Holistic Review: It's funny but veers toward juvenile, and is somehow slow despite being twice the usual length, but it does have some good emotional scenes.

Aliens of London (which, I suppose, I'll be using to refer to both parts of this two-parter) is one of those episodes that does a lot of things right, but just enough things wrong to keep me from totally loving it. I'm beginning to think it may be something about Russell T Davies' style of writing, but I haven't yet put my finger on it. Part of it, I think, is that the plot still feels fairly straightforward, even though we have what is basically the equivalent of a classic four-part story. This may be somewhat due to the fact that the plot keeps grinding to a halt for the inclusion of a lot of emotional scenes revolving around Rose; fortunately, because I really like that sort of thing, this doesn't bother me at all. But it does take away from time that might otherwise have been used for developing the plot into something more multilayered. The more serious problem, I think, is that the Doctor and Rose are sidelined from the action a lot of the time. In part one, they're so far from the crash site, they're forced to resort to watching it on TV, which is clever in a "oh, ha ha, the Doctor is overlooking modern conveniences" way, but in narrative terms it leaves me cold because I don't want to watch TV on TV, at least not for a great big stretch. (Oddly, this trick probably speeds things up a lot because it gets whole chunks of exposition out of the way, so I don't understand why I still find this story a bit slow.) The longer we spent watching reporters on TV, the more uncomfortable I became, because I wanted to see the Doctor get into the action. When we then cut into "real life" to see General Asquith striding into the hospital, it felt even more strange that the Doctor wasn't there with him. The reason this sort of thing worked in The Dæmons, I think, is because it was a hook into the story - the news program gave us an idea what was going to happen, but the main action unfolded once the Doctor arrived. So, I just felt it went on a little long here. Then, in part two, the Doctor and Rose spend basically the whole episode trapped in the meeting room at 10 Downing, where they can basically do nothing except try to figure out the aliens' plans and direct things remotely. I can understand the reasoning behind this - it's a good chance to flesh out Jackie and Mickey, which is probably more interesting than the Doctor going ahead and launching the missile himself - and there are times when this really works well, but after a while it started seeming very strange that the Doctor hadn't yet figured out a way to escape the meeting room. (This was most vexing toward the end, when all the Slitheen trooped off to await the nuclear activation codes, leaving the room completely unguarded - and yet still the Doctor and company stayed to await their almost-certain obliteration.) I think this all contributed to my feeling that the plot was not always as quick as it might have been, and that the Doctor and Rose's role was minimized.

Despite this, the regulars are still great. Eccleston seems to be very good at portraying anger, most notably in the scene in which the Doctor confronts the soldiers about their shooting of the pig - you can tell that the Doctor's not really angry, he's just sad. This is also, I think, a very important facet of his characterization - otherwise (and I can't believe I'm saying this) the constant grinning could get a little irritating. As it is, the Doctor's moments of blithe glee are nicely counterbalanced by his more serious turns, just like our Tom always used to do it. Billie does an amazing job as Weepy!Rose, who tugged on my heartstrings most effectively. I also like the little hand motions she makes when she says "Don't you disappear!", and it's a nice touch that she knows Mickey's kitchen better than he does!

Jackie and Mickey are certainly the most prominent of the other characters in this story, and I'm pleased that this time, they both come off well. I still really like Camille Coduri's performance, although (understandably) Jackie is less wacky-funny here and much more serious. I was also very pleased that she finally decided to give the Doctor a chance over a "proper sit-down" - and very irritated at the Doctor for refusing to go!!! I just know there was a lovely scene in there somewhere. (Doesn't he need to eat at some point anyway?) It's Noel Clarke who makes a real turnaround - by the end of the story, I find myself almost liking Mickey. Part of it is that he finally proves his worth - holding his own against the Doctor, demonstrating how much he cares for Rose and how much he suffered in her absence, protecting Jackie from the Slitheen, ultimately dealing the death-blow to the invaders, and admitting his vulnerability to the Doctor. At this point, I find him to be rather interesting, and I wouldn't be sad to see him return. I also really enjoyed the tension between the two of them, which I didn't even catch until my third viewing - it's very interesting to learn that Jackie was suspicious of Mickey too, so I'm glad that they've been able to make amends now. Mickey's jealousy of the Doctor is also a nice touch, even if it does play a little too much into the "look how very close they are" attitude that I'm not sure I like. (After all, look at Tom and Lis - the Doctor never told Sarah "I'm so glad I met you!" or "I could lose you!" They were clearly very good friends, and we knew that mostly because of their body language. Sometimes the Doctor would claim that Sarah was his best friend, or if he thought she was dead, an emotion-packed "Oh, Sarah" was all we needed to hear. In short, it didn't feel forced, unlike the relationship we're getting now. Oops, tangent.)

