A Town Called Mercy

[TimeLord]

Off the top of my head, no doubt some wiki of the actual fact or your knowledge will prove me wrong, I can't think of a single time the doctor has taken up an actual firearm/gun since the new series started?

Off the top of my head; Dalek, Bad Wolf, Doctor's Daughter, End of Time (!!!), Time Of Angels, Town Called Mercy

Then I retract what I said ^^ I still don't remember the specific scenes but I trust that you do.

I still think that a) He doesn't need a gun (he's quite capable of murder without one) and b)He looks weird with one though.

Dalek; Threatens the Dalek as a last resort to stop it escaping/to save Rose

Bad Wolf; he does technically threaten the staff of Satellite 5 but then says "Oh like I was ever going to shoot"

Doctor's Daughter; the "I never would" scene

End of Time; takes up arms against the Master/Time Lords

Time Of Angels; uses the gun to destroy the gravity globe to escape the Angels. Didn't threaten anyone but that wasn't your question

The Doctor's very presence is intimidating enough usually to get him by. But there are always going to be situations where he has to not rely on his reputation to get him by and take action. Especially since the universe reboot and him being significantly less known.

 

[GenGenners]

I've been saying this for quite a few episodes in recent series, and I'm going to say it again. This episode would have really benefited from having a 60 minute runtime as opposed to a 45-50 minute runtime. It needed the extra minutes to properly flesh out some scenes and plot points.
This issue is becoming alarmingly common since the start of the 11th Doctor's run and given that this series will have no two-parters, this issue will only become more frequent.

 

[Susan Arendt]

What's worse is that the episode dodged what could've been a very intriguing and deep question - when it came right down to it, would the Doctor sacrifice Jex if it meant saving a town full of innocents? He's more than happy to serve Jex up on a platter before Amy steps in and chastises him in a tone so condescendingly preachy that I found myself hoping she might "accidentally" find herself outside the boundary. Yes, Amy is meant to serve as the Doctor's conscience - that was established way back in The Beast Below (2010) - but as that episode also proves, she's certainly not above a dark act if it saves the greater good. She pushed that "Forget" button, right? That entire "We have to be better than him" speech came off forced and fake, something that was said not because it's how Amy would actually react but because someone had to say it or else the episode would end up about 22 minutes too short.

I think the Doctor only made the decision to throw Jex to the wolves because of his comment about the Doctor not having the courage to do what must be done. Obviously a bad move considering his actions in the Time War. While Amy's little chastisement was poor, it highlights the problem that Tennant came across before the end of his life in that he realised that if he wants to then he can do anything without punishment. He has no companions/humans to balance him out. I thought the balance shift was disgraceful though. From an interesting 2 minutes where the Doctor is threatening Jex with a gun, he spends the rest of the episode as the "good guy" with not a single comment about what transpired earlier.
I'm more interested in Rory's actions in this episode, he got a woefully small script but he is more than happy to sacrifice Jex when the Doctor wants to, but then follow Amy and the Doctor in saving him. It's very much the Doctor and Amy show and Rory (like Mickey) is pushed to the sidelines.

Yeah the episode wrote itself into a corner halfway through.

Sure, it fit the genre, but it didn't fit the man

Did it? The Doctor has dealt judgement to his fair share of enemies and people over the years

The Doctor uses force when necessary, certainly, but the whole visual image of him in an Old West-style shootout really just plain isn't him at all. He doesn't delight in going on the offense, he doesn't make it theater.

I guess it is true that one man's treasure is another's trash. I have been reading so many reviews for the episodes this season and yet this is the only one that dumps on it over and over again. I guess as a "Newvian" I can't appreciate the series at the same level you do, so my enjoying it is obviously an atrocity. What is it with fans of any series always feeling that they are superior to others. Watching and enjoying a tv series is not a competition.

This episode did a great job at exploring the constant struggle the Doctor has had to not become the killer which he often becomes without his companions. If you look past the western scenes (which were great if you were fans of that genre too), you will see that Issac and Jex were actually the moral compass the doctor must balance between. Travel too far to either side and he ends up getting killed and force to regenerate.

You can come right on down off that high horse, thank you. I never once claimed that Newvians were wrong for liking anything, and certainly never acted like it was an "atrocity" that "true" fans would naturally shun. In no way do I at any time make this a "competition" as you accuse me of doing. I stated my opinions and gave reasons for them. If you like this episode, great, explain why! This is a discussion open to both old fans and new.

 

[TimeLord]

The Doctor uses force when necessary, certainly, but the whole visual image of him in an Old West-style shootout really just plain isn't him at all. He doesn't delight in going on the offense, he doesn't make it theater.

If you are talking about what I think you are i.e the confrontation with the crowd outside the jail where he shows off his gun to ward them off, I would argue that he had to do that to 'act the part' as it were. The people of the town would react to what they were familiar with and the Doctor played to that.

