Written by Russell T Davies
Written by Russell T Davies
Written by Tim Schlattmann
If there’s one thing I’m beginning to realise about the new Doctor Who, it’s the fact that this show likes to be able to push certain social and political issues in a way that akin to the likes of Buffy (Whedon’s fun metaphorical slant) and also in a rather confrontational manner.
If last week’s stunner of an episode played with bigotry and intolerance, then this hour’s take on the cutthroat world of media, is, well rather unique.
Okay, to be honest it’s hardly State Of Play but points to Russell for showing ambition in this series, even if his fifth scripted episode out of seven episodes is easily his weakest so far to date. This isn’t a personal favourite of mine.
The Doctor, Rose and new boy Adam land on the mysterious Satellite Five in the year 200,000 in a light and breezy opening sequence which kind of indicated a less serious tone than last week. We’re soon introduced to a world where no aliens are on board and the workers in question distribute the news in how they see fit, thanks to a chip and spike upgrade in their heads.
They are literally computers so to speak but do not retain the mass amount of knowledge they package. The two workers who we meet and are only explored are Cathica and Suki, both women on the opposite side of the spectrum in the principals of Satellite Five.
For when she gets promoted to Floor 500, we soon learn that Suki is really an anarchist out to find out about Satellite Five’s real operations. No surprise then to learn that this media distributing factory is really corrupt and lead by The Editor (played nearly to perfection by Simon Pegg) and a disgusting roof creature named the Jagrafess.
Suki’s attempts of putting things right only end up with her being made into a mindless operator. Hardly the promotion of a lifetime, is it? This episode in itself is all about how destructive and beneficial certain knowledge can be but the pacing in a lot of places however is either sloppy or rather dull to be honest.
With Suki almost too quickly dispatched the focus on Cathica is thankfully a little more rewarding. At first she bored me senseless with her constant whining about not breaking protocol and her reluctance to ask questions or even be the tiniest bit curious about Satellite Five, which is uncharacteristic for a journalist.
That got emphasised during the scene with The Doctor and Rose attempting to override the codes to get up to Floor 500. It’s a bloody good job then they did a 360 with Cathica shortly afterwards.
Relegating The Doctor and Rose from The Editor and Jagrafess until the final act should’ve been advantageous to their face off but sadly the one we got on display lacked bite. Some sarcasm between The Editor and The Doctor is amusing but over too quickly and a rather simplistic argument between them about slavery, though funny confused me a bit.
For an episode that looked to be striving to be debatable, a deeper set of theories from The Doctor on freedom and choice would’ve been interesting. It also didn’t do this episode any favours by having the Jagrafess easily dispatched, turning The Editor into a wuss at the end and having Cathica saving the day instead of The Doctor and Rose.
However this episode wasn’t an entire failure as Adam’s quest for knowledge took a surprising turn. After Rose’s encouragement of phoning home, Adam ended getting the same upload as Satellite Five employees (watch out for an amusing appearance from Tamsin Gregg as a nurse) and nearly cost The Doctor and Rose their lives.
I wish I could’ve sympathised with the guy a little more but in light of the danger he caused and the experiences he’s had of his own, I think The Doctor forcing him to live a normal life back home was a fair punishment. It’s just a shame we only had him for two episodes. Even Rose didn’t put up much of an argument to get The Doctor to change his mind.
Not that Adam’s disownment is a total shocker. After all, The Doctor and Rose spent a large amount of time together in this episode without him and again the strength of their relationship was explored during scene with both Cathica and Floor 500.
Adam also went out of his way to note that even he couldn’t get in between them too. I wonder if part of his quest to be much smarter had been down to jealousy or trying to be an intellectual equal to The Doctor? I guess we won’t be finding anytime soon.
Also in “The Long Game”
Satellite Five news: 200 dead on Venus, the Face of Boe is pregnant and one of the TV stations was called “Bad Wolf”. I’m beginning to wonder that “Bad Wolf” might have something to Rose and not The Doctor as such.
The Doctor (re Adam): “He’s your boyfriend.”
Rose: “Not anymore.”
On Satellite Five you were either classed as ladies, gentlemen, multi-sex, undecided and robot.
Suki: “You’re my lucky charm.”
The Doctor: “I’ll hug anyone.”
Suki’s lies were that she was born on the 199/9/89; she was from the Independent Republic of Morocco and had joined Satellite Five for financial reasons. The truth is her is name is Eve San Julian, a self declared anarchist and last survivor of Freedom 15.
Cathica: “You’re not management, are you?”
The Doctor: “At last, she’s clever.”
Reasons for no aliens on Satellite Five were due to emigration threats and the price of space walk doubling. Cathica didn’t go into detail over the minor reasons.
