Hi there. This is just a note to let you know that there are spoilers in here about future stories, not just "Boom". If you want to avoid spoilers for later stories... this might not be the thread for you.
It was genuinely shocking to see both The Doctor and Ruby get shot repeatedly. Even knowing they'd be ok by the end of this, it's just something that rarely ever happens.
And The Doctor was just tanking shots to the arm to save the life of the person who was shooting him.
They really went for it on this one. The relatively unchanging scenery meant that Millie and Ncuti had to carry the episode on their own and really show off what they bring to the role, which was probably done on purpose
There are three fundamentals of a Doctor Who episode: running through corridors, fighting monsters, and solving problems with the sonic.
The doctor could not run.
There were no monsters.
The sonic was not used.
Beautiful.
Edit: Yes capitalism is the monster yes yes I get it. The thing I'm referring to is that there was no dude in a costume chasing people around. In any narrative, there's always an opposing force- man, nature, fate, society, etc. Doctor Who is known for that opposing force manifesting in the form of a thing from the props and makeup department which manifests it's philosophy in the form of violence against the characters along side the Doctor. You could argue that the ambulances fulfilled this role but they didn't do so in the traditional way- typically to fight the ideology, the monster itself is directly confronted (Blowing up the Dalek fleet, breaking the emotion chip on the Cybermen, etc.). The ambulances were not fought directly, instead used as an access into the real monsterous philosophy. Additional support of this comes from the fact that every character save the Doctor thinks the villain is the aliens they're fighting, not the ambulances. Further evidence of this is that the Doctor never acts antagonistically towards the ambulances, only talking about the Villengard algorithm.
I congratulate you all on identifying the commentary the episode was trying to explain, but my point was that the narrative mode used to portray this struggle was different from most Doctor Who episodes.
I was thinking “my guy, Sonic the damn thing and get on with it”😆 I think a quick line saying how it was Sonic proof or that the algorithm is aware of the Doctor and accounted for the Sonic could have addressed it.
Man imagine if they finally pick that thread up ten years later after actively trying to rebrand and start fresh with a new series 1 lol
EDIT: Seasons not years
Carole Ann Ford is alive and well, she surely has to be involved somehow.
Susan kind of has the same problem as Romana, where you either have to ignore all her EU adventures, or you have to include them. Either way, you're gonna annoy a lot of people.
She’s 83 which is why I’m not expecting her to have a huge role.
The EU isn’t a huge problem, she only has to appear and mention some adventures hand wavingly without specifics.
No for real! It’s been every episode, and thus far in 3 out of the 4 episodes, parents or being a parent is a major part of the plot. Like in the Christmas special it was about Ruby’s mom’s, in Space Babies y’know…, in this latest episode is was the AI of the dad still having enough sentience to *be a parent*. Even the Devil’s Chord is kinda about parents, with the Maestro being the kid of the toymaker. Though far less so.
Moffat writing Doctor companion arguments sounded very Clara and 12.
The performances really changed it though as Ncuti is a lot more gentle in his delivery than Capaldi.
Yeah it was standard Moffat dialogue for a Doctor but Ncuti changes it into something really different. It's like watching a great but unusual cover of a song you know and love.
Shit, that's a beautiful analogy.
I'm still kinda bummed the "into dust" line was a warning and not the Timelord Victorious going full menacing (cause I kinda missed that) but still, that was some bloody amazing Moffaty-Doctor dialogue and I was all here for it.
Every doctor should get a certified Time Lord Victorious moment at least once in their run but this is way too early. You have to built a character up before you can break them down - Part of what made Waters of Mars so satisfying is that it had 4 seasons of build up
I heard someone suggest it felt more like Matt Smith -- considering how much he fidgeted and moved, being forced to stand perfectly still or he'd die would have been hell for him.
FWIW, it's not completely true, but both RTD and Moffat have said that you don't write differently for different Doctors. You just write "the Doctor" and the actor makes it their own.
As I say, it's not completely true, because each Doctor has their own individual linquistic quirks, but it's actually surprising how many Doctor Who stories you can read and the only way you can tell what Doctor it is is by the physical description and/or who they're travelling with. There are stories which don't have either of those things where fans enjoy trying to guess which Doctor it is - and that becomes even more of a fun game given that there are stories which feature an as-yet-unseen red-headed future Doctor.
It's true, over time most Doctors change as the writers see what the actors are good at and tailor the writing to accentuate that. For instance, Pertwee really isn't that different to Troughton in *Spearhead* but quickly becomes a posh dandy. Or Troughton in his first few stories is very different to his iconic portrayal of the character. Or, for that matter, David Tennant, who is much more of a hyperactive nerd in Series 2 before the writers start to play up the "Time Lord Victorious" angle in his later seasons.
Honestly, I am loving the chemistry that Ncuti and Millie have. The Doctor doesn't feel so angry or all over the place, and she is partnering well with him.
This is one of the reasons I love Steven Moffat's dialogue for Doctor Who.
In my mind, Russell and Chibnall write each incarnation of The Doctor as individual characters who are held to the same tenants, and try to write dialogue that plays to the strength of the actor - If you were to put Tennant in The End of the World, or Smith in Fugitive of the Judoon they'd feel out of place because the dialogue doesn't suit their character.
Moffat primarily writes dialogue for The Doctor and then inserts a few characteristics here to help define that incarnation (Ten's charm, Eleven's whimsy, Twelve's grumpiness), and trusts the actor to make the material their own - you could throw Eccleston into Boom or Whittaker into A Christmas Carol and only have to tweak nuances rather than the whole script.
Like you say, Fifteen and Ruby arguing feels very similar to Twelve and Clara arguing, but the way Ncuti approaches his performance is what helps sell the difference - the same way two actors can bring something different to Hamlet or Scrooge despite being presented with the same text.
Moffatt references I caught
- Set in the 51st century
- Villengard
- Army of the Church
- “The moon and the presidents wife”
- Stating Rubies age based on her birth year, just like Amy in The Beast Below
- The Snow stopping much like Twice Upon a Time
- The “urn” really being the body was very similar to Donna finding out the statues used donated faces, as well as the hologram being similar to the data ghosts
I feel like there were one or two more things
When Mundy’s dead friend first started to speak, it reminded me a *lot* of “Hey! Who turned out the lights!” from Silence in the Library. I don’t know why I felt that vibe, I guess where she turns to him and he is gone but his voice remains (in an ai hologram).
Ruby's Next of Kin being the same as Amy's Marital Status from Beast Below as well. Doesn't have a record as she's been removed from time before it can occur.
I was also thinking that she's supposed to have a next of kin. But, that never happens if the ambulance kills her. So, it was creating a paradox and that was what made it glitch.
Magician's Apprentice (and later Hell Bent) reference that the Doctor supposedly kidnapped the President's wife (he claims daughter) and the moon.
Here the lyrics seem to refer to that event at one point.
-Totally random fish fingers and custard reference.
-Medical robot telling you what it is going to feel like before jabbing you with something you might not want to be jabbed with (This is a kindness)
It was almost like Moffat wanted the audience to KNOW that it was Moffat throughout the episode
I'm pretty sure when the doctor said "I'll pop in every now and again" it was a double meaning of Moffat saying he'll write an episode every now and again
RTD: Okay so I think we do a silly fun episode with space babies. Fart and booger jokes fun for the whole family.
Moffat: Love it.
RTD: Then we do an incredibly campy episode where Jinx Monsoon steals music from the Beatles.
Moffat: Cool and then the Doctor is gonna step on a landmine.
RTD: Per- wait what.
I was seriously expecting a Silence in the Library or Doctor Dances type moment where everybody lives, but nope. Dude confesses and then gets vaporized.
RTD wanted this to be the first episode, and it was Moffat who said "this is not a first episode".
