The second episode of Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, titled 'Plastic Apocalypse', ends with a dramatic escalation. Salt, leader of the Homo Aqua (Sea Devils), removes all plastic from the oceans and causes it to rain down on Earth's streets, forcing humanity to experience the pollution they have inflicted on the seas.
This act follows failed negotiations at the Empress Hall, where humanity promised a 50 per cent reduction in water pollution by 2065. Salt rejected this as insufficient, stating the Homo Aqua cannot live in such conditions for another day. When UNIT's Kate Lethbridge Stewart pleaded for her to stop, Salt replied: 'We are cleaning up your mess.'
The episode establishes that Salt chose Barclay (Russell Tovey) as humanity's ambassador due to his kindness, shown when he made the sign of respect over dead Homo Aqua. However, his lack of experience—he was recruited by admin error—may also have been a factor. Homo Aqua possess telepathic abilities, which may explain how Salt controlled the plastic.
As the plastic deluge causes deaths on the streets, an emergency is declared and war begins. Alexander Devrient, who plays Colonel Ibrahim, told RadioTimes.com that the visual of the plastic was 'so nasty' and required no acting to recoil. The series continues next week with further episodes.
