Enter the Doctor and queue up Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West” song because that’s the combination we got from the third installment of this seventh season. This western themed episode (filmed in the same location as two key episodes from season six) was nothing to write home about. I found it to be better than last week’s Dinosaurs on a Spaceship but ultimately lacked a lot of substance. There were some key parts of what I felt were overall plot development for the season and I loved that Ben Browder (Farscape, Stargate SG-1) guest starred. As I did with the the last episode I’ll give a brief recap and highlight some interesting things that went down. Consider that this episode’s spoiler alert.
The episode opens with a terminator like scene where an alien is killed and the killer wants the doctor. Fast forward past the credits and the Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves outside of a town of 81 people called Mercy. Something is off in this town, they have electric street lights about 10 years too early. The trio enters a saloon and when he identifies himself as the Doctor they force the three of them outside the town line. While outside the line a man they call the Gunslinger starts to show up. Ben Browder, as Marshall Isaac, comes to their rescue, and brings them back into town.
While in the Marshall’s office the Doctor deduces that another alien is there. He’s right and his name is Kahler Jex and Jex is the one who gave electricity to the town and also saved them from a cholera epidemic. He’s being protected from the gunslinger by Isaac. After hearing a sob story from Jex the Doctor agrees to help fix his ship and help him get home. Using some “slight of hand” distractions with Rory and Isaac the Doctor is able to enter Jex’s ship and find out a little more info. Jex isn’t quite the man he’s claiming to be. He’s a military doctor who was running an experimental cyborg program and actually created the Gunslinger (a cyborg).
When Jex is found out he tries to kidnap Amy but she’s saved by Isaac. The Doctor comes back and angrily confronts Jex and decides that Jex needs to be handed over to the Gunslinger (hmmmm). Instead of killing Jex the Gunslinger kills Isaac when Isaac jumps in front of the shot. (Isaac had a vested interested in saving Jex because of how much Jex did to save his town from cholera). Now the Doctor is town marshall and is given an ultimatum by the Gunslinger of noon the next day to hand over Jex.
The townsfolk want to hand over Jex in the middle of the night and confront the Doctor. He dons a gun belt (odd) and is able to talk them down from the brink of riot. Then there was an intense scene between Jex and the Doctor discussing burdens, fears and the prisons that they all carry with them.
Then the big showdown. As the clock ticks to noon the Gunslinger enters the town and a good old stare down happens with lots of tension. As the Gunslinger arms his weapon the Doctor uses his weapon of choice, the trusty sonic screwdriver, to throw him off. A scene ensues where the townsfolk all come together to help get Jex to his ship so he can leave and force the Gunslinger to leave town. Jex gets to his ship and has a change of heart. He decides to take his own life as penance for all the bad things he’s done. Now with nobody to take revenge on the Gunslinger decides he’s going to self destruct as well. The Doctor has different plans and suggests that the Gunslinger protect the peace. The Doctor, Amy and Rory leave Mercy in the TARDIS and we see that the Gunslinger has now taken the job of marshall. The end.
Some interested points from this episode:
- I liked how the targeting system of the cyborg was terminator style.
- Amy, Rory and the Doctor were already traveling together at the start of the episode.
- Ben Browder was wonderful and he has a spectacular moustache.
- You could really tell the Doctor having a hard time. He’s been traveling alone too long. You could see how much of a crisis of conscience he’s having. He was angry. He was ready to have Jex killed.
- He gave a great line in which he said “Today, I honor the victims.”
- They keep alluding to Amy’s upcoming story. Jex noted how she was a mother – caring, sad, and ferocious at the same time.
So it was an alright episode. Not quite the kiss of death that another reader told me about Westerns. I wish there was more character driven story here. The next episode looks like it is and will explore the relationship dynamic between the Doctor, Amy and Rory. I’m looking forward to that.
Catch the next episode of Doctor Who next Saturday at 9:00PM ET on BBC America.
