014

DW 01-02: The End of The World

A Guide to Classic Who references in New Who episodes.
Doctor Who (2005): Series 1 episode 2 (Story 2):  The Doctor and Rose visit an observation platform to view the Earth being swallowed by the Sun.



Warning: May contain Spoilers for

"The End of the World"


Viewing Order

  • 1-01 "Rose" (Suggested viewing - but clips are shown from the previous episode.)

References

[1ST] - The first appearance of things in Doctor Who series.
[NEW] - Stuff seen previously in the New Series.
[OLD] - Things that first appeared in the classic series (or the film.)  Episode List.

Ongoing References...
    • [OLD] Translation Circuit - The fact that the Doctor's companions can understand (most) other Earth, alien and historical languages was only brought up once previously.  The Doctor's companion, Sarah Jane Smith, asked about it in the Fourth Doctor story, "The Masque of the Mandragora" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 14). The Doctor stated that it was a gift of the Timelords to allow companions to understand other languages.  In this story it was also revealed that the gift stopped the companions from noticing that they shouldn't know the language.  This fact allowed the Doctor to deduce that she had been hypnotised.  Why Rose notices is unexplained.

    • [1ST]  Bad Wolf Scenario - A throw away line about the Bad Wolf Scenario.

    • [OLD]  Time Lord - An elite class on Gallifrey.

    • [OLD]  The Doctor's Home Planet - Gallifrey.  First appeared in the Seond Doctor story  "The War Games" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 6), but unnamed until "The Time Warrior" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 11).  The Seventh Doctor was returning The Master's remains to it as the Doctor Who film began.  This is the first reference to it being destroyed.

    This episode...

    • [OLD]  The 22nd Century - a number of stories were set in this century, most notably the second appearance of the Daleks in the First Doctor story "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 2) which lasted a decade and ended with the Doctor's intervention in 2167.  The closest time to 2105 visited on screen (assuming a literal "100 years" in the future and TARDIS accuracy) was in the Fourth Doctor serial "Nightmare of Eden" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 17) set in 2116.

    • [1ST]  12005AD & The New Roman Empire - The New Roman Empire was never previously referenced, or any time in the 121st Century referenced or visited on screen.

    • [OLD]  The Time Vortex - The first appearance of the Time Vortex (outside of the opening titles.  It had appeared a number of times in the old series, portrayed differently in different eras due to special effects limitations at the time.  The Vortex shown in this episode is red/orange which is said to portray travel forward in time (with blue for backwards in time, mimicking the Doppler Effect.)

    • [1ST]  The Year 5.5/Apple/26 - 5,000,000,000 years in the future.  The day the Earth is swallowed by the Sun.  A conversation between the Doctor and the Master in the Third Doctor story "Colony in Space" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 8) suggests that the Sun lasts another 5,000,000,000 before itself exploding.  The Doctor had previously watched the Earth being destroyed in "The Ark" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 3).

    • [1ST]  Platform One & Platform Three & Platform Sixteen - Observation platforms, not previously referenced.

    • [1ST]  The National Trust - Obviously a reference to the modern real world organisations that exist in many different countries, whether it is related to any such organisations or whether the Doctor is just using a term Rose would be familiar with is unclear.  A nice way to get around the standard SF error of depicting future Earth as identical to modern Earth.

    • [1ST]  Crespallions & Crespallion, part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Complex 56  - the blue-skinned race manning Platform One.  No previous mention of the race or their place of origin.

    • [1ST]  Psychic Paper - A new toy of the Doctor's.

    • [1ST]  The Forest of Cheem - First appearance, but not the first time something from Earth evolved beyond their Earthbound state.  Spiders that survived the crash of a human colony ship on Metabelis III were rapidly mutated into giant, telepathic spiders who used the human survivors as cattle in the aptly named Third Doctor serial "Planet of the Spiders" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 13).
    • [1ST]  Moxx of Balhoon & Jolco & Jolco Solicitors  - First appearance of Moxx, or any other Balhoon, or the law firm.

    • [1ST]  The Adherence of the Repeated Meme, Financial Family Seven - First reference.

    • [1ST]  Various montaged aliens - all new.

    • [1ST]  The Face of Boe - First appearance of the event's host or any of his race.

    • [1ST]  The Lady Cassandra O'Brien.Δ17, the Last "Pure" Human - First appearance of Cassandra.  She claims that her parents were the last humans buried in Earth's soil.  Humans have been previously shown to have fled Earth (The First Doctor's "The Ark" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 3) and the Fourth Doctor's "The Ark in Space" (Doctor Who (1963) Season 12) and returned.  (Sub-)species that have evolved from man have previously been shown including the Haemovores, vampire like creatures, mutated by pollution who appeared in the Seventh Doctor story "The Curse of Fenric"  (Doctor Who (1963) Season 26)  (although this timeline may not occur).

    • [1ST]  Peace Treaty 5.4/Cup/16 - New treaty/year.

    • [1ST]  Temporal mobile phone & contacting family - Obviously, Mobile (Cell) Phones weren't common during the original series and companions rarely contacted family.

    • [NEW]  The Titanic - Another reference to the Titanic.  It is not clear whether this relates directly to the photo from the episode "Rose" or to a previous incident.  The reference in "Rose" said that the family in the picture had abandoned their planned voyage.  What their mysterious companion did is not stated.

    • [1ST]  The Los Angeles Crevasse - Presumably caused by a large earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.


    The 10 Rules to Doctor Who.


    10.  TARDIS:  The TARDIS is used for multiple time jumps in the beginning of the episode. [1]
    9.  Meeting Yourself:  No one tries.  [X]
    8.  Non-sequiturs:   The Doctor uses them.  [1]
    7.  Serious/Frivolous:  Shows aspects of both personality.  [1]
    6.  Series Final:  This is not a series final.  [X]
    5.  Companion:  Rose, contemporary British female.  (Future space station story).  [1]
    4.  Emotionless:  Cassandra has emotions.  [0]
    3.  Title Spoilers:  The meaning of the title is clear from near the beginning .  [0]
    2.  The Threat:  The Doctor was seemingly unaware of the dangerous of the little metal spider-things until long after the viewers.  He was able to explain what was going on later, though.  [1]
    1.  Last of It's Kind:  Cassandra claims to be the last Pure Human and is dangerous.  The Doctor is more so.  [1]

    Score:  6/8.
    Previous:  "Rose"
    ~ DUG.
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