As with every other story thus far, Aliens of London showcases some great supporting characters. The most wonderful of these is Harriet Jones, a truly fantastic character who should probably seem pitiable (she does, after all, spend a large part the first episode bull-headedly trying to get her dinky little proposal reviewed), but instead comes across as friendly, likeable, perhaps a trifle overeager, but mainly a good-hearted person who is committed to doing both her best, and the right thing. And she's highly competent, both knowing what needs to be done and managing to cope with the varying alien revelations with increasing matter-of-factness. I really like the moment when she suggested fermenting the port to make acetic acid - even though she knows it probably can't be done, she also knows it would work. By episode two I really wanted to see her become PM, so the end of the story was a delight in that regard. What I most especially hope now is that in any episodes set in England's near-future, we get a return appearance by the fantastic Penelope Wilton. The Prime Minister, I think, would not be a bad ally at all for the Doctor to have. And clearly she's going to be a wonderful one. Of the good guys, I was also partial to Navin Chowdhry, who made the most of his limited role as the sadly ill-fated Indra Ganesh. Despite his few lines, in which he was mostly portrayed as a harried receptionist, he managed to be very sympathetic, and I was sorry to see him not get up again at the start of part two. In particular, I enjoyed his deadpan delivery of, "Yes. And then a spaceship crashed in the middle of London." Then we've got the Slitheen, two of whom stand out. David Verrey is great as Green, his particular high point being the sudden creepy look he gives Asquith when he tries to relieve Green of command. And then there's Annette Badland as Blaine, who, were it not for the presence of Penelope Wilton, would easily be my favorite character of the story. Blaine is great, being giggly and girly at times, and deliciously evil at others. Her one misstep is "I'm shaking my booty!" which is delivered perfectly but is an atrocious line, so, not her fault. I'm tickled by the way that she and Charles glare at Harriet on their way out of the office.

As usual, the music tries a little too hard. It let me know quite a bit too early that something was wrong with Rose's return home; there's some very weird cartoony music when Asquith goes to see the "alien" body; and it abruptly stops during the cut from Harriet looking at the protocols to Sato hearing noises in the morgue. Special effects are more variable in these episodes than they were in The End of the World, but nowhere near as bad as what we had to endure in Rose. A good example of this is the missile, which looks iffy when it launches, slightly better as it navigates the (video-game-looking) Cliffs of Dover, but great as it speeds past London buildings. Most of them come off quite well - the spaceship usually looks very good as it careens around London and crashes into the Thames, and the exploding Slitheen goo looks great (and, suitably, very icky). The makeup department also does a great job with the dried Slitheen guts on Mickey's face.

The Slitheen are most definitely a mixed bag, however. I really prefer the concept drawing to how they eventually turned out - the main issue I have is their baby-faces, which are certainly creepy, but their cheeks look too pinchable, whereas their lips are just very very strange and look quite artificial when they move (most noticeably at the end of part one, as the Slitheen "laughs" evilly - it scared me, but not for the reason they wanted). I have to say that they look about as much like rubber monsters as, say, the Mandrels; however, I can't find it in me to consider that a fault. The CGI versions also, for some reason, look very much like CGI (and it's amazing that, as fast as they move, Rose and Harriet still manage to outpace them). When the Slitheen start pulling off their disguises, it looks like they're putting in a whole lot of effort and not getting much result - the disguise basically stays in place while they tug and tug and tug. On the plus side, I like the way their eyelids flick shut (it took me a while to get used to, but I ultimately came out in favor), their claws are nice and vicious-looking, they make a great sword-sheathing sound when the Slitheen rub them together, and their unusual body shape is definitely a plus as it makes them both look and move unlike any other alien we've seen. The one area where they really succeed is the great unzipping effect, with its otherworldly blue light and eerie buzzing sound, definitely enough to give you chills. (But why is it that you usually can't see the zip, except when you can, like on the police commissioner?) They also have good voices, although when Blaine-Slitheen is pursuing Rose and Harriet, she briefly sounds identical to Sil! I also like the idea that they're a family, with Slitheen being their surname rather than their race name - a unique idea for Doctor Who! And, one of the most wonderful things, there's actually a decent explanation given for how these massive aliens are able to fit inside humanoid bodies. As for the flatulence humor, well, when I first heard it in a clip during Project Who, I was utterly appalled. In context, it actually manages to be mildly amusing, although by the scene with Blaine shaking her booty, I was starting to turn red with embarrassment and hoping it would be over soon. Still, not as horrific as it might have been, mainly because it actually has a function in the plot.

