Moffat: Back with a bang? Doctor Who: Boom Review 

What did YOU think of the episode?

In the Space Babies, The Doctor told Ruby to go with the babies and she basically defied him - laughed and said no way. I would say defying The Doctor is absolutely part of her character. She has an attitude about her that I’m loving right now.

I have absolutely enjoyed it! True, that one dialogue could have been written for Twelve and Clara, but I can certainly forgive Steven Moffat for it because putting the Doctor on the spot like this and how it all played out, was fantastic.

My theory for why Mundy has the same likeness as the new companion is that Russell liked Varada’s acting in ‘Boom’ and decided to cast her… That’s it…😂🤣

Personally I thought Ruby's decision to not throw the corpse in a tube at the beginning of the episode was just a good decision rather than a scene that said anything about her personality. In that situation I would not have been confident in my ability to throw anything at that distance with those stakes attached and it seemed to me that the Doctor was making a very feeble attempt at being selfless.

I LOVED this episode. I think Steven Moffat might have done it again and written the best episode in a RTD series. 😂 I’m a politics and history student and politics nerd, so I love the politics of this episode. If you’d have told me that Moffat would have managed to pack criticism of warfare, AI algorithms, arms manufacturers, capitalism and organised religion in to one show without making it an incoherent mess, I’d have called you a liar, but they did it! I feel that this episode is a great redeemer for the Chibnall era episode, ‘Kerblam!’ which is truly a moral and political travesty that leaves a stain on the history of the show. “The system’s not the problem!” HOW ABOUT NO?! Thank you, Moffat! Why the writers decided to make a ruthless, algorithm-driven, monopolistic corporation into the good guy in ‘Kerblam!’, I’ll never understand. Anyway, ‘Boom’ was great. It hit my ethical, political, emotional, logical and intellectual buttons, the best buttons for Doctor Who viewing as far as I’m concerned. The tension was palpable and the visuals were stunning. I now feel that Doctor Who is REALLY back! Kiss, kiss. 😉 P.S. Loved the double meaning of the title. Business is booming and booming is business.

I do think the child was miscast. This is not an indictment on the child actor in anyway. I think she did a very good with the script she was handed, but I feel like her character and dialogue was originally written for a younger child, and then the producers decided to cast one that was a bit too old for the role.

10:05 “Everybody lives.” At least four people died… 😔 and only one was resurrected. 😂

Rather than Clara, I thought Ruby was somewhat like Donna who also stood up to the Doctor on their first encounter as well as their first official journey. I really like how her character is developing.

I thought it was absolutely incredible. Interesting as always to hear your thoughts

What survives is love is Philip Larkin. Ruby refusing to throw the "body" was not bullying the Doctor, but was using logic to reduce the chance of blowing up the Doctor. I dont feel everything as to be new, some new and some old ideas is fine by me variety is the spice of life. All new stuff brings cries of this is no longer Doctor Who! I watch each episode and judge each one on its own merit, not whether it is enough like previous Doctor Who stories or different enough. Does it grip me, does it entertain me and it can and as in so many different ways this season so far. What this one did is made me think about why big powers dont try to put a stop to conflicts, because they are profiting by selling weapons which helps their export figures.

Boom was sick But honestly I’m really excited for 73 yards. We haven’t had a properly creepy episode for ages

I forgot this was Moffat's episode, but I was just excited to see a new episode and it's easily on of my favorites! The atmosphere was everything and I agree, it really did summarize Moffat's writing style. The Doctor being stuck on a land mine being a physical constraint and us not being used to it is refreshing to me and reminds me of "Don't Blink", AI ghosts and green blinking lights symbolizing running out of time like in "Silence in the Library" ghosting device, and the custard reference lol. I did also notice the use of the army camp and the fact that they didn't explore it is such a crime! I would've also liked if Ruby went to the camp or something. Same with the kid, I agree they should've cast someone younger. I'm overall excited this season!

