The fact that the episode co-funded by Disney is a better anti-capitalist message than the one overseen by Chibs is wild.

"The system isn't the problem," I actually want to throw up hearing the Doctor say that. I physically am cringing. Imagine hearing Smoky the bear start talking about how Forest Fires aren't anyones fault, and leaving campfires going and throwing cigarette butts into the woods is actually okay.

i cant help but think that Boom is Steven Moffat’s direct response to Kerblam, even down to the name being so similar.

“The systems aren’t the problem.” My sister in SPACETIME, the system in question is “either starve yourself efficiently enough or you don’t get to see your family this year.”

Jodie's chance as the doctor really was mistreated by Chibnall

"I'm the Doctor. I will do everything in my power to save all of your lives, and when I do you will spend the rest of them wondering who I was and why I helped you." Moffat was committed to making sure Capaldi would stick with us.

"We're fighting the suits" is such a good line

"(groans) capitalism" is a wild line and i love it

The Doctor had dealings with Villengard before. The 9th Doctor took credit for destroying their weapons factory, though it wasn't clear whether it was done by him or by an earlier incarnation (I understand there's a comic that attributes this act to the War Doctor, though I haven't read it myself). I assume that, from a linear point of view, this took place *after* the events of Boom, though from the Doctor's PoV it obviously happened earlier

I think it's interesting that the only thing wrong with kerblam is the doctor. The company is crab and abuses labor, someone, while not entirely morally sound, tries to make a stand, the system tries to save itself; all this while the doctor is advocating eradication of the labor force, getting excited about the headquarters, and punishing the guy who wanted to stop the system he'd been born into, forced to deal with, and threatened by many times. The part where the system *kills his girlfriend* is framed as his fault.

Oxygen>Boom>>>>>Kerblam

What really irks me about the Kerblam episode is how performative it sounds when the manager says "propose being a people lead company", like she just straight up leaves actual change up to the people benefiting more in keeping things as they are

Real talk. Did anyone else feel genuine sadness for Kira when she opened that empty box? She was so excited and then, nah... Put SOMETHING in it!

finally someone who recognizes the greatness of oxygen. probably the only nuwho episode that does the "capitalistic horror" trope almost perfectly. except maybe the revolutions resolution, that could have been finetuned a little but otherwise perfect

The politics of Kablam are so awful, I'm really glad they fixed that in Boom

I originally made a Kablam vs Boom video I had just seen Boom and thought it was incredible now I've re-watched Oxygen and I think Boom is decent great story for the most part but the ending is a bit of a ex machina with the AI much prefer Oxygen and its ending. Of particular relevance in this comparison is the fact that in Kablam the individuals killed are all the low level workers and the people who take action for change is management but in Oxygen some of the low level workers survived and they are the ones who will be fighting for change. The people who's friends and loved ones died are the ones who seek change not those relatively unaffected by the issues. Also if Charlie had tested the explosives on the robots not people and he planned on blowing up the kablam base I imagine him an 12 would have gotten along well.

In other words, Moffat gets it. Chibs is contradictory

"The systems aren't the problem. How people use and exploit the system, that's the problem." 🤮🤮🤮 It's not only groan-worthy, it's also factually inaccurate. I also like that at the end of Oxygen, the Doctor says "So far as I remember, there's a successful rebellion six months later, corporate dominance in space is history, and that about wraps it for capitalism," and Bill replies "Yay!" An anti-capitalist revolution is canonical in the Whoniverse timeline and it's treated as a good thing. 😊

Kerblam was the worst of it. It started ok but the twist in the end was "actually the system is ok, the problem is a few people".

