Doctor Who: Boom Review - 9 Ups & 3 Downs

We have to give an Up this week to the sheer tension throughout Boom.

We can't remember the last time the show conjured up an episode this tense without the inclusion of the Weeping Angels. Those opening scenes where the Doctor is singing to himself are haunting (and yay for the Skye Boat Song). Squeaky-bum-time moments included the counter-weight exchange early on, and later on, that anguished groan from the Doctor when Ruby gets shot and the world spins around him as he struggles to retain his cool. This episode was jam-packed with hold-your-breath scenes and it was bloody fantastic.

Moffat made an interesting comment in the episode's commentary which we think hits the nail on the head. He argued that Doctor Who rarely manages to establish real tension because the Doctor, as a character, is designed to dissolve that tension – he's a man with a plan, who always has a get-out-of-jail-free card, and he very rarely takes any situation seriously, with jokes and quips aplenty. This episode takes that ability to negate the tension away from him, and we see his desperation instead. Seeing him begging not to be shot because that's the only option he has is tense as hell.

Man, does Ncuti sell this well. Regardless of where this series goes, we've got a fantastic Doctor on our hands.