📝10/10

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"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.

In direct opposition to the classic series, the historical stories from 2005 are firm fan favourites. Not boring and stuffy but an opportunity to tell us universal truths about humanity, to give us hefty emotional stories that make us consider the cultural differences between now and then. It makes sense as the BBC have always been good at period pieces, they look and feel more grounded and impactful. Plus it is Moffat, so there are a bunch of sex jokes. They're good sex jokes though.

The gas mask zombies push body horror further than show has ever experienced before, right up to the line, to scare children witless. There is great pathos as well, because you identify with the mother posing as a sister, the orphans and Dr Constantine. The horrific transformation of characters into insensible child-like beings, before having gas masks pushed out of their faces is an iconic visual seared into the imaginations of my generation.

Moffat is a very clever writer. The most amazing thing about this first script (discounting Curse of the Fatal Death) is that although there is a highly technical explanation to why this plague has spread, it all adds up and explains the events in a natural sounding way. It never jumps the shark as the explanation is seeded so successfully. You are given everything you need to know to work out the solution in part 1, yet it still comes as a satisfying surprise in part 2.

The nanogenes are a great creation. You get your monster of the week in the empty child, but then the driving force of the menace are miniature robots that have been designed to cure acting as a virus. Its a complete accident - there are no baddies.

The lack of bad guys leaves space for the charming and morally ambiguous Captain Jack to take centre stage with our leads. He is so appealing and bounces off/ gets in the way of The Doctor and Rose in a fascinating way. He couldn't be more different from both of them, but slots in beautifully.

Because its such a well known classic I think its easy to forget just how ground breaking and seminal this story is. It sets a high water mark for the rest of the new series to live up to - many series will go by without a story at this level.