C+Q - A Town Called Mercy (2012)

A Town Called Mercy is a weird one. On the surface, it's doing Doctor Who meets westerns, which is already a strong idea for an episode given the long history this show has of smashing different genres and aesthetics together to see what fits. Where this episode loses me is in its attempt to have some deeper message. A Town Called Mercy acts like it has a complex moral dilemma to solve. Then the complex moral dilemma climbs into its spaceship and activates the self-destruct before a conclusion on it can be reached.

The episode seems to be 'exploring' the Doctor's morality but at no point does it find anything. No judgement is reached one way or another. The issue is brought up then everyone meanders around discussing back and forth for a while before Kahler-Jex gets rid of the problem neatly and quickly by killing himself, perhaps because he saw a two-parter on the horizon and couldn't be arsed dragging this plotline on for that long. With him gone, the Gunslinger turns good and the Doctor never has to face his wrong-doings. Nothing is gained. Nothing is learned. Pointless. This isn't like The Waters of Mars where there's actual drama and we learn something about the character of the Doctor and how he perceives his role in the universe. Here, a problem is brought up and then politely pisses off after the required 45 minutes have elapsed.

Despite the tone of the introduction, I don't actually hate this episode. I'd say A Town Called Mercy is fine despite the central theme going nowhere. I'd be perfectly happy to overlook this issue if it were merely a small aspect of a fun western adventure. Unfortunately I can't overlook it because the episode won't let me. It's called 'A Town Called Mercy'. Pretty much every advert for this episode and Series 7 Part 1 prominently featured the scene of Amy Pond telling the Doctor, "this is what happens when you travel alone for too long." The way this episode is presented makes it clear that I'm supposed to be thinking about it as a study of the Doctor's moral. It's like someone spending all their money and resources to advertise a concert but not actually preparing any songs.

As well as an empty moral dilemma, another big problem with this episode is its reliance on western tropes. I love a good trope as much as the next sci-fi fan, but they have to make sense in context. The worst offenders are the shootouts. Both of them are contrived, but the first of the two is just ridiculous. The Doctor is telling a group of townsfolk about how it's not okay to kill anyone but immediately begins hovering his hand over his gun as soon as the guy he's talking to does so.

Anyway, on to the good stuff. Saul Metzstein returns to the director's chair and makes full use of the Spanish location with huge sweeping shots of the beautiful environment. The old west time period is brilliantly realised and really helps to immerse the viewer in the story. There are some subtle visual touches like a faint cloud of sand that's thrown into the air every time the Gunslinger teleports and it all looks great. A Town Called Mercy sticks to Series 7's goal of making every episode like a big-budget movie and this one definitely succeeds.

Matt Smith, as always, has real presence in the role of the Time Lord and despite the fact he looks 12, he commands the screen with the absolute authority of William Hartnell, most notably when he's shouting at Kahler-Jex before physically throwing him out of the town. Unfortunately, the Ponds get very little to do in this episode despite their days being numbered. At least Amy has that short speech; Rory's only contribution to the plot is getting shot at. It's a real waste of good characters, especially a week after Dinosaurs on a Spaceship demonstrated beautifully how these two can competently hold their own after having spent two full years travelling through time and space.

Overall, A Town Called Mercy is okay. There don't seem to be any plot holes, nothing wildly offensive happens, and the production values are obviously high. Its lack of focus and overall mishandling of its core concept causes it to fall short of being great for me.