It’s Playlist Post #12 and we are shaking it up! You’ll notice that the title of the post has been changed to “Rose and THE DOCTOR Feels” to reflect our Time Lord’s enduring love for Rose Tyler in all his reincarnations. We’ve talked Nine, Ten, Eleven, and TenToo here, so it’s only right.
And if that’s not exciting enough, today’s blog is by viewer request. We were challenged to do a post entirely on duets! I’ve picked five such songs from our now 554-track playlist for your reading and listening pleasure. And obviously I made sure to get an 80s movie soundtrack staple in there somewhere. The 80s were all about duets.
“Mirror” – Amber Rubarth, featuring Jason Mraz
“I read your words backwards
And as hard as I try
When the room steams up, I turn in and hide
Been dropped more than once
I don’t claim to be new
I only notice the cracks when they break across you.”
NINE. NINE. NINE.
All Nine, all the time.
Nine is all swaggering confidence and steely reserve before he starts to see himself through Rose’s eyes. He doesn’t think things through and his solution to pretty much any conflict is “kill everything.” Let’s go back to “Dalek,” because my beloved Rose can even make the most hateful creature in the galaxy like her. She’s standing between the Doctor and the Dalek, and the Doctor is ready to shoot.
The Doctor: “Rose, get out of the way now!’
Rose: “No! Cause I won’t let you do this.”
The Doctor: “That thing killed hundreds of people.”
Rose Tyler: “It’s not the one pointing the gun at me.”
Rose was always the most compassionate of all the companions and so best one for the post-war Doctor to meet first. When he sees that she is more afraid of him than of the Dalek, he’s horrified. It’s his worst nightmare. So he has to try to change.
I also love this episode, because it’s a Dalek who’s the first to give the Doctor real talk about his love for Rose. Even the Daleks ship it.
“You and I” – Secondhand Serenade
“I know, I’m not alone.
I’m not the only one who is broken.
And I know I’ll never let you go.
I could watch the world pass by,
Just as long as it’s you and I, you and I.
I watch you take over.
I’ll give you this offer:
Take my hand and we’ll run away,
Leave behind our past to stay.
Decaying ’til it’s rotten.
A we’ll have long forgotten
The memories that will haunt your heart.
Let’s tear this town apart.”
Earlier this week, I came across my new favorite Nine/Rose head canon in a Tumblr post. I take absolutely no credit for this theory, but I do now 100% subscribe to it. See if you agree:
“When the Ninth Doctor first asked Rose to travel through time with him and refused, the Doctor accepted that and moved on. He traveled through space and time, saving the universe, all lonely for years thinking “I wish Rose could have been here.” Eventually, he goes back to a few seconds after he left Rose and says “By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?”
Rose never knew how long the Doctor waited for her.”
I MEAN, COULD YOU JUST DIE?
Then, a reply adds to it. To paraphrase: this head canon makes sense, because we see photos of the Ninth Doctor at points throughout history, even though he acts, during the events of this first episode, like this face is brand new. So we know that the Doctor in his Ninth regeneration was at the JFK assassination, but it couldn’t have been before “Rose” or after she ran away with him. It had to be during that amorphous amount of time between Rose’s rejection and “Did I mention it also travels in time?”
He CAME BACK. After ALL THAT TIME. Because he knew he needed her. Excuse while I just…
“If The Moon Fell Down” – Chase Coy and Colbie Calliat
“I must’ve done something right
To deserve you in my life
I must’ve done something right
Along the way
And even if the moon fell down tonight
There’d be nothing to worry about at all
Because you make the whole world shine
As long as you’re here everything will be alright.”
When you’re traveling the universe and risking life and limb to save entire civilizations, you should probably be ready for anything. Even mortgages.
The Doctor: “And then what?”
Rose: “I don’t know. Find a planet, get a job, live a life, same as the rest of the universe.”
The Doctor: “I’ll have to settle down. With a house or something – a proper house with… with, with doors and things – carpets! Me! Living in a house!… Now that, that – that is terrifying.”
Rose: “You’d have to get a mortgage!”
The Doctor: “No!”
Rose: “Oh yes!”
The Doctor: “No, I’m dying, that’s it, it is all over.”
Rose: “What about me? I’d have to get one too!…I don’t know, we could have the same one, we could both… I don’t know, share… or not. Whatever. I don’t know, all sorts of…”
The Doctor: “Anyway -“
Rose: “We’ll see-“
The Doctor: “I promised Jackie I’d always take you back home.”
Rose: “Everyone leaves home in the end.”
The Doctor: “Not to end up stuck here.”
Rose: “Yeah, but stuck with you – that’s not so bad.”
The Doctor: “Yeah?”
Rose: “Yes.”
What I love about this dialogue is that the Doctor CAN actually start to imagine a normal life without throwing himself into the nearest black hole. We’ve covered Ten’s humanity before in posts about the “Human Nature/Family of Blood” two-parter. So what’s worrying him here isn’t the loss of HIS freedom, but the possibility that Rose will be unhappy stuck somewhere with just him and no TARDIS. He still doesn’t understand that, if it came down to it, she could take or leave the travel and adventure – her happiness is dependent only on being with him.
“I’ve Got This Friend” – Civil Wars
“I’ve got this friend
I don’t think you know him
He’s not much for words
He’s hidden his heart away
Oh I’ve got this friend
A loveless romantic
All that he really wants
Is someone to want him back
Ohh, if the right one came
If the right one came along
Ohh, If the right one came along.”
This is 100% Eleven. Eleven who covers his pain with goofiness, but is so vocal to Amy about what he means to him. This is someone who has learned from mistakes, but still fiercely protects his heart.
“I’ve Had the Time of My Life” – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warren
“I’ve had the time of my life
And I never felt this way before
Yes I swear it’s the truth
And I owe it all to you
‘Cause I’ve had the time of my life
And I’ve searched through every open door
‘Til I found the truth
And I owe it all to you.”
Someone please photoshop Ten and Rose’s faces onto this.
And that’s our duets post! Thanks, as always, for reading. Challenges keep us on our toes, so please keep suggesting themes! Till next week…
I cannot tell you two how much I enjoy your blog and especially THESE posts. This antique has blundered her way onto Spotify with you chirrens, thanks to you, and feeling many many feels as a happy result.
At the risk of sending many of us into tailspins at our desks, has Richard and Teddy Thompson’s “Persuasion” come up in the playlist conversation? For the lyrics and the music and most especially the harmonies and the FEELs? Hmm? Lordy.
I will look it up right now! Thanks for the sweet comment…we love writing these posts and love that our readers love them 🙂 -K
Aaaaaaaaaaaand I just added “Persuasion”. Great suggestion! -K
Eeeeek! You guys are amazing! What a great way to end my (otherwise not so great) day!!! Fabulous as always 🙂