History Recap / DoctorWhoS27E5WorldWarThree

* TitleDrop: "World War Three: the Earth gets nuked."

* DidntThinkThisThrough: "They'll never get in." "But how do we get out?" "[[OhCrapSmile Ah]]."

* GallowsHumor: The Doctor threatens the Slitheen by threatening to "triplicate the flammability" to turn the drink into a bomb, however, the female Slitheen eventually realises that he can't actually follow through with his threat. Realising what's going to happen, the Doctor offers the drink to his companions, saying, "Have a drink, I think you're gonna need it".

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first appearance of the Slitheen is very different from later versions, most notably how they blow up. In later explosions, it looks like actual slime, whereas here it has a texture more like overcooked spaghetti in lime jelly.

* HonourBeforeReason: A humourous example. Sip Fel Fotch is minutes away from killing Jackie and Mickey, and the Doctor, Rose, and Harriet are running down a list of the aliens' traits to help the Time Lord determine where they're from. Harriet realizes an important piece of evidence stems from the Slitheen's flatulence... and wastes a few seconds asking for her companions to forgive her using such crass words.

* GallowsHumor: The Doctor threatens the Slitheen by threatening to "triplicate the flammability" to turn the drink into a bomb, however, the female Slitheen eventually realises that he can't actually follow through with his threat. Realising what's going to happen, the Doctor offers the drink to his companions saying "Have a drink, I think you're gonna' need it".

* EarlyInstalmentWeirdness: The first appearance of the Slitheen is very different from later versions, most notably how they blow up. In later explosions, it looks like actual slime, whereas here it has a texture more like overcooked spaghetti in lime jelly.

* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: The Slitheen's decision to get out of their skinsuits (on the grounds that "victory should be naked") costs them dearly: When they realise the missile's on the way, they waste what little time they have trying to cram back into their skinsuits. If they had left the suits on, they would have been able to run out the front door with everyone else.

** After his "triplicate the flammability" bluff fails, the Doctor offers Harriet (to his right) the port. Harriet tells him "[[StiffUpperLip You pass it to the left first.]]" So he hands it to Rose.

* WeirdnessCensor: Despite incontrovertible proof of alien life, the media quickly dismisses the whole incident as a hoax. Well the original ship that hit Big Ben had been a hoax all along, but what about ''the missile that obliterated 10 Downing Street''? When Mickey complains, the Doctor tells him there's a scientific explanation for the phenomenon: [[HumansAreMorons "You're thick."]]

* HollywoodHacking: Mickey launching the missile into Downing Street. He ''does'' need an actual password provided by the Doctor. However, there's no way a military organization would use a single common word as the one thing stopping civilians from launching missiles. However, he ''is'' using a backdoor the Doctor installed that almost nobody else knows about.

* {{Whitehall}}: 10 Downing Street.

* ArtisticLicenseNuclearPhysics: Nuclear detonations do not make the soil and rocks on the site itself radioactive; the radioactivity is the result of particles from the bomb's fissile material spread around by the explosion.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first appearance of the Slitheen is very different from later versions, most notably how they blow up. In later explosions, it looks like actual slime, whereas here it has a texture more like overcooked spaghetti in lime jelly.

Downstairs, Price receives a report of the incoming missile, and triggers the fire alarm, evacuating the building. He rushes upstairs to warn the Prime Minister of the danger — and bursts into the office to find it filled with naked Slitheen, waiting for the red phone to ring. After an appalled pause, Price flees. Outside, the press and police scatter as the missile hurtles towards Downing Street; inside, the panic-stricken Slitheen begin fighting over their skin-suits, but they're trying to work out which disguise belongs to whom when the missile strikes, blowing 10 Downing Street to rubble. The steel box that was the Cabinet room tumbles end over end into the street, and the Doctor, Rose and Harriet emerge, alive and intact. When Price rushes up to investigate, Harriet immediately takes charge, ordering him to contact the UN and inform them that the crisis is over. The Doctor and Rose watch happily as Harriet addresses the press, telling them that the human race has survived the crisis undefeated. She's come a long way from the flustered backbencher she was yesterday — and the Doctor now knows where he recognised her name. Harriet Jones is going to be a future three-term Prime Minister, the architect of Britain's forthcoming golden age.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: After Mickey launches the missile at 10 Downing Street, the Doctor, Rose, and Harriet realize that they may not survive. They do their best to clear out a small cabinet (reasoning that it's the most enforced part of the room); when the time comes, they huddle together and clasp hands, fearful but resolute. Harriet remarks "Here we go--nice knowing you both. ''Hannibal''!"; the last line is a reference to the earlier invocation of Hannibal crossing the Alps. This is deliberately contrasted with the Slitheen, who panic like cowards and fall to petty squabbling instead of working together to escape--and thus get blown up.

