History Recap / DoctorWhoS27E9TheEmptyChild

* {{Fainting}}: Lampshaded by Rose before collapsing after her rescue from the balloon.

* AdultFear: One of the London orphans implies the constant bombing of London is preferable to the relative safety of the countryside...
--> '''Orphan:''' There was a man...
** "Before this war began I was a father and a grandfather; now I am neither."

* NotSoDifferent: Constantine was a father and grandfather before the War; now he's neither, but he's ''still a doctor''. The Doctor quietly replies that he knows the feeling.

* RedHerring: When Nine asks Nancy who knows what's going on her response is... "the doctor", accompanied by an ominous music sting and Nine suddenly looking concerned, indicating that ''something'' Time Lord-related is going on here. [[spoiler:There isn't, she was referring to Dr. Constantine.]]

** "Before this ware began I was a father and a grandfather; now I am neither."

* HiveMind: The final moments of the episode show some form of a link between the Child and the other victims when he found Nancy and the ones in the hospital got up and moved toward Jack, Rose, and the Doctor.

* CelebrityParadox: Rose's ''Franchise/StarTrek'' reference becomes this when, years later, a comic book crossover was published by IDW between the Eleventh Doctor and ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.

* CelebrityParadox: Rose's ''Franchise/Star Trek'' reference becomes this when, years later, a comic book crossover was published by IDW between the Eleventh Doctor and ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''.

* ChangedMyJumper: Rose is wearing jeans and a Union Jack T-shirt and the Doctor is in his usual leather jacket — one worn by German U-Boat captains. Lampshaded by Jack:
-->"Oh, should've known, the way you guys are blending in with the local colour. I mean, Flag Girl was bad enough, but ''U-Boat Captain''?"

Sixth Doctor Creator/ColinBaker has said that in his opinion, this episode (and its second part, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E10TheDoctorDances The Doctor Dances]]") is the best ''Who'' story ever filmed. This becomes even more notable when you realize that elements of this story (notably the creepy child in pursuit of his lost parent) share similarities with the Big Finish audio novel, "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho014TheHolyTerror The Holy Terror]]" — a story that writer Steven Moffat called his favorite Sixth Doctor story, ever.

Rose, in the fine old tradition of the Doctor's companions, has wandered off and got herself into trouble. In this case by grabbing a hold of a barrage balloon and accidentally taken to the skies above London ''while it's being bombed'', wearing a T-shirt with ''a giant British flag'' on it. She's rescued in the nick of time by a suave spaceship pilot with an American accent, an RAF uniform and a penchant for flirting with his fellow soldiers, who introduces himself as [[Series/{{Torchwood}} Captain Jack Harkness]]. Captain Jack deduces that she's also a time traveller and, assuming that she's a [[TimePolice Time Agent]], tells her of a recently crashed alien ship, whose location he'll reveal for a few quid. Oh, and he (quite successfully) tries to seduce her — by taking her for a slow dance on the roof of his invisible ship, which is anchored to the top of Big Ben.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: “Captain” Jack wears the uniform of an RAF squadron leader. In later episodes the braid on his coat is exchanged for that of a group captain, though this rank is not to be shortened to captain. ''Doctor Who'' is also guilty of shortening it in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryofTheDaleks "Victory of the Daleks"]].

** Time Agents from the 51[[superscript:st]] century were first mentioned by 51[[superscript:st]]-century war criminal Magnus Greel in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E6TheTalonsOfWengChiang The Talons of Weng-Chiang]]".

* CreepyChild: Jamie is even ''credited'' as "The Child". This was the result of being infected by TheVirus. Indeed he ''was'' TheVirus. In a humorous moment, the Doctor realises that despite being dangerous, he's still a child, and "defeats" him temporarily by sending him to his room.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Jack Harkness's first line is "Excellent bottom." while staring at Rose Tyler's behind through binoculars, as she dangles thousands of feet in the air from a rope tied to a barrage balloon. His fellow soldier thinks the line is aimed at him, to which Jack responds by patting the guy's bottom before setting out to go rescue Rose.

* HumansAreSpecial: The Doctor notes that, at the least, Britons were special because they refused to fall to the German War Machine. He even admits that they "frighten the hell out of" him, which is saying a lot coming from someone who's faced down Daleks, Slitheen, Cybermen, and a countless number of other horrifying threats.

-->'''Rose:''' "Okay, we're standing in midair on an invisible spaceship, during a German air raid. Do you really think now's a good time to be coming on to me?"

* NoodleIncident: When the Doctor asks why the kids haven't left London yet, one of them mentions that "there was a man" where he was staying and gives no further explanation. The [[AbuseTropes implication]] seemed pretty obvious.