We also get our first cliffhanger of the new series here, and it's a great one! It's unlike every other cliffhanger, as far as I can remember, in that it's actually a triple cliffhanger - we have Green and Asquith threatening the Doctor in the UNIT meeting, Blaine attacking Rose along with Harriet and Indra in the other meeting room, and the police commissioner bearing down upon Jackie in her apartment. It builds slowly - almost surprisingly so - and manages to generate quite a lot of tension by the end. I actually got my first real spine-chilling moment of the series when Blaine strolled into the meeting room, looking innocently threatening. The only thing is, it was spoiled immediately thereafter by a trailer for next week's episode, in which we see Harriet and Rose running away from Blaine-Slitheen, and spoiled even worse when, the following Tuesday, CBC decided that they'd rather not show the pre-credits teaser at all. Suddenly, the Slitheen were being electrocuted and we had no idea how it happened. For once, my resistance to spoilers came back to bite me. (The episode guide on Outpost Gallifrey was a huge help!)

The other nice thing about this story is that it namechecks the past several times, in subtle ways. It's lovely to see UNIT again, even if (a) they get basically nothing to do, and (b) it's implied that the entire organization is massacred (surely not). Then we have a nice line from the Doctor claiming that they wouldn't recognize him because "I've changed a lot since the old days." Quite sweet.

It's also interesting to look back at the spoilers that were floating around in the early days - the "aliens replace key political figures" storyline was originally rumored to be part of the Auton story, leading some of us to worry about a complete rehash of Spearhead from Space. In the end, both stories managed to be quite original, and I do like the way the "political replacements" storyline plays out here.

Minor points:

• The teaser is really good, plunging us straight into the deep end and giving us a taste of the reality of being a companion. But I wonder, why doesn't Rose tell Jackie that she did phone? (although, granted, once in twelve months wouldn't really have been sufficient anyway.)

• I really like that the policeman asks the Doctor, "When you say companion, is this a sexual relationship?" (and even more glad that they both say "no!") Certainly something that would not have been done in 1972, but which deserves to be there now.

• So the Doctor's 900 years old, is he? Still fudging his age, it seems. We may never know how old he really is. (Maybe he just doesn't want to admit to 1000!)

• So Rose thinks she's "the only person on planet Earth who knows [aliens] exist". Although this does lead to an extremely funny moment in which, two seconds later, all of London finds out that aliens exist, I couldn't help but think: well, what about all the Doctor's other companions and associates on Earth?

• I love that, after years and years of promoting Doctor Who, Blue Peter finally gets a cross-promotion! (although how they made the wings on that cake stand up independent of the toothpicks - not to mention how they managed to ice it so beautifully - is beyond me!)

• The moment Mickey started running toward the dematerializing TARDIS, I thought, he's going to run smack into that wall. As predicted, smack into the wall he ran, complete with comedy pratfall. But I'm pleased to report that this was the last moment of the story in which I really disliked Mickey. So things are looking up!

• Great delivery by Penelope Wilton:

  Harriet: "And I know we've had a brave new world land right on our doorstep, and that's wonderful. I think that's probably wonderful. Nevertheless, ordinary life keeps ticking away."

  But I wonder, when Indra points out Harriet's attempt to get into the conference room, she says that he found out her "cunning plan" in a joking voice, implying that she hadn't actually meant anything of the sort with her offer of coffee (and Indra then apologizes for having assumed she had an ulterior motive). But shortly thereafter she pleads for just a moment with the Prime Minister, which implies that she actually was trying to bribe her way in. So was it a cunning plan, or not?

• An excellent Who moment: the way that the troops instinctively obey the Doctor once he leaps into action.

• The scene in which the Doctor tracks the pig "alien" is quite tense, although I think I would find the scene a lot scarier if the alien actually had turned out to be menacing. Eccleston also does a great job of portraying the tragedy of its murder. In general, the idea of a pig alien is extremely silly, and I was terribly worried about it at first, but it's explained so very well that suddenly anything about it that once seemed silly now just feels kind of sad.