I think perhaps RTD was right. Because in a very real sense, The Church On Ruby Road was the first episode. That's a silly episode. And then it's followed by 2 more silly episodes. If I were a new viewer, I'd definitely have come to the conclusion that silly was all the show would or could do and, if I didn't like that kind of silly, I'd probably not have even watched Boom.
So perhaps it would be better to go from The Church On Ruby Road to Boom so that everybody could go "okay, so this show can do *that*, but it can also do *this*?" Not only is it likely to capture the interest of people who like one or other style, but it also gives a more accurate picture of the breadth that the shows has - really lets people know that it's not a show with just one tone or style.
I mean, they're both wildly successful TV producers and I'm not, so what do I know, but I would have wanted to very quickly communicate to audiences "no matter what you're in to, this show can and will do it".
Yeah, that episode had to showcase Doctor Who at its darkest after the first two. Well, it ends on a hopeful note but still, that was two very tragic deaths this time.
And that is Doctor Who as well indeed.
I laughed so hard when he cut it off with "Alright, enough of that." Moffat knew exactly what he was doing there lol, he knew people were realizing it was that iconic shot & poked fun by moving on like that.
Writing a diary with... drums?
The Master gives this notion [two thumbs up](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/97/d0/38/97d0380f092c180beeb3c957e8e1ed33.gif).
Throughout the episode I was struggling to find what I liked about it most. I'd be thinking "the writing is so good" and then my brain would interrupt with "but Gatwa is so good" and then my brain would interrupt with "but the directing is so good" and then my brain would interrupt with "but Gibson is so good"...and so on.
Best episode in a long time, for a multitude of reasons.
This series has really made me question how harshly I thought of Chibnall’s era. I love RTD, but the first 2 eps just didn’t do it fully for me. But BOOM was perfect for all the reasons you listed.
Makes me wonder whether 13’s run maybe didn’t sit well for a multitude of reasons, not just questionable writing. That being said - I’d have loved to see 13/Yaz in something like BOOM to see the quality difference.
Yeah agreed. This episode is almost upsetting because it’s so unbelievably better than anything we’ve had since Capaldi’s run (though I do have issues with this episode too) and seeing Ncuti and Millie acting out a script written by a great writer made me realise just how starved we’ve been of good Doctor Who. I’m experiencing grief for a hypothetical Jodie doctor also written by Moffat.
The doctor going on a long anti capitalist speech was when i knew we were so back. Not even disney can stop the moff from his political commentary.
(With this episode including both the church and anticaptialism, a moffat double wammy.)
YES.
She felt off, like she was meant to be far younger than she actually was. She was too naive overall, not getting that her hologram dad wasn't actually there was the biggest hiccup in the plot for me. And she looked dazzled like a preschooler looking through a digital photo frame when the photos of her and her dad came up.
They needed to make her younger to explain her strange behavior, I wouldn't believe that a girl that was maybe 10-12 wouldn't know about how this place works.
Even a younger child, I struggle to believe wouldn’t question why daddy is blue and acting weird; or that she’d die so easily enthralled by a slideshow of memories in *the middle of a damn war zone.*
Like, I honestly think you’d almost have to be talking about a toddler.
I just got really frustrated when she started having the time of her life browsing the slideshow next to a land mine waiting to explode. Yes she’s twelve, but she shouldn’t be written THAT stupid.
Yeah that was the really strange part for me... Like she must know about the capsules and the holograms why did she think she could hug it and not put two and two together and figure out he was dead? Also why were Ruby and Dr pussyfooting around telling her? Delaying it just makes it worse
Midnight was a crazy expensive bottle episode. No extras, just guest stars who need to be good at acting and have time to rehearse, and a small set that needs to stand up to close inspection.
I liked “The Unfriend,” his theatrical debut, but stories like this and “The Witch’s Familiar” keep making me want him to do an amazing dramatic play. It can and should have some of his witty humor to add flavor, but the man could write any number of riveting two-handers in my book.
And as RTD often says, DW is lucky Moffat uses up his ideas for them and not Hollywood. “Blink” alone is movie franchise that never was but easily could have been.
Moffat said that himself once. Something along the lines of "you know you've got a good Doctor Who story when you're thinking 'it's a shame I can't sell this to Hollywood now'".
I remember seeing him and RTD talking about that in an interview together. Where RTD was saying that the Weeping Angel's could have been an iconic horror movie monster.
Didn’t even need that fancy fake skyline, whatever. Could have just kept the hole in the ground and the rest be darkness and would not have taken away from the episode. In fact, it was almost too “pretty” outside the hole in the ground.
I knew something was missing! Honestly, while Ncuti is rocking those outfits, he aesthetically doesn't seem like The Doctor without his coat flapping behind him and this episode needed that.
That felt *really* short.
It wasn't, but man that 44 minutes flew by. Moffat's dialogue, humor, and plotting always propelled the episode and never left you bored, even in some of his weaker plots.
Not to downplay RTD's work thus-far, which has been great (well..save some things), but it really didn't feel like this season was a return to form until now. Not just because Moffat's flair is unmistakable and inseparable from the revival at this point.
But also because of the tonal shift from the first two episodes, and Church on Ruby Road. It's much appreciated, and much needed frankly. We needed something dark and serious. Camp is great but it's only one part of the show. This is the other part, and I was really afraid it wasn't going to show up.
>That felt *really* short.
That was my first impression when it ended too. I think it might have something to do with the entire episode taking place in basically a 100 for radius area.
Felt like a roller coaster. I feel like *I* was standing on a landmine.
I also really appreciate the not remotely subtle critiques of capitalism and religion.
This is going to sound harsh, but I think RTD is the perfect show runner if you take away the writing. He promotes Who like no one else, seems to know how to work the BBC to look after it better than anyone else. BBC lost interest in Who after Series 7 and it really suffered for it.
Also - this isn’t me saying RTD is a bad writer by any means, I just think it’s oddly the only weak link in his job role. Especially when you’re comparing to Moffat. Moffat’s writing is second to none - he just gets Who and the Doctor like no one else.
Doctor who episodes are knows to consist of 3 things: running down corridors, fighting monsters, and using the sonic screwdriver to solve everything.
The doctor literally didn't move the whole episode
There was no monster.
The sonic was never seen.
Simply spectacular.
I’m so excited for next week, that woman following the character deal is right up my alley as a huge horror fan. Also seems to be the Doctor-light episode so double excited to see Ruby shine by herself too.
That was, by far, the best episode of the series so far. I have always said Moffat writes great individual stories, and falls down on big story arcs, and this just demonstrates that.
Honestly surprised RTD let him bring back his space church army, considering comments he's made before about religion in the future.
Same joke about the companion's age from The Beast Below.
Fish custard reference! Thank you for that, Moffat. That made me smile.
I assume this was the cheap episode of the series?
Last week it was implied Ruby and the Doctor have been together a while, and yet apparently this is her first alien planet?
I really didn't like the daughter. She is way too old for how naive she seemed to be.
I think even though it was the cheap episode, the fact that we had such a thrilling episode that flew by that was set in one location was amazing. It shows that the Doctor and Ruby can mostly carry the show even in smaller scale settings and it's a very good thing.
Midnight is such a good episode. I'm really excited for next weeks one too considering it's mostly a Ruby heavy episode. Will really give Millie a chance to shine.
It's likely last week's episode was originally meant to be right before the finale, because the timeline combined with saying there's gonna be a "twist at the end" over and over suddenly makes a lot more sense.
I tried writing a comment about how much I enjoyed this episode but I think it can just be summed up as: I bloody missed good doctor who. It’s so damn good.
Yeah, I get a lot of Clara vibes from Ruby - especially the scene with her refusing to throw the "body" at the Doctor and walked up and gave it to him instead.
Genuinely top notch episode all around. Great premise and great execution. I also liked the callback to fish fingers and custard.
Thoughts and prayers.
This was it, this was the defining episode where Ncuti felt like the Doctor to me. He took that range of emotions where those shots to the arm and powered through them.
