6th December, 2025: “Homo Aqua”.The Introduction.
Right … it’s officially Saturday night.
And … ?
I’ve got a burger cooking as I write.
And will be plonking potatoes into the air fryer, shortly.
Ever buy Sainsbury’s own brand red skinned potatoes?
They seem to do well in the air fryer: although I could be wrong.
That’s possibly not something that’s grabbing your attention, now is it … ?
No: you’re possibly wondering if they mash well …
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That’s a digression …
Let me make up for it by, instead, assuming you’re new to Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar, and the associated YouTube channel.
That’s not something I need to remind long term readers, about.
So to them … ?
I say “Welcome back!”
~≈🧜🏼♂️≈~
So … ?
Whether you’re an old timer, or new to this blog?
I should stress, again, that I review TV shows.
That I’m writing this introduction to a set of reviews a day early.
And tell you that I’m going to be watching the Dr Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea.
Starting with the first episode, “Homo Aqua”, tomorrow night.
Hopefully?
I’ll have this first review — written and video — done by Tuesday: then have my written and video reviews of the second episode, “Plastic Apocalypse”, done by Thursday, 11th December, 2025.
I’ll be doing the same thing, for episodes three and four, next week: and something very similar for the last episode!
The reason I’m starting a day early … ?
It’s December: and Christmas.
So I’m fitting this posts in-between real life and present wrapping …
I can only hope the festive period is kind to us.
And the Sea Devils aren’t too scary!
7th December, 2025.Part One.The Summary.
Episode 1 — “Homo Aqua” — opens with a shot of the sea: then shows us a Spanish fishing ship, trawling through the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
The ship’s nets capture fish: along side something monstrous, humanoid … and rapidly shot by the panicked human crew.
Mere hours later?
We’re shown the bedroom of UNIT admin worker, Barclay Pierre-Dupont (Russell Tovey): as, late at night, he get’s an unexpected phone call from his employers.
And is forced to drop his daughter, Kirby (Cat Gannon), with her mother, before being driven to his destination: a UNIT airbase in London where he’s put on a plane to Spain.
All the while explaining there’s been a terrible mix-up, and that the person who should be heading to Spain, is the man he’s replaced.
All that is of little interest to General Pierce (Colin McFarlane).
Barclay is still going to be needed by Pierce’s team.
The General, the team and UNIT, itself, have to have a civilian observer when working on this sort of investigation.
What Barclay doesn’t know, is what General Pierce’s team have found.
They’ve found a body.
Of something Pierce calls Homo Aqua, and one of his team says should be Homospondyl Erectus … but who the old legends call sea devils …
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Part Two.Thoughts and Practicalities.
Right … what did I think of episode one, of “Homo Aqua”?
And when am I going to watch episode two?
Just so you know, I started writing this on Sunday, 7th December, 2025: and will hopefully get this written version up by Tuesday 9th December: along side the accompanying video.
Episode two will be watched and reviewed by Thursday/
That tells you the practicalities.
But doesn’t tell you what I thought of this opening episode.
I have to say, it’s very good!
Russell Tovey as the out-of-his-depth Barclay, is sympathetic: and the everyman we would be, in his shoes.
General Pierce? Formerly of the US Army — during his appearance in Torchwood: Children of Earth — Pierce seems far kinder than he did in his original appearance.
By contrast, Jemma Redgrave, as UNIT head, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart?
Seems … not nasty … but showing the ruthless side she need to run UNIT when it’s under pressure.
By contrast to the more relaxed character we see in Dr Who, Kate is both more formal, and more of a tough leader.
The supporting cast are just as strong: as is Russell T. Davies writing.
“Homo Aqua” moves along at a very good pace, one that kept me watching for all forty-three minutes.
It was strong enough to make me want to come back for more, as soon as possible.
~≈🧜🏼♂️≈~
Part Three.World building.
There’s something else, as well: the world building … …
The Dr Who franchise that The War Between the Land and the Sea is part of, has a complicated background: with things getting changed, added, altered, written and rewritten over the course of many.
After all, the idea the main character could change form at times of medical need was only added so the seriously unwell William Hartnell could retire with dignity.
It’s certainly wasn’t something the show’s creators had in mind, back in 1963.
The classic show also destroyed Atlantis.
Twice.
So, when the new version of the show surfaced in 2005?
