It’s excellent until it isn’t. Yeah, Boom Town is kinda the perfect example how much the finale of an Episode matters. The Dinner Scene with the Doctor and Badland (I forgot the name of her Character) is easily the Highlight of the Episode and tells us so much about the morality of the Doctor, which is very important, especially for the new viewers. Bringing back one of the Slitheen and actually make it work (sorry Aliens of London is a confused mess) is wonderful, shame there was never another attempt of doing one. Dont really care for the Rose and Mickey Drama in this Episode, it’s not bad and actually really well-written and performed, but ehh never clicked with them. I do think RTD writes Domestic stuff in Who superb but that never gets me for some reason. But the finale… I am not sure, it feels kinda like a tonal clash, yes this Episode had goofy moments but the solution is a bit too much for my liking.
Overall pretty enjoyable

📝6/10

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

"Boom Town: A Breather with Bite"

Russell T. Davies takes a step back from the high-stakes action to give us a slower, more introspective episode in Boom Town, one that allows both the characters and the audience to catch their breath before the big finale. That’s not to say this story lacks substance—it’s brimming with character development, emotional depth, and some darkly comedic moments.

From the opening scene, Annette Badland reminds us why Margaret is such a compelling character. Badland’s performance is a masterclass in subtlety and range, effortlessly moving from disarmingly kind to chillingly manipulative. It’s a joy to watch her spar with the Doctor, especially as she attempts to exploit his moral dilemmas for her own gain. Margaret’s humanity—however twisted—adds surprising poignancy to this episode, showing us that even villains can have complex emotions.

The Cardiff setting offers a refreshing change of pace and serves as a clever way to revisit the Cardiff Rift introduced in The Unquiet Dead. This element not only drives the plot but also plants seeds for Torchwood, which will later become a cornerstone of the Doctor Who universe. And, of course, we get another mention of Blaidd Drwg—RTD’s signature Bad Wolf breadcrumb—adding to the overarching mystery of the season.

This episode continues to explore the Doctor’s darker side. Eccleston excels in portraying a man grappling with the weight of his decisions, particularly when faced with the moral implications of sentencing Margaret to her death. The dinner scene between the Doctor and Margaret is a standout moment, combining humour, tension, and character exploration in equal measure. It’s a clever way to remind us of both the Slitheen’s capacity for menace and the Doctor’s willingness to make tough, even ruthless, choices.

While the plot is relatively light on action, the character-driven narrative keeps things engaging. The constant banter between Nine and Jack adds levity, and Mickey’s awkward presence injects a dose of comic relief. However, Mickey’s subplot also carries emotional weight, as he and Rose finally confront the cracks in their relationship. It’s bittersweet to see Mickey moving on, knowing Rose is still torn between her life with him and her adventures with the Doctor.

The episode does have its lighter, sillier moments—like the chase scene through Cardiff—but they’re balanced by the more profound exploration of consequences. Margaret’s story forces the Doctor to reckon with the fallout of his actions, while Rose is confronted with the impact her choices have had on Mickey’s life.

The climax brings a sudden surge of tension as the narrative shifts gears, delivering the requisite danger we expect from a Doctor Who episode. The heart of the TARDIS plays a pivotal role in Margaret’s fate, setting up an important element for the finale. However, the resolution—where Margaret is reverted to an egg—feels a bit too convenient and whimsical, undercutting the emotional weight of the story.

Final Thoughts:

Despite its slower pace and a somewhat unsatisfying resolution, Boom Town succeeds as a thoughtful, character-driven episode. It examines the repercussions of past events while providing moments of levity and drama, all anchored by Annette Badland’s standout performance. As a prelude to the season’s climax, it serves its purpose well, reminding us that even in the quieter moments, Doctor Who never shies away from asking the big questions.

Random Observations:

• William Thomas, who plays Mr. Cleaver at the start of the episode, previously appeared in Remembrance of the Daleks. He's the first actor to appear in both Classic and New Who.
• We hear Rose talk about an off-screen adventure with the Slitheen in Justicia. This references the second NSA novel, The Monsters Inside, and marks the first time the TV show has referenced EU material.

Boom Town isn't *that* bad. It definitely goes a long way in refining the Slitheen a bit, and is a far better depiction of the alien race as much more complex than their original, more simplified and cartoonish appearance.

I like how these aliens are humanized a bit even while they are still not necessarily good. It challenges the Doctor a bit. Boom Town is also almost invaluable as one of only a small handful of stories with the Doctor, Jack, and Rose. I wish this period were a little long in the original series, because the dynamic of this trio is really something. Throw in Mickey and we have a pretty great full blown TARDIS crew in this episode, and I think all four characters are used fairly well in this regard. They did a good job slowly introducing us to these characters and letting us get invested in each of them, to the extent that even a more mediocre story like this is heavily elevated by our characters.

THIS REVIEW WAS WRITTEN PRE-BARROWMAN SCANDAL, COPIED OVER FROM THE OTHER SITE

There is probably a fascinating discourse on the nature of justice at the heart of this dull, unfunny exercise in padding, but you'd be hard pressed to find it.

All of my friends say I'm crazy for hating this episode but I just don't get the love surrounding this travesty. You may call me crazy but I would rather rewatch Orphan 55 over this. To me it would seem that the actors don't seem at all interested in this episode and that reflects through their wooden performances, although to his credit John Barrowman alone is worth a rewatch as he at least tries to inject a bit of humour in the part of the episode when he states his plan only to be brought back down to earth by the Doctor. That part of the episode notwithstanding i find myself in no great hurry to rewatch the story and always skip it when i do a rewatch of Series 1.

Whilst it was nice to see the Slitheen reused, I feel as if they were reduced to some comedic monster of the week trope with no real character development given to Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen other than the fact she wanted revenge on the Doctor for killing her family in Aliens of London/World War Three. The scene where she's running away makes me cringe every time I see it and when's she's on the 'date' with the Doctor I want to pull my hair out at all the stilted, unfunny dialogue between the usually brilliant Christopher Eccleston and Annette Badland.

Overall, I personally find this to be one of the worst stories from the RTD Era and New Who in general, I would like to forget this episode ever existed as it drags down what is a fantastic season full of spectacular high points but this is the lowest of low points and spoils my enjoyment of Series 1

This feels like a coda. The only low key moment of pause across series 1. A chance to catch our breath. Having lived in Cardiff for 7 years, it’s quite strange seeing it captured so faithfully on screen. Although, Mickey arrives at Cardiff Central only to immediately then find himself in a very different area of town.

This is our one chance to see The Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack and Mickey in a regular adventure together. And it’s fine. RTD leans into the love triangle (/love square?) very hard, it would have been nice if they’d been given some more action to do together, to make them more of a team.

Bon Fel Fotch is played beautifully by Annette Badland and plays off our leads nicely, with a lot of quippy dialogue, but it all feels a bit slight, like the show is buffering in advance of next week. An alien returning (a first for the new series) and Cardiff’s rift from Gatiss’ script ties it in to the rest of the series nicely.

The most beautiful moments are when you see the flickers of humanity from the monster of the week. The worst moments are when the humor doesn’t land. Overall I’d say my biggest complaint of Boom Town is it’s uneven tone.