Villordsutch reviews Doctor Who series 8 episode 7 – ‘Kill the Moon’….
Clara: Doctor, tell me there wasn’t anyone inside that thing.
Doctor: I could, but it wouldn’t make it true.
Our Doctor Who story this week is a tale of the Doctor taking the high ground, so high in fact Clara gets the distinct impression he’s looking down his nose at her. As with previous episodes of morality in NuWho e.g. ‘Beast Below‘ the Doctor turns upon the human race and decries its savagery and this time refuses to be involved in the final decision – leaving Clara, a school-girl and an a remaining astronaut with the fate of the Planet Earth and a single Lifeform –the last of its kind – in their hands.
I adored this episode, though from the accompanying promo still and the attacking mobs I was expecting a spider packed show and I was surprised to be delivered something completely different. I will before I continue be the first to raise my hands and admit the moon being a giant egg is a bit far-fetched – that and I’m curious to know what is the difference in the astronauts plan of blowing up the moon into radioactive huge chunks which will crash towards Earth or it crumbling into huge chunks upon creature hatching and it crashing towards Earth. If anything the latter is the better option; just remember this is a time-traveller in a small box if you feel a giant egg is too much.
The story by Peter Harness is so much more about a giant egg – it’s about making the right or wrong choices, even good people need to do bad things. Even when Clara reaches out to the entire planet and asks them to keep the lights on to save this last of its kind creature or turn the lights off to kill it, slowly we watch the lights turn off around the globe; not everybody on the planet is bad a person – they just want to live. Even with this global decision made Clara still interrupts the final countdown, with that the Doctor arrives at the last second to show them what they’ve rescued and gives them the happy ending. Though this isn’t a happy ending for the Doctor as this lesson in morality is one-step too far for Clara who demands the Doctor leaves as she storms out of the TARDIS.
‘Kill the Moon’ was fantastic not only because of the story and the usual cast but due to our two additions of Lundvik (Hermione Norris) and Courtney Woods (Ellis George) , both standing on Clara’s shoulders as the Devil and the Angel screaming on why the Moon should be destroyed or the life be saved. The usual cast though need the praise they deserve with Jenna Coleman as ever in Season 8 is going from strength to strength next to the amazing Peter Capaldi who is making Doctor Who once again about The Doctor.
This week we had no Missy which is unfortunate as after last weeks giant sterile room and the the CSO looking through the window I have a hunger to know more on where this arc is taking us.
Next week on Doctor Who we’ll be watching the Mummy on The Orient Express.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
Originally published October 6, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
