Doctor Who: A Town Called Mercy Review

Toby Whithouse bounces back with another stunning Who adventure!
When Steven Moffat originally pitched the idea of fourteen blockbuster Doctor Who movies leading us into the 50th Anniversary year, it was hard not to be a bit cynical- how would the writers keep things varied, and would the standalone format work? Given that we've had the stunning Asylum Of The Daleks and the lighthearted, bouncy Dinosaurs On A Spaceship these past couple of weeks, I think it's fair to say 'Easily' and 'Heck Yes' fit those last two queries, yet with A Town Called Mercy we got a completely different kind of story that once again worked masterfully in its own right. Set in the Wild West just a few years after the American Civil War, Mercy focused on the Doctor dealing with a rogue cyborg's hunt for his creator in a town of eighty-one residents, employing many of the great Western tropes- barfights, shootouts, stallion chases, you name the classic element and it was probably in there!- while mixing in loads of effective science-fiction elements and moral questions for good measure.

Oh, those morality issues: if Whithouse hadn't already shown us already that he know how to delve further into the Doctor's psyche with School Reunion, The Vampires Of Venice and The God Complex, then by presenting us with a near-reflected image of the man who left the Time War as a killer of millions with the introduction of alien medic and slaughterer Kahler-Jex, Whithouse took things one step further than most writers would ever dare. Indeed, this worked wonders as the episode progressed- we as viewers could begin to understand the Doctor and Rory's reasons for the Time Lord contemplating cold-blooded murder of the threat posed to Mercy, yet still understand Amy (wonderfully portrayed once again by Karen)'s resillience to ensure her friend did not stoop down to Jex's level after leaving Solomon to the missiles last week. This was a more slow-paced, thoughtful storyline than we are used to on Who, yet it did absolute wonders for our current Doctor Matt Smith, as Matt reached to the character's darkest horizons ever with the utmost realism and captivation.

Better yet, the visuals and soundtrack for the episode were very impressive, really adding to the authentic Western feel provided by the Spain shoot conducted specifically for this philosophical romp. It takes guts for a writer to attempt a Who Wild West adventure given that The Gunfighters didn't go down well, but that Toby Whithouse can make an empathetic cyborg, develop the Doctor and the Ponds' relationship and bring his own sci-fi touch of class to the movie-esque episode stands testament to his masterful writing technique. As I've said before, when the Moff is recruiting his successor, I'll raise my hand and place the vote in favour of Mr Whithouse as soon as the option is open! On a more solemn note, though, we've only got two weeks left with the Ponds...
5/5