@@austinwoods466 That's a pretty good point. Chibnall overall gave little effort into characterization. That kind of stuff wasn't the focus of his era.
Indeed. He’s becoming one of the best actors to play The Doctor for me, my friends and parents. Right alongside the greats like Tom Baker, David Tennant and Peter Capaldi. We loved him as Eric from Sex Education from beginning to end and will continue to love him as the 15th Doctor going forward.
@@bladersmosh I hope he is eventually remembered as being just as good, if not better than the greats. He's blown me away, and I can't wait to see where he goes with the role next season
2:44 I would argue since Series 5's 'The Lodger'. Wild Blue Yonder and Heaven Sent have an extremely limited cast, but go all out in terms of set design and VFX. I would argue that's an important distinction.
@@darcymcd4384 Technically, after we get an episode called "Joy to the world", every other episode will technically be "not exactly Joy to the world".
11:34 When most of your soldiers' causes of death are "humane termination" upon discovery of injuries, it gives credence to this in my opinion. John's AI never tells us what caused the blindness, only that it was apparently so bad he had to be killed. For all they know, something was causing all of these injuries that weren't related to Villengard. Furthermore, consider that these are soldiers of the church of the papal mainframe. They work alongside The Silence, were deployed to combat Weeping Angels. Sentient mud or creatures that live in fog doen't seem all too implausible in the face of that. Perhaps these... weird (for lack of a better term) enemies is what they're trained to fight, so don't question when it's a bit too weird.
I didn’t really notice that Ruby essentially became Clara here since it felt to me that she practically was Clara if RTD had written her. Even from the way she looks and dresses, it is somewhat similar and more so with her look here. Even some of her facial expressions here seem to be exactly like Clara‘s.
Moffat returning with loads of his good tropes whilst holding back on most of his tired tropes is very similar to Holmes returning for Androzani, he'd kind of worn himself thin then returned, Moffat writing Boom here is similar. He's also heavily riffed on some of his own guest writers like Whithouse, Matheison and Cross for this episode.
While Boom is excellent, it does showcase a problem with the structuring of the season on the whole. The fact that we get three episodes in a row where the Doctor doesn't/isn't able to do very much. Boom, he's stuck on a Landmine, 73 Yards, he's absent for most of the episode, Dot and Bubble, he doesn't physically appear until the end.
Boom is definitely a classic pot boiler suspense story and Steven Moffat delivers a fantastic script. Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson are incredible and the direction by Julie Ann Robison is fantastic
As a fan of Classic Who I'll admit I rolled by eyes when I saw a 2 minute long skit with 4 and Harry had obviously inspired the premise of an entire episode. I was proved wrong. Brilliant stuff and still my favourite of the Season, as much as I liked Dot and Bubble and the big doggo with the red eyes coming back.
Moffat was my favorite showrunner. This would be an interesting ep for any Doctor. It might work better as an audio, but, as a bottle episode, it works. The production, music and acting are all very well done. I dig Clara but Ruby works as her own character and would have been served betterif she wasn't just Clara Mk. II. I still think Ncuti is too often kept out of the action, told what to do, or outright running away in terror a little too often. No doubt these eps are an improvement on the Chibnal era. Kinda reminds me of the 7th Doctor era. Very colorful. Red Kangs, I think they're the best?
Good catch that Moffat dropped the episode titles in his interview. That man never misses, even when responding to people saying he hates Doctor Who now; remember all those channels whining and misquoting him?
Maybe it's an American thing, but the ambulance is saying thoughts and prayers while I get the it in line with Anglo-Saxon Marines. Also rings true of US politicians. I'm wondering if that was part of the thought process in commentary
Its crazy to me that people were offended by 15th being mean when he realized his companion could die. He's literally erased an entire universe from existence before as the 7th + 8th.
I started watching Genesis of the Daleks for the first time in the week between Devils Chord and Boom, and genuinely was unsure if id gotten the preview of Boom and the first episode of Genesis confused xD
This episode pretty much confirmed my suspicions that people will complain a no mater twho the show runner is or if the episode was Really good , dare I say it the vast majority of the people are probably elitists
I agree. This is one of those episodes where if the contrarians and/or Alt-Righter youtubers aren't satisfied by it, they'll never be happy. Minor classic.
I am at snapping point here: season 3 and the spin off are coming - and yet, and yet we appear to be surrounded by contradictory obtuse deaf jackasses who WILL NOT LISTEN!!!! The show is NOT cancelled etc. I am sick and tired of them. I don't know about anyone else out there????