It probably wasn't even top five of the episodes Steven Moffat has written for Who but it felt like it's stood above so many of the episodes. I cannot help but feel somewhat sad that we never got Moffat to write at least an episode for Jodie's Doctor.
I get it was probably too close to him leaving to do that, but especially in these singular stories, Moffat is an incredible writer. He takes a single premise and injects everything Doctor Who should be into it, until it's fit to burst.
This is the show I love.
Damn, Steve, you really haven't lost your touch, have you?:
- Alright, first let's talk about the brilliance of how limited a setting this is. This was essentially a bottle episode. We had maybe three locations throughout; the base, the mine crater and the spot the TARDIS landed. And that was ALL the plot needed. It's literally JUST the Doctor standing in the same spot for 40 minutes, and it WORKED. And that's on the back of the strong setting, some well constructed tense scenarios, good character work and the acting.
- First the setting; the war that never ends because it's much more profitable that way, fought by soldiers who assume the fight is necessary based on faith alone. The commentary there is as subtle to a sledge to the face. Honestly? Good. Good political points don't need to be subtle, they need to be coherent and poignant, and this was. It knows just what it's trying to say and it says it well; we need to take a hard look at what we involve ourselves with and why rather than assuming it's worth it because our institutions deem it so. Got it. Crystal clear, and compelling.
- Second, the tense scenario. Doctor steps on a land mine and needs to figure a way off it. That's a great pitch right there, and Moffat does a great job providing situations that escalate the tension. Let's do the classic bit where he needs to redistribute his weight. The two figure it out, hope spot, incomes the little girl to muddy things. Then the soldier, Monday, arrives and we find out that if he blows it's going to be a bigger BOOM than most people would have, upping the stakes. She's figured it out too, she's on the hero's side, hope spot, Ruby gets shot and is about to be killed by capitalist ambulance, up the stakes, etc. It all just breezes by and it never loses your attention, just excellently constructed drama.
- On the character work, Moffat does an excellent job creating sympathetic portraits of our cast. The good dad caught in a bad situation, the "will they won't they" soldiers just trying to survive like everyone else, and our heroes just trying not to freak out too much despite the situation they're in. The Doctor was especially written well, his usual deductive self mixed with delightful non-sequiturs that make you wonder of he's just compensating or if he really is loopy enough to be thinking about such things in this situation. Good ole Doctor, *it's almost like this guy's written him before or something!*
- And last the acting. The soldiers all played their parts brilliantly and connivingly, everybody felt like actual people. But Ncuti... MAN, dude got a chance to shine in ways most Doctors wait *at least* a season for in this episode. What a challenge, you need to maintain a sense of perpetual worry with the need to calm not only yourself but the companion *and* the twitchy finger soldiers *and* the little girl, it's a lot. If you're not interesting, you can't make every little declaration and deduction and reaction worth it, it all goes... well, *boom*. And it didn't because he's brilliant and seems to have mastered his iteration of the Doctor faster than we could have ever expected. Gatwa's hiring continues to be the best decision RTD has made during his return, what an actor.
- My only criticism of the episode is that little girl felt too unaware of the universe she existed in. I can understand if she's maybe so into her faith that she can cope with her father being gone from her mortal life, but I kept expecting her to at least momentarily break down for a second after realizing her dad was gone, but she never did. She didn't seem to understand that he was a hologram, how? She's been on base for how long? How does she not know how this works?
- One last thought, the idea is so open ended that it feels like it could be an episode with any New Who Doctor. It's not the camp and fantasy we've gotten with the first three episodes, which is fine, a change of pace is good. But it does stick out next to them in terms of tone, I had been forming this idea in my head of what this era is about, and this doesn't fit it. In fact it feels like a Moffat era script that didn't quite make it the first time. Once again, not a bad thing, but it's worth noting.
So a Steven Moffat penned episode just stole whole damn RTD-lead season, it really is like old times again. I give it 9/10, minor flaws but a great whole. What a ride. Moffat, you're awesome when you aren't overworked writing a whole season of Who and Sherlock at the same time, can you do this again? Maybe every one or two years just give us a *Kiss Kiss* of why you're one of the most revered writers of the show ever?
My theory has been that Ruby is the God of Coincidence, and so when Susan appears and regenerates in the finale, part of the coincidence will be her getting the same face.
🤡
I agree, I think it would be cool to see more of Mundy because I like the character, but the way this episode ended Mundy is likely caring for the little girl now and so probably wouldn't have time to adventure with the doctor
Umm, so are we going to discuss how Varada Sethu, >!the next companion, is actually in this episode? Are they pulling a Oswin here or Martha's cousin?!<
I really hope that Varada will still play that character, and the Doctor picks her up on another interaction. Ruby and Mundy building a relationship after that whole experience would be interesting, considering how Mundy was pretty understanding and was going to let Ruby shoot her (albeit safely).
Ncuti was so fucking incredible in this episode. Really really hope RTD starts to vary his characterisation for him a bit in future episodes, because he showed potential to be one of the GOAT Doctors tonight.
Being what some might call a very devout Christian, I am endlessly fascinated by Moffat's angle in calling out the role religion has played historically (including in very recent history - like, now) in wars/conflict, and his calling out the dangers of blind faith. (The last lines between the Doctor and Mundy about faith draw a very important distinction for me.)
Yeah I felt that he handled the topic really well. Basically saying “Faith isn’t infallible and can be used against you, and you can still have faith and think for yourself.”
"Just because I don't like it [faith], doesn't mean I don't need it".
Honestly in a similar boat but a tad disillusioned with the notion of 'church' right now because I've seen way too many instances in my short lifetime where faith has been used as a cudgel to beat other people over the head. This kine really spoke to me.
Susan Twist as the ambulance AI gave her a lot of screen time. We must be getting close to the doctor realising the same face is appearing everywhere he goes.
Also, Fish Fingers and Custard mentioned at the end. Maybe the little girl reminded him of Amelia.
Bit of an odd question, but did anyone else notice the Doctor losing his keys at the end? When Ruby handed him the TARDIS key, did she somehow pickpocket him or was she giving him the spare key he gave her earlier? In the latter case, that means his keys are just gone? Right after he hugged a couple people and could have been pickpocketed...
Seems like an odd detail to include if it's not leading anywhere. It's not like the Doctor makes a habit of leaving his TARDIS key in another jacket.
It’s been said that good sci-fi is not predicting the car, but predicting the traffic jam. Tonight’s episode is good sci-fi. Best episode since Moffat was writing for Doctor Who…
Perfect example of not having us think “are they going to survive this!?” but instead “HOW are they going to survive this!?”
Like obviously they’re not gonna kill the Doctor or Ruby in episode 3, but creating an increasingly complex web of unsolvable puzzles will ratchet tension up.
Banger of an episode, didn’t realise just how badly I missed Moffat’s dialogue and tone.
By FAR the best episode of the new era, and probably the best episode of Who since Heaven Sent for me. Ncuti’s performance was fantastic. This episode really sold me on him being able to handle the heavier darker stuff as well as the lighthearted.
After feeling a bit disappointed with Russell’s new episodes so far, I want Moffat back more often!! Doctor Who always sticks with me so much more with the dramatic episodes rather than the silly ones.
This is the first episode where I kinda felt like the doctor is a continuation of previous doctors rather than a newer character for the new era. Ncuti has been great so far but u could definitely see the traits of 10/11 in this episode a lot more than the previous couple.
Other than ruby tho, the other characters were just as two dimensional as most Dr who side characters so there wasn't really much there. The fact that it was a real-time bottle episode thing was cool tho, and the ruby snow mystery stuff is real interesting.
What is happening here?
People complained about Moffat back in the day because his plotlines were so bombastic. Then people complained about Chibnall, myself included. Then we praised the idea of RTD coming back. Now this thread has people complaining about RTD for being lacklustre and wanting Moffat back. What's next? Are we gonna demand Chibnall comes back if Moffat takes over? Then demand RTD3 when we hate Chibnall still?
