Doctor Who: 9 Most Underrated Episodes Of The Revived Series

9. Boom Town (Series 1)

Let€™s face it, the Slitheen aren't everybody's cup of tea. In fact, most of us have already heard the arguments against them (if you haven€™t, there are certain members of the fandom who will relish in informing you). They€™re mostly - well, all but completely, actually - based around the farting jokes. It is therefore strange that Boom Town is the least valued of the three Series 1 episodes to feature them, especially as it keeps the juvenile humour to a minimum to focus on the more serious issues which face their species. These issues are part of why a lot of fans really rate this episode. While it wasn't the first time viewers witnessed he Ninth Doctor questioning his morals at the hands of an enemy (for more of the same, see Dalek), it didn't make its impact any less effective. The scene in the TARDIS in which Margaret challenges his lifestyle (€œFinally, you have consequences...€), followed by the dinner date which highlights the much darker side of the Time Lord' (€œOnly a killer would know that...€), is truly electrifying and it makes the Ninth Doctor a much more interesting, three-dimensional character ahead of his first series finale. The serious edge isn€™t the only plus side, either, but then how could it be in this show? Especially in an episode where the villain€™s plan is to surf through space to escape being trapped on Earth, which is wonderfully ridiculous. There€™s a lot of fun to be had as well, chiefly the teleport sequence, which involves Margaret teleporting away only to be brought back by the Doctor pressing a button on his screwdriver. It€™s a great sequence for kids and it has an extra layer for adults used to film and television. It€™s a fun little subversion of the classic chase sequence; only this time, the hero doesn€™t have to do any chasing. It€™s Eccleston€™s smile that finishes it though, giving the moment enough charm and humour to make it the funniest thing in the world. This is also the episode in which fans get to see the Ninth Doctor and Jack working in unison, particularly with the various technological elements of the story, specifically the extrapolator. They€™re such a good team together so it€™s great to see more of them in action.