If you mean the 1 on 1 with the Gunslinger in the middle of the town. Well that's just good television. Especially since he took out his sonic instead of drawing his gun.

 

[Susan Arendt]

The Doctor uses force when necessary, certainly, but the whole visual image of him in an Old West-style shootout really just plain isn't him at all. He doesn't delight in going on the offense, he doesn't make it theater.

If you are talking about what I think you are i.e the confrontation with the crowd outside the jail where he shows off his gun to ward them off, I would argue that he had to do that to 'act the part' as it were. The people of the town would react to what they were familiar with and the Doctor played to that.

If you mean the 1 on 1 with the Gunslinger in the middle of the town. Well that's just good television. Especially since he took out his sonic instead of drawing his gun.

I meant the former and...ok, I'll perhaps concede that idea, though I'm still not entirely convinced.

 

[The Hungry Samurai]

I thought it was a bit silly having a morality/tough choices episode after everyone laughed off the Doc last week when he turned Space Filch into giblets.

For me though Doctor Who is like sex and pizza. When it's good it's GOOD. When it's bad, it's still kinda good.

 

[Daveman]

Too harsh I think. Yes she does press "Forget", but then she learns that's a mistake and so is fine to do the speech. Though that said, the speech was shit and the Doctor was always going to save him and the whole idea of there being some sort of conflict in his mind played out as forced. He considered handing Jex over way too early before he even had a chance to think of any other plan because if there was going to be any sort of conflict in the Doctors mind it would have to be a desperate situation... which it wasn't really portrayed as. In the previous episode he swapped lives of many for the life of one douchebag but only when missiles were bearing down on him.

Also they killed off Ben Browder almost immediately... so I am very disappoint.

That said I thought the concept of interstellar bounty hunter thingy was pretty cool, much cooler than the last bloody episode where everything seemed cheesed up beyond belief. And I don't mind America getting some of the episodes because 90% of the time by "in the UK" they mean either London or, in the earlier couple of series, inexplicably Cardiff. I also love the scenery change. What's more most of the mature fanbase I'd say is now in America so pandering to them is just fine. I mean we had the Silence in America and they were the best baddies by far ever since the second episode featuring the weeping angels made them totally bloody boring.

At the very least it was better than Cowboys vs Aliens.

 

[cerebus23]

I am not wholly familiar with amy as a character and her husband, missed much of their seasons.

But after the last few episodes her speech seemed out of places after we just saw her future rambo self that was seeming ready to sacrifice her "good" self to save her current self. Then we saw her blasting away dinosaurs like a action hero.

Rory seems the far more emo of the two and the one that would go wait a sec doc since he likes to collect medical supplies and seems to morally debate everything.

I liked the dynamic of the mirror our two doctors were to each other, and i liked the idea of the doctor realizing that more often than not his showing mercy to people just gets many more people killed in general, the doctor not buying the reformed soul thing entirely, he was perfectly maybe right to think this guy is just using these people for a shield and if the gunslinger was never there he would have done what?

Seems he decided to take the easy way out and let him run away, then the gunslinger could chase him elesewhere and he effectively washes his hands of it. then the good doctor does what the doctor should have done in the first place and offs himself.

So our new doctor when challenged will run away, seems to be the pattern now.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

As a relatively new fan who has been enjoying every minute of this ride, I have a hard time really examining Doctor Who from a critical standpoint, mainly I'm just having too much fun to give a damn. But I will say this: the line "Everyone who isn't an American, drop your gun!" really made me cringe. Is that really what we sound like to the British?

 

[redisforever]

I enjoyed it. Basically, I love Westerns, and I had a great time. Meanwhile, I didn't really like episode 2.

 

[Patrick Buck]

It was better than the monsterous pile of shite that was Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
And I didn't like the gun bit, but it kinda worked. At least he didn't outright killsomeone, like in the aformentioned Dinoaurs on an ect.

 

[repeating integers]

Loved the episode. Loved all the episodes so far.

People on the internet can be so unappreciative.

 

[Berithil]

Right between Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and AotD on a scale of best to worst. I didn't find it nearly as terrible as Susan found it, however it wasn't my favorite episode. I myself was confused by the Doctors plan. It did seem like he was content on just letting the problem be some others problem.

Also, I don't think the Doctor at any point was actually considering shooting anyone. He was just using the revolver for presence. The people of mercy probably aren't like all the other alien races the doctors encountered, in which his reputation proceeds him. He had to use something else to control the situation.

 

[Tropicaz]

Right between Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and AotD on a scale of best to worst. I didn't find it nearly as terrible as Susan found it, however it wasn't my favorite episode. I myself was confused by the Doctors plan. It did seem like he was content on just letting the problem be some others problem.