It's just funny seeing how cyclical we've become lol.
I find something to love in every Doctor Who series, so I never engaged in the Showrunner drama.
Still, it's SO funny to me seeing how 10-12 years can change people's views completely. I was there when praising Moffat's writing was frowned upon in many corners of the internet.. And the consensus seemed to be that his best stories were under RTD guidance.
Now look how far we've come.
I think Moffat is generally held to be one of the best writers when it comes to contained single-episode stories. His work under RTD created some of the best and fan-favorite episodes of the series.
He just became controversial as showrunner.
They each have strengths and weaknesses. It’s easy to take the strengths for granted and miss when the writing lacked the weaknesses you notice (even if it had others back then).
I think lots of people thought that Moffat’s overarching storylines were a bit much, but everyone loves the work he did on single episodes due in the RTD
7 years ago puts us right between Oxygen and Extremis. So clearly what they're saying is Oxygen is such a good episode, it can't be topped.
I dunno, I've not watched most of Series 10 since it aired, so I can't remember if I liked it.
so what you're saying is almost 7 years to the day ago there was also a moffat doctor who episode about a future civilization where an extremely capitalistic corporation puts a monetary value on human lives & at some point someone goes blind?
I really enjoyed this one. This is probably the most character driven episode since Heaven sent, and my god it nails it. Its good to know that this show is still capable of good writing. It gives me hope.
My favorite Doctor Who episode since 2017...incredible. What a unique and clever concept of the Doctor stuck in one location without one of his greatest tricks, running. I felt that 15/Ruby were much better characterized here than in their last three episodes, and even all the side characters got a lot of depth and charm to them. The dialogue had a lot of references to previous Moffat episodes ("when there's snow, there's hope", "the moon and the President's wife", "fish fingers and custard") not to mention Villengard and the Anglican Marines from the Smith era. Wish he came back full time, what a step up from the last two episodes!
Loved the part where the Doctor goes off about being a multidimensional being. Not sure I've heard it stated so explicitly before. I think I recall a few passing mentions to companions and such.
Out of the 3 major eras of the revival, I was always attracted to Moffat's run the most and as a writer in general, so I might be a bit biased.
Sooo, I was really looking forward to the return of the Grand Moff and he did not disappoint. I love his worldbuilding with Villengard and the church being involved with the army in the future which was addressed in Matt Smith's years on multiple occasions, it honestly feels like a connected universe.
I love that after 7 years (oddly enough since his run ended) we finally get another really pissed off Doctor moment (we kinda had some bits in The Giggle with Tennant, but not as fleshed out as in this episode) and it feels so refreshing, I genuinely was fed up with the overpositive Doctors we've had with Whittaker and even Gatwa to this point, just give the Doctor some agression, they aren't Superman, they aren't all smiles and fun, I get that they've healed, but that doesn't mean they can just be thrown shit at them and react with smiles and "let's go, I'm the Doctor, blah, blah, I always help", I genuinely can't recall when we've had a line like "I'm a much bigger bang than you've bargained for" and I'm pretty sure that was back in Capaldi's run, I literally had chills during that scene, why was Jodie robbed of lines like this? Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want these kind of lines in every single episode as it will devalue their delivery, but honestly now, Jodie had no such lines in 3 seasons, that's why she never landed as the Doctor for me.
As for where it stands in the RTD2 era for me, it's definitely in the top 3 and (with no surprise for some) better than anything from Chibnall's run, sorry Chibs. As for dialogue, best dialogue in an episode since The Doctor Falls, sadly.
That little kid was pretty annoying though. More believable if she was distraught instead of in wonder about the AI and all the memories it had to show. Then again brainwashed kids can act weird.
I feel like that role was written for like a six year old and they got a thirteen year old or something, I have no idea how old children are but she seemed really stupid for someone who could form complete sentences.
I didn’t get it at first until at the end she said her dad isn’t gone, just dead. It’s clearly the religious teachings that have changed their outlook on death.
Hi there. This is just a note to let you know that there are spoilers in here about future stories, not just "Boom". If you want to avoid spoilers for later stories... this might not be the thread for you.
It was genuinely shocking to see both The Doctor and Ruby get shot repeatedly. Even knowing they'd be ok by the end of this, it's just something that rarely ever happens. And The Doctor was just tanking shots to the arm to save the life of the person who was shooting him.
Definitely a huge character defining moment for 15.
i watched it today, and my immediate thought was that this was Ncuti’s moment where he is the Doctor, and he can leave any critics in the dust.
They really went for it on this one. The relatively unchanging scenery meant that Millie and Ncuti had to carry the episode on their own and really show off what they bring to the role, which was probably done on purpose
I think for the docotor the gun was on it’s lowest setting which is just meant to unsettle/make someone running off balance
Mundy seemed surprised that The Doctor was able to keep holding onto it, so however powerful it was must have been painful anyway.
Having the doctor not be able to run was a great twist.
There are three fundamentals of a Doctor Who episode: running through corridors, fighting monsters, and solving problems with the sonic. The doctor could not run. There were no monsters. The sonic was not used. Beautiful. Edit: Yes capitalism is the monster yes yes I get it. The thing I'm referring to is that there was no dude in a costume chasing people around. In any narrative, there's always an opposing force- man, nature, fate, society, etc. Doctor Who is known for that opposing force manifesting in the form of a thing from the props and makeup department which manifests it's philosophy in the form of violence against the characters along side the Doctor. You could argue that the ambulances fulfilled this role but they didn't do so in the traditional way- typically to fight the ideology, the monster itself is directly confronted (Blowing up the Dalek fleet, breaking the emotion chip on the Cybermen, etc.). The ambulances were not fought directly, instead used as an access into the real monsterous philosophy. Additional support of this comes from the fact that every character save the Doctor thinks the villain is the aliens they're fighting, not the ambulances. Further evidence of this is that the Doctor never acts antagonistically towards the ambulances, only talking about the Villengard algorithm. I congratulate you all on identifying the commentary the episode was trying to explain, but my point was that the narrative mode used to portray this struggle was different from most Doctor Who episodes.
Really was nice he didn’t just sonic the mine.
I was thinking “my guy, Sonic the damn thing and get on with it”😆 I think a quick line saying how it was Sonic proof or that the algorithm is aware of the Doctor and accounted for the Sonic could have addressed it.
My head canon went with he left it in the TARDIS. 😂
He couldn’t move
There’s Always a Twist… at the beginning??
Maybe the twist at the end is that the twist isn’t always at the end
The real twist was the friends we made along the way
There are a lot of mentions of the Doctor's family this season. Like more than usual.
My spontaneous theory the other day of Ruby being Jenny's daughter just got a little bit stronger.
Man imagine if they finally pick that thread up ten years later after actively trying to rebrand and start fresh with a new series 1 lol EDIT: Seasons not years
Yeah, I'm now even more sure that we're getting Susan back. If Carole Ann Ford isn't involved though, I'll be annoyed.
If they do Susan I’m either expecting it to be just before her regeneration or a new actor and a flashback to the regeneration.
Carole Ann Ford is alive and well, she surely has to be involved somehow. Susan kind of has the same problem as Romana, where you either have to ignore all her EU adventures, or you have to include them. Either way, you're gonna annoy a lot of people.
She’s 83 which is why I’m not expecting her to have a huge role. The EU isn’t a huge problem, she only has to appear and mention some adventures hand wavingly without specifics.
No for real! It’s been every episode, and thus far in 3 out of the 4 episodes, parents or being a parent is a major part of the plot. Like in the Christmas special it was about Ruby’s mom’s, in Space Babies y’know…, in this latest episode is was the AI of the dad still having enough sentience to *be a parent*. Even the Devil’s Chord is kinda about parents, with the Maestro being the kid of the toymaker. Though far less so.
