Doctor Who - World War Three

Well this episode, at least the first half of it, was more like classic Doctor Who than any of the series so far. There was dodgy rubber aliens, there was lots of running up and down corridors, there was the Doctor being cheeky to aliens in the face of danger, there was the Doctor saving the day with a fire extinguisher and there were dodgy plot devices galore.

The episode was saved from being completely rubbish by some nice human character writing, a little injection midway and a nice end section.

So the bad first...

The rubber aliens looked really bad. However the CGI when the aliens were running around was good, in fact I think it was very good. Also the bit where the aliens unzipped their human suits became very tedious, it was scary the first time, the tenth time was just predictable. The interaction between the aliens and the Doctor was a bit by the book too, very predictable.

The running up and down corridors was just like the old days. We have one set, let's use it lots! In fact at times it felt a bit like Benny Hill, cue music.... I think some of this was intentional, but it went a bit too far.

The script was also less witty than usual, Russell T Davies' jokes a bit too unsubtle.

Ludicrous plot devices. Killing an alien with vinegar, after taking forever to figure out which planet they come from. Weak. Hacking into the UNIT systems, using a web browser and a password of "buffalo". Then "hacking" into a nuclear submarine and launching a missile via a web browser. Hello?! I mean, I know that web services are in vogue at the moment, but exposing a web browser interface to your missile systems. I think not. And since when was buffalo a secure password anyway?

Everything tied up at the end. It seemed like the end of a plot arc, Rose's mom somewhat satisfied by her leaving with the Doctor, Rose committed to travelling with the Doctor, Rose's boyfriend deciding that he didn't want to go with the Doctor and Rose. But it didn't leave me gagging for more, didn't leave any tantalising hints hanging just out of reach.

The good...

A standout joke, (something like) "The aliens have weapons of destruction aimed at the world which can deployed within 45 seconds". For those who don't know, Tony Blair (in)famously claimed that Iraq's WMD's could be deployed in 45 minutes.

A moment of serious, character revealing brilliance in the midst of all the saving the world stuff. Rose talks to her mom on the phone, her mom asks the Doctor to guarantee her safety. The Doctor remains silent. Brilliantly played.

Then the end section was nicely played. As I said earlier the end of an arc and it was all wrapped up okay.

So not the best episode, I'm not sure that I liked the two part format, maybe if the story was a bit stronger? But I still can't wait until next week, because next time it's "Dalek". Woohoo!