Well the Doctor hadnt done much since the bigeneration until the empire of death and even that wasn’t an interesting solution. But I loved these night gallery black mirror inside number 9 stories as intellectually stimulating like Boom, 73 yards and Dot and Bubble
So, Joy To the World, the Doctor accidentally stands on top of a nuclear powered, musical trampoline based bomb, where he has to perfectly recreate the musical timing of Joy To The World with each bounce!
I think it's a better summation of Moffat's work than Twice Upon a Time, it's a manifestation of his best and worst attributes in one episode. It's definitely a solid episode and if this was his last episode then at least I parted on better terms than last time. Moffat please write a decent Christmas special please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Boom might not be a definitive Doctor Who classic for some time, but it is a definite standout episode of both Ncuti’s era as well as Steven Moffat’s time of the show. I look forward to how he brings Joy to the World this Christmas.
I love Husbands of River Song and Return of Doctor Mysterio (both underrated Christmas and Capaldi episodes), really like Time of the Doctor and A Christmas Carol. The rest are either meh or not so good.
He wasnt interested inthe show before being more into testosterone heavy hoollywood and HP Lovecraft. The weird thing is that the hate watchers make up part of the ratings
I honestly feel like I've watched a different Boom to everyone else because for me there was so much stopping it being great. The fact that we're mid-season and the stakes effectively boiled down to 'everything is fine' or 'certain death' meant that it was always going to be the former, so any tension just evaporated for me. Which is also why I wasn't affected at all by Ruby getting shot because she was obviously going to survive (and if we've learnt anything, it's that it's physically impossible for Moffat to kill a companion). Add to that the least believable romance I've ever seen on TV, unmemorable side characters, the return of some really overused Moffatisms, the faith line which as someone with religious faith I did find insulting (and even if it wasn't meant that way it could have easily been rewritten to avoid accidentally communicating that sentiment) and the most just-go-with-it resolution since the metacrisis plot in The Star Beast, and there's just not enough pros to outweigh the cons for me. I did enjoy the anti-war and anti-capitalist sentiments, and Ncuti and Millie were brilliant and I can totally see why lots of people love it. It just didn't work for me.
That kind of meta textual thinking is not that productive though. You could argue even if this was episode 7 the stakes would be dismissed because it isn't written by the show runner who is the only writer that you'd expect to introduce a paradigm shift.
Funny, I have seen all of those episodes, but didn't pick up on any of the callbacks until this review. It's a little disappointing to see Moffat's cold computer enemies and stubborn characters finding a point of empathy back to back, but all and all it stood on It's own. Part of the delight is the commentary Moffat and RTD did together.
Good review. You almost convinced me that it was a good episode, but I still hate it. I'd been so looking forward to his episode, as he had been responsible for so many classics, but it was full of stuff I hate: people not listening to the Doctor, idiotic soldiers, religious maniacs. and a really annoying child. I don't care about any real life explanations, what I've got on my screen is some 17 types of simpleton who sits down to look at some old photos whilst all that is going on around her -- just what the feck is going on!? I've seen it twice, I'll be happy to never see it again, and I know I'm in the minority. I'd put Space Babies miles above this. At least it didn't annoy me,, and it had that scene with Poppy and the Doctor that still chokes me up when I think of it. BOOM was just 40-odd minutes of irritation.
I wish I saw the same episode all the people praising Boom to hell and back saw, because I thought this was boring and predictable, stuffed with Moffat's same old tropes. Genuinely baffled by its reception
I thought it was fun, heartwarming, thrilling, and just thought provoking (sci-fi military industrial complex) enough to still allow any age to enjoy it. Ideal Who episode imo.
@@peterkorman77 Most people have a job but can get a review out. All you gotta do is watch it then film, but he writes full scripts and whatever else, puts too much effort in. Having a job is the most overused excuse for anything lol
@@DBProds96 Well, his reviews are a lot more well-reasoned than a lot of people just sitting in front of a camera and going stream-of-consciousness. I'll take a well-written review over rambling any day.