Oxygen is the best of these IMO, it's the most grounded episode and feels like something that could actually be real as well as working as a good metaphor for current systems. Kerblam was all over the place and could have had a much stronger message that's more realistic than "people not robots". Boom is the second best, it does a good job with the critical message but it is a bit over-the-top and exaggerated... granted plenty of people are so dense that if the words "captialism is bad" aren't spoken the message would go right over their head, ala the number of people who watched Dot and Bubble and failed to get the very clear message of "these people are hella racist"

Oxygen is by far the best

I really hate how it does feel like the writers do believe the Kerblam bs when in reality the issue with systems like that is that they have exploits that can be abused like that. And 9 times out of 10 they exist because it's also the people above that exploit them.

The problem with Kerblam was that the Doctor let the guy die and that "resolution" was to give the jobs back to humans (not even mentioning the fact that the company is closed for a month but the workers only get 2 weeks of holiday). Why not change the system? But other than that, it's unfair to compare it to Oxygen and Boom I think because the point is different.

Oxygen is so good at toeing the line. Like New New Who or whatever sometimes switches so quick between serious lecturing and wacky lol random humor. Obviously Kablam sucks at everything. But Oxygen will lines like "we're fighting the suits" not only fits naturalistically but gives a little fun wink.

I find it interesting that all 3 are different discussions. Oxygen is about the devaluing of human life inside of a capitalistic infrastructure. Kerblam thinks its about human corruption in capitalism, but really actually makes a better case against the necessity of employment and money in an automated world and the general populations corrupt manipulation by marketing. While boom is about the effects of capitalism incentivizing and worsen the world of combat. They all 3 are about capitalism, but don't necessarily contradict or support each other in context because they each reframe the discussion about a specific issue inside capitalism. Only when you take too many steps back does it look like they are in contrast or support as you see capitalism portrayed on 1 side of the discussion.

So in Kerblam, The Doctor says that the system is not the problem, then kills a worker who rebelled agaisnt an unfair system, then had a little chat with upper management who promised to do good things. I am very glad I didn't went past the second episode. Jodie deserved better writing...

I think Kerblam is awful. Boom and Oxygen are kinda equal tbh. Both great Thin ice would best if we were counting that 😂

oxygen was just so matter-of-fact, kerblam was bootlicking, and boom made me cry

Wait so 13 straight up murdered that guy right?

peter capaldi was amazing.

You should have included 11s living flesh

I think that if *Kablam* wasn't written by a typewriter monkey with a very superficial social understanding, a case could be made that 10% of the workforce being human does not equate to humans having dignified jobs, and how corporations will always find ways to squeeze the most money from society while paying as little as possible to their workers. But this would be asking too much from a bunch of crumpled words.

Thank you for this. So much, you made my day!

I dont know why but i thought this was going to be about the audio syncing of the title sequences

While I'm not a fan of this episode or season, I think the intended distinction between Kerblam and the other examples is a thinking, empathizing intelligence. The AI in the suits and the AI in the ambulance were both cold, unthinking algorithms designed by companies to maximize profit at the expense of human life. The AI in Kerblam recognized it was being used to harm millions and reached out for help to prevent this. When it killed, it did so for emotional reasons, intending (at least according to the Doctor) to show the killer how it feels to invoke empathy. (not a fan of how accepting Doc is with this death tho) What I've always loved about the Doctor when I first began watching as a child is that there was a fairness in their kindness - they didn't assume an alien was a monster, they saw beauty and sought understanding in creatures most would fear or hate or write off. They gave chances, they listened. It feels entirely in character for the Doctor to dislike programs and algorithms designed to be used against people, while at the same time being compassionate or trying to understand a truly sentient Artificial intelligence. That said, we don’t actually have any evidence that the Kerblam AI wasn’t just a tool. The aspect of trying to protect the lives of its customers could really just come down to protecting customers, protecting the money and maximizing the profits. The fact that it had no issue murdering an innocent to make a point doesn’t help. And I feel like the Doctor should have had an issue with that.