Adam: “I’m going to be sick.”
Nurse: “Special offer, we installed a vomit-o-matic at the same time.”
Type 1 of the fancy headwear has a 100 credits and no scarring while Type 2 has full intro spike and 10,000 credits. Adam chose the latter.
The Editor: “I was hoping for a philosophical debate. Is that all I’m gonna get, yes?”
The Doctor: “Yes.”
How much knowledge did The Doctor give to Adam? The Editor acquired quite a lot of it, didn’t he?
Cathica (to The Editor): “Oh no you don’t. You should’ve promoted me years back.”
Adam: “But I want to come with you.”
The Doctor: “I only take the best. I’ve got Rose.”
Adam’s been away from home for six months. Did he tell his parents the truth or fob them off with a travelling story?
With such a phenomenal episode last week, I was kind of expecting “The Long Game” not to be as impressive but there was a lot of stuff that didn’t just gel with me. We got way too much plodding around the place during certain and the amount of techno babble was kind of excessive. It’s an interesting idea, deterred by disappointing execution, thereby making this the weakest episode of the season.
Rating: 5 out of 10.
The Doctor: “Don’t you see? It’s all gone. Everything you were, everything you stood for.”
Dalek: “Then what should I do?”
Let’s be honest, the first five episodes which all have their merits were the warm up act of the new Doctor Who. This, however is our first water cooler episode (and with good reason) and here the pressure was quite high. After all, a whole new generation, including myself were about to get acquainted with one of the Time Lord’s greatest foes, the Daleks and this was certainly one confrontation you didn’t want to miss, whether you were a novice, a long term fan or happen to flit in between both groups.
Last seen in 1988’s “Remembrance Of The Daleks” and the 1996 TV Movie, the lone Dalek’s pain drew the TARDIS to an underground museum in Utah, the most conservative place in America, which may be ironic as the hour plays on the themes of bigotry and intolerance.
The Doctor and Rose soon find themselves as intruders to an arrogant billionaire named Henry Van Statten, the so called owner of the internet and in general, a collector of alien artefacts and other assorted material not for public consumption.
Played by Corey Johnson, Henry is something of a dislikeable presence and the fact he’s willing to torture aliens of what he has no understanding of when he isn’t labelling them (both The Doctor and the Dalek get a taste of this) and has no problem with sacrificing his staff, when he isn’t wiping their memories makes him the first proper human villain we’ve had this season (Cassandra really doesn’t count on that score).
Halfway through the episode, I wanted to punch the guy’s lights out and most of the time, I had hoped the Dalek would’ve killed Henry but sadly this didn’t happen but more on my dislike for such a wretched character later.
It seems that seventeen years off screen and falling through space and time, not only is this Dalek the only survivor of it’s kind from the Time War but it struggles with that fact, when it isn’t ridiculing The Doctor. The relationship between The Doctor and the Daleks has always been psychological as well as destructive, which has been one of the reasons why they are iconic TV villains in their own right.
Taking in the fact that I’m a slightly desensitised TV viewers and real life events aside, even I found the lone Dalek to be quite a threat in this episode. Easily the first genuine threat we’ve had as well might I add.
The Doctor’s hatred for this particular species whose only design is to kill at sight is understandable and Christopher Eccleston is given some complex material to chew on and does so effortlessly. The Dalek, when it wasn’t sucking, shooting and electrocuting all of Henry’s finest soldiers has other moments to shine. Its attempts of grappling with being the only Dalek in existence are fascinating as is the effect that Rose’s DNA is having on its mental state. It was her touch after all that made this thing a threat. Probably Rose’s dumbest moment to date touching an unknown creature but Billie Piper more than makes up for it during a surprise twist of events.
For once she and The Doctor are opposing paths as she takes the Dalek’s side, giving both her and The Doctor some fantastic reasons as to why the Dalek should live or die. With the right set of instructions, Rose alludes that there is a possibility of the Dalek not being a threat but The Doctor knows that without a conscious, the Dalek will always be a threat to humanity.
Voiced by Nicholas Briggs, we got to see the inside of the nefarious creature and even I felt a little sympathy for it. I think Rose made the right call by telling the thing to exterminate itself in a spectacular sequence. Is this the last we’ve seen of the Daleks? I seriously doubt it but how about an introduction or what?
It was great to have a confrontation that was psychological and emotional. As a viewer it’s a lot more interesting to watch than unnecessary and extreme violent endings and that kind of an ending would’ve ruined the good work in this exceptional tour de force.
