Sunday, 5 October 2014

Doctor Who Series 8 Reviews - Kill the Moon (E7)

When a new writer comes in, it can often be a big risk. Whilst the likes of Neil Gaiman and Richard Curtis have surpassed expectations with great stories, whilst others like Neil Cross and Stephen Thompson have made poor debuts (oddly enough, these tend to be the ones who’re invited back). So with a newbie like Peter Harness (Wallander), it’s expected to be approached with caution. It’s a refreshing change though, as the series so far has featured only returning writers with less than brilliant results. With a bit of breathing room for the next few weeks before Steven Moffat’s two part finale, it’s time to see whether Harness has what it takes to be a Doctor Who writer.

A Moon-based story is a common tale, ever since the early days of Patrick Troughton with the aptly titled The Moonbase, so as a jumping-off point it’s a safe and effective decision. Arguably overdone, but its last instance was in 2007 with Smith and Jones, so enough time has passed for a return trip. However, this trip is a game-changer for the nature of the Moon appears to be not as all seems which is a clever twist on the typical invasion stories seen previously. Yes, there are spider-like creatures reminiscent of Alien by appearance and nature, but they aren’t the main threat. If anything, they get sidelined by the 30 minute mark with only two on-screen casualties to their credit. They have a simplistic design and rarely scare, but do well with the little they need to do. The main battle is all the more interesting, as it adds a twist to an all-too-common social argument.

What makes it even better though is the fact that Peter Capaldi’s Doctor doesn’t go about making the decision, Jenna Coleman as Clara does alongside Courtney and Lundvik (Ellis George and Hermione Norris respectively). Now, usually this can appear as simply turning it into the Clara show, which many including myself have been criticising the series for doing rather than allowing more understanding for this new incarnation. But with the events of this story, it’s akin to the Amy-Silurian debate in 2010’s Cold Blood. Whilst there wasn’t at much at stake in that scenario outside of how willing they’d be to share the planet, here it’s on a catastrophic level, on the verge of planetary destruction, but it’s still right for The Doctor to leave it to them, and his comments afterwards do seem right. The reaction from Clara after may be a tad overdramatic, but understandably so.

Despite his brief absence in the third act, Peter Capaldi is undeniably strong in this episode, mimicking the essences of Doctors past whilst standing on his own ground. Here, I finally feel like he is a Doctor in his own right, even if at the start he’s seems very non-Doctor with some of his comments on Courtney. Jenna Coleman is good in her dual role of carer and companion, and Courtney is surprisingly bearable, being at times sidelined and other times doing well in her surroundings. Yes, she has the annoying tendencies such as mentioning Clara and Danny Pink’s relationship and she gets involved in a very stupid plothole involving one of the spider-like creatures, but aside from that she’s okay. Hermione Norris does initially come off as robotic, and gives off many hints alongside the Doctor as to what Courtney’s future entails, but in the third act she thrives as the opposition. As for her two crewmembers (Phil Nice and Tony Osoba), they’re simply extras to the main crew and Lundvik’s focus, with both being excused in the first act.

Whilst it’s far from the comedic escapades of last week’s The Caretaker and a change in shift for the series’ tone, Kill the Moon is perhaps the most successful story to date, thanks to its strong parallel to common themes in society and all-around good cast. It was initially meant to be a Matt Smith script, but there are no traces in this good story. 7/10.

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