The year was 2005, and the city of London was on high alert. An alien spacecraft had just crashed through Big Ben and into the River Thames, leaving the population excited and fearful of first contact with a potential new species. Little did they know, an ancient alien crime family known as the Slitheen had set a nefarious trap for the people of Earth.
Yep, you guessed it, we’re back with the Doctor and Rose in the 4th episode of the revived Doctor Who. This time instead of not too distant past that we saw in The Unquiet Dead or the far of future from the End of the World, we’re in modern-day London.
The Ninth Doctor Arrives
When all seemed lost, a strange man in an old blue box arrived on the scene – The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler are back. Armed with his wits and temporal knowledge, he quickly deduced that the alien crash landing was no ordinary event and that it was orchestrated by a much larger force. Intent on getting to the bottom of things, he uses his TARDIS to investigate further.
The Infiltration of 10 Downing Street
Meanwhile, Rose Tyler’s mother, Jackie has her own suspicions about her daughter’s mysterious disappearance, suspecting Mickey Smith of foul play. However, when the Doctor returns with Rose in tow, she discovers that her suspicions couldn’t have been farther from the truth. As events unfold some suspicious activity is noted at 10 Downing Street; Joseph Green MP has stepped in as acting Prime Minister while two other high government members have mysteriously vanished from sight.
Harriet Jones soon discovers that these three “government players” are none other than part of the Slitheen family who were using their human disguise to lure experts, including the Doctor himself, inside their trap in order to gain control over Earth’s resources.
Unveiling the Deception
With his knowledge of temporal mechanics and alien biology, The Doctor manages to convince members of UNIT that all is not what it seems. Meanwhile, back at Jackie’s flat a police officer unzips his human suit revealing yet another Slitheen infiltrator! Realizing they must act fast or be doomed forever, Rose and Harriet manage to locate Margaret Blaine before she can attack them, only to discover her true identity as another member of the family – one who is ready to unleash her full form upon them both!
As the first two-parter of the modern era of Who, we’re going to be stuck on a bit of a cliffhanger here! However, some key characters that we need to remember for the future are the Slitheen who appear in a couple of other episodes and of course the amazing Penelope Wilton as Harriet Jones! We’re going to see her again in “The Christmas Invasion” and “The Stolen Earth”