Series 1 (2005)
Episode title: Parting of the WaysFeaturing: Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor (regeneration)
Companions: Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness
First shown: 18th June 2005
Related articles: Daleks, Mickey Smith
Guide: As the Daleks descend on Earth, the Doctor and Jack land the TARDIS on the Dalek fleet, landing on a Dalek with the Dalek being put into the console room, but it is destroyed by Jack’s gun before it can exterminate the Doctor or Jack. The duo then use the extrapolator from Boom Town (Series 1 : Episode 11) to protect themselves from further Dalek attacks. On the ship, they meet the Dalek Emperor who describes himself as a god, and explains that he survived the Time War in a damaged ship, but rebuilt his species using genetic materials harvested from humans, such as those who came from the Game Station. However, the process has also given the Daleks some human traits, such as emotions and this fills them with self-hate making them deadlier than ever. The Doctor brings Rose onboard the TARDIS before flying them and Jack back to the Game Station to prepare for battle with the Daleks. On the Game Station, Jack uses the extrapolator to protect the top 6 floors, preventing the Daleks from entering above Floor 494, while the Doctor works on building a Delta Wave generator to wipe out the Daleks from the transmission equipment and fry the brain of anything in its path, but it will take time to charge up.
Rose asks what she can do to help, and the Doctor tricks her into going into the TARDIS and hold a lever for him. Outside the TARDIS, the Doctor uses his Sonic Screwdriver to activate Emergency Protocol One, directing the TARDIS to fly Rose home to the 21st Century. Emergency Protocol One explains to Rose that doing this will prevent the TARDIS from falling into enemy hands, and asks that Rose leaves it to gather dust on some street corner. Rose lands in London where Mickey and Jackie greet her, but Rose is too upset to care. Back on the Game Station, the Daleks invade, but instead of going up to Floor 500, they go down and murder the humans in the lower levels and overrun the defences first. The Dalek Emperor contacts the Doctor and tells him he knows that his Delta Wave won’t work, as the Doctor doesn’t have time to focus it on Dalek brains and so it will kill everyone on Earth as well. The Doctor says that this is preferable to spending a life enslaved by the Daleks.
Back on Earth, Rose goes for fish and chips with Mickey and Jackie who try to console her. As Rose regains her composure, she notices the words “Bad Wolf” plastered all around where the TARDIS landed and realises that it isn’t a warning but a message. Mickey tries to open the heart of the TARDIS for Rose to allow her to fly back to the Doctor, but is unable to with his mini. Rose tries to enlist Jackie but she doesn’t want Rose running back off to the Doctor until Rose mentions the events at the end of Father’s Day (Series 1 : Episode 8), where Rose met her late father Pete. Jackie decides to borrow a big yellow tow-truck from a friend and between the three of them, they’re able to open the TARDIS console, engulfing Rose in a white glow and slamming the doors shut when Mickey and Jackie try to enter the TARDIS. Meanwhile, on the Game Station, the Daleks invade the higher levels, killing Lynda and attacking Jack’s defences. Before long, the Daleks kill all of Jack’s helpers and eventually Jack himself, who dies proud rather than cowering. The Daleks invade Floor 500 and taunt the Doctor with pressing the button to activate the Delta Wave as its now ready, but he can’t bring himself to do it, and chooses to resign himself to being killed by the Daleks instead.
Before the Daleks are able to however, the TARDIS materialises to the Doctor’s horror and Rose steps out, infused with the time vortex. Using its vast powers, she takes the words “Bad Wolf” and spreads them through the whole of time and space to lead her to this moment, to find “her Doctor” and save him. The Daleks attack Rose but she uses the powers of the time vortex to disintegrate them into dust, including their fleet and says that she ends the Time War in doing so, before bring Jack back to life. The Doctor, horrified at the consequences of all of this, begs Rose to stop but she is unwilling or unable to release the time vortex, prompting the Doctor to kiss her and inhale it himself, before exhaling it back into the TARDIS. The Doctor carries the unconscious Rose onboard the TARDIS, while Jack wakes up confused about the lack of Daleks and his resurrection, rushes to Floor 500 just as the TARDIS disappears. On the TARDIS, Rose reawakens to find the Doctor in pain, with the residual energy from the time vortex killing every cell in his body. The Doctor explains that he’s dying and briefly describes the regeneration process to her, before praising both himself and Rose as “fantastic”. The Doctor explodes with golden energy before regenerating into his new incarnation, the Tenth Doctor. The new Doctor briefly comments on his appearance, including his “new teeth” before offering to take Rose to the planet Barcelona.
This episode is the concluding episode of a two part story. You can read the episode guide for the first part by clicking here.