4. Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways (Series 1, Episodes 12 & 13 - 2005)
The very first "hidden story arc" of the modern Who era comes to a climactic end. Emotion has always run high on Doctor Who, and this first regeneration story is no exception. We see companions, temporary and otherwise, risk life and limb under The Doctors leadership, and just when we think hes going to sacrifice himself (and humanity, in the process) to destroy the Daleks ; in pops Rose Tyler, the vengeful God. It is her absorption of the Time Vortex that not only kills the Daleks, but hints her and The Doctor to the future peril they will face aboard the Games Station. All throughout their adventures, the phrase "Bad Wolf" followed them, causing them to wonder, "Who's the Bad Wolf?". It turns out it was Rose all the long, as she was destined to destroy The Doctor's enemies, but also to cause The Doctor's first modern regeneration. Sacrificing one of his lives for her, The Doctor kisses her and absorbs the TARDIS's power source into himself. Which means that before his body dies off, The Doctor must use all of his cellular energy to rewrite his appearance and reboot himself. Same mind, new face. However, this doesn't happen before he tells Rose how fantastic she was as a Companion, as well as patting himself on the back. Maybe he knew who hed regenerate into
Mike Reyes
Contributor
Mike Reyes may or may not be a Time Lord, but he's definitely the Doctor Who editor here at What Culture. In addition to his work at What Culture, Mr. Reyes writes for Cocktails and Movies, as well as his own personal blogs Mr. Controversy and The Bookish Kind. On top of that, he's also got a couple Short Stories and Novels in various states of completion, like any good writer worth their salt. He resides in New Jersey, and compiles his work from all publications on his Facebook page.
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