BBC
The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special is just days from hitting our eyeballs. And, with five decades of history to mine, it has the potential to bring back dozens of familiar faces (or voices). It won’t be a shock to see Billie Piper, whose involvement was announced months ago and has figured prominently in the excitement-building PR campaign. Piper is heavily responsible for the success of the modern series, as new audiences were introduced to the traveling Time Lord and the TARDIS through the eyes of shopgirl Rose Tyler back in 2005. Based on the cryptic trailers for the special, fans have begun to wonder if Piper is even playing the Rose we know and love in this new story. For the sake of this list, we’ll assume that she is, though we fully understand how futile it is to try to predict Doctor Who. Right or wrong, here are five reasons to rejoice over the return of Rose Tyler:
1. It’s Rose freakin’ Tyler.
Every Whovian has a favorite companion, but there’s no denying the role that Rose Tyler played in grounding the modern series. She was the perfect doorway into this bizarre world for newbies, a normal girl who possessed huge stores of bravery and compassion.
2. We can catch up with Rose and TenToo.
When last we saw Rose, she was sucking face on a beach with her half-human clone Doctor. What have they been up to over in the alternate universe? Is it kids and game nights and bagged lunches, or have they kept on running and getting into trouble? Bets on the latter.
3. It’s time for Rose to meet Eleven.
She’s known two of his faces already; we’ve been craving a meeting between Rose and Matt Smith‘s Eleventh Doctor. And considering he’s the same man who gave up the love of his life for her own sake, we expect some good old fashioned angst.
4. She’ll huff and puff and blow your house down.
Remember when Rose absorbed the time vortex and disintegrated the Daleks and saved the Doctor and made Jack Harkness immortal without even knowing it? That was awesome. There’s a moment in the 50th trailer where her eyes glow like Bad Wolf Rose, so fingers crossed we’ll see this badassery again.
5. David Tennant and Billie Piper, you guys.
Chemistry like this can’t be manufactured, folks. And we really had so few episodes with the perfect pairing of Rose Tyler and the Tenth Doctor. It will do hearts good to see these two together again.
And one reason to fear it.
1. Steven Moffat
While her creator Russell T. Davies had great affection for Rose Tyler, the current showrunner has gone on record calling the companion a “needy girlfriend.” Do we really want our beloved Rose in those hands? Be kind to her, Steven. Or at least fair.