* CassandraTruth: When cornered at gunpoint by Downing Street's security forces, the Doctor explains in total sincerity that they shouldn't be shooting him because he's trying to stop an alien who has disguised himself as the Prime Minister. As soon as he's said it, he realises how unbelievable it sounds.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Rose calls the Doctor “gay”. Davies, who is gay himself, claimed that he put the line in because he felt it reflected how real life young people spoke at the time.

Satisfied that the Doctor no longer poses a threat, the Slitheen summon the rest of the family to Downing Street, and Asquith orders Price to keep the ground floor secure and await an emergency address from the Acting PM to the people of the world. Outside, Andrew Marr tries to make sense of the variety of new arrivals, including Group Captain Tennant James of the RAF; Ewan [=McAllister=], Deputy Secretary for the Scottish Parliament; and Sylvia Dillaine, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Chairman of the North Sea Boating Club]] ("[[LampshadeHanging Quite what connects all these people, we have no idea]]"). All they seem to have in common is their remarkable girth and the fact that they've been invited to the upper levels of 10 Downing Street. Upstairs, the Slitheen strip off their skin-suits, and soon, the entire family has gathered, except for Sip Fel-Fotch, the one posing as Strickland, who has yet to finish with Jackie Tyler...

* BatterUp: Mickey grabs a bat to defend himself and Jackie, although he doesn't end up needing it.

-->'''The Doctor:''' Ah, well, now, you see, the thing is, if I was you, if I was gonna execute someone by backing them against the wall, between you and me, a little word of advice, ''[The lift door slides open behind him]'' don't stand him against the lift! ''[steps into the lift and the door closes]''

Harriet leads the Doctor back to the Cabinet room to fetch the emergency protocol booklet, but the Slitheen are only a few steps behind them. The Doctor holds them off with a bottle of port, threatening to use his sonic screwdriver to triple its flammability. When the Slitheen hesitate, he takes the opportunity to question them, and learns that they are not an invasion force, but a family business. Slitheen is not their race name, but their surname; "Joseph Green" is in fact Jocrassa Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen. Before the Doctor can learn their intentions for the Earth, however, "Asquith" calls his bluff regarding the port. As the Slitheen advance on him, the Doctor delivers a brief lecture on the history of 10 Downing Street... up to the installation of three-inch-thick steel security bulkheads, which he now activates, sealing the Slitheen out of the room. And, unfortunately, sealing himself and his friends inside.

Satisfied that the Doctor no longer poses a threat, the Slitheen summon the rest of the family to Downing Street, and Asquith orders Price to keep the ground floor secure and await an emergency address from the Acting PM to the people of the world. Outside, Andrew Marr tries to make sense of the variety of people who are showing up: Group Captain Tennant James of the RAF; Ewan [=McAllister=], Deputy Secretary for the Scottish Parliament; and Sylvia Dillaine, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Chairman of the North Sea Boating Club]] ("[[LampshadeHanging Quite what connects all these people, we have no idea]]"). All they seem to have in common is their remarkable girth and the fact that they've been invited to the upper levels of 10 Downing Street. Upstairs, the Slitheen strip off their skin-suits, and soon, the entire family has gathered, except for Sip Fel-Fotch, the one posing as Strickland, who has yet to finish with Jackie Tyler...

