Doctor Who: Boom Review - 9 Ups & 3 Downs

It goes without saying that Ncuti Gatwa is the MVP of this episode.

This week, he's forced into a situation where he needs to go full Doctor mode, with all the facets of the character that entails. We get some authority this week, with Fifteen taking control of the situation on multiple occasions, despite being on the back foot (and sometimes, on one foot), as well as using his history and nature as a Time Lord to throw his weight around a bit. Dare we say, hints of that darker undercurrent are still sitting there, beneath the surface.

We still get that fear that seems to have been a (perhaps unintentional) trait of Fifteen thus far, but here, we're shown his bravery and composure in spite of that fear, which feels far more in line with the character after two weeks in a row of literally running away (though, granted, this week he can't run away without turning into a Roman Candle). The fear this week is executed far better, with the Doctor babbling to distract both himself and Ruby from the peril of the situation – this has always been more the Doctor's way than legging it in the opposite direction.

We also get to see the Doctor cracking out his smarts this week, and we enjoyed him having to rely purely on his observation skills in the first act – whether that was him identifying the make of the landmine, deducing his location based off the local interstellar neighbourhood, or calculating the precise weight of John's casket based on its gravitational pull.

More of this version of Fifteen please!