The sneering about faith, just didn't sit right with me, the doctor is someone who loves and celebrates the diversity of human culture and experience, alot of the episodes dialogues, especially the side characters and Ruby, just sounded like Moffat and the constant references, but that aspect, it just struck you in the face with how completely opposed Moffat and RTD's approach to the Doctor's relationship to humanity. It strikes even worse after Dot and Bubble, where the Doctor without Moffat, is more tolerant of bigotry aimed at him, then he is here of different cultural/faith beliefs. not justified by being aimed at the soldier as there are lines are aimed at the child. Every episode after this was fantastic, but the moffatism and those two lines especialy stick but, characters not being characters, just a sneering tone to it all, they're more just the camelstraws to the whole episodes attitudes, drag this to the worst of the season without question for me and almost stopped me continuing with the season.
Ncuti become a certified Platinum Doctor after this episode, in my opinion.
During Chibnals era, I felt the writing never gave the 13th Doctor any good "Doctor" moments, speeches or even lines. That isn't a problem anymore.
@@austinwoods466 That's a pretty good point. Chibnall overall gave little effort into characterization. That kind of stuff wasn't the focus of his era.
Indeed. He’s becoming one of the best actors to play The Doctor for me, my friends and parents. Right alongside the greats like Tom Baker, David Tennant and Peter Capaldi. We loved him as Eric from Sex Education from beginning to end and will continue to love him as the 15th Doctor going forward.
@@bladersmosh I hope he is eventually remembered as being just as good, if not better than the greats. He's blown me away, and I can't wait to see where he goes with the role next season
2:44 I would argue since Series 5's 'The Lodger'. Wild Blue Yonder and Heaven Sent have an extremely limited cast, but go all out in terms of set design and VFX. I would argue that's an important distinction.
“Negative” (2025) • Written by Steven Moffat
Exactly my thoughts!
"It goes everywhere!" (2026)
"not exactly joy to the world" (2026 christmas special)
@@darcymcd4384 Technically, after we get an episode called "Joy to the world", every other episode will technically be "not exactly Joy to the world".
@@balogkrisztian8440 true!
11:34 When most of your soldiers' causes of death are "humane termination" upon discovery of injuries, it gives credence to this in my opinion. John's AI never tells us what caused the blindness, only that it was apparently so bad he had to be killed. For all they know, something was causing all of these injuries that weren't related to Villengard.
Furthermore, consider that these are soldiers of the church of the papal mainframe. They work alongside The Silence, were deployed to combat Weeping Angels. Sentient mud or creatures that live in fog doen't seem all too implausible in the face of that. Perhaps these... weird (for lack of a better term) enemies is what they're trained to fight, so don't question when it's a bit too weird.
I didn’t really notice that Ruby essentially became Clara here since it felt to me that she practically was Clara if RTD had written her. Even from the way she looks and dresses, it is somewhat similar and more so with her look here. Even some of her facial expressions here seem to be exactly like Clara‘s.
Millie is a far better actress though, much more expressive. Jenna Coleman just looks dead behind the eyes.
@@CardiffOneOne Do you really think that’s true? I think that Jenna’s eyes are very much alive in many of her scenes!
I thought the same until 73 yards and legend of Ruby Sunday. Everything else gave heavy Clara lol from Ruby.
Moffat returning with loads of his good tropes whilst holding back on most of his tired tropes is very similar to Holmes returning for Androzani, he'd kind of worn himself thin then returned, Moffat writing Boom here is similar. He's also heavily riffed on some of his own guest writers like Whithouse, Matheison and Cross for this episode.
After years of absence, hype and build up, Moffat came back for an explosive bottle episode for Ncuti Gatwa with a tense climax to top it all off.
( 7:03 ) I want Ncuti to say “Ruby, *ARE YOU A HYBRID!?* “ 😂
While Boom is excellent, it does showcase a problem with the structuring of the season on the whole. The fact that we get three episodes in a row where the Doctor doesn't/isn't able to do very much. Boom, he's stuck on a Landmine, 73 Yards, he's absent for most of the episode, Dot and Bubble, he doesn't physically appear until the end.
Yeah, I could have seen these be done during COVID filming. but not nowadays
1:40 congratulations, that clever use of Moffat's next episode title caused me to like ;)
Boom is great and I love moffat and all his moffatisms
I just know that Bowl streak is going to use the image of nchuti ( idk if I spelled his name right ether) crying in his thumbnails.
*Bowlstrek, but I just call him Bowel Streak
Boom is definitely a classic pot boiler suspense story and Steven Moffat delivers a fantastic script. Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson are incredible and the direction by Julie Ann Robison is fantastic
Joe Anderson who played the dad also played Mason Verger in Hannibal season 3 to. Great villian in that show.
