Ugh, what a week. I missed Monday and Tuesday for workouts because my son was home sick both days. I managed workouts the rest of the week, but didn't actually do any writing. So now I am making up for it, and this is the first of three back-dated entries. Let's go.

Rosa

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

Have I mentioned that I love the Pure Historical stories? I think I have once or twice. Like, it really saddens me that after Black Orchid way back in the Fifth Doctor era, the show has never done another one. The First Doctor has some fantastic ones like Marco Polo and The Massacre, and the Second Doctor weighs in with great stories like The Highlanders and The Smugglers. With the advent of color, though, that story format was pretty much completely abandoned. From that point on, aside from the afore-mentioned Fifth Doctor story, every tale involves some kind of science-fictional element even when they are set in a historical period.

Honestly, even Rosa fails to be a Pure Historical, but it is the closes we have gotten in over three decades. But much like the upcoming Demons of the Punjab, the little bit of science-fictional flavoring really only serves as an impetus to set things in motion. At its core, this is all about the segregationist American deep south, and about the actual people like Rosa Parks and Dr. King who stood up for human rights despite the very real cost. Rightfully so, this episode won a Visionary Arts Award for Television Program of the Year at the BAFTA awards just a few days ago.

This episode is exactly what Doctor Who is supposed to be about - alternating whiz-bang science fiction romps with compelling historical dramas that serve to do more than just entertain. Vinette Robinson is pitch-perfect as Rosa Parks, and Malorie Blackman's script is spot-on. As I said in my post when this episode first aired, the most important thing this script does is maintains Ms Parks' autonomy and dignity. The function of the TARDIS Team in this story is not to save the day, but rather to protect events from outside interference and allow Rosa Parks to simply be herself. 

Three episodes into the new era, and it is an absolute home run. It's a shame that the next one is so awful.

STATS:

Doctor(s): Thirteenth
Companion(s): Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan
Episode(s): Rosa
Steps Walked: 7,697 today, 4,413,442 total
Distance Walked: 4.31 miles today, 2,311.29 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 0 today, 10,800 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 5,265 total
Weight: 262.58 lbs (five day moving average), net change -44.88 lbs