Mickey helps Jackie to slip back to his flat, unnoticed. There, he warns her that nobody can be trusted (casting a suspicious glance at his trash bin as he does so), and accuses the Doctor of dragging Rose into this dangerous lifestyle. Jackie begins to cry as the shock settles in, realising that the man she accused of killing her daughter has now saved her life — and that the monster that tried to kill her is still out there somewhere. Outside, Strickland sniffs the air and dismisses the other police, telling them that he'll finish with Jackie on his own...

The Doctor, finally understanding the truth, opens the bulkheads to speak to Margaret and confirm his suspicions. The Slitheen deliberately engineered a spectacular UFO crash in order to drive the world into a panic and convince the UN to release the nuclear codes. Once the Slitheen have those codes, they'll fire Britain's nuclear arsenal at every other country on Earth, triggering World War Three. Despite the showy splash-landing, the Slitheen's ship didn't actually crash; it's just parked, and the Slitheen intend to sit out the nuclear holocaust inside. Once the planet has been reduced to a radioactive cinder, the Slitheen will sell off bits of it as fuel to every cut-price, bargain spaceship out there. The signal they're sending out is an advertisement for the sale of the century; they'll make a hefty profit, at the cost of five billion lives. The Doctor orders the Slitheen to leave the planet immediately, or he'll stop them. Margaret and the Slitheen burst out laughing — but the Doctor isn't laughing, and as he closes the bulkheads, Margaret begins to get a little worried.

Downstairs, Price receives a report of the incoming missile, and triggers the fire alarm, evacuating the building. He rushes upstairs to warn the Prime Minister of the danger — and bursts into the office to find it filled with naked Slitheen, waiting for the red phone to ring. After an appalled pause, Price flees. Outside, the press and police scatter as the missile hurtles towards Downing Street; inside, the panic-stricken Slitheen begin fighting over their skin-suits, but they're trying to work out which disguise belongs to whom when the missile strikes, blowing 10 Downing Street to smithereens. The steel box that was the Cabinet room tumbles end over end into the street, and the Doctor, Rose and Harriet emerge, alive and intact. When Price rushes up to investigate, Harriet immediately takes charge, ordering him to contact the UN and inform them that the crisis is over. The Doctor and Rose watch happily as Harriet addresses the press, telling them that the human race has survived the crisis undefeated. She's come a long way from the flustered backbencher she was yesterday — and the Doctor now knows where he recognised her name. Harriet Jones is going to be a future three-term Prime Minister, the architect of Britain's forthcoming golden age.

** The Slitheen plan also bears some similarities to conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11 claiming that elements within the government engineered a plane crash into a major national monument for nefarious, power-grabbing ends.

-->'''The Doctor:''' Ah, well, now, you see, the thing is, if I was you, if I was gonna execute someone by backing them against the wall, between you and me, a little word of advice, ''[there's a ding, and the lift door slides open behind him]'' don't stand him against the lift! ''[steps into the lift and the door closes]''

Night falls over London, and the Doctor forces the young boy who spray-painted "BAD WOLF" onto the TARDIS to scrub it clean again. Mickey has bought a newspaper, and is upset to find that the alien attack is already being dismissed as a hoax; it's almost enough to make him agree with the Doctor that humans are all idiots. The Doctor concedes that Mickey's not as bad as he thought, and gives him a CD-ROM containing a virus that will erase all mention of the Doctor from the Internet, thus ensuring that nobody can get into trouble by following him. He also invites Mickey to accompany him and Rose, but Mickey admits that he can't handle the pace of the Doctor's life. He asks the Doctor not to tell Rose, however, and when Rose shows up and invites Mickey to join them, the Doctor speaks up, stating that Mickey isn't invited. Jackie, upset, pleads with Rose to stay, but Rose assures Jackie that she's just going off traveling for a while — and, since she's travelling in a time machine, she can be back in ten seconds no matter how long she spends out there. She and the Doctor step into the TARDIS, which dematerialises as Jackie and Mickey watch. Ten seconds pass, and the TARDIS does not return. Upset, Jackie returns to her flat... while Mickey settles down with the newspaper to wait a while longer.