"what everyone does with bubble wrap" I'm safe because I don't do that.

i would love for jodie to come back for 1 episode but under rtd

We can even add Inferno and Caves of Androzani to the mix

I love the fact that all the Capitalism episodes have just a one word title. It satisfies me in a way I never knew I needed.

id have loved to see a comparison to the sunmakers too

Lol that moment 15 just pushes Ruby back down

The thing that sucks about Kerblam! is that the design of those robots is SOO good, too bad they were so wasted

Kerblam would be the worst episode of Modern Who if not for Kill The Moon.

Loved peter capaldi and mat lucas in their final series

I appreciate that even though even though you’re not conparing Thin Ice, you include that monolouge

PSA: CHIBNALL DID NOT WRITE KERBLAM. IT WAS A GUEST WRITER. BLAME PETE MCTIGHE.

Wasn't Valenguard the same company that provided Captain Jack's squareness gun?

Subtlety is the most important thing about political entertainment media, these episodes are a perfect example of what happens when you forget that.

"the system aren't the problem, it's how people exploit those systems" You mean the system that was specifically designed to be exploited this way?

based

I like oxygen

Companies not companys.

Oxygen is an episode that hits harder now for me as I hope to take up VFX and animation and game design in the future, but as AI becomes more popular to corporations and lazy individuals, that hope becomes less likely to happen, unless I choose a more indie route.

I always find it impossible to see 13 on the same level as any other doctor, her whole outlook on things makes her act like a totally different character than every other doctor. And you can say “oh she’s regenerated of course she’s not going to be exactly the same as her previous regenerations”, but this isn’t just a different regeneration, this is like a completely separate character who’s core beliefs have been drastically altered due to the difference in writing team. Imagine how other doctors would respond to seeing an oppressive capitalist corporation colonising a natural planet for monetary gain and exploiting its workers in crappy work environments and terrible wages.

Oxygen is my favorite one of these, and its depiction of capitalism chilled me the most.

Hated Kerblam, thought it was going to be a story about disillusionment, but NOPE, speech goes COMPLETELY off topic! That being said, I still like the 13th Doctor era as a whole. I used to like Oxygen, but that was when I was a cynical prick who thought misery in fiction equalled quality(you know, typical viewer of youtube reviewer stuff), and I don't think I've watched it since, so opinion pending. Boom. It's a heavy episode in a season of consecutive heavy episodes. I don't remember how I reacted when I watched it, but I feel emotionally drained thinking about it.

Companies* is the plural form of company. “Company’s” means “belonging to the company”

Just wanna ask, how is the new Doctor doing for ya'll? I saw the the David Tennant specials that introduced him, and to me, Doctor Who as show in general feels like a Sci-fi movie that resolves everything too quickly and makes up sci-fi mumbo jumbo terms on the spot. Of course the specials are the only episodes I've seen outside of clips and shorts. Also, the Doc is pretty obviously gay coded, so I don't know if that harshes anything to anyone.

Do you reckon it was deliberately called "Boom" in order to ensure peie compared it to "Kerblam!"?

I still don’t love Moffat’s writing, but at least it ain’t THAT.

Oxygen is so good

What I find interesting in these comments is people saying Oxygen is by far superior (which I agree) but then also Boom being considered the best of the new series and people still think the new series is the best who we've ever had.

Based 13

Peter Capaldi is brilliant. The show was weaker around him, but his acting and the writing of his dialogue was often brilliant. Kerblam shows how weaker and virtue signalling the show gotten, rather than genuine, actual critiques. Gatwa is brilliant here as well, I feel bad for Jodie because she's a decent actor, but I think the script, direction, etc just was done poorly for her.

The difference is 13 was fully pro-capitalism

As much as I hate everything this show has done over the last 5 years, there was one clear exception: Moffat's episode Boom, which was very good and reminded me of a old programme called Doctor Who, anyone remember that?

