Let's Kill Hitler

"I believe you just saved my life."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 27 August 2011

Series: 6.08

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, River

Synopsis

Berlin, 1938. Hitler rules Germany. The TARDIS crash lands into his office and the greatest hero in space and time comes face to face with the worst humanity has ever offered. What will happen when these two incredible personalities meet? Well, one ends up locked in a cupboard...

Verdict

Let's Kill Hitler was an excellent episode to kick off the second half of Series 6! I don't think this story has a particularly good reputation amongst fandom and whilst I am just generous by nature, I thought this was a delightful forty-five minutes or so. The rating has increased from my last viewing and blog entry back in 2019 where I was watching in isolation, but I think having watched the episodes in order has really helped. This is quite the introduction, chronologically speaking, for River Song and the fact she doesn't even know her name here is good fun. There's something quite poignant about the fact that the first time River met the Doctor she saved his life, albeit she was the one that was killing him with the poison! I thought following up from A Good Man Goes to War and the story arc of the first half of the series with River bred to kill the Doctor was terrific. I also like the explanation of the cliffhanger at the end of Day of the Moon with the little girl regenerating and we now know that would be into the girl known as Mels. The name is a bit of a giveaway and I honestly can't remember if I suspected the truth on broadcast, but seeing that Mels was shot by Hitler to cause her to regenerate is quite extraordinary! The little flashback sequences seen to catch us up on the relationship Mels had with Amy and Rory throughout their childhood was good and fun, although she seemed far too much of a badass for those two! It was a lovely thought that they did actually get to raise their daughter, just in very unconventional means! River really embraces her new body with the hair and her 'hello Benjamin' reactions being tremendous. The little crime scene sequence of the Doctor knowing River was coming and preparing the Nazi office to prevent her getting her hands on a gun was terrific, and the chemistry between Matt Smith and Alex Kingston was sensational! For the love they have and will have for each other, the humour they also produce is spectacular. I'm a huge fan of theirs! Rory getting to knock out a Nazi is always something good and Amy gives him that fun look of approval. She definitely likes. River getting to escape and run wild in Berlin of 1938 is quite something and the Doctor is stuck in a place of admiration and caution. He had prepared for her arrival, but what about after that? She's a wild woman and he didn't anticipate the poison from her lips. That's an amateur mistake on his behalf considering how well he knows her by this point, but it leads to a strong conclusion where River knows she must sacrifice her remaining regenerations to save the Doctor. She learns he's worth it by the end. I am torn a little on how the comment about regeneration being disabled is taken in wider continuity with The Time of the Doctor given that this is the Doctor's last body in this regeneration cycle, but I think it just about holds true and could easily be taken as not just a consequence of the poison. The Doctor enjoying his last half an hour of life is marvellous and Smith plays the cramps and spasms in the legs really well, I think the episode really is just a great deal of fun, even from the silly car directions to spell out Doctor and get his attention in the newspaper. The hunt for Melody isn't over despite knowing who she will become, and I wonder how long Hitler was stuck in that cupboard for? Overall, a fantastic episode! 

Rating: 9/10