I must admit, when I was younger, this episode creeped me out, I know what it is that creeped me out, it's the idea of something constantly chasing you, never rushing, never hiding, just walking after you, everywhere you go. You'd be lying if you said you've never had a nightmare where some inescapable threat was constantly pursuing you, I remember, I was on the playground of my primary school being chased by a giant bug, I've had many nightmares like this, but that's what springs to mind. Enough about my dreams, what I'm saying is this episode will get under your skin, only instead of a giant bug it's a kid in a gas mask. This episode is reasonably reliant on its mystery; what is this kid in the gas mask, why is he following this particular girl so relentlessly, how does it relate to the war machine? I personally love the direction the mystery takes, and it is interesting to watch it all play out, though the ending is perhaps a bit too happy in my opinion, maybe I'm just a twisted fucker, but an ending needs a consequence, and I feel that this ending lacks that consequence, it's all just wrapped up very nicely with a bow. That said though, the science of the plague is really interesting to me, it's some nano-machine nonsense, but that stuff really interests me, and the way this plague works and why it does what it does is really cool. Something else I like is the setting, I rarely bring it up, but history interests me greatly regarding certain subjects, mainly technology, politics and war, obviously then World War 2 is a good place to look, and this setting makes for a very awesome scene with Rose that, ignoring the dated CG, is a pleasure to watch. This episode has a big new addition that I actually have mixed feelings on, and that is John Barrowman as Captain Jack. Let's start with what I like about this character, he's cool, he's just cool, he has all the charm and mystery of a classic secret agent, but he isn't a black and white good or bad guy, which is something I always love, because reality isn't black and white. But something I don't like about him; and that's sexuality, and now is when I must explain myself, people can be into whatever they want to be into, but when I'm watching a film or TV show, I care about what's going on, I don't care about the characters' sexuality, Jack would have been just as cool anyway, so it doesn't ruin what I think of the character, it just bugs me that they give it any time when it doesn't and shouldn't matter. Aside from Jack we have Nancy, a character who quickly becomes the sympathetic centre of the mystery, and also a character I really like, she's someone who does good things not for the benefit of others, but to ameliorate a guilt, this is a very good piece of development, as her motives can be understood. Rose has a really good scene with Jack and a piece of psychic paper, and the Doctor is witty and funny as ever, even more so a few times in these episodes, this episode also has a lot of the Doctor's more emotional side, and Eccleston does a great job with both, it may not be as complex as Dalek, but here we see more of the sympathetic Doctor, I personally prefer his funnier side though.
The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances are 2 more great episodes of Doctor who, I love the setting, I am interested by the story and by the plague, and I like the characters, even if certain aspects of Jack bug me a bit. The story may have a bit too happy of an ending in my opinion, but the story itself is something I really enjoyed for the most part, I find the kid with the gas mask less creepy now I'm older, but it's still very creepy from time to time. So all in all this is a good pair of episode that is worth a watch.
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