‘Doctor Who’s ‘Doomsday’ Turns 20: 9 Happier Doctor & Rose Episodes to Help the Heartbreak

It’s been 20 years since Doctor Who devastated its characters and fans in one fell swoop, separating the Time Lord (David Tennant‘s Tenth) and his companion (Billie Piper‘s Rose Tyler) seemingly for good. “Doomsday,” the second of a two-parter with “Army of Ghosts,” aired on July 8, 2006, and it followed through with the ominous warning at the start of the latter: Rose’s “This is the story of how I died.”

With the Doctor, Rose, and their friends and family members (including from a parallel Earth) in the crossfire of a fight between the Daleks and Cybermen at Torchwood (in Canary Wharf), the only solution became to close the breach between the two worlds. But doing so would result in anyone who had traveled between the two being sucked in, which included the Doctor, Rose, Rose’s ex-boyfriend Mickey (Noel Clarke), and the parallel Earth’s version of Rose’s father Pete (Shaun Dingwall) — meaning they all had to be in Pete’s world when it started. Rose’s mother, Jackie (Camille Coduri), was the only one safe, though the others brought her over. Rose, however, refused to leave The Doctor (who had a plan to remain safe), despite the Time Lord and Pete’s attempt to trick her to do so, and returned to his side.

Then came the gut-wrenching moment when it all fell apart.

The Doctor and Rose held onto magnetic clamps to keep themselves from falling into the Void … only for Rose to let go of hers to right a lever, then lose grip on that — and fall right into Pete just in time for him to save her but bring her back to his world. The door between the worlds was closed, but with the Doctor and Rose on different sides. The image of both putting their hands against the wall on either side, Rose crying, and The Doctor’s devastation clear on his face? Painful.

Rose was listed among the dead at Canary Wharf. (This battle would later be a major reference point on the spinoff Torchwood.)

One last breach — fittingly opening on Pete’s world in a location known as Bad Wolf Bay — allowed the Doctor and Rose to say goodbye, but it closed before he could return her “I love you.” The Metacrisis Doctor would go on to finish that sentiment two seasons later, when the Time Lord left the part-human version of himself on the parallel Earth with Rose. That was a version of a happy ending for the characters, but it didn’t erase what had happened in “Doomsday.”

For the anniversary, we’ve put together a list of happier episodes for the pair to watch. Check them out below.

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