Boom Town is a story of two halves. The first half is a simple and fun adventure, as the Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack arrive in Cardiff, meet up with Mickey and stop one of the members of the Slitheen (hence referred to as Margaret Slitheen) left from Aliens of London/World War Three from destroying the Earth. It's delightfully fun, with some great comedic moments (the Doctor attempting to meet with Margaret is one of the truly great moments in Doctor Who history), but it lacks substance.
But then, in the second half, we get something new and different. Margaret Slitheen is put on board the TARDIS and told that she will go back to her home world, where she will apparently be executed. As her final wish, then, she takes the Doctor out for dinner, to plea for a second chance at life. It's something that's rarely been seen in Doctor Who, the idea of the villain talking with the Doctor after their plan has been foiled; the idea of consequences to the Doctor's actions after the closing credits have rolled. We're drawn into the moral dilemma with Margaret, because we know that she has killed and could kill again, and yet she has shown mercy to others, including a pregnant journalist at the start of the episode. It's a pity that these scenes don't go on for longer, as it's a well-meaning consideration to put forward and an interesting idea. We are unfortunately prevented from seeing the Doctor's decision regarding her life, as a botched plan from her ends up regressing her to an egg through the power of the TARDIS. The Doctor watches on though, comfortable with the proceedings and almost glad for her as she realises that she will be given what she needs.
So we're left with a fun and farcical first half and an interesting discussion for the second half in Boom Town. All in all, it's actually rather a fun episode to watch, and I can't help but feel that this story is a little underrated by fans. But then again, maybe that's just me.
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