[AkibaSilver]

S2 CS: The Christmas Invasion- 25/12/05

The Tenth Doctor suffers regeneration sickness as the Earth comes under attack from aliens. Who ROCK!

Plot
Picking up from where Born Again left off, we see Mickey and Jackie preparing for Christmas, when they hear the roar of distant engines. They run into the usual landing spot, commenting on how Rose is coming back, but there is no TARDIS. It comes crashing out of the vortex, and scrapes past some stuff before landing. Ten stumbles out, says MERRY CHRISTMAS! to Jackie and Mickey, before fainting! Rose comes out, and attempts to explain. They stick him in bed, and Mickey and Rose go Christmas shopping. Because that's what people do when their best friend could be dying! Things are going fine, until they are attacked by Santas armed with musical instruments. They flee home, where they get attacked by a Christmas Tree. It wrecks half the flat, with Rose attempting to wake up the Doctor, before succeeding by saying 'Help Me'. He sonics the robot Santas , which run away. However, he says that they are only 'pilot fish' and the real threat is bigger.

Meanwhile, Britain has a Space Service! (With working rockets!!!!) They launched Guinevere 1 to Mars, but it gets intercepted by aliens. On live TV. They quickly put out a claim of 'hoax' but the guy running it goes to UNIT, where we meet with Harriet Jones (Prime Minister). They are tracking the spaceship which has intercepted the satellite, when they receive a transmission from the Sycorax. Mickey and Rose watch it via the Buffalo password (hacking, for the win), where they discover the translation isn't working. Something to do with the Doctor not being 'awake' or something.

The Sycorax think this is a good time to brainwash 1/3 of the Earth's population into standing on the edge of a high building. UNIT goes into overdrive, and the American President wants to take it over. Harriet Jones (PM) refuses, and inquires into "Torchwood", even though she shouldn't know about it. The government attempt to contact the Sycorax , and get teleported aboard the ship for their trouble, where two of them die of electric whip. Rose wants to get to safety, so she drags Mickey, her mum and the Doctor to the TARDIS. Mickey attempting to tune the TARDIS TV, but gets detected by the Sycorax, and they end up zapped onto the spaceship, with Jackie stranded behind. Rose, not knowing they've left, goes outside, but gets grabbed and screams. Mickey drops his cup of tea(!) and runs out the door to help Rose, but does nothing. The tea, meanwhile, starts fizzing as it hits the TARDIS circuits...

Rose attempts to bluff the Sycorax with random name dropping, but they laugh in her face. The leader starts speaking, but ends up speaking English, even though he only speaks Sycoraxic and would never dirty his tongue with primitive bile. Everyone turns towards the TARIDS as their brains finally work, and we see the Tenth Doctor standing there, in Arthur Dent pyjamas. He says hello to all his friends, until the leader gets his attention. Ten, in response, launches into a long speech about how he's new, how humanity is special, and how he can't resist pressing a big red button (it frees the humans on the rooftops.)The Sycorax leader challenges the Doctor to combat, and the Doctor loses his hand. I'm sure it splatted on the floor or something, and it'll never be brought up again. Ten just grows a new one, and proceeds to completely beat the Sycorax leader, making him swear to leave. The Sycorax leader tries to kill the Doctor as he leaves, and he ends up dead for his trouble, via a Satsuma and a handily placed floor panel.

The Sycorax leave, the travellers end up back on Earth, and everyone is happy Until Harriet Jones has Torchwood blow up the leaving spaceship. In retaliation for this retaliation, the Doctor takes down Harriet Jones government with six words, destroying Britain's golden age and paving the way for Harold Saxon and the government seen in Children Of Earth!Great work! The group goes home and has a Christmas dinner, while the Doctor picks out a new outfit (we see Four's scarf!). At the end, it snows (sortof) and the Doctor and Rose leave for a new adventure. This episode deals with Post Regeneration Disorder again, and has a well paced plot, with some good points. 8/10

Characters
The Tenth Doctor, in the ten minutes he is awake, makes a good impression, with a large gob, and a well set personality; Calm at first, but don't mess with him. Rose's reaction to his regeneration seems genuine, and her panic plays well. 7/10

Scare Factor
Blood Control could be worse, but it doesn't stretch too far. 4/10

Torchwood: Blows up a Spaceship

Overall
This episode is very good, and, once away from the Christmas theme, has a nice plot and is a good introduction episode for The Tenth Doctor. Next time, we go to New Earth and meet up with a Sheet of Skin! 8/10