Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 3

Continuing on from last week’s double episode premiere, Doctor Who marches forward with the fourteenth series, giving us the third episode titled Boom. Set on an unnamed war-torn planet, this week we watch The Doctor trying to step off of a landmine without destroying himself and the planet itself. No, really. That’s the bulk of it. A simple but effective plot, this episode feels almost light years ahead of the ones that were released last week. 

In all honesty, it feels a little easy to say “I’m so glad it’s getting better with each week” because there’s only been two weeks worth of shows, so while I can say it, just know it really shouldn’t count right now. However, while Steven Moffat is well-known for being the show-runner for Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi’s turns as the Time-Lord, as well as creating Sherlock (honestly, what a chokehold BBC shows had on Tumblr for a while), these are also series that had more and more substantial flaws as they went on. 

He has, however, always been great at writing the one off, almost insular episodes. Blink remains as terrifying as the day it was first released. So while I maybe wouldn’t trust him with an overarching story (soz Steve), for these high-paced episodes where the focus remains on the characters rather than the big mystery of the seasons, I would place the script in his hands.

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The Review

Image by BBC Studios Production

The pacing of Boom and the general plot is an interesting concept – we can’t move as we normally can with The Doctor, a character known for being quite flighty. We’re all trapped, for lack of a kinder word, in a crater with him and Ruby as they try to work out how to save him and the planet from his impending implosion. He can’t save the day as he normally can (although, this is now the second episode that’s happened – if only John Lennon was here too), instead relying on Ruby and others to save him. Following two episodes where it felt as though the writers were determined to keep moving, even if it came at the cost of the episode making sense or you know, being good, it actually felt good to see them all stand still for a moment. 

We also don’t find out more than we need to in this episode. We never find out why the soldiers have religion-adjacent titles. We don’t meet more than a few of them, and we’re only privy to small moments in their lives. A dad telling his daughter to brush her teeth as he makes his way through the battlefield. Two friends making confessions of love just before… an incident. Tiny things that otherwise make up what would be well-rounded lives outside of The Doctor, which I really enjoyed, giving the illusion of life beyond his adventures. This war was happening before The Doctor stepped on a high tech landmine, and despite the revelation that *gasp* corporations will work to keep profits high even if it comes at a cost to those who purchase from them, it will probably continue after. 

Also, sidenote, they’re really pushing the The Doctor is a parent angle this season, which has introduced many theories about Ruby and I’m super interested to hear anyone’s thoughts about it. 

Image by BBC Studios Production

The writing was a spectacular improvement, but it wasn’t too hard to move up from in the first place. Nctui continues to give it his absolute all, and while to me, there is still no clear cut indication of what kind of personality this regeneration has, there are layers of depth being added to the character each week. The cynicism when faced with religion and blind faith, the desperation to save Ruby’s life, the fear when he thinks it’s all over. Just a wonderful acting performance. 

Millie Gibson looks as if she’s becoming more comfortable as Ruby Sunday as well, a caring nature shining through whenever she feels as though The Doctor is struggling. There’s a beautiful moment between them when Ruby stares at the sky above her – an unfamiliar sky on an unfamiliar planet – and the Doctor takes the time to describe the feeling and what she’s seeing. As I said before – small things. The overall plot doesn’t seem to matter as much as the message and the relationships. 

Despite all this, I feel as though something is still missing, and so I’m watching tentatively each week, though I’m not sure what more they could have done this week. It actually felt as though the story was moving, rather than acting as a placeholder as we wait to find out more about Ruby. The villain, aside from capitalism, was the face of an older woman as a robot ambulance on the war field, which was also fine. It wasn’t really a villain as much as a nuisance. Also, the caskets of those lost looked… well, just don’t look them up on your work computer. 

It could be that there needs to be more of an idea of who this Doctor is outside of Ruby. While Ncuti plays the character’s desperation of keeping Ruby safe wonderfully, as all Doctors have done previously, there also seemed to be more to previous reincarnations of who they were without their companions. 

It could be that maybe Ruby needs more to her in the first place. While I love the performances, it just feels like she happens to be there, unless there is a need for exposition or they need to remind us about the big question and then they sprinkle some snow in for effect. There isn’t much to her without that, and I think that’s a shame because I always found the fact that the companions had their own lives, morals and personalities one of the better things about the show. 

It could be that I’m old, and I expect more. 

However, if the show moves in the same direction as this episode, I’m sure my expectations will be exceeded, and I’ll move past the general issues this season seems to have, and watch in complete awe in time for the season finale. One can only hope. 

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Where to Watch Doctor Who Season 14?

Doctor Who season 14 can be watched live on BBC One or streamed on the BBC IPlayer for UK residents and Disney Plus for non UK residents, with new episodes releasing weekly.

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