Doctor Who Series 7, Episode 3 Review: A Town Called Mercy
- doctorbrick
- Feb 13
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 23
What did you think of this episode?
Sonic!
Good!
Bumpy-wumpy!
Exterminate!
A Town Called Mercy, set during the Doctor's time in the Wild West, is one of those episodes that improves with a rewatch, and as I review this it also got me thinking about one of the greatest games ever made, Red Dead Redemption 2.
I don't think I have ever rewatched this one until now. It seems to be one of those episodes that is forgotten about, certainly by me. I don't know how much the previous series affected this one, was Moffat wary of the disappointment a lot of fans felt (and aired) regarding the arc of series 6? Is this why we had the 'movie of the week' vibe to series 7? When you think about it, Matt Smith had such a varied time as the Doctor. He had the pretty standard RTD series layout with 5, then the arc heavy, and at times random as fuck, series 6, then he had the movie of the week series 7, he had mid series breaks and cliffhangers, a Christmas special in the middle of a series, and let's not forget the 50th anniversary!!
Anyway, we have had Daleks and dinosaurs, so now it is the turn of cowboys, sheriffs and cyborgs. First off, the episode looked cool, the setting to this was amazing, and I bloody loved it. A bit of sci-fi mixed with a classic Western, well it just works doesn't it.
The Gunslinger is an imposing figure with a tragic backstory, and again, he looks cool AF - something out of a Western but with that sci-fi twist. I wasn't quite so keen on Kahler-Jex as a villain, but he did give Matt Smith some work to do to show off his acting chops.
"Anachronistic electricity. Keep Out signs. Aggressive stares. Has someone been peeking at my Christmas list?"
I will say that despite the Gunslinger's striking appearance and pretty epic opening moments, his character feels a bit underdeveloped. The concept of him being an executioner seeking vengeance for past wrongs is compelling, but the emotional depth of his motivations doesn’t come through as strongly as it could. I guess that is in part due to him being a cyborg of course.
Ah cyborgs and Westerns, now I am thinking about Red Dwarf and Gunmen of the Apocalypse as well as Red Dead, with a little bit of Detroit: Being Human sprinkled on top.
Let me speak about all of those for a brief while actually. First up, Red Dead Redemption is probably the first game I have finished and just sat there in stunned silence for a while after. It is also the only game I have actively tried to hold off finishing as I never wanted it to end. I have recently started playing Detroit: Being Human, and I know I am going to have my heart broken by it already. It is a stunning piece of work so far, and I cannot believe I haven't played it sooner!
Oh and it will come as no surprise that I like Red Dwarf as well will it?
Sorry I do enjoy talking about other things in my reviews - Trump and Musk are cunts and Amazon, Meta and the like are vile companies ran by greedy bastards by the way! Whoops, I went off track again! My bad!
It’s clear the episode was trying to explore themes of justice and mercy with the Gunslinger, Doctor and Kahler-Jex, but the execution doesn’t quite elevate the villain to the level the setting and visual design promise.
That is not to say I didn't enjoy this episode, because I really did, and much more than I thought I would if I am being honest! Matt Smith as always elevates it a trifle with him being all Matt Smith and Doctor! There is a lot of heart in the way the Doctor approaches the situation, and it's one of those moments where you feel the weight of his centuries of experience.
"I’ve matured. I’m twelve hundred years old now. Plus I don’t want to miss The Archers."
Overall, A Town Called Mercy is an enjoyable episode, one that fits the bill of being movie of the week. However, all the episodes were billed as being epic and movie-like, and whilst this was fun and looked brilliant with some great ideas, I am not sure I would use the word epic to describe it.
There is also some foreshadowing at the end as well, a hint of what is to come, and an interesting twist that we haven't really seen before, certainly not in modern Doctor Who. What happens when the companions want to live a normal life? Most of the time, the companions stick around until they die and get undied, never wanting to leave the Doctor's side, but this felt new.
Potentially, a downfall of this series may have been that we had a couple too many stories. It may have worked better with a slightly trimmed down episode count with longer episodes. We got that with the latest series, well apart from the longer episodes of course!! One day maybe!
RATING: Good!
BEST LINE: "Oh, I know exactly what you are. And I see this reformation for what it really is. You committed an atrocity and choose this for your punishment. Don’t get me wrong - good choice. Civilised hours, lots of adulation, nice weather. But...but! Justice doesn’t work like that. You don’t get to decide when and how your debt is paid!"
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