12: the problem is capitalism 13: the problem is those damn unions >:c and people exploiting the system!!!! 14: the problem is capitalism

Can't believe how woke Chibnell's era was, thank goodness for saviour of the West Steven Moffatt and his pro-capitalist writing

yo that kerblam episode is getting worse and worse the more I see bits of it just finished the last Capaldi season but if I have to watch this for 3 seasons I'm just gonna skip it

And people don’t understand why 13 is the worst Doctor

It's KERblam. It's RIGHT THERE in the thumbnail & @ 0:07

I wonder if Kerblam's novelization was any better

12th and 15th: I hate AI and how its being used to harm people 13th: Why do people work here? Just have the AI do everything. Thanks Chibnall

I'm miss it when doctor who actually was doctor who. To me doctor who died the day Peter Capaldi left.

Anyone else feel like RTD doesn’t know how to end episodes properly? I feel like all of his recent episodes have started with a very good concept, then completely nosedived by the last 10 minutes.

Oxygen is everything Boom wishes it could be 😂😂

I disagree, I think all 3 episodes are very good, each in their own way. We should stop looking for flaws to be angry at and enjoy the show.

Wouldn’t call Boom an episode that ‘fixes’ Kerblam. In terms of 13 being a borderline shrill for Kerblam and 15 being against Villangard; yes Boom is better. But the themes of Boom are so confused and conflicted, they contradict the Doctor’s values in a different way to Kerblam when it comes to the theme of ‘faith’ which is rly odd. Since a lot of Moffat’s who episodes needs a character to have an insane amount of blind faith to succeed (Amy needs to littetally have faith to bring the Doctor back from being erased from existence for example) Also when 15 explains that the landline has lights because of ‘capitalism’ - the reason he gives means almost nothing. Well. Either that or I didn’t understand it, which is always a possibility. Genuinely adding this bit too my comment in the hope that someone will explain that line to me 😂

The Doctor needs an entire series where they lead a socialist revolution and bring down intergalactic capitalism. It would be a natural role for an anti-authoritarian character 😊

Only one doctor present.

I wish leftist writers actually knew what capitalism is.

All terrible

No, but when you think about it Corporate greed is kinda good

So you guys hate the Doctor when they defend capitalism? Kerblam was literally made for some of you and yet you reject it so hard. Boom was wank and the anti-capitalism message in it was utterly stupid and unbelievable. Why would any group, country or planet purchase weaponry that does more harm to you own soldiers than anything else? This episode imagines Villengard as the only manufacturer of weapons and that there isn't any better competition that would sell you arms without killing your own men. This isn't purely capitalism that is criticised. This is a monopoly, and it's a company that shouldn't exist. Surely competition could do something similar to Villengard without slaughtering the buyers own men - or there could even be laws to prevent that kind of thing happening. Are we to imagine that somehow this was so profitable that they cannot have any competition? And surely what of the soldiers, the officers and the entire population they are fighting for? Surely they witness people not being saved because it costs too much, or the higher ups understand the product they are using - why would any side in a war that want to win the war use a product that keeps the war going? Villengards products only work for themselves so it's unbelievable how and why anyone uses them - it cannot be fair, it cannot be simply capitalism at work. The company is obviously up to no good and so a catch all critique of capitalism doesn't really work here, at all. Would have made more sense if Villengard just sold a product that allowed the user, in this case the leaders of the military, to designate their OWN acceptable levels of losses and costs of saving lives. In fact, the episode hints this might have once been the case within the script but it seems it got waived to the side to make a jab at capitalism as a whole. It's such a surface level critique it's basically a waste of time. Any one who thinks it's worthwhile is revealing they understand so little of how the world actually works.

These were all fairly poorly written episodes but boy did Boom suck. An Episode where he stands on a magic landmine for a whole episode, cries a lot, other people run around in an active minefield, he cries a lot, they do some bullshit "that's my Dad!" with a translucent blue hologram, he cries a lot, and then deus ex machina for no reason. People said that Episode was good but it's legit one of the worst Who episodes in the history of the entirety of the franchise. Nothing happened, he cried, ass pull, the end.

Why are they so obsessed with going after capitalism but when was the last time they had a commentary on communism or socialism. Or doesn't that fit the agenda