By Owen Quinn author Photos copyright BBC/Disney
It’s not long before staff are paid off and samples of the dead Sea Devil babies are being bought in rainy streets. Other parties, both political and private, are seeing recession on the horizon if they bow down to the Sea Devils so the deal must include the destruction of the sea dwellers. Barclay’s identity as the new ambassador is leaked causing a media frenzy.
Barclay is reunited with his family with Kate guiding him in his new role.
I have to say the return of scientific advisor, Shirley Bingham, is a let down. I really wanted Lenny Rush’s Morris Gibbons back. He is a much more interesting character and would bring a child’s, even a genius child’s, view to global destruction. There is room for it here but alas, we will never know.
As I said in the last review, this story writes itself and when Barclay must stand before the first official negotiation, it quickly becomes us, the audience, speaking. Salt challenges him to drink a glass of water from the Thames but it is so polluted, he cannot. Barclay ignores the dialogue that has been written for him and just goes off on one. He says what we are all thinking as normal every day citizens. We don’t even know what is in our water supplies any more yet it is always someone else’s problem and we stew in social media. It is beautifully written and hits home because it is what we all know. Water companies and world governments don’t care as long as the money keeps coming. Jack Harkness once said that the 21st century is when it all changes and here it is, in a touching exchange between Barclay and his daughter. He is buzzing about his first performance as ambassador but for every high, there is a greater fall.
In this case, the Sea Devils are furious that the humans say it will take 40 years to achieve just 50% of pollution reversal. Kate compares Barclay to the Doctor, going off script and winging it. But he loses control as the skies darken and every last scrap of rubbish ever dumped into a canal or an ocean falls from the sky back on to the land. Barclay’s ex wife and daughter are almost killed. This is Torchwood/Sound of Drums drama scale as everything from plastic bottles to the Titanic itself is thrown back on to the land. But with such power, why are they bothering to talk? Do the Sea Devils have another agenda?
Helpless, Barclay faces a more cautious negotiation this time as the Sea Devils make three demands. All pollution stops immediately. They demand all the oceans and waterways as their territory including the skies above them and man will not be permitted to leave land. With no air or sea travel, the ecomony will collapse. This causes chaos and suddenly Salt becomes more male, shifting in appearance and voice. If they had done with with the old Sea devil mask design then it wouldn’t have worked so well. Gugu’s performance is electric as she holds all the cards here. Just a flick of her head fins or narrowing of her eyes as she waits for Barclay to drink the water dances off the screen.
She gives me the impression, she still holds hope that Barclay can break the deadlock and use his own mind rather than words written by UNIT. The third is on their terms which Kate urges Barclay not to agree to. It is a beautiful dance between the two characters. Could Salt be testing the ordinary people of Earth because she knows how governments lie and cheat? When she mentioned that humans started this, could she be referring to brigadier Lethbridge Stewart killing the Silurians with a bomb behind the Doctor’s back and similarly, the Sea Devil colony during the 3rd Doctor era?
And yes, you can’t help but think, where is the 14th Doctor? Is he off world with Rose or Donna or is he standing back? His presence is very much felt as Barclay inadvertently becomes a child of time like all the companions who ever met or travelled with the Doctor. Barclay was nervous, insecure, had a failed marriage and just a low key worker so this is making him see he can be better. He can make a difference and the sudden realisation that he is now a historical figure loses its allure by the end of the episode.
The third condition Salt wants is for Barclay to meet the Sea Devils on their turf. and take the negotiation further.
At the bottom of the ocean.
Given what he has seen them do, Barclay agrees against Kate’s wishes.
I’m now at the wow stage of this story. The pollution rain of rubbish is excellent and foreshadowed by a solitary plastic bag in some great direction. This feels Children of Earth like, in that the threat is so big and the enemy so powerful, that man may well be prisoners on his own planet while the original inhabitants take back their world.
Roll on the next episode.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 
Another very strong sign of how a Doctor Who spinoff can be most profoundly serious without the Doctor. Thank you for your reviews.
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