It took the chance to introduce new monsters, inherited a lot of backstory … and also had the chance to redesign a few things.
The Daleks got one hell of an overhaul: as, in turn, did the Cybermen, Ice Warriors, Sontarans …
And, of course, the Silurians: or Homo Reptilia, as the new series calls them.
So, when The War Between the Land and the Sea was announced, we were told it would feature a new design of Sea Devil.
Those designs got unveiled, on Sunday.
In the scene that shows us the first, formal meeting between Sea Devils and human, we see:
- Two Piscimorphia Grandis, two large monkfish like creatures,
- Homo Aqua: the armed creatures that have made the bulk of Sea Devils we see in this episode,
- The leader (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), dubbed Homomorpha Sapiens, and Homo Amphibia, by a UNIT staffer.
It reminds of the creatures in “The Hungry Earth”/“Cold Blood” two parter of earlier years: and, given the Silurians are/were relatives of the Sea Devils, re-designed the latter, and give us three different, contemporary versions.
Quite how the three interact?
I don’t know.
But it shows us a set of species whose relationships must be interesting.
There’s another callback to the Chibnall-penned episodes.
A scene shows us two UNIT guards — Morgan and Abdallah — being captured: by Sea Devil raiders who liquify the floor, in a way that’s reminds us of how Silurians captured humans.
The fact Silurians and Sea Devils share technology surprised me: although it shouldn’t have.
It was a logical thing to show us: and a reminder of the creatures shared origins.
~≈🧜🏼♂️≈~
Part Four.Other Things.
There’s others things I could tell you, here.
I’ve mentioned the pace of this episode, already: “Homo Aqua” went at a good, zippy, pace: something I found appealing.
Imperial House? Imperial House is the location of the office used to conduct the meeting between humans and Sea Devils.
And one whose external location looked a lot like the building used to house the 456, the alien villains in Children of Earth.
That idea of meeting non-humans, in an environment that’s safe for them? Seems straight out of the Children of Earth playbook, too.
Kate’s speech, when we first met her? The one that tells UNIT stands ‘outside all countries, borders, governments and oceans’, reminded me a lot of the opening narration of Torchwood: where Jack Tells us the groups stands ‘outside the government, and beyond the police.’
There was something else that struck me, about the new look of Sea Devils: and least about Salt, the Gugu Mbatha-Raw character.
I can remember, many years ago, someone wrote into the Radio Times — or possibly Points of View — asking why the BBC bothered with subtitles on their programmes: when deaf viewers could just as easily lip read.
Only to see the magazine give us a deaf person’s response.
A response that said lip readers could not read the lips of someone who was speaking off-screen: nor — as the Rose Ayling-Ellis character reminded us, in “The Well”— could they read the lips of a character whose back was turned to the camera.
Nor could they lip read the puppets in Thunderbirds, or Rainbow, or The Muppet Show: the puppets look like they’re going “MA-MA-MA”.
Much like the original design of Sea Devils, in both the classic series and the Jodie Whittaker-era, Legend of the Sea Devils.
Puppets are babbling, in other words: the deaf can’t read lips that aren’t talking!
So having a creature, a leader, who’s face we can see, whose mouth we can see, is helpful for everyone.
Those of us who can hear can see a human-like expression.
Those of us who can’t, can read lips.
~≈🧜🏼♂️≈~
Part Five.Final Thoughts.
With all that said?
What did I think of “Homo Aqua”?
I have to admit, I enjoyed it: it’s a fast paced thriller of an episode with a sympathetic ensemble cast, menacing monsters and a pair of central characters — Barclay, and the Sea Devil leader — who have caught my attention.
The only reason I didn’t watch the second episode?
Was simply so I could tell you how good the first one was!
“Homo Aqua”.★★★★
~≈🧜🏼♂️≈~
Part Six.Until Next Time.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is where I’m going to leave things: for now.
I’ll leave you with my thanks for reading this: or for watching the video version of this review, if that’s what you’ve done.
And tell you I’ll have my reviews of “Plastic Apocalypse” up by this Thursday.
However, before I go?
I will ask you to subscribe to my YouTube channel: and follow Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar.
If quizzes are you thing, I’ve published the Daily Teaser quiz for years: and I’m planning more reviews.
Feel free to tip, keep your eyes peeled and I’ll see you next time.
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