❤️96% = Superb! = Essential!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

MOFFAT IS BACK WITH A BOOM!

This is the episode that kicks the new season into high gear. Tense, emotional, engaging, and impressive, Boom is a modern classic.

Boom immediately brings us to a planet under warfare, with a creepy ambulance robot attacking people (Susan Twist returning yet again; her playing the ambulance makes the role more effective; her performance makes me think of the Wire from Idiot's Lantern; the ambulance design, meanwhile, resembles the War Machine design from The War Machines).

Steven Moffat builds a tense, character-driven drama as the guest characters confront the Doctor, only to potentially make matters worse. This constantly heightening tension keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. The fact that the Doctor cannot get directly involved because he has to stand still for the duration of the episode and is at the mercy of the other characters adds to the palpable atmosphere. Moffat then expands on his premise by removing the companion from active play and forcing the guest cast to help save the day. He has taken a key scene from Genesis of the Daleks and turned it into a sci-fi thriller, and there's no problem solving with a sonic screwdriver this time around!

The entire episode's premise is simple but effective, leaning into Moffat's strengths as a writer and making for yet another essential Doctor Who adventure. At the same time, there are some copy-paste Moffatisms here, especially in the themes, characterizations, and resolution, which means that it's not fully as original as you might hope. In many ways, Moffat has taken the Terry Nation route by reusing many of his favourite ideas, but he does so more gracefully.

Even during the constant tension, there are good character moments pertaining to Ruby and her past, as well as the soldiers involved, which adds to the drama and keeps you engaged throughout the ebbs and flows of the adventure.

I like the eventual revelation that the soldiers are fighting themselves and their own technology, designed to kill them just enough to justify buying more weapons for their war—a critique against the weapons industry, blind faith, and capitalism.

Boom immediately forces this fresh TARDIS team into a new situation. The Doctor is unable to move (Ncuti Gatwa is simply perfect as a visibly scared and stressed out Doctor; this is his best performance in the role to date as he showcases amazing emotional range with limited physical movement), and Ruby is forced to solve the situation for the both of them (Millie Gibson is also at her very best, in a more serious performance, showing the fearless side of Ruby). It's somewhat of a pity, though, that Ruby is also out of action for the bulk of the story, even though it adds to the stakes and forces the other characters to step in.

The guest cast is equally well-rounded. Varada Sethu is really good (it’s odd to see her in a guest role here when we know that she will join the TARDIS as a new companion next season). Her little love story with Canto is hardly relevant to the plot, and the father/daughter thing could have been a bit more fleshed out. Susan Twist's portrayal of the rogue ambulance A.I. leaves a strong impression.

The war-torn planet that is the setting of this adventure looks really good and, well, war-torn. Knowing that it’s all one big set, with the occasional use of a Volume-like screen technology, makes it even more impressive.

Boom's tight editing and intimate direction bring us close to the characters and their precarious situations. This approach maintains good tension at all times, despite the relatively limited setting. The episode also has none of the whimsical, fantastical, and lighthearted tone of the previous episodes; it's properly dramatic, explosive, and serious.

Gatwa's energetic performance enhances the final few moments, demonstrating his exceptional ability to shift gears quickly.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

Is it just me, or do the character names Canto and Vater feel like deliberate Star Wars nods? Add to that the fact that guest star Varada Sethu is mostly known for her role in the Star Wars-adjacent series Andor, and you begin thinking that this is some kind of Disney-mandated thing.

The scene in Genesis of the Daleks where the Fourth Doctor steps on a landmine and needs Sarah Jane and Harry to save him reportedly inspired this story.

This story features a militaristic church, which we've seen before during the Matt Smith era. Both The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances and Twice Upon a Time have previously mentioned the Villengard Corporation, which plays a pivotal role in this story.

When Ruby talks about needing to sing in order to help the Doctor, I half expected them to do a big musical number again.

So, that Mundy Sunday joke is such an RTD thing to do; I love it!

Thanks to Moffat, I'll never think of the phrases “kiss kiss” and “sharp scratch” the same way again.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Steven Moffat once again demonstrates why he is such a talented Doctor Who writer: Boom is a contemporary masterpiece and a gripping, dramatic journey that will leave a lasting impression and become a key moment of the Ncuti Gatwa era.