• So, apparently we're back to the other style of TARDIS key: ordinary-looking. I'm not sure how I feel about this. I really like the funky spade-shaped key, but this does preserve the idea of "it looks ordinary, but it isn't." However, I very much like the way it glows as the TARDIS materializes nearby. If the key serves as a homing beacon, it'll be very useful indeed. (although possibly too useful... see above, re: sonic screwdriver)

• I want Rose to just explain everything to Jackie. She does to Mickey, so what's keeping her from really having a good talk with her mother? In fact, I feel a little cheated that even after Jackie finds out about the situation, we still never see their heart-to-heart.

• How come, when Jackie reports the Doctor's presence to the military, the phrase "the Doctor" doesn't register but "TARDIS" does? Later they discuss the fact that the Doctor, specifically, was flagged in their system. You'd think, therefore, that the phrase would at least pop up some kind of notification ("ask them about a blue box" etc). (It is, however, nice that, despite the negative-sounding alarm bells, they actually want the Doctor!)

• Will wonders never cease! It's a really funny quote... for Mickey!

  Rose: "So, uh, in twelve months... have you been seeing anyone else?"
  Mickey: "No."
  Rose: "Okay."
  Mickey: "Mainly because everyone thinks I murdered you."

• The spaceship trajectory display on the TARDIS monitor is a little hard to follow. If, instead of wiping away the original trajectory graphic, they had simply expanded upon it to show the continued extrapolation of the ship's path, I think it would have made more sense.

• Initially, I assumed that the Slitheen somehow got rid of the bodies while they created lookalike suits to inhabit. But, from Asquith's death, it would appear that they actually take over the bodies of the people themselves. Which brings up a few questions: What do they do with the innards? How do they install the zip? Aren't the skin suits awfully fragile and prone to ripping? Which also makes me wonder, how do they squeeze their shoulders and midsection through that tiny head opening?

• Given the results of the UK election mere weeks after this episode aired, are we to assume that the Prime Minister killed in this episode (which must have been set in 2006) was Blair?

• I find it a bit odd that, having just barred Rose from going through the door because she doesn't have proper clearance, the security people then say nothing when Rose and Harriet, who both lacks the necessary clearance and is acting very oddly, stroll right through immediately afterward! Granted, they turn left instead of right, but it still seems odd that the guard didn't at least watch to make sure they didn't go the prohibited way.

• Another excellent Who moment: when the Doctor, having just flipped through the briefing pamphlet, takes charge of the Slitheen's meeting with some very uncomfortable questions.

• Creepy! A delightful delivery by Annette Badland:

  Ganesh: "The Prime Minister left Downing Street, he was driven away!"
  Blaine: "And who told you that? Hmm? Me!"

• There's a very funny shot of Asquith-Slitheen trying to get back into his disguise (later echoed by the even funnier shot of all the Slitheen arguing over whose disguise is whose, as they're desperately trying to get dressed and escape before the missile hits).

• Ahh, I have no idea who plays this soldier, but he does a lot with his single word!

  Doctor: "I think you'll find the PM is an alien in disguise." (pauses, turns to soldier next to him) "That's never gonna work, is it?"
  Soldier: "No."

• The soldiers-versus-Doctor confrontation scene leaves me a little cold, for two reasons. First, we never see the Doctor hit the button to summon the lift. Even if he had, it still would have been a little risky to assume it was going to arrive just in the nick of time, but without that shot, it just looks like the lift arrives miraculously. Then, instead of shooting the Doctor the moment he tries to escape, the soldiers just stand there and stare at him as he gets into the lift, presses the button for his floor, and the doors start to close. Some rapid editing makes this seem to happen faster, but we all know how slow elevators are.

• I was initially very confused by the rapid intercutting between shots when the Doctor's lift arrives on the floor where Rose and Harriet are running away from the Slitheen. The Doctor clearly sees them, because he waves to them, but Rose and Harriet are apparently oblivious to his presence. And why doesn't he go to their rescue, seeing as how they are clearly in peril?

• Quite possibly the best line of the episode, delivered wonderfully by (I believe) David Verrey, followed up by a great one for Penelope Wilton:

  Doctor: "Then you're out to make a profit. How can you do that on a godforsaken rock?"
  Green-Slitheen: "Ahh... excuse me, your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?"
  Doctor: "Is that what I said?"
  Green-Slitheen: "You're making it up."
  Doctor: "Oh well. Nice try. Harriet, have a drink. I think you're gonna need it." (passes her the port decanter)
  Harriet: "You pass it to the left."
  Doctor: "Sorry." (passes it to Rose)

• Ha! I love it that the Slitheen seem to be replacing people willy-nilly, such that they end up with a wide variety of operatives including the chairman of the North Sea Boating Club!

