Doctor Who Series 1 Episode 11: Boom Town

Director:

Joe Ahearne

(Strange, Ultraviolet, This Life)

Screenplay:

(Casanova, The Second Coming, Bob & Rose, Queer As Folk)

Cast:

Synopsis: A plan to build a nuclear power station in Cardiff City disguisesan alien plot to rip the world apart…

Doctor Who races to the end of its first series with another story fromproducer-writer Russell T. Davies, whose output so far has been well-meaningyet ultimately hollow experiences. Boom Town is thankfully a step towardsredemption – but just a small step, mind.

Episode 11 finds The Doctor, Rose and new TARDIS companion Captain JackHarkness (John Barrowman, now in trendy slacks) arriving in Cardiff City, torecharge the TARDIS using the time-rift sealed in the finale of “The UnquietDead”. Once there, the trio soon discover an old enemy, one of the Slitheensupposedly killed in Davies’ own “World War Three”, has emerged as Mayor ofCardiff with a dastardly plot to escape the planet.

It’s commendably for Davies to begin pulling together plot-threads from theseries – primarily a more overt realisation from The Doctor about the “BadWolf” phrase that has been woven into almost every episode so far – althoughit’s dismissed in a jocular manner. “Boom Town” also continues the pleasingway various characters become temporary companions – now Captain Jack makesan interesting foil for The Doctor; a fellow time-traveller who is decidedlymore useful around the TARDIS than the perpetually grinning Rose.

“Boom Town” is primarily a character study, and all the better for it.Davies’ episodes have come in for much criticism over the series, yet herehe reminds us why his standing in British writing is so high: he can writegood characters. Ultimately, his knowledge of science-fiction isn’t quite asfine-tuned as fellow Who writers, so again some elements of the story seemalternatively hackneyed, slapdash, or just plain stupid (an egg?).

However, despite the potentially terrible idea of resurrecting the Slitheenagain, the human-skinned Margaret Blaine (brilliantly played by Annette Badland) actuallycreates a nice facet to Doctor Who criminally underused in previous years -the fact The Doctor rarely has to face the repercussions of his actions.Margaret, a foe The Doctor thought defeated, provides many scenes oftantalizing moral arguments – particularly when it’s made clear her captureby The Doctor will ultimately lead to a painful death sentence…

Elsewhere, the interminably bad Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) makes anunwelcome return. Quite why Rose ever fancied this whinging idiot is beyondalmost everyone (particularly The Doctor, it once seemed), but Mickey’sscenes with Rose where they both come to realize their relationship isdoomed with The Doctor coming between them, is quite moving and anotherminor redemptive stroke for Noel Clarke’s acting coach…

John Barrowman, looking relieved to be out of his ’40s pulp-serialaction-man leathers, impresses as a more knowledgeable lackey for TheDoctor, and while “Boom Town” doesn’t require his presence, it’s just niceto see continuity from last week’s episode.

Again, as with all of Russell T. Davies stories, the actual plot outside ofthe character-driven scenes, is a bit of a mess. There’s a nugget of a goodidea hidden within a wholly improbably plot about the TARDIS recharging, adoomsday nuclear power station, an invisible time-rift, and a frankly sillyfinale where the TARDIS itself becomes the hero (which, incidentally, is yetanother example of a Who resolution creating itself in the last fiveminutes…)

However, it’s obvious throughout that the point of this episode is to servethe characters – and this is where Davies’ finally shows his real writingtalent. A scene between The Doctor and Margaret in a restaurant is awonderful mix of potent dialogue and amusing physical comedy. Davies’ evenlimits the obligatory “Slitheen fart routine” to a just an early skit, thankGod.

The effects are generally good, particularly during an apocalyptic moment inCardiff, while the Slitheen creature is always good value in a barmy sort ofway (half rubber man in suit, half CGI hybrid.) Frustratingly, despite soliddirection by Joe Ahearne, the decision to reuse excruciatingly badincidental music returns at key moments to ruin all sense of tension andpace. Is it in Davies’ contract that these annoying riffs have to beemployed during every episode he writes?

Whatever the faults of “Boom Town” it’s generally a mediocre episode withsome great character moments, a few moments of wit, some goodspecial-effects, dependable acting and a pleasing melting pot of strandsfrom previous episodes. Possibly the best effort from Davies so far, infact, but that’s not really saying much…

Next week: The good news is: the Daleks are back! The bad news is: so is arobot Anne Robinson and a futuristic Big Brother game-show… sigh… mustbe a Russell T. Davies week…

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