13. The Parting Of The Ways

Rose Tyler has seen danger and wonders alongside the Doctor, but now their friendship is put to the test as Earth plunges into an epic war.  With the Human Race being slaughtered, the Doctor is forced into terrible action.  Will the time-travellers ever be reunited?

- DR. WHO COLLECTORS' EDITION EPISODE GUIDE

'The Parting of the Ways' is the sequel to 'Bad Wolf', as the first episode ended with Rose being held captive by the Dalek's on board of one of their space ships (two hundred ships, with two thousand Daleks on each… that's a whole lot of Daleks!).  The Doctor told his companion that he was coming to get her, and come he does.  On board the TARDIS they've tied the pan-dimensional surfboard that Margaret left behind in the previous episode 'Boom Town' and back into the TARDIS' controls and use its' shields to protect the TARDIS from the missiles launched from the Dalek's ship.  Then in a pretty cool trick, the Doctor materializes the TARDIS around Rose so she's safely ensconced inside, with the Doctor yelling at her to get down!  Then Jack uses his laser to shoot the Dalek that was guarding her, blowing it up. 

Then the Doctor walks out of the TARDIS doors, followed by Rose and Jack for a chat with the Daleks.  Of course the Daleks don't appreciate their uninvited guest and all sing out, "exterminate! Exterminate!" and shoot at them, but the three are now protected by the force field around the TARDIS.  The Doctor tells the Daleks that in the old Dalek legends, he used to be called 'The Oncoming Storm'.  When he asks them how they survived the Time War, a loud voice booms out, "they survived through me." The three turn to see a squidgy thing in a huge Dalek decorated tank, and the Doctor introduces Rose and Jack to the Emperor of the Daleks.  The Emperor tells the Doctor that his ship, alone and crippled, fell through time and space.  Then he rebuilt his army by harvesting the waste of planet Earth - prisoners, refugees etc.  He tells how their bodies were sifted and then rebuilt the army of Daleks from the dead.  It's during this conversation that the Doctor finds out the Dalek's plans - to take over the world (here we go again) and turn all of human kind into more Dalek's.  But luckily we have the Doctor here to stop this from happening. 

The Doctor, Rose and Jack return inside the TARDIS and to the Games Station.  There the Doctor starts making preparation to create a Delta Wave, which would fry a biological brain (as the Daleks are part biological, it would destroy them) using the station as a giant transmitter.  The Doctor and Rose say their good byes to Jack as he leaves to put together a small armada of Game Station contestants and staff to hold off the Daleks to buy the Doctor some time.  Rose is disturbed by Jack's attitude and says, "don't talk like that." To which Jack tells her that she's worth fighting for.  Then he kisses her, and humorously he kisses the Doctor good bye too (remember in 'The Doctor Dances' when the Doctor said to Rose that Jack's a 51st Century guy.  He's just a bit more flexible when it comes to dancing!).

As the Doctor and Rose work together, the Doctor says to Rose that she could always ask him to take her away in the TARDIS instead of fight, but then he comments, "but you wouldn't even think of that, would you?"  The Doctor and Rose go inside the TARDIS and the Doctor tells her that he needs her to hold down a control for him as apart of the Delta Wave preparation, and when he goes outside, he points a control at the TARDIS.  Next, the TARDIS doors shut Rose inside, and begins the route to take her back to London in her era. 

Rose cries out to the Doctor to stop, but it's too late.  An emergency program initiates and a holographic version of the Doctor appears before Rose.  The hologram tells Rose that if this program is on, then it means they are in fatal danger with no chance of escape.  But he promised to look after her, and that's what he is doing.  He tells Rose his enemy this way, can't get hold of the TARDIS either.  The hologram tells Rose to let the old box gather dust, let the world move on and let the TARDIS be slowly buried.  As the TARDIS reappears, Jacky and Micky who were going about their day instantly recognize the sound and come running, and a distraught Rose stumbles out. 

