Continuing on from The Ghost Monument in my Series 11 rewatch, I really really like Rosa. I don't think it's perfect, but I think it's a very comfy, entertaining and educational episode of the show.

Malorie Blackman is really the shining star of the show. I don't know for sure, but I presume Chibnall's contribution would mostly have been to do with Krasko, and references to Artron Energy/Stormcage, so I feel like I can say with reasonable confidence that the actual plotting of the episode is down to Blackman, and I think it's just terrific. I love how we see the TARDIS team facing racism in Alabama, it doesn't shy away from that at all, and is a great example of show-don't-tell that we were maybe missing in The Ghost Monument. I think the episode is paced, plotted and structured really superbly, we move through the episode with enough time to reflect on the subject matter, but without it ever losing sight of the overall plot. I especially adore the montage where all of the gang go about their different tasks; the companions will be split up again in later episodes and it won't work as well, but I think it works fantastically here. I also think there's some really brilliant dialogue - I love the conversation about racism behind the bins between Ryan & Yaz, and equally, the Doctor's references to being Banksy are just hilarious! Overall a really strongly written episode in my opinion. My only real complaint would be I think the ending is...odd. Surely there are better examples of Rosa Parks' successes than an asteroid.

Mark Tonderai comes back to direct this one, and I maintain that he's mostly fine. There are some really nice fluid shots (I especially like the opening scene, which could've easily been a cold open, with the camera shooting down and the tense way the scene in the bus is shot) but there are equally some let-down shots. There are weird and annoying lens flares throughout, and the confrontation in the warehouse between The Doctor and Krasko is full of distracting extreme close-ups. I also maintain he really doesn't do the TARDIS set any justice, and seems to only shoot it in a way that makes it look tiny. But these don't add up to that much run-time, and overall I do genuinely think he's just fine as a director.

The performances in the episode are also a bit up and down for me. Vinette Robinson is an absolutely fantastic Rosa Parks, and I think all of the main team give good performances, especially Bradley Walsh. His face at the end when he becomes part of history is just incredible. I think it's such an amazing moment in the writing and he just pulls it off so well, it is genuinely heartbreaking. Joshua Bowman as Krasko and Ray Sesay as Martin Luther King are less impressive to me though, I find their performances quite stilted and it does take me out of the episode a bit at times.

Finally, I think the music is really, really strong in this one, some of the best in Series 11. Segun Akinola's more orchestral approach really fits the episode, but it's never too much either. Krasko's swooping evil cello theme and Rosa's ultra-American trumpet teme are both brilliantly simple, but really effective and emotive too. The episodes score, especially noticeable in the montage sequences, really help to move the episode a long when needed, and to bring real emotional gut-punches when needed too. I also like the use of 1950s music at the start of the episode, and Andrea Day's Rise Up at the end of the episode.

Overall, I really like Rosa. I think in the writing and the music is where the episode absolutely shines, along with some of the performances, and some of the direction and some performances is really all that lets it down for me. Nonetheless I'd give it a solid 8/10.