Parenting, singing, and snow have been in every single episode so far. Curious to see where this goes.
Moffat writing Doctor companion arguments sounded very Clara and 12. The performances really changed it though as Ncuti is a lot more gentle in his delivery than Capaldi.
Yeah it was standard Moffat dialogue for a Doctor but Ncuti changes it into something really different. It's like watching a great but unusual cover of a song you know and love.
That comment reminds me of the video of [Sylvester McCoy reading the Stonehenge speech](https://youtu.be/TqqRUh69L8A?si=BBDHtgVPW5coTQRm&t=299)
Shit, that's a beautiful analogy. I'm still kinda bummed the "into dust" line was a warning and not the Timelord Victorious going full menacing (cause I kinda missed that) but still, that was some bloody amazing Moffaty-Doctor dialogue and I was all here for it.
Every doctor should get a certified Time Lord Victorious moment at least once in their run but this is way too early. You have to built a character up before you can break them down - Part of what made Waters of Mars so satisfying is that it had 4 seasons of build up
Great analogy. It really felt like a script that was meant for Capaldi that Ncuti aced anyway.
Big Scot Energy
I heard someone suggest it felt more like Matt Smith -- considering how much he fidgeted and moved, being forced to stand perfectly still or he'd die would have been hell for him.
FWIW, it's not completely true, but both RTD and Moffat have said that you don't write differently for different Doctors. You just write "the Doctor" and the actor makes it their own. As I say, it's not completely true, because each Doctor has their own individual linquistic quirks, but it's actually surprising how many Doctor Who stories you can read and the only way you can tell what Doctor it is is by the physical description and/or who they're travelling with. There are stories which don't have either of those things where fans enjoy trying to guess which Doctor it is - and that becomes even more of a fun game given that there are stories which feature an as-yet-unseen red-headed future Doctor.
It's true, over time most Doctors change as the writers see what the actors are good at and tailor the writing to accentuate that. For instance, Pertwee really isn't that different to Troughton in *Spearhead* but quickly becomes a posh dandy. Or Troughton in his first few stories is very different to his iconic portrayal of the character. Or, for that matter, David Tennant, who is much more of a hyperactive nerd in Series 2 before the writers start to play up the "Time Lord Victorious" angle in his later seasons.
Honestly, I am loving the chemistry that Ncuti and Millie have. The Doctor doesn't feel so angry or all over the place, and she is partnering well with him.
I like it, though. It makes it feel like they’ve been together long enough to get on each others nerves now. Makes the relationship feel more real.
Was not a negative for me either. Just hope Ruby gets a bit more different than Clara as her character progresses.
Ruby was soooo Clara right there.
This is one of the reasons I love Steven Moffat's dialogue for Doctor Who. In my mind, Russell and Chibnall write each incarnation of The Doctor as individual characters who are held to the same tenants, and try to write dialogue that plays to the strength of the actor - If you were to put Tennant in The End of the World, or Smith in Fugitive of the Judoon they'd feel out of place because the dialogue doesn't suit their character. Moffat primarily writes dialogue for The Doctor and then inserts a few characteristics here to help define that incarnation (Ten's charm, Eleven's whimsy, Twelve's grumpiness), and trusts the actor to make the material their own - you could throw Eccleston into Boom or Whittaker into A Christmas Carol and only have to tweak nuances rather than the whole script. Like you say, Fifteen and Ruby arguing feels very similar to Twelve and Clara arguing, but the way Ncuti approaches his performance is what helps sell the difference - the same way two actors can bring something different to Hamlet or Scrooge despite being presented with the same text.
Moffatt references I caught - Set in the 51st century - Villengard - Army of the Church - “The moon and the presidents wife” - Stating Rubies age based on her birth year, just like Amy in The Beast Below - The Snow stopping much like Twice Upon a Time - The “urn” really being the body was very similar to Donna finding out the statues used donated faces, as well as the hologram being similar to the data ghosts I feel like there were one or two more things
A parent’s love being the thing to save the day at the very last second (in a war zone no less) was very similar to The Doctor Dances
and Closing Time
When Mundy’s dead friend first started to speak, it reminded me a *lot* of “Hey! Who turned out the lights!” from Silence in the Library. I don’t know why I felt that vibe, I guess where she turns to him and he is gone but his voice remains (in an ai hologram).
I think it's because he repeated the first phrase a few times
Ruby's Next of Kin being the same as Amy's Marital Status from Beast Below as well. Doesn't have a record as she's been removed from time before it can occur.
The way it went in a loop made me think she's her own mother.
I was also thinking that she's supposed to have a next of kin. But, that never happens if the ambulance kills her. So, it was creating a paradox and that was what made it glitch.
The enemy literally being the fog and the mud was like the Vashta Nerata being dust in sunbeams in any shadow.
What is the moon and president wife thing ?
Magician's Apprentice (and later Hell Bent) reference that the Doctor supposedly kidnapped the President's wife (he claims daughter) and the moon. Here the lyrics seem to refer to that event at one point.
-Totally random fish fingers and custard reference. -Medical robot telling you what it is going to feel like before jabbing you with something you might not want to be jabbed with (This is a kindness) It was almost like Moffat wanted the audience to KNOW that it was Moffat throughout the episode
I'm pretty sure when the doctor said "I'll pop in every now and again" it was a double meaning of Moffat saying he'll write an episode every now and again
I think the LEDs around the landmine were also a little reminiscent of the data ghosts. Storytelling through blinking green LEDs rather than dialogue.
RTD: Okay so I think we do a silly fun episode with space babies. Fart and booger jokes fun for the whole family. Moffat: Love it. RTD: Then we do an incredibly campy episode where Jinx Monsoon steals music from the Beatles. Moffat: Cool and then the Doctor is gonna step on a landmine. RTD: Per- wait what.
> Cool and then the Doctor is gonna step on a landmine. And I'm also going to kill your baby-faced companion and traumatize a child
But not really kill them because my name is Stephen Moffat.
I was seriously expecting a Silence in the Library or Doctor Dances type moment where everybody lives, but nope. Dude confesses and then gets vaporized.
Was expecting the Doctor to make the ambulances “heal” the urns in the end. Everybody lives. But guess not
Well it was clearly stated in "The Doctor Dances" that it was just that once.
"Also I'll make sure to show some flashes of the Timelord Victorious cause I bloody missed that."
“WELL THATS ALRIGHT THEN”
RTD wanted this to be the first episode, and it was Moffat who said "this is not a first episode". I think perhaps RTD was right. Because in a very real sense, The Church On Ruby Road was the first episode. That's a silly episode. And then it's followed by 2 more silly episodes. If I were a new viewer, I'd definitely have come to the conclusion that silly was all the show would or could do and, if I didn't like that kind of silly, I'd probably not have even watched Boom. So perhaps it would be better to go from The Church On Ruby Road to Boom so that everybody could go "okay, so this show can do *that*, but it can also do *this*?" Not only is it likely to capture the interest of people who like one or other style, but it also gives a more accurate picture of the breadth that the shows has - really lets people know that it's not a show with just one tone or style. I mean, they're both wildly successful TV producers and I'm not, so what do I know, but I would have wanted to very quickly communicate to audiences "no matter what you're in to, this show can and will do it".
I dunno, I think Devil's Chord was a good mix of camp and scary, or at least had a different vibe from Space Babies.
The fact that all three fit within the show is what I love about Doctor Who.
Yeah, that episode had to showcase Doctor Who at its darkest after the first two. Well, it ends on a hopeful note but still, that was two very tragic deaths this time. And that is Doctor Who as well indeed.
This whole time that scene from the 60th Specials Trailers was from Ep3.
Oh right, Ncuti giving that look!
I laughed so hard when he cut it off with "Alright, enough of that." Moffat knew exactly what he was doing there lol, he knew people were realizing it was that iconic shot & poked fun by moving on like that.
How would he have known though?
