Who Review: Rosa

While trying to get her new friends back to present-day Sheffield, England, the Doctor inadvertently lands the TARDIS in 1950s Montgomery, Alabama. The year is 1955, and a chance encounter with Rosa Parks, the lady whose bus protest would spark the U.S. Civil Rights movement, leads them to an unexpected adventure. Traces of artron energy tip the Doctor off to the presence of another time traveler in the area. An escaped criminal from the future with his own very dodgy ideas about race hopes to derail U.S. Civil Rights before it has a chance to start. And his target is Rosa Parks. The Doctor and her friends must stop him from changing the course of history before Ms. Parks boards the bus on December 1.

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

This story helped me nail what I think is the tone Chibbers (show runner Chris Chibnall) is aiming for: more Sarah Jane Adventures than Torchwood. That is to say, definitely family viewing, skewing a bit more toward the younger audience members, but not without depth and maturity for the older folks. And I say this without any trace of criticism. There are huge advantages to this approach. The story plots are less convoluted and easier to follow. There’s tension, drama, and scares but without the heavy darkness. These are all things I consider positive.

There’s a lot you can do wrong with a story like this. You can overdo caricatures, over-moralize, turn the story into a history lesson, and be culturally insensitive. Chibbers avoided much of this, firstly by recruiting Malorie Blackman to co-write the story with him, making her Doctor Who’s first black writer. He also seems to have drawn from the original mandate for the show back in 1963, that it would a vehicle for teaching science and history. Throughout the story, Blackman and Chibbers make sure the audience understand who Rosa Parks was and the significance of what she did. But they do so without losing sight of telling a good story. The history is told through the narrative and flow of the story in a way that, I think, would make Syndey Newman proud.

Through the Doctor’s companions the story paints a picture of the racial situation in Montgomery at that time. Ryan, a young black man, is treated to brutal racism after an act of kindness. Yasmin, who is ethnically Pakistani, is mistaken for being Mexican. Knowing they are on a mission to make sure history runs its proper course, they have to do much tongue-biting and teeth-gritting acquiescence in the face of unfair social norms. You can see how much anguish it causes them, and in this regard helps them (and us) relate to how many felt at that time. It also helps to underscore Rosa’s bravery.

I found the end particularly heart-wrenching, when the Doctor’s friends realize that in order to preserve history and let Rosa Parks take her place, they have to side with the silent majority. That was unexpected and a very mature, thoughtful way to handle the narrative.

“Rosa” is a good story, well acted, and well directed. I’m no expert on 1950s Alabama, but the sets and location dressing looked authentic enough for me. I’m not sure how many actual Americans were in the cast, but I have my doubts about some/many of the accents. But if you can forgive that, it’s a good story worth watching.

Did you watch “Rosa”? Share your thoughts below!