For me there seems to be a lot of giving in this episode and it extended way past the Daleks. The wonderful and quite pithy Diana Goddard (think Lilah Morgan in a way), nicely dispatched of Henry by erasing his memory and as a reward, we as an audience got the rather nice Adam (Coronation Street’s Bruno Langley) as a new companion for The Doctor and Rose.
What can I say about Adam? He’s something of a boy genius but not in an overly egotistically way, he’s got a massive crush on Rose (and I spotted that even before he gave her a tour of his living quarters), wants to explore the world, has nowhere to go and thinks people who claim to have seen aliens are nuts.
Oh and The Doctor enjoys teasing him in a similar way to teasing Mickey. Does that cover everything? Either way, it’ll be interesting to see this trio tackle aliens for however long.
Also in “Dalek”
Henry’s museum contained chunks of meteorite, moon dust, an artefact from the Roswell spaceship, a Slitheen hand, a head of a Cyberman. We also saw a strange musical instruments and a variety of weapons.
Henry: “She’s quite pretty.”
Rose: “She is going to slap you if you keep calling her she.”
We got no Jackie or Mickey this week. Plus, our Bad Wolf sign was Henry’s helicopter. Who is this mysterious Bad Wolf the writers keep alluding to?
The Doctor: “Impossible.”
Dalek: “The Doctor? Exterminate, exterminate!”
Dalek: “Do you fear me?”
Rose: “No.”
The Dalek got a few nicknames in this episode including “Metaltron” by Henry, “Pepperpot” by Adam, a “Big Bin” by Rose and “Nothing” by The Doctor. Adam also got called “English” by Henry and “Pretty” by The Doctor.
Goddard (re Dalek): “But it’s killing them.”
Henry: “They’re dispensable, it’s unique.”
Adam (to Dalek): “Great big alien machine defeated by a flight of stairs.”
Adam made a sly reference to War Games when he said he hacked into the US defence system.
Adam (re fight): “I could.”
The Doctor: “What are you gonna do? Throw your A-Levels at it?”
The chronology is 2012, six years after “Aliens Of London”/“World War Three”.
The Doctor: “Why don’t you just die?”
Dalek: “You would make a good Dalek.”
Henry had his assistant sent to either Mississippi or Michigan. Diane had him sent to Seattle, San Diego or Sacramento. She made him into a homeless junkie.
The Doctor (re Dalek): “It couldn’t.”
Rose: “What about you, Doctor? What the hell are you changing into?”
Dalek: “Are you frightened Rose Tyler?”
Rose: “Yeah.”
Dalek: “So I am.”
Diana ordered the Utah museum to be cemented. This whole plot reminded me of The Initiative in Buffy Season Four.
Wow, this was incredible! “Dalek” was not only a fantastic reintroduction to a classic foe but also a rather discussion worthy episode in how both the Dalek and The Doctor touched on bigotry in their destinies. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper delivered their best work to date as did our guest stars this week. Unmissable on every account!
Rating: 9 out of 10.
With something of a disjointed ending to “Aliens Of London”, I hate to admit that the very start to our concluding hour to the Slitheen wasn’t getting off to a good start itself.
The tension that lacked in the closing moments of last week didn’t seem to be making an appearance here and the first ten minutes bounced from The Doctor inflicting a bit of pain on our green skinned nemesis, fleeing from security to Rose and Harriet almost being killed.
It wasn’t the best in terms of Russell’s writing and who would’ve thought that The Doctor trapping himself, Rose and Harriet inside the Cabinet room would’ve been a sigh of relief? I didn’t but given the rather silly opening of this episode, I found it to be a blessing in disguise as The Doctor and company devised some plans.
As the Slitheen continue their quest, their real reasons for the take over and destruction of planet Earth was revealed to be less insidious that thought. It turns out that all they really want to do is to obliterate Earth so they can sell it bit by bit? Fantastic scheme that is as it does little to improve our 10 Downing Street saga.
Plot wise, this seems a little to futile and for me the straw that broke the Camel’s back. Despite some great acting by David Verrey as Joseph Green and Annette Badland as Margaret Blaine, I just couldn’t take this plot any more serious. For me the danger was lacking and I just wanted this lot exterminated (hint for next week).
Having being rescued by Mickey, I found Rose’s boyfriend and Jackie’s scenes far more interesting to watch mainly because there was better characterisation with them than with the Slitheen. In fact you could argue that it was Mickey and Jackie who did more to save the day than The Doctor, Rose or Harriet.
After killing one of the Slitheen with a vile combination of vinegar, eggs and gherkins (it seems that breaking calcium is a weakness for this lot), Jackie and Mickey were then put in the unenviable position of endangering Rose. Let’s just that both of them had tough decisions to make in order to do the right thing and prove their love for her.
