Now lacking a companion, the Eighth Doctor meets new applicants at a hotel: Hugh, Theo, Asha and Juliet. He observes them as they stumble through the Monster of the Week. However, it turns out that:
(a) Juliet is just not companion material,
(b) Asha is an angry alien with a gun and a broken teleporter (which the Doctor fixes in all of three seconds),
(c) Theo is a criminal hacker who sort-of accidentally caused the global recession,
(d) Hugh is a scary space vampire.
Also, the Doctor wasn't the one who put up the ad. And he has no clue who did.
The Doctor is right miffed, not in the least because Juliet has to go and meddle again long after being fired. This forces him to offer up his neck to the scary space vampire, a situation he totally had under control before Juliet barged in again. She also turns out to be a failed actress named Tamsin who made up the "Juliet" persona to try and impress the Doctor. After having his blood sucked, however, and the vampire Thrown Out the Airlock of the TARDIS, the Doctor is actually rather impressed with Tamsin's level of sheer boredom and ennui at life on earth. He decides to take her along.
Tropes
- Breather Episode
- Continuity Nod: The Chesterton Award for Science.
- Fantastic Racism: While investigating at the hotel, the gang captures an actual alien. The Doctor's first reaction is "...why?", as the alien turns out to be a regular guy who's just doing his own investigations.
- Genre Blind: When the Doctor arrives at the bad guy's office and finds it deserted with a note to him that says "Run!", Tamsin cheerfully notes "Oh, look, there's a parcel for you as well!"
- Heroic Bystander: Rachel the receptionist. She doesn't directly fight the monsters, but she's helpful, remarkably unfazed and determined to be the best damn hotel receptionist she can be, regardless of what insanity is going on around her. The Doctor seriously considers her for the companion role, but she's not interested.
- Nice Character, Grumpy Actor: In the CD extras at the end, Paul McGann admits the Doctor is often a bit too cheery for him, and he can relate better to the Doctor's more "hacked-off" attitude in this adventure.
- Our Vampires Are Different: "There are Vampires, and there are vampires." The Doctor notes that Hugh's kind was genetically engineered specifically to invoke "blood and thunder" fiction. This somehow includes him needing an invitation to get inside the TARDIS.
- Parody: of The Apprentice
- Running Gag: The Eighth Doctor keeps running into creatures who want to drink his blood. As usual (cf. "Storm Warning", "Vampire Science" and "Scherzo"), he lets them, if it helps save the day.
- Trapped the Wrong Target: Asha tries to capture the Doctor in the belief that he's the person who posted the original ad; once the Doctor clarifies that he isn't the person responsible, he provides her with the means to get off Earth.
