❤️49/50 = Superb! = Essential!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

THE COMMENTARY:

I love the high-speed chase that pulls us into the episode; it yet again shows what kind of action this new series is capable of.

Written by Steven Moffat. I wonder if he's any good!

This immediately begins building on the atmosphere with the eerie gas mask kid and the slow reveal that we are in London during the Blitz. The palpable wartime story mixes perfectly with the creepy alien mystery, which is why this two-parter is an instant classic.

It's amusing how the Doctor becomes perplexed about the TARDIS telephone ringing when it's not a real phone. Moffat will use this gimmick a couple of times during his tenure as showrunner.

The visuals range in quality: the costumes and sets look great, but some of the bigger VFX shots are wonky (i.e., Rose clinging to a blimp during an air raid; it's an awesome scene, but not fully believable).

John Barrowman introduces Captain Jack by having him save Rose, instantly establishing him as a sexy, dashing, and fun character, as well as a man ahead of his time.

I like the “Lost Boys” seen here, led by the determined Nancy. Chris Eccleston has great chemistry with the children and fits very naturally into this dark point of British history.

You are aware that the gas mask child is frightening, even if you are unaware of the reason (a specialty of Moffat's!). That constant, “Are you my mommy? Mommy?!?" is freaking scary.

I love how casually Nancy gets to insult the Doctor's nose and ears.

This episode strikes a balance between the Doctor's involvement in the creepy alien mystery and Rose's introduction to Jack, whose connection to the threat remains unclear despite his charming nature.

The fact that Captain Jack is a flashy, irresistible individual means that Rose is immediately infatuated with him, which rubs the Doctor the wrong way, and this adds a fun element to the story to ease the tension over the heavier stuff.

This one is surprisingly tense and engaging, despite being one long set-up for the second half.

The scene featuring the legendary Richard Wilson portraying Doctor Constantine is a timeless masterpiece. It feels wrong from the start and culminates in one of the scariest transformations in all of Doctor Who, as Constantine becomes a gas mask child.

“Don't you ever get tired of Doctor? Doctor who?” Well played there, Moffat!

The tail end of the episode breaks our hearts by revealing that Captain Jack is a con-man, and the crashed alien ship is an ambulance that has been rewriting human DNA. We then end the episode with an instant classic cliffhanger, as several empty children closein on the Doctor, Rose, and Jack...