Doctor Who writer Toby Whithouse has spoken about his upcoming Western-themed episode “A Town Called Mercy,” in which the Doctor wields a gun and acts in a dangerous manner.
In speaking with SFX Magazine Whithouse stated:
“[It] was enormous fun,” the “School Reunion” writer said when asked about delivering a Doctor who had been traveling without companions. “To write him as a slightly more kind of volatile and unpredictable character was really refreshing and exciting.” One moment of the seventh series’ third episode in which the Doctor’s newfound volatility is showcased best in once particular scene where he brandishes a gun. Whithouse described that scene as having “enormous tension and drama,” requiring lots of finessing to successfully make the journey from “confirmed pacifist” to dangerous gun-wielder.
After last week’s “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” aired, one of the first things that fans noticed with the footage was the significant time gap. Amy and Rory (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) referenced having not seen the Doctor in almost a year. Additionally Rory references now being age 31, a seriously leap forward in time from last season. Fans who saw footage at Comic-Con noticed that in both “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” and “A Town Called Mercy” there are references to the Ponds having eighteen-month gaps in their last contact with the Doctor.
As Whithouse states, this lack of traveling companions affects the Doctor adversely. During this week’s WhoHype, our resident Whovian experts discussed how the Doctor tends to become more ruthless and less patient when he is not constantly surrounded by a companion who tempers his mood.
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