Rose Tyler,an ordinary human living and working in London,
suddenly finds her life turned upside down when while searching for her supervisor she is accosted by a group of walking mannequins. She is whisked away by a stranger who saves her life,and addresses himself only as "the doctor" who indicates to her she is in danger and should run for her life. After this the building explodes. Out of a job,her mother Jackie seeks compensation for her when the doctor suddenly returns to her house claiming to trace the source of these living mannequins. Rose decides to use her boyfriend Mickey's computer to do an online search and begins an online conversation with a man named Clive. Upon visiting him with a suspicious Mickey,Rose is told by Clive that this doctor has been present at every crucial moment in history and that death follows in his wake. On a dinner with Mickey afterwards,she notices Mickey continually harping on the subject of the doctor while stuttering oddly. The waiter who keeps bringing them champagne turns out to be none other than the doctor himself. When the cork from the bottle doesn't kill him when swallowed the doctor and Rose escape and she gets her first look at the TARDIS.
The doctor explains that an alien race called the Nestene consciousness,largely destroyed in a great war have come to Earth to feed off it's excess in chemical resources. He has developed an anti polymer agent but wishes to negotiate first. He and Rose confront the consciousness in an underground warehouse beneath a Ferris Wheel they are planning to use to transmit a signal to control all the plastic on the planet,in the company of a very living but terrified Mickey. The doctors negotiations backfire when the Nestene discovers his anti polymer agent and attempt to abduct the doctor and his TARDIS. Meanwhile the Nestene went through with their plans and now Rose's mother Jackie,confronted by a collection of murderous Autons,is in danger along with everyone else in London and the world. Moved by his honest but kind pleas on humanities behalf,Rose uses her gymnastic skills to bungee jump across the room,knocking the anti plastic into the consciousness,destroying it and saving Mickey and the doctor. Upon returning to London the doctor offers for Rose to join him. But it's only when he mentions the TARDIS can travel through time that Rose says goodbye to Mickey and accepts his offer.
Russel T. Davies had an enormous challenge before him in 2004 when he was developing a new version of Doctor Who for the BBC after it's 15 year absence from the network. Christopher Eccleston was a fantastic choice for the ninth incarnation of the doctor,bringing with him a fast talking mix of the absurdest humor and intellectual ennui that not only suited the role of the doctor perfectly,but also the new quick pace of the relaunched series. Billie Piper also triumphs as the plucky and complex Rose,who is basically forced to choose between moving at breakneck speed for no real reason or for every reason in the universe. The Autons,in a plot not too dissimilar to the third doctor story Spearhead From Space provides excellent connectivity for those classic Whovians looking to enjoy the new show. Though driven by intense action and horror,this story has many humorous overtones such as the awkward motions of the Autons and Jackie Tyler making the moves on the doctor on first sight of him. One of the all time strongest introductions in the Whoniverse.
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