Wow, thanks so much for your lovely review! The paragraph with the Doctor's efforts to get Rose back described like a magic quest results from my feeling that Doctor Who is fundamentally a fantasy show in spirit despite all the science fiction trimmings.

I liked the idea of the Doctor's first confession of love for Rose being somewhat accidental. Saying the words under direct pressure would still have been hard, but the tendency for his feelings to just pop out that makes him rude can sometimes be a good thing.