* BottleEpisode: The episode is entirely split between Ten Downing Street and Mickey's flat on the Powell Estate.

* HonorBeforeReason: A humourous example. Sip Fel Fotch is minutes away from killing Jackie and Mickey, and the Doctor, Rose, and Harriet are running down a list of the aliens' traits to help the Time Lord determine where they're from. Harriet realizes an important piece of evidence stems from the Slitheen's flatulence... and wastes a few seconds asking for her companions to forgive her using such crass words.

-->'''Blaine:''' Look at that! The telephone is actually red!

The UNIT website is monitoring an alien signal that the Doctor realises is being transmitted by the Slitheen. As the Doctor listens to the signal and tries to work out what it's saying, Strickland tracks Jackie down to Mickey's flat, strips off his skin-suit and begins to break down the door. Mickey offers to hold off Sip Fel Fotch with a baseball bat while Jackie flees, but there's no other way out of the flat. For a moment, the Doctor is paralysed by indecision, but when Rose begs him to help her mother, he springs into action and starts looking for the aliens' weakness. He and his allies list all they know about the aliens, from the colour of their skin to the nature of their technology, the smell of their farts and, finally, the use of a hyphenated surname. This enables the Doctor to narrow down their planet of origin to Raxacoricofallapatorius, which means that the aliens' bodies are composed of organic calcium, weakened by the gas compression field — which leaves them vulnerable to acetic acid. Mickey and Jackie retreat to the kitchen, where Jackie pours all of Mickey's pickled onions, gherkins, and eggs into a container and flings it at the approaching Sip Fel-Fotch. He blinks in surprise for a moment and then explodes, coating Mickey's kitchen with a wet sludge. In the Cabinet rooms, Harriet recalls how Hannibal used vinegar to dissolve boulders while crossing the Alps, and she, Rose and the Doctor share a victory toast.

Harriet leads the Doctor back to the Cabinet room to fetch the emergency protocol booklet, but the Slitheen are only a few steps behind them. The Doctor holds them off with a bottle of port, threatening to use his sonic screwdriver to triple its flammability. When the Slitheen hesitate, he takes the opportunity to question them, and learns that they are not an invasion force, but a family business. Slitheen is not their race name, but their surname; "Joseph Green" is in fact Jocrassa Fel-Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen, and "Margaret Blaine" is Blon Fel-Fotch. Before the Doctor can learn their intentions for the Earth, however, "Asquith" calls his bluff regarding the port. As the Slitheen advance on him, the Doctor delivers a brief lecture on the history of 10 Downing Street... up to the installation of three-inch-thick steel security bulkheads, which he now activates, sealing the Slitheen out of the room. And, unfortunately, sealing himself and his friends inside.

Harriet leads the Doctor back to the Cabinet room to fetch the emergency protocol booklet, but the Slitheen are only a few steps behind them. The Doctor holds them off with a bottle of port, threatening to use his sonic screwdriver to triple its flammability. When the Slitheen hesitate, he takes the opportunity to question them, and learns that they are not an invasion force, but a family business. Slitheen is not their race name, but their surname; "Joseph Green" is in fact Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen. Before the Doctor can learn their intentions for the Earth, however, "Asquith" calls his bluff regarding the port. As the Slitheen advance on him, the Doctor delivers a brief lecture on the history of 10 Downing Street... up to the installation of three-inch-thick steel security bulkheads, which he now activates, sealing the Slitheen out of the room. And, unfortunately, sealing himself and his friends inside.

Satisfied that the Doctor no longer poses a threat, the Slitheen summon the rest of the family to Downing Street, and Asquith orders Price to keep the ground floor secure and await an emergency address from the Acting PM to the people of the world. Outside, Andrew Marr tries to make sense of the variety of people who are showing up: Group Captain Tennant James of the RAF; Ewan [=McAllister=], Deputy Secretary for the Scottish Parliament; and Sylvia Dillaine, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Chairman of the North Sea Boating Club]]. All they seem to have in common is their remarkable girth and the fact that they've been invited to the upper levels of 10 Downing Street. Upstairs, the Slitheen strip off their skin-suits, and soon, the entire family has gathered — except for Sip Fel-Fotch, the one posing as Strickland, who has yet to finish with Jackie Tyler...

