Boom town (2005)

About this episode

This episode was first broadcast on June 4, 2005. It was written by Russel T Davies and directed by Joe Ahearne. The showrunner was Russell T Davies.

Plot summary

The Doctor visits Cardiff and meets an old enemy.

Review

This unexpected sequel to 'Aliens of London / World War III' has a surprising number of things going for it:

The story, though a bit daft, is an ideal mix of comedy and more serious story elements. It may not be the season's most ambitious story, but it succeeds admirably at what it tries to do.
Performances are great all around. They're helped by the fact that the episode is low on action and high on dialogue, and that the dialogue is very well written.

The episode also lays some groundwork for the rest of the series and for the spinoff series Torchwood by:

Showing us the regulars coming together as a team.
Setting up Cardiff as a kind of cosmic epicentre, which would be expanded upon in Torchwood.
Elaborating on the 'bad wolf' theme that had been re-occurring throughout the season.

The bottom line

Nice!

Excellent fun.

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