Who Review: A Fan Who Cried Mercy

It’s the start of a new episode of Doctor Who and my first thought is: have we put Terminator on by accident? Already, we are not off to a great start. 

The synopsis for A Town Called Mercy begins “The Doctor has a Stetson (and a gun!)”. Which sets me up for another episode full of ridiculous over-the-top stabs at quirkiness and no substance. I really tried to like this episode, I really really did. I don’t want to hate it. I’m a Whovian and I have four TARDISes in me bedroom. But there are just far too many faults that scream off the screen at me. It is because I love the show so much as a whole that I get so angry when it’s dragged through the dirt. Putting aside the antagonist being almost entirely plagiarised, the endless list of general plot-holes and the fact that there is literally no reason for our trio to even be in Mercy, there is still so much left to talk about. Oh yes, this is going to be another ranting review. 

I have the funniest feeling that we've met before...

First things first: this is not my Doctor. My Doctor would not face death with barely any resistance and simply wait for it (something he also did in Asylum of the Daleks). My Doctor would not shrug off a decision about someone’s life with an “I don’t know. What Amy said.” My Doctor would not throw our anyone to their death as readily as Eleven does in this episode. No, my Doctor would talk at a stupid speed negotiating around his imminent death, debate vigorously about the fate of a war criminal and would most certainly not opt to send somebody to their death as a first resort. What happened to him? I know this is not a regeneration issue, because these are brand new (un)developments  that Eleven had not previously shown. The Doctor is the protagonist of the show; can we please try to keep him being somebody I like?
 

I have never missed you more, Doctor

When I’m reading fiction online written by amateurs (such as myself!), something I see a lot is the poor technique of ‘telling not showing’. This is particularly awkward in prose, but can be just as bad in television. There are two instances in A Town Called Mercy where we have a nice long sit-down exposition, where everyone asks questions and somebody answers them all neatly. It’s terribly exciting, and not at all patronising to the viewer would otherwise not be able to work out what was going on… come on Moffat. You are a professional. Please give us some credit. Your exposition scenes made me much more interested in watching the family dog chase a fly around the room.

There were a few things I actually enjoyed about this episode, though sadly not enough to plaster over my general disappointment. The humour in Series 5 + episodes is something I have always enjoyed (“That’s what you said when you left your phone charger in Henry IVV’s en-suite”), and the cinematography in this episode was absolutely stunning. Visually at least, it really did feel as though I was watching a Hollywood blockbuster, and not a humble British television drama. The moment the Doctor realised the truth about Kahler Jex was particularly beautiful, the assumed brutal images on the computer screen reflecting off his disappointed eyes. But this is a congratulation I give to the technical team, and I cannot help but wish bitterly that as much effort went into the actual plot. Plot elements such as the reference to Amy as a mother and the complicated nature of Jex being both a healer and a killer could have been the episodes saving grace, but they were elements that were swept over quickly. More time was given to the Doctor conversing with a horse.

A transexual horse. Because a transexual human being would have been too much?

In an episode of Doctor Who Confidential (I am still gutted that they stopped doing that) I remember one of the writers saying something along the lines of, “When you finish writing an episode of Doctor Who, you have to think… well, that blows that idea for a feature film out of the water.” And I believe this to be entirely true. It is something that Russell T Davies managed to do consistently in every forty-five minute episode, without compromising on the pace or depth of the plot. Unfortunately, it is yet another task that Steven Moffat does not do particularly well. The sad thing is, this episode really could have had the potential to be a feature film (ignoring the fact that one element of it already is, cough, Terminator, cough). But everything felt incredibly rushed, underdeveloped and everyone kept chopping and changing their attitudes too quickly. There are a lot of moments that had so much potential, only because (once again) everything is so crammed in they lack depth and so made me feel nothing.

As a completely isolated point, I would also like to just mention that I am not convinced that any of these actors are American… or indeed, have even heard an American talk.

Next week we get to see Rory in his pants. If I am completely honest with myself, this will probably be my sole reason for tuning in.

 

Note: A review of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is absent from this blog because I have yet to see it. I was without the internet for quite a while whilst moving house. Once I have watched it, if I have anything major to say I will post a late review.