Wow Christel, your reviews are just brilliant. So balanced, fair and supportive of the show succeeding. Thanks so much for posting! 🙌

Christel, I think you might be right regarding Ruby being the Trickster's Child. In fact, that story idea was originally going to be for Sky from the Last Season of the Sarah Jane Adventures. But as people know, the series wrapped up early and that idea never got used. Russel has reused ideas from that second half of series 5 before with The Thirteenth Floor in Wizards Vs Aliens. So I wouldn't be surprised that he's taking the opportunity to use the idea of Trickster's child once again but this time with Ruby.

Yes! Ruby 100% felt like Clara in this episode!

HI Christel, As soon as I watched Boom , it reminded me of when Tom Baker's Doctor Stepped on a Land Mine on Skaro in Genesis of the Daleks, and Harry Sullivan Saved the Doctor 👍

This was the first episode of Doctor Who that I have actually liked since Davies returned, and that is including the David Tennant episodes. Probably because of Moffat, who I think “gets” Doctor Who more than Davies since series three, it is such a huge step up from the first two episodes of the current series and the Christmas episode. I was ready to give up on the series after last week’s mess (Jinx was good, but could have been used better). Hopefully this trend will continue next week. Hopefully.

I liked BOOM. It was good to see a Moffat episode again. But you have a point. Wild Blue Yonder was dimpling amazing!

Why did the doctor not use the sonic to deactivate the land mine?

Loved this ep defo. The thing about the girl, I think some people have suggested that she seemed too old than she acted. It would have made more sense if she'd been cast as a younger actor. I didn't mind the Moffat-isms that much since it's been a while since his last ep.

I really like this review. We don't both agree but I totally see your point and I like how you don't purely defend Moffat despite the fact you know him from the Fan Show. Also the Podcast needs you

I love the watermelon at the back 💚🤍🖤❤️

I feel like the mojority of Russell stories are predictable and the same too- the star beast, space babies and church on ruby road. Its not just a Moffat issue.

finally a good episode this season

Sunday & Munday? That surely can't be a coincidence?

I actually enjoyed this episode. To me it’s the best of the series so far and feels more like Doctor Who. I also found this episode very relatable in a way as I’ve always found it very hard to control my survival instinct due to my learning disabilities) and I feel like the doctor being stuck on a landmine was more of a hidden message of even if it feels impossible you can still find a way of controlling your survival instincts of fight/flight/freeze response.

i loved boom, it had proper suspense and i love a good Moffat episode! i'll be at mcm next week on Saturday and Sunday, really looking forward to seeing 73 yards there!

You say she’s new to time travel but according to last ep she’s been traveling with him for at least 6 months - so might explain why she’s a bit more forthright

Best episode in 7 years imo

Moffats scripting and dialogue is second to none like literally so snappy ... I like thst this was a Dr Who version of Phone Booth vibe ... Like Capaldi in Listen won me over this one Gatwas performance here i hsvent liked the RTD2 era fully yet but boom was the first i overall liked ....nowhere near his top tier stories but that speaks volumes how the quality is so high .... But yeah bizarrely for a Moff episode i found it ironic how Chibnsll tense countdown vibe it was an jnteresting pareallel to Kerblam and indeed Oxygen too

If u watch Ellie from whocultures ups and downs of 73 yards, she hates the different outfits 😂😂😂, ur so right Christel

