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"BOOM: THE LANDMINE THAT KEEPS ON GIVING"

For his first Doctor Who script since leaving the showrunner chair in 2017, Steven Moffat crafts Boom—a tightly wound, high-stakes thriller inspired by a brief moment in Genesis of the Daleks. That moment? The Doctor stepping on a landmine and needing his companions’ help to get free. Moffat, ever the genius at extrapolating small ideas into full-blown episodes (Blink, The Girl Who Waited), takes that single scene and stretches it into an entire story.

The result? 45 minutes of pure, unrelenting tension. The Doctor, stuck on a lethal mine for most of the runtime, must keep perfectly still while chaos unfolds around him. Meanwhile, Ruby and the guest characters try to navigate an escalating crisis on a war-ravaged world where the very technology meant to help—AI-controlled Ambulances—has malfunctioned into something terrifying.

It’s an episode that blends suspense, satire, and classic Doctor Who morality. And it proves, once again, that Moffat knows exactly how to write for the Doctor.

A BATTLEFIELD OF BROKEN MACHINES AND BROKEN FAITH

The setting—Kastarion 3—is a war-torn wasteland, an ongoing battleground fuelled by endless conflict. Moffat establishes the stakes quickly and effectively. The mines don’t just explode—they disintegrate their victims. The Anglican Marines (first introduced in The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone) are trapped in a war they don’t even realise is a sham. And Villengard—last visited in Twice Upon a Time—is back as a corporation profiting from perpetual warfare, ensuring just the “right” amount of casualties to keep business booming.

The war is a lie. The soldiers are pawns. The system is rigged. And, in true Moffat fashion, the solution to it all isn’t brute force or technology—it’s a moment of raw human connection.

The Ambulances are particularly chilling. They technically do what they’re programmed to—save lives—but their parameters have become so twisted that they see no difference between healing someone and reducing them to “usable” organic material. Susan Twist’s unsettling presence as the face of the Ambulance only adds to the creep factor, reminiscent of The Idiot’s Lantern’s Wire.

And then there’s Mundy Flynn, played by Varada Sethu—who’s about to join the show as new companion Belinda in Season 2. She’s great here as a tough, no-nonsense soldier slowly realising the war she’s been fighting is a farce. Her romance with Carson is underdeveloped but pays off in a gut-punch moment as he’s taken by the Ambulances. And, of course, there’s the delightfully cheesy moment where the Doctor suggests she marry Ruby, making her Mundy Sunday.

A DOCTOR ON EDGE, A RUBY LEFT IN THE DARK

This episode is a fantastic showcase for Ncuti Gatwa. The Doctor is clearly terrified, trying to hold himself together as he balances his usual wit and bravado with the sheer horror of knowing that one wrong move could kill him instantly. He jokes, sings, tells stories, and desperately tries to stay in control—because the moment he panics, he’s dead. Some may find his emotional reactions excessive, but let’s be real—who wouldn’t be terrified in that situation?

Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday also gets plenty of strong moments, particularly in her dynamic with the Doctor. She follows his instructions, feeding him information while staying alert to his every move. But the episode also continues her personal mystery—when the Ambulance scans her for next of kin, it comes up blank. A small but significant hint that Ruby’s past holds something unnatural.

It’s a shame she’s sidelined for the final third, but her early moments—particularly admiring her first alien world—help balance the story’s tension with small bursts of wonder.

A SATIRICAL EDGE, A MOFFAT-ESQUE SOLUTION

Moffat takes the opportunity to skewer both capitalism and blind faith. Villengard’s weapons empire is a clear critique of the military-industrial complex, where war is designed not to be won but to be profitable. Meanwhile, the Anglican Marines’ devotion to a cause they don’t understand is a sharp commentary on faith without questioning. The reveal that they’ve been fighting themselves all along is the final, brutal punchline.

And then there’s the solution—one that could only come from Moffat. The key to survival? Fatherly love. Yes, it’s a well-worn trope in his writing, but it’s undeniably effective. John Francis Vater (yes, his name literally means “father” in German, because Moffat is that on-the-nose) and his daughter Splice provide the emotional core that ultimately resolves the crisis.

The child actor playing Splice is a bit hit-or-miss, but the emotional weight of the climax still lands. And if you’re willing to accept that love can literally defuse a planet-killing war machine, it’s quite a satisfying resolution.

VISUALS AND ATMOSPHERE – BIGGER ON THE SMALL SCREEN

Visually, Boom is stunning. The war-torn world of Kastarion 3 is brought to life using a smaller-scale version of the Volume, the same projection technology used in The Mandalorian. The mix of practical foregrounds and CGI backgrounds creates an immersive, grimy battlefield that feels leagues ahead of the old quarry-set wars of Classic Who.

It’s a far cry from the foggy, soundstage battlefields of Genesis of the Daleks—and while the latter remains iconic, Boom demonstrates just how far Doctor Who’s production values have come.

📝VERDICT: 9/10

Boom is a masterclass in tension, proving that sometimes the simplest premises make for the best episodes. Moffat crafts a story that’s claustrophobic, intense, and thematically rich, balancing war satire, AI horror, and personal drama with expert precision.

Ncuti Gatwa delivers one of his best performances yet, Millie Gibson continues to impress as Ruby, and the supporting cast—particularly Varada Sethu—adds weight to the unfolding disaster. While the “love conquers all” resolution is classic Moffat (for better or worse), it’s hard to deny that it works in the moment.

With sharp writing, stunning visuals, and a nail-biting central premise, Boom is Doctor Who at its best.