Landmine

Story: Boom
Written By: Steven Moffat
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2024

This series is not only the first full series to have Russell T. Davies back as the showrunner, but his successor Moffat has returned to pen an episode, and seems to be back in the gang for good as it has been confirmed he is also writing the next Christmas Special.  So those two are back, in fact it seems it is mostly these two being back, very few new writers this year.  And Moff's episode is so far the best of this season. It truly is like going back to the original RTD era, where Davies writes a good chunk of episodes and then Moff comes in and writes one really brilliants one.  I don't know if this is as brilliant as his earlier efforts from that era, but it is a good episode to be sure. 

The episode has the TARDIS land on a crazy war-torn planet, and the Doctor rushes off to help someone screaming, only the person screaming has been killed by an AI ambulance and turned into a cylinder of skin filled with his memories or something...and now the Doctor has stepped onto his own landmine. I actually thought it was great how Moff kept the Doctor on this landmine for the entire episode, and it is all just some tension building as themes about AI and war and religion are being discussed and critiqued. Honestly, it is just want I want to see from the show: simple premise, tension, scary bits, humor, and all that.  Moff can really do simple stuff well when he doesn't want to go overly plotty and complex.  

I would also like to note, and this is super unimportant, but my wife and I decided to start watching Outlander, and then she went to bed and I watched this, and I was caught off guard that the song the Doctor sang to remain calm happened to also be the Outlander theme song.  That was somewhat eerie.  But that really has no bearing on the episode, was just interesting to me.  The episode is most definitely good.  

NEXT TIME: Where is the Doctor?