The third episode of Disney's "Doctor Who," titled "Boom," marks the triumphant return of Steven Moffat to the iconic series. The story opens with a tense scene, featuring a blind soldier, John Vater, being cautiously guided through a minefield by his companion, Carson. The misty battlefield is shrouded in fog, adding to the sense of foreboding. Vater, amidst the chaos, calls his daughter, bidding her a goodnight with a loving reminder to brush her teeth.
As the call ends, the scene shifts back to the minefield. However, a massive obstacle looms ahead—an ambulance, not of the usual kind. Suddenly, Carson stumbles onto a mine, his fate sealed. Just then, the ominous ambulance appears and lethally dispatches Vater for his lack of combat readiness.
Amidst this turmoil, the Doctor arrives in his iconic Tardis, accompanied by Ruby. He rushes out, sensing danger, but unfortunately, steps onto a mine. Frantically, he realizes he had forgotten his trusty sonic screwdriver in the Tardis—a detail curiously overlooked in the episode. Ruby, quick-witted, emerges from the Tardis, following the haunting melody to the Doctor's location. He warns her to be cautious with her steps. Surprisingly, he doesn't ask for the screwdriver or suggest using the Tardis for aid.
The Doctor remains, as the mine beneath him is connected to a live sensor. Any sudden movement could trigger a devastating explosion. They are stranded in the heart of the battlefield, and after Ruby describes the mine's appearance, the Doctor provides valuable insight. These mines were crafted by Villengard, the renowned arms manufacturer whose legacy is etched in history.
Ignoring the potential of his sonic screwdriver, which could presumably dismantle the metal mine (it being ineffective against wood, he recalls), the Doctor instructs Ruby to investigate the screams and find a large rock. Instead of a rock, she discovers a gruesome find—a compressed and smelted corpse, resembling a veiny, cylindrical object. The Doctor commands her to dispose of it, setting the stage for an even more perilous adventure.
Ruby, unwavering in her blind trust for him, refused to abandon the Time Lord and instead ventured forward. Her adrenaline surged as she passed over the seemingly lifeless "body," inadvertently triggering the landmine's blinking countdown. Miraculously, there was still enough energy left to stave off the Doctor's imminent explosion. Unknown to Ruby, the "body" was voice-activated, and once awakened, the Time Lord realized the magnitude of the war raging here. While blindness may not be fatal in itself, it was deadly in this conflict.
Just then, Splice, John's daughter, appeared on the battlefield. Recognizing the AI replica of her father, she rushed forward, but Ruby intercepted her. Suddenly, Mundy emerged, an Anglican Marine assigned to oversee the operations. Ruby was startled to see a soldier, yet this wasn't the first time the Doctor had encountered religious warriors in his travels. This particular episode, too, was penned by Moffat.
The Doctor engaged Mundy, learning that they were engaged in a war against the Kastarions, mysterious creatures akin to sentient mud. However, their conversation was cut short as Ruby and Mundy devised a ruse to distract the approaching ambulance. Tragically, Ruby was struck by a soldier's bullet. The ambulance scanned her, but found no registered next of kin.
With Ruby unconscious, the Doctor addressed the soldiers, urging them to surrender as the only means of escape. Surrender would deactivate the landmines, revealing the truth that they were fighting nothing more than their own projections on this desolate planet, governed solely by an algorithm.
The Doctor's remarks about faith, asserting it hinders independent thought, deserve a nuanced perspective. Faith, when harnessed constructively, can be a formidable force, shattering obstacles and bolstering self-belief in the face of doubt. Given the intended audience of this children's show, and as a parent myself, this sentiment feels disheartening, almost encouraging skepticism and resignation.
Amidst the countdown to the end of time, with mere minutes remaining, the random soldier, Canto, appears briefly, his potential character unexplored, before perishing and becoming just another anonymous casualty. The Doctor's scheme seems to unravel as a swarm of Ambulances descend, decreeing John Vater's deletion from the system. The landmine, poised for detonation, inexplicably fails to explode. It transpires that John's AI has infiltrated the Villengard system, disarming the threat. The Doctor then examines John's "body" with a profound sniff.
With the war at an end, the Doctor exhales a sigh of respite. He bids farewell to the humans and, stepping back into the TARDIS alongside Ruby, prepares for departure. Amidst this farewell, a solitary snowflake floats gracefully through the air, a poignant reminder of the fleetingness of life and the transience of conflict.
