10 Disturbing Doctor Who Implications You Totally Missed
8. "There Was A Man There"
The Empty Child is brimming with creepiness and an overwhelming sense of dread. However, one of the most disturbing moments in the episode comes from what's left unsaid, rather than the "are you my Mummy?" catchphrase, or Doctor Constantine's bone-crunching transformation into a gas mask zombie.
The Ninth Doctor gatecrashing the dinner being hosted by Nancy is a fun scene for the most part, particularly the Doctor's gag about Marxism and West End musicals, but there's an incredibly dark moment embedded within.
When the Doctor asks why they all haven't been evacuated, a kid called Alf tells him that he had to leave his temporary home because "there was a man there." It's a very quick line and doesn't even appear to make much sense at face value, but when you stop and think about it, the unpleasant implication is that Alf was horribly mistreated or even abused by the man, which is why he fled his evacuee home.
Worse still, it's revealed that another kid called Ernie suffered something similar, which is why he now lives on the streets of London. It's a really dark moment that suggests a disturbing truth about Alf, Ernie, and some other evacuees – that sleeping rough during Nazi bombing raids is far safer than the very homes that were supposed to protect them.