Doctor Who - s14e03 - Boom

This week's episode is more intense as the show opens with a blind priest being led through a minefield by another priest. Both are apparently soldiers and making their way back to the base camp. They are currently fighting a war with the Kastarians who they have yet to make contact. One of the soldiers falls and steps on a mine and is disintegrated immediately. When this occurs an "ambulance" comes to assess the situation and finds the blind priest. The blind priest is determined to have four weeks until his eyesight returns but this was deemed too long and then assassinates the priest. 

At this point the doctor lands with the Tardis and hears a scream. He then runs out looking for a victim but steps on the mine, however he realizes it is a mine and does his best to keep his weight and balance. Ruby comes out to help and is instructed to find some type of counterweight, which she does but it turns out to be a condensed corpse of the priest. The situation gets hairy as some soldiers come out looking for the priest and one shoots Ruby thinking she was going to kill

It is eventually revealed that there is no enemy hiding in the shadows or fog and the Anglican Marines are just prey of an algorithm to keep them purchasing more war machines.

Trivia

• Kastarians in the fog, the opponent that the Anglican Marines are looking for.
• Villengard, biggest weapons manufacturer in recorded history
• Anglican Marines - the side that landed on the planet and is currently in war.
• Ruby was about to perish in this episode and strangely snow started coming down and eventually froze in place.

Characters of interest this episode

• Doctor Who - Spends most of his time balanced on a land mine.
• Ruby - birth date of Christmas Eve.
• Mundy and Canto - Anglican soldiers that show on the scene and cause chaos but move the story along
  
• John Francis Vater - the temporarily blind priest who was terminated by a Vanguard Ambulance due to blindness.
• Splice Francis Vater - the daughter of John Francis Vater, appears to be roughly 8 years of age, causes some chaos and potentially can wipe out the whole group by acting like a normal kid.
  

Analysis

I love when science fiction draws parallels to our current events and society. Quite a statement is made about social media and the algorithms used. In the show, the whole purpose is to make more sales even at the expense of human life, so long as certain metrics are met, it encourages the purchase of more and more villenguard corporation machines.  As such, social media algorithms will keep showing more flagrant and inciting media so long as continual clicks are made.

Commentary is also made on religion and "blind faith" though not as strong a statement. The combination of blind faith kept an ongoing war against a shadow (non-existent) enemy and the continual purchase of villenguard machines.

Lingering Mysteries and unanswered questions

• They are still using the term Mavity, will this be a gag that runs all season but then becomes important in the final episodes?
• Will the wonder of Ruby Sunday's parents be a theme in the show and perhaps spawn episodes dedicated to it?
• Who is the lady who jokes about never seeing a Tardis before in the preseason show?
• Who is the boss that the Meep mentioned in the first episode of the 60th anniversary show?
• Who is the one player that the toymaker dares not challenege?
• What legions are coming that the toymaker refers to?
• Will we see the Master again this season?
• The Doctor and Ruby were able to think their thoughts into existence. Was this the result of the parthenogenesis machine or something inherent to them?
• What is the significance of the Snow coming and staying still in mid air?