Friday, March 30, 2012

Doctor Who Watch-A-Thon Season 1 Episode 5



As an effort to justify our somewhat obsessive T.V watching Meghan (Of Coffee and Wizards and @MegTao on Twitter) and myself have decided to undertake a Doctor Who Watch-a-long. We'll be starting with the beginning of the 2005 relaunch and will be posting about one episode each Friday, on our respective blogs. We hope you'll join in – whether as a re-watch or to discover the Doctor for the first time!

*just a heads up each post may contain spoilers for that episode and then ones before it*



Written by: Russell T Davies
Directed by: Keith Boak
Episode Summary
Now locked in the reinforced Cabinet Room, the Doctor and Rose finally learn of the Slitheen's intentions. Having locked themselves in however, how they will manage to stop them becomes a major issue. While trying to keep the aliens at bay, the Doctor works against the clock to destroy them the only way he knows how - to blow up 10 Downing Street. To so however, Rose's boyfriend Mickey will have to hack into a submarine's computer and launch a missile.


Thoughts on the episode

 Picking up right after the previous episode, Aliens of London, World War Three ensures that viewers are going to be in for a crazy action packed ride. This couldn;t make me happier. I loved the action heavy episodes.

Now that the aliens have revealed themselves to the Doctor and he has escaped from their electrocution plan, the pressure is really on for them to catch him before he ruins everything. Simultaneously, they're trying to tie up loose ends by destroying Rose, Harriet, Mickey and Jackie. Needless to say there is a lot of running around. My roommate pointed out to me that when it's just the Slitheen in a scene they run amazingly fast but when there is ascene with other actors they slow down. He may think this is because of special effects/computer generation but I think it's because they don't want to reveal how truly fast they are just yet ;) I also want to mention that this is one creepy episode - almost entirely because of the alien voices. They give me the shivers. Even my puppy stopped what he was doing and stared at the TV screen.
We get to see a lot more Harriet Jones (MP Flydale North) in this episode and I've got to say she is one fab lady. The way she was going to sacrifice herself so that Rose had a chance to get away and how she was even willing to let people have a drink before her. If I was facing a similar crisis I would not turn down a drink if it was offered to me. But she keeps her wits about her and because of that we're told she is to become the architect of Britain's Golden Age. Can anyone say Girl Power?

Science: A Lifesaving Tool Against Crazy Aliens
As a final note, this episode is an excellent argument for why you should pay attention in high school science. When the Doctor realizes the aliens aren't just any aliens, but in fact Slitheen, he informs us that they are calcium based creatures. This means they can be destroyed by acidic things and since Mickey and Jackie just happen to be in his kitchen, this means anything vinegary. Pickled eggs, pickled beets, pickled anything! Jackie dumps it all into a large measuring cup and throws it at the Slitheen causing it to explode and save the two from immediate danger.


Favourite Moment
When the Slitheen are waiting for the call from the UN to release the nuclear weapons codes, the acting prime minister stands up and exclaims:

"Victory! Must be naked!"

Of course you must. Everyone wants to be naked at their victorious moments.

Do you have any alien fighting tips and tricks? And what did you think of "World War Three"?

3 comments:

  1. I love how impossible it is to mention Harriet Jones without adding MP Flydale North XD

    ReplyDelete
  2. All I can think when I see the woman who played Harriet Jones is that now she REALLY doesn't fit in on Downton Abbey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She's on Downton Abbey? I really need to start watching that show

      Delete