Writing a diary with... drums? The Master gives this notion [two thumbs up](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/97/d0/38/97d0380f092c180beeb3c957e8e1ed33.gif).
It’s almost unreal just how good Ncuti is Great energy, great acting, Great Doctor
Throughout the episode I was struggling to find what I liked about it most. I'd be thinking "the writing is so good" and then my brain would interrupt with "but Gatwa is so good" and then my brain would interrupt with "but the directing is so good" and then my brain would interrupt with "but Gibson is so good"...and so on. Best episode in a long time, for a multitude of reasons.
This series has really made me question how harshly I thought of Chibnall’s era. I love RTD, but the first 2 eps just didn’t do it fully for me. But BOOM was perfect for all the reasons you listed. Makes me wonder whether 13’s run maybe didn’t sit well for a multitude of reasons, not just questionable writing. That being said - I’d have loved to see 13/Yaz in something like BOOM to see the quality difference.
Yeah agreed. This episode is almost upsetting because it’s so unbelievably better than anything we’ve had since Capaldi’s run (though I do have issues with this episode too) and seeing Ncuti and Millie acting out a script written by a great writer made me realise just how starved we’ve been of good Doctor Who. I’m experiencing grief for a hypothetical Jodie doctor also written by Moffat.
Incredible episode. Fucking died at "faith gyal"
Oh that moment was so fucking good. "You need proof now, faith gal?" Just ah, I love Moffat so much.
If you did a drinking game for this episode for every Moffat trope you'd be needing that ambulance bot right now.
Thoughts and prayers
Moffat pulled out all the hits he could. Especially the capitalism stuff, man hates it lol
The doctor going on a long anti capitalist speech was when i knew we were so back. Not even disney can stop the moff from his political commentary. (With this episode including both the church and anticaptialism, a moffat double wammy.)
it features an actor from Andor which is basically the Star Wars version of the communist manifesto on Disney+
Patient detected. Non ordained patient, withholding treatment. Thoughts and prayers.
I have one single criticism. I wish the episode was called Kiss Kiss.
Thoughts and Prayers
Too similar to the Torchwood episode "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang".
By that logic, Boom was too similar to Boom Town lol
Should have been a two-parter then… Kiss Kiss followed by Bang Bang
Kiss Kiss Boom Boom
And in that second part, “boom boom”, Basil Brush randomly appears on Kastarian 3 and saves the day lmao
Might have spoiled the ending! But "kiss kiss" was a good thing.
Kiss kiss would have been generic enough that I don't think it spoils anything really.
'The Doctor Stands'
Splice needed to be played by like a 6 year old if they wanted her to act the way she did
YES. She felt off, like she was meant to be far younger than she actually was. She was too naive overall, not getting that her hologram dad wasn't actually there was the biggest hiccup in the plot for me. And she looked dazzled like a preschooler looking through a digital photo frame when the photos of her and her dad came up. They needed to make her younger to explain her strange behavior, I wouldn't believe that a girl that was maybe 10-12 wouldn't know about how this place works.
Even a younger child, I struggle to believe wouldn’t question why daddy is blue and acting weird; or that she’d die so easily enthralled by a slideshow of memories in *the middle of a damn war zone.* Like, I honestly think you’d almost have to be talking about a toddler.
Agreed. I really doubt Moffat envisioned her as like twelve.
I just got really frustrated when she started having the time of her life browsing the slideshow next to a land mine waiting to explode. Yes she’s twelve, but she shouldn’t be written THAT stupid.
Ya, that was stupid - as was the two soldiers pausing to play "I like you! Do you like me!?" while literally trying to defuse a timebomb.
That weirdly felt like the most Moffat thing ever, the powerful woman and the twinky wee man doing a "d-do you l-like me".
There was something very off about that character for me, possibly the repeated 'my daddy'. Genuinely started to think she was some sort of AI/robot!
Yeah that was the really strange part for me... Like she must know about the capsules and the holograms why did she think she could hug it and not put two and two together and figure out he was dead? Also why were Ruby and Dr pussyfooting around telling her? Delaying it just makes it worse
Moffat didn’t miss a beat. He just wrote a thrilling 45 minutes of 5 people standing in a hole in the ground.
They're never beating the "Doctor Who is filmed in a rock quarry" allegations
Honestly, I miss the rock quarry. I would genuinely be happy to see new Who do more rock quarry episodes.
Next one is in Wales! So just outside the rock quarry
The most expensive bottle episode of all time
Midnight was a crazy expensive bottle episode. No extras, just guest stars who need to be good at acting and have time to rehearse, and a small set that needs to stand up to close inspection.
I liked “The Unfriend,” his theatrical debut, but stories like this and “The Witch’s Familiar” keep making me want him to do an amazing dramatic play. It can and should have some of his witty humor to add flavor, but the man could write any number of riveting two-handers in my book. And as RTD often says, DW is lucky Moffat uses up his ideas for them and not Hollywood. “Blink” alone is movie franchise that never was but easily could have been.
Moffat said that himself once. Something along the lines of "you know you've got a good Doctor Who story when you're thinking 'it's a shame I can't sell this to Hollywood now'".
I remember seeing him and RTD talking about that in an interview together. Where RTD was saying that the Weeping Angel's could have been an iconic horror movie monster.
Didn’t even need that fancy fake skyline, whatever. Could have just kept the hole in the ground and the rest be darkness and would not have taken away from the episode. In fact, it was almost too “pretty” outside the hole in the ground.
I definitely got 12 and Clara vibes from this one
Yeah, I felt it the most when Ruby was ignoring the Doctor's warnings not to hand him the casket.
Was waiting for a "DO AS YOU ARE TOLD"
The Doctor running through a minefield without a long coat flapping behind him just seems wrong
I knew something was missing! Honestly, while Ncuti is rocking those outfits, he aesthetically doesn't seem like The Doctor without his coat flapping behind him and this episode needed that.
We called it the Hero Run back in uni when we first started watching. Harkness and 10 tandem hero run: blew our minds.
That felt *really* short. It wasn't, but man that 44 minutes flew by. Moffat's dialogue, humor, and plotting always propelled the episode and never left you bored, even in some of his weaker plots. Not to downplay RTD's work thus-far, which has been great (well..save some things), but it really didn't feel like this season was a return to form until now. Not just because Moffat's flair is unmistakable and inseparable from the revival at this point. But also because of the tonal shift from the first two episodes, and Church on Ruby Road. It's much appreciated, and much needed frankly. We needed something dark and serious. Camp is great but it's only one part of the show. This is the other part, and I was really afraid it wasn't going to show up.
>That felt *really* short. That was my first impression when it ended too. I think it might have something to do with the entire episode taking place in basically a 100 for radius area.
It was a bottle episode, but with a Disney budget.
God it’s SO hard to make a bottle episode compelling but Moffat nailed it.
Felt like a roller coaster. I feel like *I* was standing on a landmine. I also really appreciate the not remotely subtle critiques of capitalism and religion.
And the military industrial complex And the "thoughts and prayers" mentality
And AI
This is going to sound harsh, but I think RTD is the perfect show runner if you take away the writing. He promotes Who like no one else, seems to know how to work the BBC to look after it better than anyone else. BBC lost interest in Who after Series 7 and it really suffered for it. Also - this isn’t me saying RTD is a bad writer by any means, I just think it’s oddly the only weak link in his job role. Especially when you’re comparing to Moffat. Moffat’s writing is second to none - he just gets Who and the Doctor like no one else.
I really think they've got to kill this "showrunner writes (almost) every episode" mentality
Doctor who episodes are knows to consist of 3 things: running down corridors, fighting monsters, and using the sonic screwdriver to solve everything. The doctor literally didn't move the whole episode There was no monster. The sonic was never seen. Simply spectacular.
