Doctor Who: World War Three (2)

Rose: "Mum, if you saw it out there, you'd never stay home."

Well, at least Jackie believes in aliens now. That's just made Rose's life a whole lot easier. Or maybe more difficult; I can't decide.

A cracking follow up episode to Aliens of London. Some nice character interplay too this week. Mickey and Jackie finally make amends, after what's surely been a turbulent year for both of them. Now that Rose is back, Jackie no longer has reason to hate Mickey. Particularly after he risks his life to save her from Sip Fel Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen (I kid ye not!).

There's been a slight thawing, too, of Jackie/Doctor relations. True, if anything, Jackie has less reason than ever to trust the Doctor. Last week her fears were based on worst case scenarios and supposition. This week, she knows for certain that the Doctor's an alien, and that danger stalks him like a... dangerous... stalky thing. To make matters worse, she knows that Rose will never leave him. Jackie puts it down to infatuation and maybe there's some truth to that. But if Jackie's ever going to be comfortable with the idea of Rose traveling with the Doctor, she'll need some hefty reassurance that he can keep her safe.

Unfortunately, keeping her safe isn't something the Doctor's particularly good at. She's already had three near death experiences in as many episodes. And no sooner have the words "will she always be safe?" left Jackie's mouth, than the Doctor's risking her life again. Of course, it's always in the noblest of causes... saving the world and all... but still, it's not the kind of reassurance that Jackie was hoping for.

There's a begrudging acceptance too of the Doctor's unique talents this week. Mickey tells Jackie that despite the Doctor's faults, he's the only man alive who can save them. Who else is qualified to deal with an alien invasion? And Jackie, though clearly not overjoyed at the prospect, does seem to accept the truth of Mickey's words. I suppose with aliens running all over the place, she doesn't have much choice.

The Slitheen grew on me a little this episode. In general, I liked their story. I also liked the premise behind the invasion. But the comedy aspect of their species... their slightly comic-book baddie personalities, their poorly realised CGI/rubber suited bods and their incessant farting... seemed to sap them of all menace. They're supposed to be ferocious killer aliens. But any sense of tension just shrivels and dies the moment one of them farts. They could have been so much better.

I did love Harriet Jones though. An MP with a conscience? You can tell this is fiction. Who'd ever believe such a thing? Despite all manner of pandemonium breaking out, it was Harriet who helped the Doctor deduce the Slitheen's genetic weakness. Without her, there would have been no gherkin and picked onion alien killer juice. And for some reason, her repeatedly apologising for saying "fart" fit her character perfectly. I do hope we see more of her in future episodes.

And we caught a glimpse of the Doctor's broodier side again this week. He says to Jackie, "This is my life. It's not fun or smart; it's just standing up, making a decision because nobody else will." One of the downsides to being the last of the Time Lords is there's a dearth of underlings to delegate responsibility to. Who else can do what he does? Sure, traveling time and space is a blast. But sometimes he has to kill people, and sometimes he loses those he loves.

Rose also had her own decisions to make this week and to her credit, when the options became few, she didn't shy away from danger. She's stepped up to the plate, fully cognisant that one stroke of bad luck could spell disaster for all of them. I love that about Rose. She's not just in it for the good times. She sees the bigger picture and realises that the issues are sometimes grander than herself. Plus, she's slowly starting to trust the Doctor; even at times when he doesn't fully trust himself.

Bits and pieces:

-- An amazingly hidden reference to Bad Wolf this week (particularly if you don't speak French). The American newsreader is called Mal Loup (French for Bad Wolf). Her name doesn't appear in the episode itself, but is revealed on Mickey's website "Who is Doctor Who?"

-- We got to know more about the Slitheen this week. Slitheen is their surname, not their species. And they appear to be intergalactic scavengers, intent on turning earth into a nuclear wasteland and selling off the radioactive slag as ship fuel.

-- The English reporter was played by actual news reporter Andrew Marr. Previously, he was editor of the Independent newspaper and currently hosts The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One.

Billie says...

I agree; I liked this one a bit better than part one. Who doesn't love Slitheen French farce? Mickey and Jackie were a lot less annoying and a lot more fun, plus it was nice to see them bonding. There was a bit less farting and a lot more Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North. An obscure, unambitious woman of a certain age, serving in a backwater of government, thrust into a situation where she had to take over, and she came through admirably, showing great courage and wisdom.... gee, that sounds like another show I review, doesn't it?

People do tend to die when they hang about with the Doctor, so Jackie is actually right to be worried. Do things just go to hell when the Doctor's around, or does the Tardis automatically take him to where the scary and fatal action is? Maybe it's both. And I can definitely see romantic vibes between Rose and the Doctor. Jackie wasn't imagining it. But what can she do? Is Rose going to stay home with Mum, or travel the stars with an exciting, mysterious man?

Exploded Slitheen in the kitchen. Mickey will be cleaning for weeks. Good thing Rose left with the Doctor, or I guarantee she'd be the one scrubbing the green crap off the walls.

Quotes:

Doctor: "I think you'll find that the Prime Minister is an alien in disguise. (pause) That's never going to work, is it?"
Police man: "No."
Doctor: "Fair enough."

Harriet: "Who's not human?"
Rose: "He's not human."
Harriet: "He's not human?"
Doctor: "Can I have a bit of hush?"
Harriet: "Sorry. But he's got a northern accent."
Rose: "Lots of planets have a north."

Jackie: "Got anything stronger?"
Mickey: "Not a chance. I've seen you when you've had a few. This ain't time for a conga."

Jackie: "Gherkins! Pickled onions! Pickled eggs!"
Doctor: (to Rose) "And you kiss this man?"

Harriet: "Voice mail dooms us all."

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(Season 1, episode 5)