User Reviews

The pacing was great, the character moments were great, the plot was interesting with having to change little things again and again to keep history the same. It was really great and the best moment was the final scene which unfortunately for me was ruined a little by the pop song. Yes its a nitpick lol. But come on. Narratively it works well but I wish they would have gotten rid of that song, especially considering the score was quite excellent throughout. But that's my only gripe. They also handled the political side better than I thought, especially with saying that change has occured and the world is better off.

Of course the storyline itself was going to be something trying to prevent Rosa's actions from happening... nevertheless the episode served some BRILLIANT character development for all the four leads. Amazing acting throughout and still kept on the edge of your seat even though you are sure of the outcome.

Absolutely loved the new episode, "Rosa." So well acted. Genuine shivers as Rosa was led off the bus, and how utterly ingenious of the writers to make Graham the white man whose presence on the bus compelled Rosa to make a stand by refusing to stand. Grace would have been proud of him.

Although the historical side of this episode was very well done, the villain for me had no motive and wasn't well explored or even intimidating. There was no reason for him to be interfering in that specific point in history that was given to us.

The acting from the companions was very well done, particularly from Ryan in the face of segregation of the 1950s, and his development as a character was good.

I didn't like the music. It had lost the normal mystique of Doctor Who and ruined some of the drama for me.

Overall an average episode.

It is hard to believe that this episode was shot in South Africa as the setting was Montgomery, Alabama, 1955 and it was so well recreated.

The time travelling villain Krasko wanted to keep it simple. Change history in small degrees, making sure that Rosa Parks just does not get on the bus.

The Doctor on the other hand is there to make sure that history goes on as destined.

For Ryan and Yasmin, they get to consider themselves lucky that being born a few decades later, they have it a lot better than Rosa Parks and other black people did back in the 1950s. As Ryan discovers when he is slapped as he tries to give a white woman her glove that she dropped.

The extended Tardis team of Graham, Yasmin and Ryan were well utilised as they all had a part to play in this episode. The Doctor herself showed more teeth against the villain. I suspect Krasko will show up later in the series.

It probably did feel a preachy at the end when the Doctor tells everyone what Rosa achieved, not helped that the new Tardis interior looks rather odd.

Good stuff: looks way better than all the previous seasons of Doctor Who combined. More people in the TARDIS has the potential to be awesome. Jodie Whitaker seems alright, Doctors take a while to grow on you anyway. The idea for the era, time period and events was much better than most other historical locations (esp. Pompei and Shakespeares london). Also they got loads of small details right about Rosa and the segregation at the time.

People have already mentioned that the villain is bad, and he is. But the racist white people are worse. They just don't behave like human beings. The whole point of racism, the reason it is so dangerous, is that you can be an otherwise decent, well-balanced human being and still be a total racist. The bus driver getting all emotional when Rosa wont move is stupid. It would have been so much more shocking if he'd seemed like a normal human doing his job, dealing with an 'insolent' customer. But no. According to Chibnal all racists are psychotics on the verge of breaking as soon as they have to interact with a black person.

Then there's the supporting characters... why are they such insufferable people? They are so painful to listen to, constantly moaning, zero jokes. Why are they so bored? First time time traveling, and all they can do is complain. Rose was my least favorite companion, but at least she was excited to go places and even enjoyed chatting to people. This is not hard stuff, have someone be upbeat, someone be fascinated, someone be in shock, and then if you must, have someone who is just a bit sick of the whole space thing. But three people who don't want to be there? Are you deliberately trying to get people to hate this show?

Finally, please don't hate me for this one, but it has to be said. The plot is stupid. No historian (ever) is going to tell you that Rosa Parks was integral to the civil rights movement. It is actually quite funny that the racist-from-the-future is trying to stop Rosa in a town that also has MLK in it. People still quote 'I have a dream' to this day. It is unintentionally funny when the grandson is introduced to MLK and looks suitably impressed, when before he didn't even know what Rosa did. To be clear, I am grateful that her story is being told, but don't lie and pretend that we would still have segregated buses in the US if she hadn't stood up that day. Give her her due, don't make her out to be someone she isn't, it discredits whatever message you were trying to peddle.

