Doctor Who, series 11, episode 3 – Rosa

Sometimes, to become witness of historical events and let the history unfold itself can be pretty hard. But not that hard as correcting the deviations (when the events are influenced by another temporal travel that wants the history changed) into a manner that makes the involved persons very familiar.

Initially, when the Doctor Who started in 1963, one of its purposes was to teach the young men watching the show history. The first two episodes of this new season where full with action, they wanted to introduce the new Doctor and her companions as direct the writers could, but the third episode returned to one of the firsts ideas of the show.

The episode takes place in Mongomery, Alabama, USA, in the year 1955, the Christian era, a time when the segregation of “negros” (colored men) was still law, with all the unpleasant effects that accompanied it. The seamstress Rosa Parks was involved in the fight of black men against segregation, and her arrent because a very stupid reason (she was seated on a place in a bus reserved for the white people) made people protests. That protests made, eventually, segregation to dissapear in the United States.

It’s a good episode, with clear rules and subject, withe Doctor’s companions helping equally in solving the current problem, because the discrimination still exists and it requires a continuous effort to eliminate. Also, the episode explains pretty good how the discrimination manifests and how you should react to it.

Directed by Mark Tonderai, written by Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall.

Cast: Bradley Walsh (Graham), Trevor White (James Blake), Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor), Josh Bowman (Krasko), Tosin Cole (Ryan Sinclair), Morgan Deare (Arthur), David Dukas (Elias Griffin JR), Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan), Mark Hugh-Williams (Bus Driver – as Mark Williams), Richard Lothian (Mr. Steele), Gareth Marks (Police Officer Mason), Aki Omoshaybi (Fred Gray), Jessica Preddy (Waitress), Vinette Robinson (Rosa Parks), David Rubin (Raymond Parks), Ray Sesay (Martin Luther King), Bradley Walsh (Graham), Trevor White (James Blake).

Next episode, Arachnids in the UK: The Doctor, Yaz, Graham and Ryan find their way back to Yorkshire only to find something is stirring amidst the eight-legged arachnid population of Sheffield.