Doctor Who: Boom Town

Sadly, the new series’ weakest script yet.

I shall skip the continued forcing of American Jack Harkness into a story with no part for him, and begin with the good stuff.

I liked seeing Cardiff, and I liked seeing the 4 of them charging around it. Great fun. I particularly liked spotting the electronic read-out board on the platform of Cardiff Station. I haven't seen one of those for a while.

The 4 of them striding fearlessly into the town hall without a plan was quite fun too.

And the dramatic mind-games of Margaret Blaine’s final meal, by which I mean the dialogue. That was good.

However…

First off, a recap on what didn't work earlier - we are asked to continue to accept that the female Slitheen still has the same voice as the woman whose body she later took over, and that the rotted skin she wears, including eyeballs, mouth etc. is still fresh and sweet-smelling after 6 months.

Second, she survived being blown-up. Okay, but we could easily have had some clue of this in the earlier episode. Also, MP Harriet Jones' knowledge of Margaret Blaine's alien identity is never remembered.


Thirdly we're asked to accept that in just 6 months Blaine has become the Mayor of Cardiff without having her photo taken (although being ex-MI5 would have been an acceptable explanation), and has set in motion the building of a deadly nuclear power station. A rush job like that - no wonder it has so many safety issues dooming it to blow up and destroy the whole planet.

Remember that – it’s going to blow up and destroy the whole planet.

Fourthly, we're asked to forget yet another scene between Rose and her mum, when she promised to return in 10 seconds’ time. Clearly there has been some contact with Mickey, so maybe also some contact with Jackie, but none acknowledged on screen. I don't recall a reason for their “returning to Earth” six whole months later either.

Fifthly we're asked to accept that the murderous alien has now taken to courteously removing her human skin behind a locked door from her intended prey. I can't remember how the slitheen kill (or if we were ever told how) put I'm pretty sure they don't really need to fully undress for it. If they do, it’s a bit coy of them to hide.

Sixthly we're asked to believe that Blaine chose to climb out of a window and get chased for a bit, before remembering that she had a teleport. D’oh!

Seventhly, Rose says that The Doctor is "very good with teleports" and can reverse them, even though he couldn’t when Jack teleported away last week.

Eighthly, we're asked to believe that, after teleporting away and escaping, Blaine didn't stop running and get her breath back, but instead forced herself to continue running in safety. (must be some delay before rematerialisation)

Ninthly, the slitheen can form poison darts, that travel through human skin without leaving an obvious hole.

Tenthly, we're asked to believe that the Doctor can now catch "bullets" (slitheen poison darts) without even looking.

Eleventhly, we're asked to believe that Blaine would, when facing execution, reveal to the Doctor twice exactly how she is about to kill him by surprise.

Finally we're asked to believe that the TARDIS is, and presumably always has been, and therefore always will be, able to rejuvinate anyone it chooses back to being an egg again. Handy, that. Really. Handy. Really really handy. That's really handy that is.

So handy in fact that we must surely believe that the TARDIS subsequently performed this service for the whole of Cardiff, Wales, the United Kingdom and indeed the entire planet when Margaret Blaine’s forgotten nuclear power station blew up after the end of the episode, destroying the Earth.


I love Doctor Who, I really do, but this story works more like Austin Powers.

This author writes some powerful dialogue, but he could go miles with a proof-reader.

2 out of 10. I’m rooting for ya, buddy.