Looking forward to Moffat's final episode of Doctor Who. "Something Negative about Doctor Who"
As a fan of Classic Who I'll admit I rolled by eyes when I saw a 2 minute long skit with 4 and Harry had obviously inspired the premise of an entire episode.
I was proved wrong. Brilliant stuff and still my favourite of the Season, as much as I liked Dot and Bubble and the big doggo with the red eyes coming back.
Moffat was my favorite showrunner. This would be an interesting ep for any Doctor. It might work better as an audio, but, as a bottle episode, it works. The production, music and acting are all very well done. I dig Clara but Ruby works as her own character and would have been served betterif she wasn't just Clara Mk. II. I still think Ncuti is too often kept out of the action, told what to do, or outright running away in terror a little too often. No doubt these eps are an improvement on the Chibnal era. Kinda reminds me of the 7th Doctor era. Very colorful. Red Kangs, I think they're the best?
Good catch that Moffat dropped the episode titles in his interview. That man never misses, even when responding to people saying he hates Doctor Who now; remember all those channels whining and misquoting him?
Maybe it's an American thing, but the ambulance is saying thoughts and prayers while I get the it in line with Anglo-Saxon Marines. Also rings true of US politicians. I'm wondering if that was part of the thought process in commentary
Its crazy to me that people were offended by 15th being mean when he realized his companion could die. He's literally erased an entire universe from existence before as the 7th + 8th.
I started watching Genesis of the Daleks for the first time in the week between Devils Chord and Boom, and genuinely was unsure if id gotten the preview of Boom and the first episode of Genesis confused xD
I wish there was a moment where the Doctor could say that using the sonic screwdriver might trigger the landmine.
We have had 'hiding the numbers ' b.s. A couple of months ago if l remember correctly.
9:36 - "HARRY SULLIVAN IS AN IMBECILE!!!"
This episode pretty much confirmed my suspicions that people will complain a no mater twho the show runner is or if the episode was
Really good , dare I say it the vast majority of the people are probably elitists
I agree.
This is one of those episodes where if the contrarians and/or Alt-Righter youtubers aren't satisfied by it, they'll never be happy. Minor classic.
Elitist? What? You mean bigoted I think.
Looking forward to your review of 73 Yards
Yeah I didn’t recognise Varada either. Also took seeing people talk about it on socials to realise.
you forgot the next time for 73 yards?
or is that on purpose because of what goes on in the episode?
I am at snapping point here: season 3 and the spin off are coming - and yet, and yet we appear to be surrounded by contradictory obtuse deaf jackasses who WILL NOT LISTEN!!!! The show is NOT cancelled etc. I am sick and tired of them. I don't know about anyone else out there????
The Doctor is criticising *blind* faith, dogmatism at the expense of logic. It's fair game.
I think faith in general but even then at the end admits that its necessary
Well the Doctor hadnt done much since the bigeneration until the empire of death and even that wasn’t an interesting solution. But I loved these night gallery black mirror inside number 9 stories as intellectually stimulating like Boom, 73 yards and Dot and Bubble
So, Joy To the World, the Doctor accidentally stands on top of a nuclear powered, musical trampoline based bomb, where he has to perfectly recreate the musical timing of Joy To The World with each bounce!
I think it's a better summation of Moffat's work than Twice Upon a Time, it's a manifestation of his best and worst attributes in one episode. It's definitely a solid episode and if this was his last episode then at least I parted on better terms than last time. Moffat please write a decent Christmas special please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6:13 gold
Clearly a lot easier to write a single episode than an entire series
Great review mr Tardis! ❤
Loved this story 😊
Yes I thought about Genesis as well. Good comment on the MIC
Boom might not be a definitive Doctor Who classic for some time, but it is a definite standout episode of both Ncuti’s era as well as Steven Moffat’s time of the show. I look forward to how he brings Joy to the World this Christmas.
The Moffat-era Christmases are the best by far.
I love Husbands of River Song and Return of Doctor Mysterio (both underrated Christmas and Capaldi episodes), really like Time of the Doctor and A Christmas Carol. The rest are either meh or not so good.
Mr. H: explain to me this - if they KNOW the show is dead, how the hell are we getting season 2 next year???? Plus the 2 Xmas specials????
He wasnt interested inthe show before being more into testosterone heavy hoollywood and HP Lovecraft. The weird thing is that the hate watchers make up part of the ratings
I can't wait to see your review of 73 Yards
Stephen Moffat’s Dangermouse?
