Top Five Big Damn Hero Moments: Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Who is a show filled with extraordinary things and, as such, it often gives its characters the chance to do the incredible.  They’re flawed, as they should be, and so they make mistakes, but they also get to be brave, clever, and strong.  I’ve already spoken generally about Rose.  Today, though, is about her biggest, best moments as a companion (spoilers ahead.)

Saving the Doctor from Himself (“Dalek” – Series 1, Episode 6)

I love that, although Rose has thrown her lot in completely with the Doctor, she doesn’t shy away from arguing with him when he’s wrong.  This is especially prevalent with Nine, no more so than in this episode.  It’s not so much that the Dalek doesn’t deserve to die – rather, it’s about waking the Doctor up and helping him remember that he’s not one to kill without question.  Plus, the experience helps him open up to her about the Time War.

The Bad Wolf (“The Parting of the Ways” – Series 1, Episode 13)

No question about this one.  Sent away from the Doctor for her protection, Rose tears a panel open in the TARDIS and looks into its heart.  I love her determination to get back to the Doctor, not just to try and save him, but because she can’t stand by while people in other times and places are suffering and dying.  The first time I saw this episode?  Chills.

Confronting the Sycorax (“The Christmas Invasion” – Series 2, Episode 0)

It’s interesting; while I like Rose and Ten together, I find that her strongest moments in series 2 are often without him.  Here, she steps onto a hostile alien ship and tries one of the Doctor’s go-to moves, bluffing herself some extra time while attempting to come up with a plan.  It’s true that the Sycorax aren’t terribly impressed with her, but as far as she knows, the Doctor is down for the count at this point and she still faces them.  The woman’s got guts!

Taking the Domestic Approach (“The Idiot’s Lantern” – Series 2, Episode 7)

This is maybe an odd inclusion, but I really like it.  I enjoy Rose’s cleverness in this episode, spotting the people with the best intel and putting together the little things.  While the Doctor is off investigating something else, she works on a hunch of her own – a correct one, as it happens.  Also, who doesn’t love her giving Mr. Connelly attitude for hanging the Union flag upside-down?

Rallying the Troops (“The Satan Pit” – Series 2, Episode 9)

At this point in the season, Rose is pretty deeply tied to the Doctor, and though she tends to think of herself as lesser or incapable without him, this episode once again shows what she can do on her own.  With the Doctor unreachable, the base under siege, and everyone freaking out, Rose takes charge and helps everyone focus on the problem at hand.  True, she doesn’t work out how to stop the Ood or get safely through the base, but she identifies the people who can figure these things out and keeps them on task.  It’s a pretty Doctory move, and a great one at that.