I say, watching Doctor Who before the British population gets to feels oddly privileged. ;) Anyway: Return of the Moffat. In more senses than one.



Back in the day when the Moff was heading the show was going back and thro on thinking he might be working best (for me) as a guest writer of individual episodes while someone else is doing the headwriter-plus-producer honours and then decided that while this might be true for some seasons (like the sixth, aka Matt Smith's last one), other seasons with Stephen Moffat as the producer do also contain individual episodes penned by him I love (the Twelfth Doctor's era being the case in point). Anyway: Boom has several classic Moffat traits - there's a child in an important role (I remember the email exchange between him and RTD as quoted in The Writer's Tale where Rusty says Moffat is far better at writing children, which is true, though personally I would add RTD is better at adult offspring-parent and sibling dynamics) , the power of parenthood is essential to saving the day, there''s the young couple consisting of a strong woman and a nebbish-but-devoted-to-her man where the man's aware of the feelings but the woman is not -, while avoiding others (no timey-wimeyness, no puzzle to solve). Another classic trait is Moffat taking a deceptively simple concept and making it scary, though I will that as opposed, say, statues, landmines are scary in rl already. But really the even greater scariness is the Doctor being unable to move for 98 % of the episode because he's stepped on a landmine, which for a character who in the majority of his incarnations has been defined as being on the run and unable to stand still (metaphorically or literally) is even scarier than him grounding hmself or being grounded for a couple of decades for plot reasons or to save someone. Having to solve the problem of the hour in that state must be one of the most narratively audacious examples of "put your character on a tree and light it on fire" as a principle I can think of, and I salute Stephen Moffat for pulling it off so impressively.

We also get more fleshing out of Ruby and the Doctor-Ruby dynamic, moving them from generic Doctor/Companion to more specific territory, case in point, the Doctor belatedly realising this is Ruby's first alien planet and wanting her to enjoy it, and Ruby doing that while simultanously being very aware of the danger of the situation. Also, another case of Ruby subconsciously producing snow when in extreme danger. (Shame that an American Gods crossover is impossible, say I.) And then there's the continuing impression that maybe both the Moff and RTD feel the show has something to make up for after the "Amazon not really evil: unions are" episode in Thirteen's era with the doubling down on "mega cooperations evil, the weapons' industry even more so, and the expression "thoughts and prayers" has become an obscenity by now" . Not that I disagree, fellows, I just notice. Mind you, the whole anti war message felt both comfortingly and sadly old fashioned in this day and age, especially with its lack of villains (other than the NRA the weapons' industry). Then again "You're fighting yourselves for the sake of an algorithm which makes money by riling you up" is a very timely analysis indeed.

Oh, and: at first I thought these Anglicans were the same clerical/military organization which is fighting in the Angels two parter in Matt Smith's first season, but then I was unsure again and thought it might be a different one also created by Moffat. I haven't rewatched the Smitih era in ages, so can someone more versed in it help me out here?

And speaking of experts: I know I have some Jacobites on my flist - that Skye song is one of yours, isn't it?

Given that most of the action took place on what must have been a single set/ tiny soundstage to the above mentioned gimmick, and still is very tense and suspenseful, this episode also answers the question by I forgot whom wether now that the show has Disney money it will still do episodes like Midnight (one of RTD's best, imo as always) which with a very limlited space and cast still steals one's breath or will be seduced by the ability to do spectacle all the time. Well done, Moffat!