Also, I don't think the Doctor at any point was actually considering shooting anyone. He was just using the revolver for presence. The people of mercy probably aren't like all the other alien races the doctors encountered, in which his reputation proceeds him. He had to use something else to control the situation.

Exactly my feelings. The whole plan struck me as just silly.


Slightly off topic, and, correct me if I'm wrong, but Amy seemed all right with the doctor killing that guy last week with missiles, didnt she? The proximity to that event made me find the speech even worse.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I thought it was decent.

Not great, not terrible.

For me, the whole "Cowboy Doctor" was perfect. He's the kind of guy who goes all out. I can absolutely see him wanting to try out being a gunslinger.

I also quite liked how it confronted his recent murderous streak. After the villain in the last episode, I felt it needed addressing.

I see where you're coming from though. The face paint plan was stupid, dumping the battle on someone else was stupid and they could have done WAY more with the moral quandary.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

I'm with most of the others here in that I actually liked the episode. I'm really liking this character arc they're doing with the Doctor, making him darker and more jaded before (likely, I'm guessing) pulling him back out of it. We saw a little of it at the end of Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, but it really came to a head here. And yeah, I know some of you out there like your Doctor all happy and perfect, but I personally like a little flaw in him.

 

[Falterfire]

Honestly my issue with it was that the Doctor quickly brought up the point about people who died due to 'his mercy' and then that point never came back despite it being perfectly valid. If the Doctor had managed to completely eliminate the Daleks after Season 1's finale (Or, even better, way back in the old series when they first showed up) thousands (or perhaps millions, hard to say) of people would have been saved.

Jex himself may not have been a future threat, but the idea that the Doctor showing mercy to his enemies only leads to greater tragedy seems worth exploring further in a future episode.

 

[userwhoquitthesite]

Wow, Susan. You are so impressively wrong.
This episode wasn't as good as last week, but it was still better than essentially all of Smith's first first season.

 

[silver wolf009]

I'm mixed, as I am with a lot of the new episodes. The dilemma did seem forced to me, and I for one still hold out hope that one day I'll see a villain or an enemy that goes through rationalization, and doesn't seek vengeance, but rather comes to terms with their new life, and lives it as they would.

Like in Asylum or Age of Steel. Maybe it's expecting too much from people, but I'd love to see people deal with their changing into a Dalek or a Cyberman, and go with it. Why not? Only got one life, so might as well live it, even if it's not what you wanted.

I guess my biggest gripe is with this little semi-continuity error I found. Remember this guy?

The billionaire from Dalek? Back when Eccleston was in charge of things? Bullshit he did not find the Gunslinger, more or less right outside his museum, in all the years he was collecting. If that guy stayed sheriff until 2012, there's just no way I can see him slipping the net.

Maybe I'm looking too deep into it.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

I demand more John Crichton!

-The whole mother back and forth with Amy and Jex; we know she was a mother, we had a whole season about it and this dialogue doesn't actually teach us anything more about either character i.e. it's extraneous dialogue. Originally I thought (when he started talking) that it would be an attempt to win Amy to his side but it didn't really come off like that.

I think that entire scene was created simply for the final two lines (I'm paraphrasing here, can't remember the exact dialogue):

Amy: "What about you? Are you a father?"
Jex: "Yes, I suppose I am."

Which pretty much gave the whole plot away.

What's worse is that the episode dodged what could've been a very intriguing and deep question - when it came right down to it, would the Doctor sacrifice Jex if it meant saving a town full of innocents? He's more than happy to serve Jex up on a platter before Amy steps in and chastises him in a tone so condescendingly preachy that I found myself hoping she might "accidentally" find herself outside the boundary. Yes, Amy is meant to serve as the Doctor's conscience - that was established way back in The Beast Below (2010) - but as that episode also proves, she's certainly not above a dark act if it saves the greater good. She pushed that "Forget" button, right? That entire "We have to be better than him" speech came off forced and fake, something that was said not because it's how Amy would actually react but because someone had to say it or else the episode would end up about 22 minutes too short.

I was actually quite excited when the Doctor seemed to be offering Jex up to the Gunslinger. Clearly something's brewing inside him, what with the whole "Who killed all the Daleks?" "Who do you think?" line in Asylum and the blowing up of Soloman in Dinosaurs. I kind of like the whole, no more nonsense, pushed to the edge Doctor... but we're not really seeing any reason for it. No impending doom, no personal threat to his companions. It all just feels like misplaced anger that's never followed up on.

As for Amy... well why did she and Rory need to be in this episode? They added nothing and like you say, her intervention was nothing if not predictable and hackneyed. Blergh.

Also, is it just me or did someone not already use the: "This is why you should never travel alone." line in a previous episode? I'm thinking it was Donna but I could be wrong.

Maybe I'm looking too deep into it.

You are. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely in awe of your dedication to the continuity!