So much better than the previous 2 episodes and very well done for the time frame but something tells me the white people might of used slightly more colourful language in most of the circumstances in this episode. It was good how they kept it too a PG though to be honest.

This episode I would say is my episode is my favourite of series 11 so far. Great acting and pacing, Krasco was pretty cool but probably the worst part of the story in my opinion. He kind of wasn't really needed in there as the humans where basically the villains already because of the racism and stuff.

Rosa Parks was definetly the best part of the story. She was a very well developed character and she was very well acted.

The pop song at the end I would say is a negative as that just kind of ruined the vibe of the scene.

Anywho, great episode and was fantastic to watch. Best episode for me in this series so far. :)

I applaud Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall for deciding to write an historical episode based on the Montgomery Bus Boycotts - more importantly on Rosa Parks, one of the leading figures in the Civil Rights Movement. An uncomfortable subject, but one that everyone in the world should be acquainted with, simply to gain emotional intelligence on the reasons behind fighting for one's equal rights. The tone of this particular episodes harkens back to the Hartnell years, in which the Doctor takes the TARDIS crew on an an educational rendezvous with either historical figures or historical events that have shaped the evolution of Humanity. Marco Polo, the Aztecs and The Time Meddler especially spring to mind. In fact, one motif in particular reminds me of the Meddling Monk's endeavours to try and change history by influencing decisions.

The episode is beautifully conceived - the setting feels unmistakably American, and the supporting characters all feel real, even if they're not always fleshed out. The opening premise in particular is very well done, giving us a taste of the period we're experiencing and the uncomfortable environment that black people used to live in. Vinette Robinson is wonderfully understated in her performance as Rosa, and despite not having enough screen time, gives the character poignance and determination. Regarding Yaz and Ryan's situation - it's difficult to watch at times, but the episode doesn't shy away from demonstrating the darkness of history and how times have (mostly) changed. It's nice to see them discussing the revolutionary changes in history and how standing up for righteousness can have a powerful affect on the world. Hopefully kids watching the show can feel inspired to be equally as consequential.

Whilst I felt the tribute to Rosa Parks at the end was meaningful, her presence in the episode is definitely lacking. We get to see Rosa's protest, but nothing is mentioned or inferred about the internal struggle that Rosa has within her, and I think that's a big mistake. I think Blackman and Chibnall concentrated too much on the events of the day of her protest rather than the days leading up to it, and the dominant connection Rosa had with efforts for civil rights. I didn't feel much of a logical connection to her cause, it was simply the Doctor and her friends preparing the events of the day. I would've preferred more historical analysis rather than ridiculous attempts to swap bus drivers and encourage passengers onto a bus. In truth, I found the intentions to be sloppy, even if I found Graham's final role profoundly moving.

My main qualm for the episode - and what takes away from Rosa's important role - is Krasko, the supposed white supremacist from the future. References to Stormcage (where River Song was temporarily incarcerated for killing the Doctor), vortex manipulators and artron energy don't help to constitute a great threat for the Doctor and his friends. My favourite historical Who is the Time Meddler, the reason being that the Monk is portrayed with sinister and genuine intentions. Comparatively, Krasko has no bearing whatsoever on the story, and Ryan dispatches him without development or consequence. The lunacy of the TARDIS crew and Krasko trying to one-up each other ruins the ambience and pacing of the episode as a whole.

Honestly, this was close to being a seriously groundbreaking episode, but if it had spent more time with Rosa, and explained the events preceeding the Bus Boycotts, it would have had a more lasting effect. As it is, the episode serves to being a child-friendly educational documentary on an incredibly brilliant person, who made a brave decision one day in 1955. Giving her a universal status is what Doctor Who is good at achieving. We should honour her bravery.