Written by Russel T. Davies
Directed by Joe Ahearne
“I bet you’re always the first to leave, Doctor. Never mind the consequences.”
Executive Producer Davies describes this a character piece, and he’s absolutely right. No major action, no heavy drama…just a nice little breather, that takes stock of one of the Doctor’s most irritating habits: never cleaning up after himself.
Let’s the get the primary weaknesses out of the way first…
By far, this is the least impressive episode of the season, but only by comparison to the heavyweights that have come before. It’s beautifully shot, with some delicious close ups, and the leads act their socks off as usual. But it’s pretty insubstantial compared to the previous modern-day outings of the series. And YES….we ALL knew that Margaret would turn out to be as bad as we knew she was.
So…Boom Town is an unremarkable and inoffensive hour. However, there is still much to enjoy in this examination of the consequences of the Doctor’s previous adventures — something that isn’t explored very much in the television canon of the series…
1—The moral dilemma of whether or not to deliver Margaret Slitheen home: simple, but interesting, and the Doctor plays his cards very close to his chest. He maintains his alien identity and perspective without sacrificing his natural compassion and kindness. This is due to the combination of Davies’ writing and Chris Eccleston’s performance — it’s sold very well.
2—Rose and Mickey finally have their falling out. Noel Clarke doesn’t get much press for his role as the abandoned boyfriend…but in what maybe his final outing, he delivers the goods. His final, desperate scream to Rose — “there’s always going to be a Doctor!” — and his silent departure pretty much sum up this ultimate, innocent bystander: a not-unexpected casualty of someone living a life with a Time Lord.
3—Annette Badland as Margaret. Deliciously vile, simpering, conniving, and funny. She does a damn fine job as the new series’ first recurring villain/alien. Her dinner with the Doctor, complete with moral argument in between attempts to kill him, is the best part of the episode. A duet of gorgeous, humourous acting.
4—John Barrowman makes a simple but effective impression as Captain Jack. In fact, he fits in very well as the muscle/action hero/witty comic relief of the newly expanded TARDIS crew. With nothing to prove anymore, he gets to be much more relaxed, care-free and confident…and his attempt to figure out early 21st century slang is a hoot! We also get flashes of depth, which foreshadows more to come — he’s sarcastic with the Doctor early on for his barking of orders, yet during the final confrontation in the TARDIS, he’s completely trusting of the Time Lord, looking to him for guidance during the hostage situation, without question. It’s always the little things that add up to a good character, and Barrowman brings it to Jack Harkness in spades.
5—The TARDIS is at last revealed as the sentient being that it has always been. A simple but extremely effective reveal to the audience, yet containing numerous references to past hints and knowledge of the ship (complete with a reference to the heart of the TARDIS being held under the time rotor…something that goes all the way back to The Edge of Destruction in 1963). I especially enjoyed a new generation being introduced to the back story behind the chameleon circuit.
6—Venom Grubs! She would have been fed to the Venom Grubs! Now, for those fans with REALLY long term memories…or a good video collection…this reference is positively dopey in its sweetness.
So…nothing too grand, but full of little gems. Boom Town will never top anyone’s Doctor Who top 10 list, but it does its job with great aplomb, and is certainly not a waste of anyone’s time.
7
That said, the trailer for next week looks…WOW!
