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Father's Day Format Reviewed: TV/DVD Review A natural reaction for someone who lost a parent when an infant, then subsequently becomes a passenger on a time machine is to visit and meet that parent. The time chosen for this is the death of Rose's father as her mother always said that he died alone. One aspect of time travel that always is bluffed over is what happens when things are changed that directly affect who the travellers are. Theories of paradoxes, explosions, parallel universes etc. can't explain it totally, and Doctor Who has always used the 'Blinovitch Limitation Effect' to explain (or not) that this isn't a real problem. It is this aspect that this story looks at. To be honest, when I saw that Shaun Dingwall had been cast as Rose's father, my eyes rolled and I had visions of Pauline and Arthur Fowler of Eastenders hamming up the story. I was therefore pleasantly surprised here that Dingwall is truly great in the role of Pete Tyler. His performance is flawless and he covers the ground well given the context of what he is asked to portray. I have been very Critical of Camille Coduri so far in my reviews, but this time I shall be positive. Camille gives her best performance of the series as Jackie, and is more convincing than at any other time. As I have said above, the basic premise of the story is very interesting and this provides pleanty of creative scope for the writer (Paul Cornell). The story is good, tight, and manages to cover a lot of ground in 45 minutes without ever being rushed. The end scenes between Rose and Pete are truly touching, and very fitting for the character that Rose has become throughout the series. Again, this is a story where the Doctor is largely powerless to prevent the eventual outcome and solve the problems the characters face. This time, the solution is realiased by Pete after the Doctor has been eaten by the alien bat things due to the paradox created by Rose touching the baby, which is actually herself. After parity is restored, time sorts itself back out and Rose finally gets to comfort her father as he dies. The aliens are again provided by CG, and again are very well produced. This is something that has been particularly impressive with the new series. One only hopes that the presumably sizeable budget that has been afforded to the series remains, and the effects can continue to be produced to the same standard. In summary, Father's Day is a good Doctor Who story that explores unknowns andcovers ground differently to the original series. This means that with good performances from the guest cast, Father's Day stands up as a good story for the new era of Doctor Who. Rating:  |