Over the intercom Jack checks on the Doctor's progress, and the Doctor tells Jack that he sent Rose home. Then the Dalek Emperor comes on, overhearing their conversation and tells the Doctor to tell Jack the truth about the Delta Wave, it won't just kill the Dalek's but the human's on board the station and down on planet Earth as well.  The Doctor tells Jack it's the decision he has to make, die as a human or live as a Dalek.  Jack tells the Doctor to keep working.  Then as the Dalek Emperor is on the intercom the Doctor asks the Emperor about the words, 'Bad Wolf', and how they appeared everywhere he went.  The Emperor says it wasn't his doing.

Back to Earth, Rose is having lunch with Micky and Jacky in a Take Away shop, only she can't eat as she's worried about the Doctor.  Rose asks her mother, "what do I do?  Get up, catch the bus, go to work, come back home, eat chips and go to bed… is that it?" And Micky moodily hits back with, "it's what the rest of us do." Then after their lunch, Rose again sees the words, 'Bad Wolf' spray painted everywhere as graffiti surrounding the TARDIS.  She sees it as a message that she can get back to the future and save the Doctor, and remembers that the TARDIS is alive, if only she could open it up and see into its' heart, she could make contact with it.  At first Jacky isn't keen on helping her daughter go back into danger, but Rose reminds her of the day her father Peter Tyler died (prior episode called 'Father's Day'), how there was a mysterious blonde woman by his side so that he didn't die alone - it was Rose - and that was thanks to the Doctor.  Jacky runs off distressed by this piece of news.

Rose and Micky try numerous ways of opening up the control panel of the TARDIS to get to the heart inside, including chains tied to a Mini with Micky behind the wheel, but nothing seems to be working.  And then Jacky helps to save the day by arriving in a huge, yellow, rescue vehicle.  Bingo! That does the trick, the control panel is opened up by the force of vehicle pulling on it, and Rose looks into the light of the heart.  Micky and Jacky stand back and watch the TARDIS dematerialize…

The Daleks attack Earth and the Games Station at the same time.  They wipe out entire continents just as easily as they take out Jack's small resistance force.  Jack is exterminated, and then the Daleks come onto Floor 500 where the Doctor has the Delta Wave ready.  The Emperor calls his bluff, and the Doctor can't do it… he can't press the button that would mean everyone's death - friend and enemy alike.  Then as all hope seems lost, the familiar sound of the TARDIS materializing turns all heads in the room as a powerful and glowing Rose walks out of the TARDIS doors. 

Rose now has the power of time, and she tells the Doctor that was her all along who had scattered the words 'Bad Wolf' to lead herself to this point.  Rose wipes out the Daleks existence. The Doctor is horrified, he cries out at her to stop, that's she has looked into the Time Vortex, and it can kill her, that she must let it go.  But Rose doesn't agree, "how can I let go of this?  I bring life."  She brings back Jack from the dead.  She tells the Doctor how she can see everything, but then she starts to fail, crying out in pain that her head hurts.  The Doctor takes her into his arms and says softly, "come here, I think you need a Doctor…" and he tenderly kisses her, drawing the Time Vortex out, and then he returns it to the control panel as it closes over the heart of the TARDIS once more. 

The TARDIS departs, leaving Jack behind on the Games Station.  Rose comes to, on the TARDIS floor and the Doctor's body begins to glow.  He tells Rose that she has been fantastic, and there were so many places that he wanted to show her, together, like a planet called Barcelona.  Rose becomes concerned, and the Doctor tells her, "it's a bit dodgy, this process, you never know what you'll end up with."  He explains that every cell in his body is dying, but there is a way his people can cheat death, but it means he's going to change. Then he's wracked with pain and he yells at Rose to stay away.  The Doctor explodes with light and energy… leaving behind his 10th incarnation (played ingeniously by David Tennant).  Our new Doctor smiles at Rose, remembering their conversation, "hello… oh.  New teeth, that's weird.  So where was I? Oh that's right… Barcelona."