The War Between the Land and the Sea: Plastic Apocalypse

 "This man is the most important person on the planet."

This episode may be Pete McTighe rather than RTD, but the quality continues. If it continues to do so, we could have something truly special here, a modern and deeply thoughtful updating of the Silurians' and Sea Devils' intrinsic subtexts. Here, though, there are two key differences. Firstly, the Sea Devils (still not having Homo Aqua, reptiles are not hominids!) are not opposed to humanity's existence, or ownership of the land; they merely object- strongly- to our pollution, and our possession of the oceans and waterways. Secondly, there's no Doctor... much as Kate may complain, when Barclay goes off script, that "This is like working with the Doctor"!

Yet there's the human side too. Barclay feels real, a testament to Russell Tovey's acting but also to the characterisation. His relation to Barbara and Kirby further humanises him, with Kirby genuinely both idealistic and proud of her dad. But humans, of course, are not perfect, and those with wealth and power are plotting to undermine UNIT. This plot thread can only deepen.

It's interesting to see UNIT more closely. For the first time we see Kate and Colonel Ibrahim at home, very much a couple, contrasting with their professionalism at work. We see speculation about a kind of Sea Devil hive mind. And... it becomes more and more unclear what Shirley's job description actually is.

Yet the drama of the actual diplomatic negotiations is enormous. Even more so than the Sea Devils' dramatic act of returning all plastic etc in the oceans back to land (including, in an echo of Ghostbusters II, the Titanic finally reaching New York)!. Salt and Barclay see to have real chemistry, yet her (and their) anger is palpable. Their demands are seemingly impossible, the sacrifices seemingly too great. Yet, from the Sea Devils' perspective, they are modest and reasonable.

There's long to go, and I've no idea how this will end. But the subtext, the pacing, the characters... this is very, very good.

The War Between the Land and the Sea: Homo Aqua

 "That's them- the gay waters!"

Before I start praising this promising first episode, a gripe about "homo aqua": it's just scientifically illiterate. Even this English graduate knows that the genus "homo" is for hominids, i.e. primate species that walk upright. The Sea Devils are not even mammals, let alone primates. It just doesn't work. I get that the name "Sea Devils" is pejorative, and I don't mean to be one of those tiresome culture warriors who whinge about "woke" this and "woke" that. But dammit, this is a fictional race, and I'm just not having this bad science. As far as I'm concerned, "Sea Devils" it is.

That said, though... this is a very promising start. It looks gorgeous, with the Disney budget well used. The cast, led by Russell Tovey, is excellent. There are some nice little Easter eggs for the fans- a glimpse of Trinity Wells; the surprising use of General (formerly Colonel) Pierce in a more important role all these years later; UNIT in all it's glory, with Kate, Colonel Ibrahim and Shirley all back... although no Blinx; that would hardly suit the more adult tone.

But best of all we have the impressive script from an RTD writing for an adult rather than family audience. The world-building and exposition is well done for people who haven't seen The Sea Devils, and so is the characterisation. General Pierce comes across as a well-rounded and rather impressive individual. Even better, though, is Barclay, the relatable everyman and audience surrogate, with whom we quickly come to identify. He's no one special, just a humble UNIT clerk, divorced and with complex child custody issues to navigate- I can certainly relate! And it's somehow made believable that a chain of events could lead to him being forced to act as humanity's ambassador to the Sea Devils.

I already want to watch more of this intriguing spin-off. I suspect pollution will be a theme, and I wonder what's going on with the two apparent other species. Are we going to get an explanation as to why the Sea Devils look so different, though?

This has real potential. I'm not going to say that it has Torchwood: Children of Earth vibes yet, but the potential is certainly there.