Doctor Who: 10 Most Underrated Episodes Of The Revived Series

7. A Town Called Mercy

Series 7: Part 1 was somewhat dominated by the imminent departure of Amy and Rory Pond which was shamelessly foreboded to the point of no return. As such, many of its highlights (although 'many' is probably a bit generous, seeing as there were only 5 episodes in it anyway) were overshadowed by their eventual exit in The Angels Take Manhattan. One such example of an episode that is often overlooked in favour of the Ponds' untimely demise is A Town Called Mercy which is a Western classic in the truest sense of the word. This one has the benefit of being a Doctor Who Western, though, which instantly makes it so much more cooler. What's more, it's an anomaly of the Eleventh Doctor era because it actually features Amy Pond momentarily stepping out of the spotlight for a change (although she still somehow manages to make it all about her - how does she do it?) as the titular Time Lord's encounter with Kahler-Jex, played by Adrian Scarborough, brought some interesting identity parallels into the equation, and not only because he also happened to be an alien doctor. And then there's the Gunslinger who was as menacing as he was show-stealing. Firmly establishing himself as a classic modern villain, the production also makes the most of its authentic Spanish setting as the era is brought to life, blockbuster extravaganza-style, within the show's otherwise constricted confines as a Saturday night BBC teatime drama. The Eleventh Doctor even gallops off on a horse at one point. What more could you possibly want?