Dept. of Awesome Thirteen

[kaffy_r]

"Rosa"

I approached this one with a certain amount of trepidation. It's U.S. history, about America's particular, and particularly virulent, racism (which is not to suggest that there isn't virulent racism of various flavors damned near everywhere, but yes, this is in my wheelhouse, so I was worried that it could have been mishandled.) It's written by Brits. The story could have gone very wrong. It didn't, in my opinion. Comments that follow are both Doylist and Watsonian and are under the cut because, while I tried to keep them fairly spoiler-free and I think I was successful, I don't want to take that for granted.

1. The tension level was right, both dramatically and in terms of real history. It was the tension of Every Little Thing Can Get You Killed; the tension of always smiling, in order not to get killed; the tension of pleasant, sunny days, doing ordinary things like working or getting on a bus, and knowing that the person whose suit you tailor, or who takes your fare despises you.
2. The level of reality was not what I'd been afraid it might be. It was far better than I expected, and that was great. It showcased all the tension I mentioned, plus the weary cynicism of knowing, as a black woman, that even the "good" white people have no bloody idea of what you're living with every single day. It knew, and admitted, that victories don't come at the end of a television show's episode, and that even the most complete victories are always going to be partial. The story didn't play fast and loose with actual history. 
3. The actress who played Rosa Parks played her exceedingly well, without histrionics, and with nuance.
4. The American accents, if they were done by non-Americans, didn't pull me away from the story.
5. The Doctor has become a lot smarter about race than she was when she airily told Martha that it didn't matter. I'm so glad about that. Actually, I'm glad about this Doctor, period, full stop. She is great; she is kind, curious (even more curious than previous iterations), brave, quick-thinking, and beautifully suited to working with a team.
6. One continued regret, that Yaz hasn't yet been highlighted the way she should be.

Comments

[st_aurafina]

I'm glad to hear from someone in the US that it was handled all right - I was worried. I really enjoyed the episode - the Doctor's face as history unfolded right behind her, so wrapt and amazed. I loved it.

Yaz definitely needs some more to do! She's great.

[beccadg]

6. One continued regret, that Yaz hasn't yet been highlighted the way she should be.

Yeah, I thought the bigots thinking she was Mexican rather than even recognizing what part of the world her heritage is from put how she hasn't been properly highlighted in a nutshell.

Course on a personal level I was excited to see a Vortex Manipulator. I'd wondered with the show putting both Jack Harkness and River Song behind it whether Chibnall would do anything involving a VM. I got a quick answer to that.

[elisi]

5. The Doctor has become a lot smarter about race than she was when she airily told Martha that it didn't matter. I'm so glad about that
The only ameliorating factor is that Elizabethan London was a lot less racist than the South in the 50s... However, that does not excuse Ten from telling his companion that she'll be fine because he is.

[liadt]

I would have liked the Baddie of the week to have a firm reason for trying to stop Rosa or maybe that was the point?

I think Yaz hasn't been highlighted much but maybe that's because there is a female Dr so the female companion isn't seen as important?

[promethia_tenk]

I am with you about the tension. I thought it was the most standout thing about the episode. The sense of constant menace was expertly done.

Give us more Yaz already!