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TARDIS Guide

Overview

First aired

Saturday, May 28, 2005

Production Code

1.10

Written by

Steven Moffat

Directed by

James Hawes

Runtime

45 minutes

Story Type

Two-Parter

Time Travel

Past

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

AI gone wrong, Everybody Lives!, LGBTQA+

Inventory (Potential Spoilers!)

Squareness gun

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Earth, England, London

UK Viewers

6.86 million

Appreciation Index

85

Synopsis

The Child's plague is spreading throughout wartime London, and its zombie army is on the march. The Ninth Doctor and Rose form an alliance with intergalactic con man Captain Jack, but find themselves trapped in the abandoned hospital. They head to the crash site of Jack's supposed space junk and discover the ground zero for the mysterious plague.

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6 reviews

Review #13

The great con part 2


This episode was a nice conclusion to the story. The doctor rose & Jack are all together This time and fight off the Gas Mask Zombies. We get a shocking Reveal that Nancy is actually the mother to the empty Child or as his real name is Jamie. It has a good ending and for the first time Everybody Lives! 10/10


Jann

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This review contains spoilers!

Just this once, everybody lives!

A great second part for this story, Rose and The Doctor are reunited and their stories from the previous episode come together to solve this problem. The Doctor and Jack have a lot of fun back and forth, Jack realizes his wrongs and makes the ultimate sacrifice (though he is rescued).

The mystery of the empty child has a satisfying conclusion and in the end everybody who was infected gets to live, a happy ending for all


Jonathan_

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2025 Rewatch (Post the same review for all parts)

  • This story is still a classic, even after 20 years. It's such a high-concept horror thrillride
  • Moffatisms galore. You can hear him in his scripts, and I dare say they become a little distracting
  • The simplistic use of the gas mask is such a brilliant idea, weaponising something already creepy to make it worse
  • Jack seems much rougher around the edges under SM's writing, and I dare say more likable. There's a better twinkle in his eye. It's a shame SM never wrote for him again
  • That old woman with the regrown leg is an absolute icon

KieranCooper

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This review contains spoilers!

Disclaimer: This Review is the exact same, as with my Review on the Episode "The Empty Child". This is because I consider this Two-Parter not only ONE Story, but also consistent in its Quality, which is why I didn't see the Need to write two separate Reviews.

Honestly, is there anything i can add to this? It’s such a perfect story, when I revisited series 1 last year in order, I was fairly bumped out by the first couple of episodes, but episodes like this make this series easily one of the best of the revival (and I say that who tends to prefer classic in many ways). This two parter is wonderful, as many pointed out Florence Hoath who played Nancy was such a good guest star in this “serial”. The Doctor and Rose might have some of their biggest dynamic in here and the addition of jack is lovely (I haven’t seen much of Torchwood yet, but this might just be my favorite use of jack so far).

The ending with 9 embracing the fact that everybody lives in such a time is just stunning, easily my favorite moment of his Doctor. For me nothing can beat “Dalek”, it’s just sooo good, but this is a very close call. Yet another showcase why Eccelston, even through he may seem like a major departure from the previous actors who played the part, still is and always will be an excellent choice. There is a lot I just love about it, really I have a hard time of thinking any negative I have with that Story, just so good!


RandomJoke

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This review contains spoilers!

📝10/10

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

"The Doctor Dances: Moffat’s Bananas Blitz Brilliance"

Steven Moffat’s knack for clever wordplay shines through with the title of this episode, setting the tone for what’s to come later in his writing career.

The resolution to the previous episode’s cliffhanger is masterful and could only work with Christopher Eccleston’s distinctive portrayal of the Doctor. His sheer confidence and authority bring the moment to life.

The Doctor’s fury at Jack for exploiting the Blitz for personal gain is perfectly in line with this incarnation’s simmering disdain for human folly—though Jack, to his credit, proves more resourceful than most. The growing rapport between Nine and Jack, peppered with their playful banter and comparisons of gadgets, is a highlight of this episode.

It’s also the source of some of the show’s most iconic lines, like “Bananas are good!” and the wonderfully absurd “Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, ‘Ooh, this could be a bit more sonic?’” Both Eccleston and John Barrowman deliver these lines with impeccable charm.

From start to finish, this episode is intense. While there’s room for the occasional sharp joke or tender moment, the overarching narrative remains an exhilarating fight for survival. A standout scene features Rose inviting the Doctor to dance while he’s busy “resonating concrete”—a delightful moment of levity that underscores their growing bond.

This episode’s script has become a treasure trove of quotable moments and memes over the years, cementing its reputation as the stronger half of this two-parter. The stakes continue to rise as the airborne contagion spreads, adding urgency and tension to the climax.

There’s a particularly touching exchange between Rose and Nancy when Rose reveals the Germans will lose the war, offering Nancy a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. The revelation of the nanogenes as the source of the gas mask plague is a clever twist, transforming a benevolent technology into something terrifying due to a simple error. It’s an elegant example of Moffat’s ability to make the mundane unsettling.

The climactic moments are utterly gripping, culminating in the emotional payoff when the question “Are you my mummy?” is answered. What follows is arguably the Ninth Doctor’s finest hour: his unbridled joy as he exclaims, “Just this once, everybody lives!” It’s a rare and cathartic moment of unfiltered happiness that never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

The episode ends on a high note, saving Captain Jack so he can continue adventuring with the Doctor and Rose. The final scene, with the trio dancing in the TARDIS, is a perfect conclusion, tying the story back to its title and leaving us with a sense of hope and joy that feels well-earned.


MrColdStream

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Quotes

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DOCTOR: Funny little human brains. How do you get around in those things?

— Ninth Doctor, The Doctor Dances

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Transcript

[Albion hospital]

(The patients are almost within touching distance.)

DOCTOR: Go to your room.

(The patients in the ward and the child in the house stand still.)

DOCTOR: Go to your room. I mean it. I'm very, very angry with you. I am very, very cross. Go to your room!


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