I honestly feel like I've watched a different Boom to everyone else because for me there was so much stopping it being great. The fact that we're mid-season and the stakes effectively boiled down to 'everything is fine' or 'certain death' meant that it was always going to be the former, so any tension just evaporated for me. Which is also why I wasn't affected at all by Ruby getting shot because she was obviously going to survive (and if we've learnt anything, it's that it's physically impossible for Moffat to kill a companion). Add to that the least believable romance I've ever seen on TV, unmemorable side characters, the return of some really overused Moffatisms, the faith line which as someone with religious faith I did find insulting (and even if it wasn't meant that way it could have easily been rewritten to avoid accidentally communicating that sentiment) and the most just-go-with-it resolution since the metacrisis plot in The Star Beast, and there's just not enough pros to outweigh the cons for me. I did enjoy the anti-war and anti-capitalist sentiments, and Ncuti and Millie were brilliant and I can totally see why lots of people love it. It just didn't work for me.
That kind of meta textual thinking is not that productive though. You could argue even if this was episode 7 the stakes would be dismissed because it isn't written by the show runner who is the only writer that you'd expect to introduce a paradigm shift.
Moffat had written better ( and far worse)but it’s a good solid episode I hope he writes more
Funny, I have seen all of those episodes, but didn't pick up on any of the callbacks until this review. It's a little disappointing to see Moffat's cold computer enemies and stubborn characters finding a point of empathy back to back, but all and all it stood on It's own.
Part of the delight is the commentary Moffat and RTD did together.
I like Boom
I know Moffat said he hasn’t written an episode for season 2 but I bet he has and it’s called negative or fine without me
Beautiful episode but yeah it was a bit obviously moffat 😂
KING MRTARDIS RETURNS
Good review. You almost convinced me that it was a good episode, but I still hate it. I'd been so looking forward to his episode, as he had been responsible for so many classics, but it was full of stuff I hate: people not listening to the Doctor, idiotic soldiers, religious maniacs. and a really annoying child. I don't care about any real life explanations, what I've got on my screen is some 17 types of simpleton who sits down to look at some old photos whilst all that is going on around her -- just what the feck is going on!? I've seen it twice, I'll be happy to never see it again, and I know I'm in the minority. I'd put Space Babies miles above this. At least it didn't annoy me,, and it had that scene with Poppy and the Doctor that still chokes me up when I think of it. BOOM was just 40-odd minutes of irritation.
boom is my 2nd fav ep of the season so far
my fav being 76 years
with wrost and only bad ep going dot and bubble
Pyramids of mars also feels like a stage play!!
So sorry for my Patreon name, that's a joke for another Patreon I subscribe to.
I wish I saw the same episode all the people praising Boom to hell and back saw, because I thought this was boring and predictable, stuffed with Moffat's same old tropes. Genuinely baffled by its reception
I thought it was fun, heartwarming, thrilling, and just thought provoking (sci-fi military industrial complex) enough to still allow any age to enjoy it. Ideal Who episode imo.
This is weeks behind lol
He’s explained previously it’s due to the BBC’s copyright policy
and he has a job
@@peterkorman77 Most people have a job but can get a review out. All you gotta do is watch it then film, but he writes full scripts and whatever else, puts too much effort in. Having a job is the most overused excuse for anything lol
@@DBProds96 Well, his reviews are a lot more well-reasoned than a lot of people just sitting in front of a camera and going stream-of-consciousness. I'll take a well-written review over rambling any day.
King?? Seriously? 😒
The sneering about faith, just didn't sit right with me, the doctor is someone who loves and celebrates the diversity of human culture and experience, alot of the episodes dialogues, especially the side characters and Ruby, just sounded like Moffat and the constant references, but that aspect, it just struck you in the face with how completely opposed Moffat and RTD's approach to the Doctor's relationship to humanity. It strikes even worse after Dot and Bubble, where the Doctor without Moffat, is more tolerant of bigotry aimed at him, then he is here of different cultural/faith beliefs. not justified by being aimed at the soldier as there are lines are aimed at the child. Every episode after this was fantastic, but the moffatism and those two lines especialy stick but, characters not being characters, just a sneering tone to it all, they're more just the camelstraws to the whole episodes attitudes, drag this to the worst of the season without question for me and almost stopped me continuing with the season.