• Mickey comes close to undoing some of my goodwill toward him with this line, which actually makes very little sense:

  Mickey: (consoling Jackie) "If anyone's gonna cry, it's gonna be me."

• A line for Harriet that made me cackle:

  Rose: "Can we just launch a nuclear bomb at them?"
  Harriet: "You're a very violent young woman."

• Why does the Doctor ask Harriet to say "anything"? I had the impression he was trying to figure out who she was by listening to her voice (which would have implied that she had a very recognizable one), but it doesn't seem to go anywhere.

• Also, why is Mickey "not so stupid" simply because he photographed a Slitheen? Given that he paused to take it in the midst of fleeing for his life - and that the photograph didn't actually help in the slightest, except for bulking up Mickey's collection of mementos - I think it actually implies the opposite!

• I also can't believe the sheer stupidity of Jackie strolling over to Mickey's door and opening it straight up without first doing the latch or checking through the peephole. When Mickey isn't expecting visitors. At 3 am. After they have just been attacked by a bloodthirsty alien. Sigh. We all yelled at her.

• But Jackie does get a giggleworthy line immediately thereafter:

  Jackie: "It's here! It's the thing, it's the Slikeen!"

• The scene in which the Doctor, Rose and Harriet brainstorm about the Slitheen's origins is probably my favorite in the whole episode - it's got tension, everybody contributes usefully, and it culminates in the wonderful scene in Mickey's kitchen. An alien menace that's vulnerable to vinegar - now that's unique!

• Cute quote:

  Jackie: "What do you need?"
  Doctor: "Anything with vinegar!"
  Jackie: (dumping them into a pitcher) "Gherkins! Pickled onions! Pickled eggs!"
  Doctor: (to Rose) "You kiss this man?"

  But why couldn't she just find some vinegar?

• This is one of those quotes that I just can't decide if I like or loathe:

  Green: "Victory should be naked!"

• So, the password for the ultra-top-secret website is... buffalo?! Not something bizarrely alphanumeric with mixed capitals and lowercase? And it's "buffalo" for all of them??? Whatever. They're just begging to be hacked.

• Massive plot hole: doesn't Mickey have to program target coordinates for the missile??? Or is it just automatically programmed to head straight to 10 Downing Street if launched? 'Cause, you know, that makes sense... (also, the heading on the screen is "WEAPONS OVERIDE". Sigh.)

• Rose honey, I'm really impressed that you know how to survive an earthquake, but I don't think the same principle quite applies to missiles. Which come at you from overhead. And then blow up! (but, it worked, so who am I to talk.)

• After his amazing auto-targetting trick with the missile, Mickey then instinctively knows how to stop the override with a single mouse-click, despite not having been told by the Doctor how to do it.

• Things really do get rather perplexing at the end. Why on earth does Harriet shout this, at a moment when nobody is dissolving anything with vinegar?

  Harriet: "Hannibal!"

• Fortunately, her next line is far funnier, as they survey the remains of 10 Downing Street and the intact closet that saved their lives.

  Harriet: "Made in Britain!"

• A funny line by Jackie to close things out:

  Jackie: "Only, I dunno, he's an alien. For all I know, he eats grass and safety pins and things."

• But we can't have things ending on a purely funny note, so Rose tosses in a nice inexplicable quote for us to chew over:

  Rose: "He's finally met his match."

  ...with cooking?? Or is she trying to imply that they would be romantically suitable? I just don't get it.

• A nice delivery from Billie Piper:

  Rose: "First time I stepped in there, it was spur of the moment. Now I'm signing up. You're stuck with me! Ha!"

• However, Rose's reassurance to her mother is hollow. Sure, it could only be 10 seconds before you rematerialize. But Jackie is worried that it might be more like 10 years, and that's a perfectly valid concern, especially since - as has just been demonstrated - the Doctor is quite likely to err on that side.

It's certainly far from a bad episode - if for no other reason, Penelope Wilton and Annette Badland lift it up hugely - but in terms of plot, it's kind of lacking. The Slitheen are pretty successful but they're also not monsters that I'm clamoring to see return (although it would be nice to learn their race name). Where this episode succeeds the most is as an exploration of how the life of a companion affects the people around her, which is certainly a topic that needed to be tackled. Aside from that, this is a pretty average offering.