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Dan Owen reviews

Episode 5: "World War Three"

Broadcast on BBC1, Saturday April 23rd, 2005

Cover

Director:

Holby City, The Royal, The Knock

Screenplay:

Russell T. Davies

Bob & Rose, Casanova, Children's Ward, Cluedo, Doctor Who, The Grand, The House of Windsor, Linda Green, Mine All Mine, Queer as Folk, Revelations, The Second Coming, Springhill, Touching Evil

Cast:

The Doctor: Christopher Eccleston
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Mickey Smith: Noel Clarke
Jackie Tyler: Camille Cadouri
Margaret Blaine: Annette Badland
Harriet Jones: Penelope Wilton
General Asquith: Rupert Vansittart
Sgt. Price: Morgan Hopkins
Joseph Green: David Verrey
Himself: Andrew Marr
Assistant Commissioner Strickland: Steven Speirs
Reporter: Jack Tarlton
Reporter: Lachele Carl
Spray Painter: Corey Doab
Slitheen: Elizabeth Fost

Synopsis: The alien Slitheen unleash their plot upon the Earth, while The Doctor and Rose try to save the world with the help of local MP Harriet Jones.

After last week's enjoyable, yet ultimately daft opener, this two-part episode continues on a similar vein. However, the script manages to plug some of the logic gaps presented last week (including a plausible reason for the alien farting), and without many special-effects to distract viewers from the absurdity, this episode manages to improve upon the story, too.

Ultimately, the promise presented by the title World War Three never materializes fully, but The Doctor's machinations in Number 10 Downing Street - trapped in a sealed room with Rose and MP Harriet Jones, is enjoyable. Particularly good is the way Jackie Tyler and Mickey are integrated into the story to battle the aliens - via Roses' "super phone".

I have my doubts with Russell T. Davies' abilities as a science-fiction writer, and "World War Three" only reinforces those concerns. As a contemporary update of Doctor Who cheesiness and ridiculousness - it's an undoubted success - but those elements of the show are perhaps not to be revered as highly as Davies obviously does...

For every genuinely effective moment, there's a weak gag or implausible moment just around the corner. These moments give the show a distracting up-and-down feel between overtly ridiculous alien clowning, melodramatic peril with The Doctor, occasional moments of brilliance, and often turgid family soap moments at the Tyler household.

Above all, this episode (and, so far, all of Davies' output) just lacks bite. It's all very simple, safe, silly and family-oriented. For a Saturday evening show at 7pm, this is perhaps to be expected, but I get the feeling I'm not the only person hankering for Doctor Who to "get serious" and give us something meaty to grapple with.

Next Week: Two words: "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE".

DIRECTION PERFORMANCES PLOT SOUND/MUSIC SPECIAL FX
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dan Owen, 2005.

E-mail Dan Owen

The following is a list of all the Doctor Who content reviewed to date :

2010 Series 31, Episode 1 - "The Eleventh Hour", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 2 - "The Beast Below", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 3 - "Victory of the Daleks", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 4 - "The Time of Angels", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 5 - "Flesh And Stone", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 6 - "The Vampires of Venice", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 7 - "Amy's Choice", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 8 - "The Hungry Earth", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 9 - "Cold Blood", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 10 - "Vincent & The Doctor", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 11 - "The Lodger", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 12 - "The Pandorica Opens", by Dan Owen 2010 Series 31, Episode 13 - "The Big Bang", by Dan Owen

2008 2008 Xmas Special - "The Next Doctor", by Dan Owen 2009 2009 Easter Special - "Planet of the Dead", by Dan Owen

2008 Series 30, Episode 13 - "Journey's End", by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 12 - "The Stolen Earth", by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 11 - "Turn Left", by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 10 - "Midnight", by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 8 - "Silence in the Library" (part 1 of 2), by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 7 - "The Unicorn and The Wasp", by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 6 - "The Doctor's Daughter", by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 5 - "The Poison Sky" (Part 2 of 2), by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 4 - "The Sontaran Stratagem" (Part 1 of 2), by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 3 - "Planet of the Ood", by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 2 - "The Fires of Pompeii", by Dan Owen 2008 Series 30, Episode 1 - "Partners In Crime", by Dan Owen

2006 Series 28, Episode 1 - "New Earth", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 2 - "Tooth & Claw", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 3 - "School Reunion", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 4 - "The Girl in the Fireplace", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 5 - "Rise of the Cyberman", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 6 - "The Age of Steel", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 7 - "The Idiot's Lantern", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 8 - "The Impossible Planet", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 9 - "The Satan Pit", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 10 - "Love and Monsters", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 11 - "Fear Her", by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 12 - "Army of Ghosts" (Part 1 of 2), by Dan Owen 2006 Series 28, Episode 13 - "Doomsday" (Part 2 of 2), by Dan Owen

2005 Series 27, Episode 1 - "Rose", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 2 - "The End of the World", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 3 - "The Unquiet Dead", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 4 - "Aliens of London", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 5 - "World War Three", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 6 - "Dalek", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 7 - "The Long Game", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 8 - "Father's Day", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 9 - "The Empty Child", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 10 - "The Doctor Dances", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 11 - "Boom Town", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 12 - "Bad Wolf", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 13 - "The Parting of The Ways", by Dan Owen 2005 Series 27, Episode 1 - "Rose", by Dom Robinson 2005 Series 27, Episode 1 - "Rose", by Paul Manners

And the Audio CDs :

2000 04: The Land of the Dead 2000 06: The Marian Conspiracy 2000 10: Winter for the Adept 2000 12: The Fires of Vulcan 2000 14: The Holy Terror 2000 15: The Mutant Phase 2001 16: Storm Warning 2001 18: The Stones of Venice 2002 28: The Chimes of Midnight 2002 30: Seasons of Fear 2002 31: Embrace the Darkness 2002 35: ...Ish 2002 39: ...Bang-Bang-A-Boom!

2003 Doctor Who Audio CDs: An introduction

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