Doctor Who at 10 - World War Three (S1E5)

It's with the Ninth Doctor on the brink of electrocuted death, Rose Tyler and new friend Harriet Jones of Flydale North fame at the mercy on a giant alien within the walls of Downing Street and mother Jackie in a one-on-one scenario with a strange green policeman of the same family that we come across the second part of this Slitheen two-parter, following swiftly on from the events of last week's Aliens of London and taking something of a tonal shift as it goes from cheesy comedy to something of a more serious feel with the possibility of self-sacrifice at its core. It's an interesting decision on behalf on Russell T Davies, who writes this story and becoming his fourth episode thus far. But with this change of feel and with the tragic editing of the 'Next Time' teaser from the previous ending losing some of the momentum from the show's first cliffhanger, it begs the question of whether or not the conclusion can do better than its starting point or equally falter. 

Following immediately after the events of last week's episodes, our heroes manage to escape from their various predicaments with help from either their biology, friends or legs (not necessarily in that order) and now have the job of trying to stop the money-hungry Slitheen family - exiled residents of the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius (did I say the episode was becoming more serious?) - from using their newly-assigned powers as the leaders of the United Kingdom to try and turn the planet in a profitable wasteland. With the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Bille Piper) and new ally Harriet Jones (Penelope Wilton) trapped within the confines of 10 Downing Street and the Earth on the brink of nuclear war, and the only outside help available from Mickey (Noel Clarke) and Jackie (Camille Coduri), can they stop the alien equivalent of the Mafia from destroying the world?

When I mention the change of tone, the comedy side isn't entirely lost. The Slitheen's main gimmick follows the constant flatulence - which is given some explanation but a rather lacklustre attempt to cover it -  and stays prominent throughout and the Doctor does have the odd moment of humour which doesn't entirely work, but aside from that it is toned down quite a bit at the ten minute mark, helped mostly by the grounded Harriet Jones. It’s an interesting change of pace in that regard, and the story is given a little more credibility by comparison. Whether it's a change for the better is arguable, but it's certainly one that I prefer. That said, it's a conclusion which is a case of the show 'jumping the shark' so to speak, with something of a deus ex machina being used to resolve the issue.

With the enemy now revealed in their full form, the Slitheen design is certainly unique, what with their baby eyes and their large claws. The self-proclaimed hunters are somewhat humorous when it comes to chase sequences, as they change from off-putting computer effects to the poor actors in the rubber suits hobbling down the hallways, but the actual designs are rather good if a little flimsy. As for their villainous intentions, it's an interesting decision to opt for the monetary schemes so early on against the standard conquering of Earth which is initially set up, but it's one that works - albeit for future storylines in spin-off media.

Performance-wise, it's practically the same as last week, although with a bit more of the acting chops from Eccleston that has been most prominent in earlier episodes. Wilton is certainly given a lot more to do as does Clarke, but it's still early days for both actors. Coduri is still enjoyable as the worrying mother, and Piper shows a little more of the similarities between the two whilst having some form of character growth by comparison of her first appearance all those weeks ago. As for those actors playing the Slitheen, they're all having fun in their pantomime guises thanks to such cringe-worthy lines like "Victory should be naked!". Nothing noteworthy out of the bunch.

World War Three is a mild improvement on its preceding part, what with the tone's change and more time for the characters to be shown rather than act. There's still plenty of faults following on from previously, but thanks to those mild-mannered differences the episode is slightly more enjoyable. Slightly. 5/10.