Great review!! have to agree with a lot of the things you said

I'm so in love with Mundy that it's embarrassing lmao

Personally I loved it. I don’t think it would have worked if Munday could just surrender as this wasn’t just a commentary on capitalism - it was a capitalism arming religious wars, with families being victims of the two juggernauts - it was only fitting that (especially in a family show) the victims saved the day and not either of the perpetrators. It sounds like you’ve worked yourself up about Moffats troupes. I can’t judge, I did the same about RTD around series 2, by series 3 I just couldn’t even watch his episodes. It wasn’t that his episodes got worse, but the more he did the more I identified elements I personally didn’t like. I thought I knew exactly how space babies would play about before I saw it - and I wasn’t wrong. For me wild blue yonder wasn’t original, it was the end of the universe from Utopia, it was the imitation from Midnight - I mean it was RTDs greatest hits (those are two rare episodes of his I enjoy) but it felt very familiar. It’s not that other writers don’t have troupes, it’s just overexposure to them will either grate or be warm and comforting depending on how your styles mesh. Robert Holmes certainly had them, it’s a failing of NuWho that we get an overdose of showrunner episodes turning them into marmite. Although the army of the church came to mind I didn’t think it would get any negative criticism, it’s just a consistency. I did expect people to compare the AIs to the ghosting in silence in the library - but again so long as it’s not driving the plot in a particular direction I don’t see that as an issue. The scene with Ruby approaching the Doctor on the mine was the first the two felt real to me, the first time I saw the chemistry others had been claiming was present but I just couldn’t see. It’s interesting to see it described as bullying, I would never in a million years have thought of it that way. It wasn’t “I know how sad you are”, it was the equivalent of Harry saying “don’t you argue Doctor”, he’d only been with the doctor days and certainly hadn’t taken a dominant role - but it was a serious situation and he did what needed to be done. If Ruby was so spineless that she wouldn’t even trust her own instincts about the motivations of someone she’d known for months, if she hadn’t acted to use her own mind then she certainly wouldn’t be a character I’d want to see more of (and until this episode I didn’t really need any more of her).

I enjoyed boom it had the tension that the other 2 episodes have been missing

I hate to say this Christel, but that's not the future of capitalism, that's the storyline of the second Gulf War. I kinda love that story and the idea that folks just live in a blip and you don't know that a thousand years from now the best Doctor of all time will turn out to have been Chris Pine. 😉 As for Varada, it might be that old Doctor Who trope of casting someone for one thing and then having them back later on in a bigger, more regular role (see Colin Baker, Eve Myles, Peter Capaldi, Karen Gillan, etc...). With the long-in-advance shooting schedule it might be a season or more before we see her again. Besides, she probably still has to wrap her work on Andor first. _Remember, when Chris Pine took over the role of the Doctor from Danielle Panabaker in 2030?! Who would have though then he would have lasted 10 seasons!_

How is you sonic on the counter behind you cycling through the colors while just sitting there!!! I MUST KNOW!! lol

You make some good points, and I agree in general. I like Moffat and his work, he’s written most of my favourite Doctor Who stories, but this was not one of his best. I’m not keen on wild fantasy, and I don’t like to see it taking over Doctor Who. Yes, Wild Blue Yonder was revolutionary; but revolutions usually mean that people get killed and afterwards things are worse than before. I hate the bloody Trickster. If that’s the route the show is going down, I may stop watching it altogether, as I did temporarily in the Chibnall era. I didn’t disagree with Chibnall in principle, I felt that he was trying to write sf stories, which is what I want. But he was no good at it! RTD seems determined to go down the wild-fantasy route, and I disagree with that in principle. Furthermore, the stories he’s been writing recently aren’t good enough to tempt me.

Thank god I’m not the only one who didn’t feel as blown away by this episode! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s a bad episode at all. It was fine. And as much as I enjoyed the campiness of Space Babies & The Devil’s Chord I was glad to see something more serious in tone. Great performance from Ncuti, the chemistry between him & Millie just keeps on blossoming. I thought the Ambulance was pretty creepy too. Was really surprised by Varada being in it! As much as I want a companion that isn’t of present day Earth I’m glad RYD has confirmed Varada won’t be playing Mindy in Season 2 because I didn’t really like the character. I personally didn’t have the same response as the majority online has been. Agree with you on literally everything you said. I thought the child was annoying, the love story between the two soldiers was a bit meh & I thought the pacing towards the end was off. I’ve had pacing issues with each ep of RTD2 apart from Wild Blue Yonder so far so I really hope that improves. I’m also really confused by the timelines of Ruby & the Doctors travels, how come they have suddenly been together in 6 months and Ruby is only now just going to an alien planet? On Susan Twist, don’t worry it’s not just random RTD teases it in the video commentary & says in another interview that Ruby & the Doctor will start to notice her soon. Very excited for next weeks as it’s been described as the horror episode, and I’m a horror nerd so I’m hoping this one really goes for it with the creepy.

