We get a pan down to Montgomery, Alabama, 1943, this brings us us to a woman, Rosa Parks (Vinette Robinson) in a coat with glasses, paying her fee for the bus and the driver tells her to go to the entrance for coloreds. The back of the bus is crowded. The driver grabs her arm to forcibly remove her. She drops her purse and sits in the seat with the “White” label, he screams at her, “Get out that door!” The bus driver pulls away. This is great to see the racial situation. Then, we get twelve years later, 1955, an alley way where the Tardis appears! The Doctor checks it, but it is not Sheffield, the ninth attempt. Graham corrects her fourteenth. The Doctor tells them the destination. Graham is interested in seeing Elvis. The Doctor is surprised that the Tardis is detecting Altron energy that runs the Tardis. Ryan picks up a lady’s fallen handkerchief and he is slapped by her horrified husband. This is a dramatic change from Legends of Tomorrow which takes it’s historical settings lightly. Graham tries to calm down the situation. It is stopped by a seamstress, Rosa Parks, who tells them about Emmett Hill. They are all impressed when she introduces herself. The Doctor scans Rosa as she leaves and finds Artron energy. A man (Joshua Bowman) scans the Tardis, he blasts it, but it’s shields blocks it. A threat to history with some futuristic technology.
 |
DOCTOR WHO -- “Rosa” -- Ben Blackall/BBC Studios.
|
Sitting at a restaurant, Ryan’s knowledge of Rosa Parks is faulty, which upsets Graham. Still, Yaz knows of her place in history. The Doctor reads from a newspaper headline that it is November 30, 1955. The restaurant workers are disturbed at Ryan and Yaz sitting at a table. The Doctor tells the others to go back to the Tardis. Yaz and Ryan are inspired by Rosa Parks. A police car rolls up. Rosa Parks is walking and confronted by the man. The Doctor has tracked the energy to the bus company, she opens a heavily padlocked room, and reach a suitcase with G.F.B. initials, it contains high tech equipment. The man lets out blasts that send them running. They take cover at a tanker, The Doctor confronts him, wielding a temporal displacement weapon. He also has a vortex manipulator (first used by Jack Harkness in Doctor Who, brilliant tie-in). The man doesn’t also know about Rosa Parks. The Doctor takes her friends away. They reach a motel with a Whites Only sign. They sneak into a window, The Doctor chose the motel since the Tardis is being watched, and starts writing facts about Rosa Parks and the historic day. Yaz says it was evening and with Graham’s help adds that she is a seamstress. The Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to wipe out the writing from the wall giving the mystery of her identity as Banksy. A police officer is looking for non-white people. Graham says they are making an invention, a cellphone, and says his name is Steve Jobs. The officer enters the restroom and finds it empty.
Yaz and Ryan are in an ally, he struggles to hold his temper, told by his Nan, and Yaz with her dad. Graham calls for them. The group in the room has Graham remembered the driver’s name, James Blake, and he misses Nan again. They begin checking bus schedules and her home location. Graham and the Doctor take the White seat. Ryan is at the back of the bus and Yaz sits next to the Doctor unsure of where she has to sit. The bus leaves off The Doctor and the Companions, they reach her seamstress building, and take her bus back. The Doctor sits next to her thanking Rosa for helping them earlier. She asks her questions to get free bus rides. Rosa is uncomfortable with the Doctor sitting in a seat marked for Coloreds. The Doctor moves out so the seat will not be given up. Rosa asks her if winning the contest will allow her to sit anywhere. The Doctor says no. Ryan goes to follow Rosa. Graham goes to ask about where bus drivers drink to ask about James Blake. Rosa walks home with Ryan behind her. She confronts him and says he wants to help with the fight. The Doctor goes to check on the man out of time. She scans the suitcase and throws it, the man blasts it to the future, and his weapon overloads. The Doctor asks him about Stormcage (this is the prison that held River Song during the time of the Eleventh Doctor). He is an escaped prisoner and ended up killing two thousand people. I keep thinking this villain has escaped from Azkaban.
 |
DOCTOR WHO -- “Rosa” -- Ben Blackall/BBC Studios.
|
He has a neural restrictor, she smashes his vortex manipulator, he tries to choke the Doctor, but has to release her. He says his name is Krasko. The Doctor tells Krasko that she will stop him. He is a villain who only uses devices, he will need allies with some kind of power to be a threat. Rosa introduces Ryan to her husband and also Dr. Luther King (Ray Sasay)! Ryan tells Dr. King that his Nan has passed. Yaz is researching the historical details. At a pool hall, Graham is shooting pool with James, he isn’t going to drive the bus, he’s going fishing. Night, Ryan is stunned at talking to these great historical figures. He thanks her and returns to the motel. Cresko has changed the bus driver. The Doctor has the plan to keep events the same. She appears and Yaz give Elias Jr. (David Dukas), the new driver, the trip of a lifetime to see Frank Sinatra. Graham and Ryan go fishing annoying James who wants to leave to stop a sit-in. The Doctor has a clothing emergency, her ripped coat, Yaz stays to watch over Rosa and the Doctor tells her to have Rosa leave at 5:40. James finds his bus with smashed windows by Krasko. The Doctor tells Ryan to have the passengers wait. Graham drives up a replacement bus. The Doctor and Graham take a seat as Krasko watches. Ryan runs to find a bus suspended notice. Yaz asks what keeps Rosa going. The bus takes in passengers. Rosa finishes with the Doctor’s coat. This touch is so great that Rosa Parks mends the Doctor's coat.
Ryan faces Krasko in the middle of the road. Who says “your kind won’t get above themselves.” He blasts Krasko into the past?, he can affect the past as much as that time. Yaz has brought up Rosa, there is still empty seats in the back, Ryan runs in and goes to the colored seats. The Doctor finds out they are part of history. The driver, James, calls for black passengers to move, and Rosa stands up and takes her seat. James changes the white label to Rosa’s seat and threatens to arrest her. He goes to a phone booth to call in the police. Graham watches as the police move to take away Rosa. The Doctor recaps the historical events with the bus boycotts. The Doctor says, “She changed the world. She changed the universe.” She opens the door of the Tardis to show the Asteroid named Rosa Parks. I absolutely love that Rosa Parks effect is not only on history, but all of the universe. Also, the Doctor relies on all of her Companions to help keep history on track and also their knowledge of history. This is important, she doesn’t use her own knowledge or some computer, to look up historical details, it is work and memory that saves the day. Ryan may have caused a greater threat sending Krasko further into the past, he’s yet another continuing time threat. I like the clever nods to Banksy and Steve Jobs. I absolutely love the subtle performances of the historical figures.
Four Sonic Screwdrivers out of Five!
#DoctorWho, #RosaParks, #VinetteRobinson, #JoshuaBowman
No comments:
Post a Comment