I rewatched this episode on BBC3 last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. But that line really jarred on me, when the Dalek said something to the Doctor about "saving the woman you love." It just didn't feel right.

Firstly, because Rose seems so young in this series, very much a teenage girl [as she's meant to be], so it doesn't seem right referring to her as a "woman" and linking her romantically with Christopher Ecclestone's incarnation of the Doctor, who is, after all, about 40ish.

Secondly, it just seems a bit premature. The Doctor and Rose haven't known each other long at this stage, and there's no real evidence of "love" between them, just a nice matey friendship between a 19-year old girl and a much older man. And that's as it should be, surely? I never really got a sense of a romantic attachment between them until David Tennant became the Doctor....only then did it really become believable and/or acceptable that there could be anything more than friendship between them.

I remember getting a similar feeling of "hang on, slow down" when Martha started going all gooey about the Doctor in Gridlock, and talking about him as if she'd been in love with him for ages. It just didn't seem right to go so OTT with all the love stuff so soon, when they'd only been together for a couple of episodes! (Some would say, of course, that maybe it's *never* right to go OTT on the love stuff in DW!)

It'll be interesting to see how they pitch the relationship with the next companion. Catherine Tate had it just right IMO, and she made a welcome change after all the emotional stuff from Rose and Martha. How are they going to get it right next time?

*ahem* Bring back Donna?





(runs away and hides behind the sofa....)

In my dim and distant experience of being a teenage girl, I think I fell in "actual real OMG my heart is going to implode love" on average at least once a week for about 5 years, so Martha's reaction didn't surprise me and nor did Rose's.

It was like the thing that couldn't be said for so many years that the Doctor's and his companions loved each other at least a bit, now it just seems like it is said too much! Last series excepted. Loved the mates angle much much more.

Must have grown hard in my old age.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the love thing was completely misplaced; I completely bought into Rose's feelings for DT's Doctor. But CE just seemed too, what's the word....avuncular? That's not quite it...but you know what I mean?.....he always seemed very much of an older generation, in the same way that most of the earlier Doctors were.

For me, the moment in The Christmas Invasion when DT winked at Rose and asked "Am I sexy?", everything seemed to change, and suddenly all bets were off! But before that, the idea of any previous Doctor having any sort of romantic feelings for his companion...it just made me think NO! NO! Eeeew!

Billie Piper stated that it was love at first sight between the Doctor/Rose.

I remember loads of interviews with CE where the interviewer would awkwardly ask "So, what's the... er... you know.. "relationship" between the doctor and rose?" and CE would instantly reply "Oh, it's Love!" Which was nice. I think he played it as genuine affection and respect for each other right from the off...

And by the time "Dalek" starts they've already been through a lot together. It's odd that the usually unemotional dalek is the first to recognise the emotion between them. And, I feel, quite a clever script device.

*Raises eyebrows*

Interestingly that was the line that caused the fight between Rob Shearman and RTD which resulted in him never writing for the series again.

Allegedly.

O Rly?

Really? You've got me intrigued now....what was the story behind that?

You see I know people seem to accept that there was something going on between the tenth Doctor and Rose...because they openly acted like a teenage couple at times....but I am probably of the very few who saw this love blossming during the very first series....but both tried to deny it....if you watch the earlier episodes...the Doctor seems to pick on Mickey and Jackie...not because he sees them as idiots (well kind of) but more so because they are the one thing I feel he felt that Rose would leave him for...in the Unquiet dead...The Doctor looks at Rose dressed in all Victorian Garb and feels taken aback....the Doctor and Rose are trapped and feel that this is the end...but then they start saying that they are glad that they met each other....in Aliens of London Mickey keeps calling the Doctor as Rose's new B/f...but she says that he is much more than that....in World War three...the Doctor hesitates to kill the Slitheen because he is worried that he will lose Rose....in Dalek...as already has been mentioned...but also even Adam thinks that they are a couple which Rose denies because Adam is pretty....in the Long Game Adam again says to Rose that it will take a better man to get between the two of them....and Rose doesn't deny this...but just goes off to be with the Doctor...in Father's Day Rose constantly keeps deny that they are a couple....in TEC/TDD the Doctor is so Jealous of Jack....in Boom Town...The Doctor is secretly watching Rose and Mickey on the console screen...in The bad wolf...the Doctor is heartbroken with the idea that Rose is dead...and in the Parting of ways...the kiss....yes he did it to save her life...but there was a huge overtone of their feelings for each other...what with Rose risking her life to save her Doctor....and again I think the Christmas Invasion when Mickey asks Rose "you love him Don't you?" and she doesn't deny it....

I'm sorry but this love story was developing from the word go....not necessary a sexual tension...although sometimes that was obvious...but a love...which for me made sense because the Doctor was completely alone...and if it hadn't been Rose and someone else instead...he still would have fallen in love...but Rose got there first...and ever since he has regretted falling in love....which he still cannot help what with Rennitte/Joan/River.....

Rob Shearman was a great writer, wrote the best dalek episode of new who IMO.

Thats my view of CE and DT also -there was a romance angle in series 1 thats not to be denied in my opinion but Doctor 9 for whatever reason never was able to communicate that well how deep his feelings were for Rose.I think that was appropriate for the two actors and characters and for that stage in new who .

It was only in series 2 that we really started to see a lovestruck Doctor braver in expressing his feelings I think.Perhaps it was the change from 9 to 10 that made the Doctor able to be more expressive about his feelings for Rose but he so was .

-i'll be so interested to see River Song if we get to see her ..her interaction with the Doctor in SITL suggested the Doctor had moved even further forward with her -would be nice to see that develop.

Personally , I always saw Rose relationship with 9 as more of an unconditional bond between say a brother and his much younger sister , or even a father /daughter as Eccleston is older than DT.
It only became like a pair of lovesick puppies when DT arrived. No bad thing for some but IMHO Tennant didn't come into his own as the Doctor until freed from Rose's shackles after Doomsday. There was enough of a gap between that finale and series4 for there relationship to be a bit more distant by the time of the reunion in TSE/JE. DT portrayed a very mature 10 , who knew "he "couldn't spend the rest of his life with Rose. The "other doc10" was a nice pay off for fans of the 10/Rose relationship.

I put it down to the Dalek being "infected" by Rose. But the line does jar, a Dalek just wouldn't talk like that. Terry Nation and David Whitaker will be up there crying into their harps

We dont know how long they were together, it could've been ages it is time travel after all.

Thats true....if you take the new adventure books into perspective then sometimes they are the unseen adventures....and from the ones I've read....yes I've read them....at least three of them seem to be set before the Dalek episode and after World War Three

I know he's a time traveller...but...he fell in love with Joan Rivers???

Well he is an Alien....it takes a bit of getting used to what is normal and what isn't

There has to be boundaries though.

Well the Doctor only learns through experience....as much as our heart bleeds for him....we cannot stop curiosity

He's not Captain Jack you know!

But can a male Time Lord and a female human... well, can they... I mean, are they compatible in the sense of... that is, being the last of his race, would the Doctor feel pressed to... er, well,... sire offspring?

One does it for fun.....one does it for scientific reasons....



Well Maybe that is what the Doctor is trying to find out?????


Okay I better shut up now!!

Well there is a whole club who want to have his babies.