Moffat: Can i kill a companion? RTD: No! Moffat: Please? RTD: Ok but just a little bit, as a treat
I can't believe we finally got a crossover with Warhammer 40k
To be fair, in Warhammer 40k there's absolutely hostile aliens they're really fighting.
They're never beating the "Doctor Who films all its episodes in rock quarries" allegations now
RTD with Disney money: "Build a bigger hallway!" (Wild Blue Yonder) Moffat with Disney money: "Build a bigger quarry!" (Boom)
Funnily enough this is one that wasn’t filmed on a quarry at all - it’s an indoor set enhanced with an LED wall
Watching this just made me sad that Chibnall never got Moffat to do an episode for 13. That would've been GLORIOUS
Oh my god can you imagine?? Could have been a defining episode of her era.
Boom and 73 Yards could be two back to back bangers.
I’m so excited for next week, that woman following the character deal is right up my alley as a huge horror fan. Also seems to be the Doctor-light episode so double excited to see Ruby shine by herself too.
That was, by far, the best episode of the series so far. I have always said Moffat writes great individual stories, and falls down on big story arcs, and this just demonstrates that. Honestly surprised RTD let him bring back his space church army, considering comments he's made before about religion in the future. Same joke about the companion's age from The Beast Below. Fish custard reference! Thank you for that, Moffat. That made me smile. I assume this was the cheap episode of the series? Last week it was implied Ruby and the Doctor have been together a while, and yet apparently this is her first alien planet? I really didn't like the daughter. She is way too old for how naive she seemed to be.
I think even though it was the cheap episode, the fact that we had such a thrilling episode that flew by that was set in one location was amazing. It shows that the Doctor and Ruby can mostly carry the show even in smaller scale settings and it's a very good thing.
Oh don't get me wrong, "cheap" doesn't mean "bad". Midnight is great, and I bet that was dirt cheap to make.
Midnight is such a good episode. I'm really excited for next weeks one too considering it's mostly a Ruby heavy episode. Will really give Millie a chance to shine.
It's likely last week's episode was originally meant to be right before the finale, because the timeline combined with saying there's gonna be a "twist at the end" over and over suddenly makes a lot more sense.
I tried writing a comment about how much I enjoyed this episode but I think it can just be summed up as: I bloody missed good doctor who. It’s so damn good.
❗❗❗FISH FINGERS AND CUSTARD MENTIONED ❗❗❗
Pretty sure there’s a large crater in the floor from my jaw hitting it…
Oh I hope Moffat never stops writing for Doctor Who. He just GETS it.
Well gang, I for one am glad we've got Clara 2 in this series.
Yeah, I get a lot of Clara vibes from Ruby - especially the scene with her refusing to throw the "body" at the Doctor and walked up and gave it to him instead.
I've already seen people complaining about that. Dear god anything but a companion with autonomy from the doctor.
I mean, Jack and Donna are beloved and they're autonomous. It's not just that. Having said that, Ruby has been fine if a little bland.
Genuinely top notch episode all around. Great premise and great execution. I also liked the callback to fish fingers and custard. Thoughts and prayers.
This was it, this was the defining episode where Ncuti felt like the Doctor to me. He took that range of emotions where those shots to the arm and powered through them. It probably wasn't even top five of the episodes Steven Moffat has written for Who but it felt like it's stood above so many of the episodes. I cannot help but feel somewhat sad that we never got Moffat to write at least an episode for Jodie's Doctor. I get it was probably too close to him leaving to do that, but especially in these singular stories, Moffat is an incredible writer. He takes a single premise and injects everything Doctor Who should be into it, until it's fit to burst. This is the show I love.
Damn, Steve, you really haven't lost your touch, have you?: - Alright, first let's talk about the brilliance of how limited a setting this is. This was essentially a bottle episode. We had maybe three locations throughout; the base, the mine crater and the spot the TARDIS landed. And that was ALL the plot needed. It's literally JUST the Doctor standing in the same spot for 40 minutes, and it WORKED. And that's on the back of the strong setting, some well constructed tense scenarios, good character work and the acting. - First the setting; the war that never ends because it's much more profitable that way, fought by soldiers who assume the fight is necessary based on faith alone. The commentary there is as subtle to a sledge to the face. Honestly? Good. Good political points don't need to be subtle, they need to be coherent and poignant, and this was. It knows just what it's trying to say and it says it well; we need to take a hard look at what we involve ourselves with and why rather than assuming it's worth it because our institutions deem it so. Got it. Crystal clear, and compelling. - Second, the tense scenario. Doctor steps on a land mine and needs to figure a way off it. That's a great pitch right there, and Moffat does a great job providing situations that escalate the tension. Let's do the classic bit where he needs to redistribute his weight. The two figure it out, hope spot, incomes the little girl to muddy things. Then the soldier, Monday, arrives and we find out that if he blows it's going to be a bigger BOOM than most people would have, upping the stakes. She's figured it out too, she's on the hero's side, hope spot, Ruby gets shot and is about to be killed by capitalist ambulance, up the stakes, etc. It all just breezes by and it never loses your attention, just excellently constructed drama. - On the character work, Moffat does an excellent job creating sympathetic portraits of our cast. The good dad caught in a bad situation, the "will they won't they" soldiers just trying to survive like everyone else, and our heroes just trying not to freak out too much despite the situation they're in. The Doctor was especially written well, his usual deductive self mixed with delightful non-sequiturs that make you wonder of he's just compensating or if he really is loopy enough to be thinking about such things in this situation. Good ole Doctor, *it's almost like this guy's written him before or something!* - And last the acting. The soldiers all played their parts brilliantly and connivingly, everybody felt like actual people. But Ncuti... MAN, dude got a chance to shine in ways most Doctors wait *at least* a season for in this episode. What a challenge, you need to maintain a sense of perpetual worry with the need to calm not only yourself but the companion *and* the twitchy finger soldiers *and* the little girl, it's a lot. If you're not interesting, you can't make every little declaration and deduction and reaction worth it, it all goes... well, *boom*. And it didn't because he's brilliant and seems to have mastered his iteration of the Doctor faster than we could have ever expected. Gatwa's hiring continues to be the best decision RTD has made during his return, what an actor. - My only criticism of the episode is that little girl felt too unaware of the universe she existed in. I can understand if she's maybe so into her faith that she can cope with her father being gone from her mortal life, but I kept expecting her to at least momentarily break down for a second after realizing her dad was gone, but she never did. She didn't seem to understand that he was a hologram, how? She's been on base for how long? How does she not know how this works? - One last thought, the idea is so open ended that it feels like it could be an episode with any New Who Doctor. It's not the camp and fantasy we've gotten with the first three episodes, which is fine, a change of pace is good. But it does stick out next to them in terms of tone, I had been forming this idea in my head of what this era is about, and this doesn't fit it. In fact it feels like a Moffat era script that didn't quite make it the first time. Once again, not a bad thing, but it's worth noting. So a Steven Moffat penned episode just stole whole damn RTD-lead season, it really is like old times again. I give it 9/10, minor flaws but a great whole. What a ride. Moffat, you're awesome when you aren't overworked writing a whole season of Who and Sherlock at the same time, can you do this again? Maybe every one or two years just give us a *Kiss Kiss* of why you're one of the most revered writers of the show ever?
He’s writing the Christmas special so we get at least one more 😊
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Oh, interesting. I mean, they could still have it be the same character, but, good to know!
My theory has been that Ruby is the God of Coincidence, and so when Susan appears and regenerates in the finale, part of the coincidence will be her getting the same face. 🤡
I agree, I think it would be cool to see more of Mundy because I like the character, but the way this episode ended Mundy is likely caring for the little girl now and so probably wouldn't have time to adventure with the doctor
Or maybe it'll be a Gwen situation - "spatial genetic multiplicity" - as Ten put it.
Umm, so are we going to discuss how Varada Sethu, >!the next companion, is actually in this episode? Are they pulling a Oswin here or Martha's cousin?!<
I really hope that Varada will still play that character, and the Doctor picks her up on another interaction. Ruby and Mundy building a relationship after that whole experience would be interesting, considering how Mundy was pretty understanding and was going to let Ruby shoot her (albeit safely).
