27.11: Boom Town

[Dave]

-----------------------------
Creating topic, remember you
can only discuss this episode
inside this topic. Reviews of
the episode are encouraged
-----------------------------

Landing in modern-day Cardiff, the Doctor encounters someone he believed long dead...

[Dave]

The Tardis crew take a holiday and discover an enemy the Doctor presumed to be long dead - the sole surviving Slitheen...

A plan to build a nuclear power station in Cardiff City disguises an alien plot to rip the world apart. And when the Doctor dines with monsters, he discovers traps within traps...

Apparently though, rather than just being a re-run of the Slitheens earlier showcase in a different city, this episode looks at how the Doctor ticks, how he reacts when finally made to face the consequences of his regular world-saving trips rather than just de-materialising as soon as the newly liberated locals suggest that he stays on to be their leader.

[MarTooth]

On the surface this seemed the weakest story of the run but the emergence of the back story covering the entire series (as detailed in the hidden link site on the Dr Who website, http://www.badwolf.org.uk/) suggest that this is an essential episode looking not just into the soul of the Doctor but dealing with all manner of consequences (eg. Where did the alien tech come from and the Rose/Mickey relationship) of the events of this series, drawing together a lot of plot threads and clues before we see the revelations to come. It is interesting that we go into the closing 2 episodes with 3 little piggies in a house made of sticks and a wolf in sheeps clothing (ie The Dr, Rose and Jack in the Tardis which is a wooden police box with a Slitheen on board).

[Dave]

That's a nice website. Is it your own?

'On the surface' and beneath it too, I think this was the weakest episode of this series, but then it has been a particularly strong series.

This wasn't a standalone episode, because, as you say, it did set up a lot of things, and draw together some plot threads, for what is going to be, without a doubt, a very weird episode next week.

[MarTooth]

Nope it's one of multiple hidden BBC sites, they also have set up the UNIT site, http://www.unit.org.uk/ (current password is badwolf for the restricted sections), the whoisdrwho site featured in the pilot, http://www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk/ and Mr VanStatten's company site for GEOCOMTEX, http://www.geocomtex.net/

[ray gower]

Isn't it strange how native Ma Slithereen had become during her tenure in Cardiff?

"The whole city could slide into the bay and nobody in London would notice.... Oh God I sound just like a native!"

Could be all that lovely Welsh air (available from all good souvenier shops at £24.99 a bottle). Though I must say, as a naturalised Troglodyte of Welsh Wales, we wouldn't notice Cardiff's departure either! .

Or perhaps a simple case of shape and location forming opinion?

[Dave]

Is the actress herself actually Welsh? Elizabeth Fost is her name. She was just on 'Casualty' last week, but if you are of a certain age you might remember her from 'You and Me' or from 'Playdays'. She is a well known puppeteer, and is based in London, but she doesn't seem to have done much TV acting work according to IMDb. She was also one on the Autons on 'Doctor Who' though.

[ray gower]

Don't know where she is from, though her accent is more home counties than welsh.

Strikes me that the number of acting parts for corpulent middle-aged actresses is probably quite limited, even in the UK where we like people to be different shapes, so perhaps that is why she does not figure prominently on TV?

At least, not until she reaches an age to be able to do Last of the Summer Wine.

Which might be a pity, for an extra she did seem to do a reasonable job of her part.

[obcooke]

Remember in "Aliens of London", she said she was the head of MI5. I thought she might have been cast (besides the size requirement) because of a slight resemblance to Judy Dench, who plays "M", James Bond's boss.

Or maybe I just see convergence where there isn't any.

[Dave]

As Mayor of Cardiff she says that no one in London ever notices what goes on there. You would think that if she had been previously the Head of MI5, then someone might notice her though.

[obcooke]

Well when you put it that way...

But think about it just a little more and it gets really bizarre...

During an alien crisis/hoax, a hacker breaks into Government computers and shuts down all air defense capabilities around London after causing a British submarine to fire a missile that levels 10 Downing Street, killing many members of the Government, including the Head of MI5 and your top military commander. There is only ONE known survivor with access to the upper floors during the crisis - Harriet Jones.

Instead of being PM a year later, Harriet would still be testifying to investigators from every organization/committee with subpoena power. And she had better keep her story straight.

Then, LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, a woman emerges from nowhere to run for Mayor of Cardiff bearing an incredible resemblance to the recently departed Head of MI5, whose body was never found.

Not only is this a very convenient time for Cardiff to hold an election, but Harriet Jones must have been so absorbed in the aftermath of the crisis and her own election to completely miss the fact that Margaret had resurfaced. I don't recall if she was using a different name as Mayor, but The Doctor calls her Margaret and she doesn't correct him.

Therefore, proof positive that - "no one in London ever notices what goes on there."

**********
I'm editing this because as I re-read it I realize that I am assuming that this takes place shortly after the events in "Aliens/WWIII".

There is nothing that actually fixes this episode in Earth time so perhaps it takes place much later, although our only reference point - Mickey - doesn't look that much older, looks can be deceiving.

He doesn't act like Rose has been gone an exceedingly long time, but the fun thing about time travel is that he have been getting visits from some future Rose in-between the visits from our Rose.

And Margaret has had time to not only get elected Mayor, but to have this huge power plant project well along.

[Krystal]

This was a good episode, entertaining and I totally enjoy the interaction between the Doctor and the woman. Lots of funny moments in it.