Jackie got some wonderful turning points in this episode as she openly expressed more rage at The Doctor for constantly putting her daughter at risk, even if Rose made it clear that it’s her choice to be with The Doctor.
Jackie seems to be a good enough parent if a little clueless about what her daughter really wants out of life, but at least a lot of what she says and feels and how she expresses it is believable. She treats Mickey like the boy who isn’t good enough for her child, yet lets him take charge when a situation is heavy and she’s out of her depth.
This is made into an example when Mickey hacks into the royal Navy base and uses a missile from a submarine to hit Downing Street. Jackie could’ve stopped him but deep down she knew both him and The Doctor were doing the right thing. In the end she also admitted to liking The Doctor (well she did try it on with him “Rose”) and hinted that Rose felt more for him. I like The Doctor and Rose together but I’m not sure about a coupling though. Is it really necessary?
It’s Mickey however who is really the highlight of the episode and I just absolutely loved his interactions with The Doctor tonight. They were simply priceless. The constant baiting Mickey had to endure forced him to be a hero and even The Doctor respected him enough to invite him to tag along in the TARDIS. I wasn’t surprised Mickey rejected his offer though, even though he probably knows that by staying behind he may lose Rose. It was very easy to like and feel for the guy in this episode.
The explosion that wiped out the Slitheen (hopefully the lot of them) didn’t excite me. I found it to be too random and after a messy exposition I was only too glad to rid of them to really care how they ended but the final ten minutes of this episode was the best. With all the other MP’s obliterated, Harriet is now in a position of power and it was probably her idea for the whole “Alien Hoax” line the press spun in the aftermath of the Slitheen. That was a cop-out but understandable.
As for Rose and The Doctor, their bond definitely seems to be intensifying. The Doctor had a hard time telling Jackie he could always protect her. Rose on the other hand knows he can’t and has just gotten to accept it. She also trusts his instincts even if she isn’t afraid to challenge them from time to time.
Jackie and Mickey may love her but I don’t thin they’ll ever be completely okay with Rose always coming and going in and out of their lives but as the final scene indicates, they don’t a choice in the matter.
Also in “World War Three”
Why are the “Previously On” bits still silent? It’s a little weird.
The Doctor: “That’s never going to work, is it?”
Sergeant: “No.”
The Doctor: “Fair enough.”
When trying to find Harriet, the Asquith Slitheen described her as an old girl with stale perfume and brittle bones. Margaret described Rose as young and hormonal.
The Doctor: “Harriet Jones, I think I like you.”
Harriet: “I think I like you too.”
History lesson about 10 Downing Street: 2000 years ago it was a marsh land, in 1730 it was occupied by Mr Chicken and 1976 it was a Cabinet room. The security doors were installed in 1991.
Mickey: “No-one’s gonna look for you here, especially since you hate me so much.”
Jackie: “You saved my life. God, how embarrassing is that?”
The real name of the Slitheen I can’t even pronounce, let alone spell it but it’s long enough and featured quite a few f letters in it. Other disguises that they had though were as Captain James from RAF, Ewan McAlistair, the deputy security of the Scottish Embassy and Silvia Delaney, chairperson of North Sea boating club.
Margaret (re fighting the Slitheen): “What, you trapped in your box?”
The Doctor: “Yes, me.”
Rose (re strategy): “Do it.”
The Doctor: “You don’t even know what it is, you just leap?”
Although uncredited we saw Navin Chowdry in this episode as The Doctor moved Indra’s body away. He apologised, though he wasn’t responsible for the man’s death.
Jackie: “I could stop you.”
Mickey: “Do it then.”
There was a fair amount of political referencing in this episode, including a jibe made about those infamous WMD dossiers in regards to Saddam Hussein. The missile Mickey also launched was titled UGM 848.
Harriet (to the public): “Mankind stands tall. Proud and undefeated, God bless the human race.”
Harriet ran for three successful terms and is seen as an architect of Britain’s Golden Age. I wonder if we will see her again.
Jackie: “My daughter saved the world.”
Rose: “Even The Doctor helped.”
Other stuff: While away Jackie has told everyone that Rose has been an au-pair in France, Rose has a TARDIS picture on her phone and the Doctor and Rose’s next journey is the horse head nebula.
In this episode’s defence, “World War Three” was a better instalment than “Aliens Of London” but it took quite a while for things to actually pick up in it though. The destruction of London we saw here is definitely on the nose in the wake of the attacks that happened last July. However I thought some of the effects were a little dodgy and while I enjoyed this more than last week’s episode, it was still rather unsatisfying.
Rating: 7 out of 10.
