Episode 1.05

Picking up where the last episode left off, we find the Doctor and Rose fighting to save the Earth – and themselves – from an alien race that appears to bent on conquest.

While a lot of time, effort and work has obviously gone into these pair of episodes, it looks and feels like something we would have seen in the original series. There is some “filler” time spent running around in corridors (though I get the feeling this is a bit of a nod to the original series)  and the real versions of the creatures, while they look good, do still have the appearance of a guy in a suit (when not CGI).

What is original for Doctor Who is the motive of the aliens. In the original series, the creatures would have been bent on conquest or destruction. It is nice to see the writers looking at things from a slightly different perspective.

Being a fan of the “technothriller” novel (Tom Clancy et al) I was a bit disappointed with this episodes handling of use of nuclear weapons. The question I found myself asking is: given their intentions and motives, if the aliens could infiltrate a government so easily, why not take over the biggest nuclear power on Earth (ie the USA) and have direct access to the weapons they needed? One could easily point to an alien’s lack of understanding of human governments however they seemed to know enough to manipulate the UN. This is plotting that would have been right at home in the original series during the Pertwee/Baker era, but to modern audiences rings too much of deux ex machina.

The best part of this episode is really, once again, when the dynamics of Rose’s family and relationships are examined – during the moments of intense stress as well as the final scenes of goodbye. Praise must be heaped on all the actors for their excellent work during these scenes, especially Camille Coduri as Rose’s mother Jackie and Noel Clarke as Mickey. They bring a strong base of reality to the series.

Overall, while the double episode was enjoyable, I don’t think the plot deserved the extra time given. This is the first disappointing episode in what has been a strong series. Let’s hope it’s not an indication of thing to come.