The UNIT website is monitoring an alien signal that the Doctor realises is being transmitted by the Slitheen. As the Doctor listens to the signal and tries to work out what it's saying, Strickland tracks Jackie down to Mickey's flat, strips off his skin-suit and begins to break down the door. Mickey offers to hold off the alien with a baseball bat while Jackie flees, but there's no other way out of the flat. For a moment, the Doctor is paralysed by indecision, but when Rose begs him to help her mother, he springs into action and starts looking for the aliens' weakness. He and his allies list all they know about the aliens, from the colour of their skin to the nature of their technology, the smell of their farts and, finally, the use of a hyphenated surname. This enables the Doctor to narrow down their planet of origin to Raxacoricofallapatorius, which means that the aliens' bodies are composed of organic calcium, weakened by the gas compression field — which leaves them vulnerable to acetic acid. Mickey and Jackie retreat to the kitchen, where Jackie pours all of Mickey's pickled onions, gherkins, and eggs into a container and flings it at the approaching Sip Fel-Fotch. He blinks in surprise for a moment and then explodes, coating Mickey's kitchen with a wet sludge. In the Cabinet rooms, Harriet recalls how Hannibal used vinegar to dissolve boulders while crossing the Alps, and she, Rose and the Doctor share a victory toast.

Night falls over London, and the Doctor forces the young boy who spray-painted "BAD WOLF" onto the TARDIS to scrub it clean again. Mickey has bought a newspaper, and is upset to find that the alien attack is already being dismissed as a hoax; it's almost enough to make him agree with the Doctor that humans are all idiots. The Doctor concedes that Mickey's not as bad as he thought, and gives him a CD-ROM containing a virus that will erase all mention of the Doctor from the Internet, thus ensuring that nobody can get into trouble by following him. He also invites Mickey to accompany him and Rose, but Mickey admits that he can't handle the pace of the Doctor's life. He asks the Doctor not to tell Rose, however, and when Rose shows up and invites Mickey to join them, the Doctor speaks up, stating that Mickey isn't invited. Jackie, upset, pleads with Rose to stay, but Rose assures Jackie that she's just going off travelling for a while — and, since she's travelling in a time machine, she can be back in ten seconds no matter how long she spends out there. She and the Doctor step into the TARDIS, which dematerialises as Jackie and Mickey watch. Ten seconds pass, and the TARDIS does not return. Upset, Jackie returns to her flat... while Mickey settles down with the newspaper to wait a while longer.

-->'''The Doctor:''' Ah, well, now, you see, the thing is, if I was you, if I was gonna execute someone by backing them against the wall, between you and me, a little word of advice, ''[there's a ping, and the lift door slides open behind him]'' don't stand him against the lift! ''[steps into the lift and the door closes]''

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: The Slitheen can sense when one of their number is killed, and they aren't happy.

* HonourBeforeReason: A humourous example. A monstrous Slitheen is minutes away from killing Jackie and Mickey, and the Doctor, Rose, and Harriet are running down a list of the aliens' traits to help the Time Lord determine where they're from. Harriet realizes an important piece of evidence stems from the Slitheen's flatulence... and wastes a few seconds asking for her companions to forgive her using such crass words.

* ICantBelieveImSayingThis:
-->'''The Doctor:''' Mickey the Idiot... and I may choke before finishing this sentence... I need you.

** After his "triplicate the flammability" bluff fails, the Doctor offers Harriet the port. "[[StiffUpperLip You pass it to the left first.]]"

* LampshadeHanging: The Slitheen are delighted to see that "The telephone is ''actually red''!"

* NewscasterCameo: Andrew Marr is still playing one of the reporters camped outside Downing Street.