I absolutely agree with everything you say regading this episode. Enjoyed a lot but far from the perfection that some fans are claiming... Really looking forward to 73 Yards. Looks like the kind of creepy and atmospheric village story, I prefer.

Wild blue yonder was great but the other 4 episodes of his were pretty average too and used many Russell era tropes. The giggle was pure garbage too. So it's a hit unfair to say Moffat is doing the same stuff when Russell is just as bad. I would have rathered brand new showrunners and writers. But I am enjoying this series a lot

I am not sure how I feel, I both loved it and just liked it. I personally like Splice in the episode, she was meant to be written as an annoying kid (sounds like she was meant to be 5/6 but the actress looks more like she's 10 or 11, so that could be why this didn't work as well, as she acted younger then she should've, but again I suppose it hard to play with a 5-year-old) but I can see why some people may not like that. I personally wasn't expecting Splice's dad to be the hero of the story and I liked the whole "Kiss kiss" line throughout the episode and felt like it was a good payoff, so it wasn't like the case in closing time where it came out of nowhere. I felt that Catino and Mundy's relationship was really underdeveloped so when he died I didn't really feel any emotions for it, they could've removed that and still have the same storyline. Overall I did love the episode, just a few things I felt kinda of dragged down the episode. overall I would say a 7.5 or 8.5, I still have not decided on it. might need to rewatch it again. Also with the whole "next of kin" Ruby's mind immediately went to blood-related (she might not thought of to think about her adopted kin rather than blood kin), I suppose she would've thought the Ambulance would've told her who it was. You could see how desperate she was to know, even if she knew that she wouldn't get the answers there. So that could be why she didn't say Carla or Cherry.

You are the 2nd person who insisted Ruby's dialogue was "Claraesque" honestly that suggestion is just icky. No companion shows complete deference to the Dr, and they have all had moments proving themselves, why Clara out of a hat, when Amy set the star whale free in her 2nd episode or any 2 second clip of Donna etc. Even if they were, completely reverential, that wouldn't effect whether or not you threw something. If the queen had asked you to throw her a book, you'd likely walk it over, based on your own calculations, as to size your throwing ability and the queen's ability as a catcher. Even if I found you someone who would throw a book, they probably wouldn't throw a compressed tube of human flesh. Your take on this is bonkers.

Yeah you trow chibnall under the bus

Great review 🙏 I thought the solution was a bit underwhelming as well.

Compared to the first two it was a huge move forward. Space babies was below par and the song and dance routine was terrible in the Devil's Cord.

I always felt Moffat was at his best when Russell was pushing back on him. Forcing him to explain all his choices. The commentaries of the early new who episodes really gave me that feeling. When Moffat took over, he kinda lost that sparring partner/boss and I can feel it in his seasons. I was really hoping that they would go back to the 1-4 vibe, but it feels to me, like Russell gave Moffat slightly too much free reign. That being said, it was a really good episode, just not as perfect as Blink, the Doctor Dances, Silence in the Library, etc.

You mostly summed up my concerns about the episode. I also feel that there were too many commentaries which watered down the message. I'd rather prefer if Moffat focused on capitalist/imperialist part of the episode and ignore the faith part, because he didn't hit me with it as much as workers in Oxygen did.

Hi Christel, I have currently no plans to watch new Doctor Who episodes because of RU-vid Grifters who are part of the outrage culture are bashing Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson especially Russell T. Davies.

It was a great episode enough of your blah

This was definitely much better. Space babies was absolutely dreadful, Why on earth would you start a new series with such a stupid episode? People tuning in for the first time will never watch again. Russel must stop writing these silly stories and focus on more serious stories. Bring back Steven Moffat and stop this stupid woke nonsense.

Viewing figures plummet to 2 million. Its only going to get worse.

Stop trying to appeal to lesbians and homosexuals and make Doctor who appealing for everyone. Stop this awful woke nonsense. Doctor who is losing millions of viewers.