🙏🏼60% = Fine! = Skippable!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: Big Ben is destroyed, aliens have a farting problem, and the cliffhanger makes a comeback!

This is a review of both Aliens of London and World War Three.

STORY:

It’s back to the present day for this one, with Rose having to deal with the consequences of her travels while trouble looms in the background. A spaceship crash lands in London, and what follows is RTD’s take on a classic alien invasion story, with an eager Nine investigating.

The adventure begins promisingly, but the focus quickly shifts to news coverage of the crash, political scheming, and running gags centred on farting aliens and Harriet Jones, of which only the latter truly works (Penelope Wilton is phenomenal). Since this is a two-parter, there’s a bit more time for the story to take its time to build tension and real stakes, and that is why the pace feels a bit less rushed. Aliens of London is essentially one big build-up for the real event in World War Three.

The Slitheen as a concept does feel silly in retrospect (they are child-friendly aliens with a great design, clearly created in hopes of sling toys), though they carry a scary quality with the head chippers and the big claws. I also like how they are a family business rather than a race that tries to take over Earth for business reasons.

The humorous tone and playful take on politics haven’t aged all that well.

I love the final few moments of Aliens of London, which cut excellently between the Doctor having a speech, Jackie being attacked by a Slitheen, and Rose and Harriet being cornered by another; all three scenes culminate in a tense reveal of the Slitheen in modern Who’s first cliffhanger.

The fast-paced plot of World War Three propels the action, with the Slitheen effectively attacking everyone. I also like how the Doctor, Rose, Harriet, Mickey, and Jackie all work together to figure out what’s going on and how to stop it while being put under immense pressure from the Slitheen. But this is also where the stakes are felt, and we realise for the first time what travelling with the Doctor might mean for Rose, in case he cannot save her every time.

POPULATION:

Chris Eccleston continues to develop his take on the Doctor, and we get a better understanding of his views on alien races, humanity, and violence. Billie Piper doesn't get a whole lot to do, with Rose mostly reduced to a more traditional companion role. Camille Coduri fires off in this two-parter, not taking any bullshit from the Doctor while truly showing how much she cares for Rose. Mickey is still largely played for laughs but gets a couple of opportunities to step up and prove his boyfriend's chops.

The guest cast is pretty nice, with the aforementioned Wilton and the wonderfully creepy but oh-so-delightful Annette Badland standing out. David Verrey overplays his comedic aspects too much, and Rupert Vansittart is difficult to take seriously as well.

This is the 21st-century debut of UNIT (still named after the United Nations at this point), though their role is pretty minimal.

PRODUCTION:

I find the music somewhat distracting in this one, and the visual effects vary hugely in quality (the crashing spaceship looks pretty good, but the Slitheen reveal at the end of Aliens of London is a bit naff, while the Slitheen costumes are great). The production design isn’t very interesting, as most of the story is set inside Downing Street, the TARDIS, or the Tyler residence.

ATMOSPHERE:

There are some tonal inconsistencies here, and the episodes clumsily jump between comedy, action, and more serious dramatic beats. However, I find the fact that the UNIT in the 21st century has certain measures in place to get hold of the Doctor if the need arises a realistic one.

The explosive finale feels perhaps a bit too much, but at least it ends this adventure on a high note.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The first two-parter of the revived series has pacing issues, somewhat childish aliens and a heavy memphis on politics, but it’s also effectively action-packed and fun at times.