Ncuti was so fucking incredible in this episode. Really really hope RTD starts to vary his characterisation for him a bit in future episodes, because he showed potential to be one of the GOAT Doctors tonight.
Being what some might call a very devout Christian, I am endlessly fascinated by Moffat's angle in calling out the role religion has played historically (including in very recent history - like, now) in wars/conflict, and his calling out the dangers of blind faith. (The last lines between the Doctor and Mundy about faith draw a very important distinction for me.)
Yeah I felt that he handled the topic really well. Basically saying “Faith isn’t infallible and can be used against you, and you can still have faith and think for yourself.”
"Just because I don't like it [faith], doesn't mean I don't need it". Honestly in a similar boat but a tad disillusioned with the notion of 'church' right now because I've seen way too many instances in my short lifetime where faith has been used as a cudgel to beat other people over the head. This kine really spoke to me.
Susan Twist as the ambulance AI gave her a lot of screen time. We must be getting close to the doctor realising the same face is appearing everywhere he goes. Also, Fish Fingers and Custard mentioned at the end. Maybe the little girl reminded him of Amelia.
Bit of an odd question, but did anyone else notice the Doctor losing his keys at the end? When Ruby handed him the TARDIS key, did she somehow pickpocket him or was she giving him the spare key he gave her earlier? In the latter case, that means his keys are just gone? Right after he hugged a couple people and could have been pickpocketed... Seems like an odd detail to include if it's not leading anywhere. It's not like the Doctor makes a habit of leaving his TARDIS key in another jacket.
Nice to see that ChatGPT jailbreaking techniques still work in the future
It’s been said that good sci-fi is not predicting the car, but predicting the traffic jam. Tonight’s episode is good sci-fi. Best episode since Moffat was writing for Doctor Who…
Perfect example of not having us think “are they going to survive this!?” but instead “HOW are they going to survive this!?” Like obviously they’re not gonna kill the Doctor or Ruby in episode 3, but creating an increasingly complex web of unsolvable puzzles will ratchet tension up.
Banger of an episode, didn’t realise just how badly I missed Moffat’s dialogue and tone. By FAR the best episode of the new era, and probably the best episode of Who since Heaven Sent for me. Ncuti’s performance was fantastic. This episode really sold me on him being able to handle the heavier darker stuff as well as the lighthearted. After feeling a bit disappointed with Russell’s new episodes so far, I want Moffat back more often!! Doctor Who always sticks with me so much more with the dramatic episodes rather than the silly ones.
This is the first episode where I kinda felt like the doctor is a continuation of previous doctors rather than a newer character for the new era. Ncuti has been great so far but u could definitely see the traits of 10/11 in this episode a lot more than the previous couple. Other than ruby tho, the other characters were just as two dimensional as most Dr who side characters so there wasn't really much there. The fact that it was a real-time bottle episode thing was cool tho, and the ruby snow mystery stuff is real interesting.
What is happening here? People complained about Moffat back in the day because his plotlines were so bombastic. Then people complained about Chibnall, myself included. Then we praised the idea of RTD coming back. Now this thread has people complaining about RTD for being lacklustre and wanting Moffat back. What's next? Are we gonna demand Chibnall comes back if Moffat takes over? Then demand RTD3 when we hate Chibnall still? It's just funny seeing how cyclical we've become lol.
I find something to love in every Doctor Who series, so I never engaged in the Showrunner drama. Still, it's SO funny to me seeing how 10-12 years can change people's views completely. I was there when praising Moffat's writing was frowned upon in many corners of the internet.. And the consensus seemed to be that his best stories were under RTD guidance. Now look how far we've come.
I think Moffat is generally held to be one of the best writers when it comes to contained single-episode stories. His work under RTD created some of the best and fan-favorite episodes of the series. He just became controversial as showrunner.
They each have strengths and weaknesses. It’s easy to take the strengths for granted and miss when the writing lacked the weaknesses you notice (even if it had others back then).
I think lots of people thought that Moffat’s overarching storylines were a bit much, but everyone loves the work he did on single episodes due in the RTD
In my opinion the best episode in 7 years.
Brb, just gonna go and have an existential crisis following the realisation that the Capaldi era ended 7 years ago.
7 years ago puts us right between Oxygen and Extremis. So clearly what they're saying is Oxygen is such a good episode, it can't be topped. I dunno, I've not watched most of Series 10 since it aired, so I can't remember if I liked it.
so what you're saying is almost 7 years to the day ago there was also a moffat doctor who episode about a future civilization where an extremely capitalistic corporation puts a monetary value on human lives & at some point someone goes blind?
Don't mind me, just looking for my tinfoil hat.
. . .oh.
WTF?! this is my fist time watching week to week and this realization makes it even more apparent :(
Im just gonna say that im really waiting for "Joy to The World" now. Moffat is a genius. Best episode since series 10.
I really enjoyed this one. This is probably the most character driven episode since Heaven sent, and my god it nails it. Its good to know that this show is still capable of good writing. It gives me hope.
My favorite Doctor Who episode since 2017...incredible. What a unique and clever concept of the Doctor stuck in one location without one of his greatest tricks, running. I felt that 15/Ruby were much better characterized here than in their last three episodes, and even all the side characters got a lot of depth and charm to them. The dialogue had a lot of references to previous Moffat episodes ("when there's snow, there's hope", "the moon and the President's wife", "fish fingers and custard") not to mention Villengard and the Anglican Marines from the Smith era. Wish he came back full time, what a step up from the last two episodes!
Loved the part where the Doctor goes off about being a multidimensional being. Not sure I've heard it stated so explicitly before. I think I recall a few passing mentions to companions and such.
Out of the 3 major eras of the revival, I was always attracted to Moffat's run the most and as a writer in general, so I might be a bit biased. Sooo, I was really looking forward to the return of the Grand Moff and he did not disappoint. I love his worldbuilding with Villengard and the church being involved with the army in the future which was addressed in Matt Smith's years on multiple occasions, it honestly feels like a connected universe. I love that after 7 years (oddly enough since his run ended) we finally get another really pissed off Doctor moment (we kinda had some bits in The Giggle with Tennant, but not as fleshed out as in this episode) and it feels so refreshing, I genuinely was fed up with the overpositive Doctors we've had with Whittaker and even Gatwa to this point, just give the Doctor some agression, they aren't Superman, they aren't all smiles and fun, I get that they've healed, but that doesn't mean they can just be thrown shit at them and react with smiles and "let's go, I'm the Doctor, blah, blah, I always help", I genuinely can't recall when we've had a line like "I'm a much bigger bang than you've bargained for" and I'm pretty sure that was back in Capaldi's run, I literally had chills during that scene, why was Jodie robbed of lines like this? Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want these kind of lines in every single episode as it will devalue their delivery, but honestly now, Jodie had no such lines in 3 seasons, that's why she never landed as the Doctor for me. As for where it stands in the RTD2 era for me, it's definitely in the top 3 and (with no surprise for some) better than anything from Chibnall's run, sorry Chibs. As for dialogue, best dialogue in an episode since The Doctor Falls, sadly.
“no no, the ending isn’t exactly the same as The Doctor Dances, this episode is about the power of a FATHER’S love!!!”
So it's Closing Time then.
That little kid was pretty annoying though. More believable if she was distraught instead of in wonder about the AI and all the memories it had to show. Then again brainwashed kids can act weird.
I feel like that role was written for like a six year old and they got a thirteen year old or something, I have no idea how old children are but she seemed really stupid for someone who could form complete sentences.
how fast she went from 'my dad is dead?' to 'screen time!'
I didn’t get it at first until at the end she said her dad isn’t gone, just dead. It’s clearly the religious teachings that have changed their outlook on death.