Father's Day (Doctor Who episode)

"Father's Day" is the seventh episode of the rejuvinated Sci-Fi series, Doctor Who. It was written by Paul Cornell and directed by Joe Ahern. The episode originally aired on 14th May 2005.

Synopsis

Rose alters time when she prevents her father from being killed in a car accident. A paradox is created, and creatures appear who attempt to devour everything affected by the event. Rose and The Doctor end up sheltering inside a church where Rose gets a glimpse at the realities of her parents' relationship.

Plot

Rose asks The Doctor to take her back to the day of her father's death so that she can witness what happened. The Doctor agrees, but is concerned about Rose seeing the tragic event. They visit the place of the accident and The Doctor urges Rose to go to Pete as he lies dying in the street. She's unable to move, and asks if they can go back and try again. The Doctor has reservations, but agrees, however this time Rose runs out into the street in view of the previous versions of herself and The Doctor and pushes her father out of the path of the oncoming car, saving his life. The previous versions vanish.

They take a lift with Pete saying they're going to the same wedding he was attending, but stop off at the flat. While Rose is excited at saving her father, The Doctor argues with her that the interference in the time stream may have serious consequences. She's unconcerned and he storms off after taking her TARDIS key from her.

Rose continues on to the wedding with Pete, but The Doctor discovers that the TARDIS is just a hollow shell and rushes back to find her. In the meantime, Pete and Rose are confronted by Jackie outside the church - Jackie assuming that Pete is having an affair with her. As The Doctor catches up with her, winged creatures appear in the sky and start consuming the wedding guests. He rushes them into the safety of the church.

Within the church, the main characters have various conversations. Pete realises that Rose is his grown up daughter, and eventually becomes aware that the cause of the paradox was his being saved. The Doctor talks about the loss ofhis race and how they could have resolved the glitch in time. However, while trying to use the TARDIS to repair time, Rose comes into contact with herself as an infant. This gives the creatures greater strength and one of them materialises in the church. It colides with the TARDIS and both vanish, leaving Rose and Pete to work out how to save the people in the church.

Pete realises that in order to retore normality, he must accept his fate. Although Rose objects, she realises that unless Pete goes outside, they will all be doomed. They say their goodbyes and Pete goes outside to where the car that should have hit him is circling the square in a perpetual loop. Pete runs in front of the car and is fatally injured. Immediately afterward, The Doctor reappears and tells Rose to go to her father, and she holds him as he dies.

As the episode closes, Jackie is seen telling a young Rose the story of how her father died, including how a young woman sat with him as he died.