* SupernaturalPhone: The Child manages to activate the phone on the outside of the police box, much to the Doctor's amazement.

** Dr. Constantine's line "They're ''not dead''."

* CreepyChild: Jamie is even ''credited'' as "The Child". This was the result of being infected by TheVirus. In fact, to hell with infected — he ''was'' TheVirus. In a humorous moment, the Doctor realizes that despite being dangerous, he's still a child, and "defeats" him temporarily by sending him to his room.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Jack Harkness's first line is "Excellent bottom." ... While staring at Rose Tyler's ass through binoculars, as she dangles thousands of feet in the air from a rope tied to a barrage balloon. His fellow soldier thinks the line is aimed at him, to which Jack responds by patting the guy's bottom before setting out to go rescue Rose.

* {{Foil}}: Captain Jack to the Doctor, in a NobleMaleRoguishMale pairing (Jack is the Roguish one).

* FunTShirt: Rose's Union Jack shirt, while not particularly ''funny'', fits the trope.

* HoldTheLine: The Doctor notes that this is Britain's moment. The nations of Europe fell one-by-one to the German War Machine until this tiny island nation said "No." And would not yield.
-->"1941. Right now, not very far from here the German war machine is rolling up the map of Europe. Country after country, falling like Dominoes. Nothing can stop it, nothing until one tiny, damp little island says 'No. No, not here.' A mouse in front of a lion. You're amazing. The lot of you. Don't know what you do to Hitler, but you frighten the hell out of me. Off you go, then. Do what you got to do. Save the world."

* HumansAreSpecial: The Doctor notes that, at the least, Britons were special because they refused to fall to the German War Machine. He even admits that they "frighten the hell out of" him, which is saying a lot coming from someone who's faced down Daleks, Slitheen, Reapers, and a countless number of other horrifying threats.
* ImMrFuturePopCultureReference: Rose jokingly refers to the Doctor as "Mr. Spock" when pressed for his name. Captain Jack, who's from the distant future, doesn't recognize the reference, and HilarityEnsues.

* InternalHomage: "Are you my mummy?" echoes the "are you my father?" MadnessMantra from Creator/StevenMoffat's favourite Sixth Doctor story, "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho014TheHolyTerror The Holy Terror]]" (by Creator/BigFinish).

-->'''Rose:''' Okay, we're standing in midair... on an invisible spaceship, during a German air raid. Do you really think now's a good time to be coming on to me?

* NonMaliciousMonster: The Child honestly just wants to find his mother, TheVirus is completely tangential.

* PlagueZombie: The gas-mask zombies, as the infection is initially transmitted by touch, and Dr. Constantine says it's beginning to become airborne. Since they all have identical physical injuries, Constantine describes it as "physical injuries... as plague".
* PromotionToParent: Nancy acts as one to her kids. There is a twist to it in the next episode though.

* RedAlert: Played with — according to the Doctor, mauve is the universally-recognized colour for danger, and most aliens consider red to be {{camp}}. "Oh, the misunderstandings, all those red alerts, all that dancing..."

* SkewedPriorities: Perhaps due to BritishStuffiness, Nancy demands her kids to chew properly while being stuck in an air raid.

'''Jack:''' That's a little harsh. I like think of myself as a criminal.

* {{Foil}}: Captain Jack to the Doctor, in a NobleMaleRoguishMale pairing ([[CaptainObvious Jack is the Roguish one]]).

Elsewhere in London. Nancy, the young woman who warned the Doctor not to answer the phone, sneaks into a house whose inhabitants are in their bomb shelter. They've left the house mid-meal, so Nancy gives a signal and adorable little [[StreetUrchin waifs]] come rushing in. They're mostly homeless kids and/or escapees from the [[BlitzEvacuees Blitz Evacuation]]. Oh, and one extra person — adorable, all right, but unusually tall and deep-voiced, for a kid... [[CrowningMomentOfFunny it's the Doctor!]] He fishes for information but doesn't get very far. Then Nancy and the kids hear the approach of a certain kid in a certain gas mask, repeating a certain catch phrase, and flee in terror. Nancy identifies the boy as her brother, Jamie, and claims that he's "empty". The Doctor is left behind to see the kid up close — including a cut on the kid's hand — and is asked over and over, "Are you my mummy?"

--->'''Rose:''' What about you? You're not even in focus... oh boll... ''[faints]''

* NoodleIncident: When the Doctor asks why the kids haven't left London yet, one of them mentions that "there was a man" where he was staying and gives no further explanation. The [[AbuseTropes implication]] seemed pretty obvious.

* WestminsterChimes: We hear the Big Ben when Rose and Jack are having a rendezvous.