Doctor Who Series 7 reviews: A Town Called Mercy

So far this series I've loved Asylum of The Daleks and been a bit disappointed with Dinosaurs On A Spaceship. A Town Called Mercy was another curious episode that seemed to be wearing it's heart on its sleeve - or in its title.

The production values continue to be exceptional. The episode looked gorgeous from start to finish. Yes, the cyborg may have looked a bit like a Borg had mated with Kryten, but does that matter? Of course it doesn't!

Murray Gold's incidental music was worthy of note too - which doesn't happen so often these days. Maybe he relished the change of scene and period and it inspired him to new heights?

I'll admit I was left feeling 'so what' at the end the first time around.  It was just an old-fashioned cowboy yarn where the good guys and the bad guys weren't necessarily all they seem at the start. I watched it again the morning after and found much more to like; not a classic, but a good solid episode in what is turning out so far to be a good solid series.

This is the antidote to the previous episode: the Doctor starts off without mercy and has to re-learn it through others. Fine. But if that's all the episode has to do it's a bit of a drawn out morality tale. On the surface yes, that's all this episode has to offer - but then there's the fine supporting perfomances. It's a breather this week, not frenetic, just considered and thoughtful. Each episode so far this series has added to the variety of storytelling and tonal style that keeps Doctor Who so fresh week on week.

We start with the Ponds already travelling with the Doctor. This shouldn't be an issue for the viewer, but we've been accustomed of late to them being picked up and dropped off like a taxi service at the beginning and end of each episode so it jars a bit. The only niggle I have with the Ponds themselves is that again this week I felt that Amy and Rory were sidelined with little to do but react and respond, not lead - particularly for Rory.

The star performance was easily Adrian Scarborough as Kahler Jex. There was a great deal of realism and subtlety in his changing attitude throughout, as he challenged others and considered his own mortality and morality. Giving him pince-nez was a lovely touch, giving him a very human affectation and a prop to busy himself with.
In comparison Andrew Brooke as the cyborg gunslinger was wonderfully underplayed and precise without being dull. There was real pathos in his eye at times. It's these emotional moments, these touches which allow new Doctor Who to touch the audience in a way that the Classic series often wasn't able to.

I have little regard for the 1972 story The Mutants, but still a little part of me flipped over when I saw Ky-actor Garrick Hagon's name on the cast list. His undertaker and Ben Browder's Marshall stood out from the rest of the unwashed locals with some lovely supporting performances.

I'd be happy to see more of this type of thoughtful, considered episode, but my only plea would be to ensure the companion(s) have sufficient to do to make them proactive contributors, not passive observers.