Kill the Moon

"How can the Moon put on weight?"

Writer: Peter Harness

Format: TV

Broadcast: 4 October 2014

Series: 8.07

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

In the near future, the Doctor and Clara find themselves on a space shuttle making a suicide mission to the moon. Crash-landing on the lunar surface, they find a mining base full of corpses and vicious spider-like creatures...

Verdict

Kill the Moon was a decent episode to continue our modern era rewatch! It's interesting how things work out as I remember the controversy that accompanied this episode on broadcast and I was surprised to look back on my ratings for my only two previous viewings of the adventure. Unfortunately, I have enjoyed it less and less each time which is a bit of a shame but I also think I was a lot more lenient when I was younger. My definition of what is required for a 7/10 story now certainly differs to how I judged things a decade ago! My parameters of certainly changed with age and I'm more difficult to impress now, but hey ho. Of course, this episode is a little ridiculous when it comes to the science of the Moon being an egg and hatching, but before that gets established I thought the mystery and danger of the gravity and the Moon putting on mass was excellent. The spiders could have been more threatening or I think for at least a little longer, but once Courtney sprayed them with germ repellant they instantly lost their fear factor. I must admit I wasn't a fan of her being present and that plays into the whole idea of the TARDIS being a taxi service. And now it doesn't appear to be just for Clara! I think her being there did add a sense or urgency, but the Doctor didn't seem to be taking her too seriously. It was pretty funny though when he thought she would be thirty-five! She was twenty years younger so of course she would want to be posting pictures on Tumblr. That feels like a very dated reference already, although admittedly I'm not all that in on social media sites and trends! I think the Doctor slowly deducing what was happening was good and I find it amusing how much traction they're getting out of the orange spacesuits! As if Listen wasn't enough! I think the Doctor telling everyone what the problem was with the Moon putting on weight and beginning to break apart was done so well by Peter Capaldi. The Moon was an egg! Clara's reaction was great stuff too because she was stumped, and why wouldn't she be? The threat the Moon breaking apart provided to Earth was good and logical to have the debate, although I'm not sure how genuine Clara appealing to the planet by broadcast would be taken by the population of 2049. The Doctor stepping away from the decision making process felt wrong and whilst I can appreciate his point of view in letting Clara loose to make a monumental decision, she didn't appreciate feeling abandoned and almost getting it wrong. It's clear the Doctor knew that everything would be okay and Clara didn't like that she almost got it wrong and killed the creature. That creature emerging from its shell and immediately laying another egg is a bit ludicrous and the whole thing is baffling despite it also being pretty fun. I gave Gemma a test during this one of two elements of the episode that didn't go down well on broadcast, at least as I remember it. That was of course the Moon being an egg, and the other was Clara's threat of smacking the Doctor so hard he'd regenerate. That is a bit of a turn off when it comes to the companion dynamic but I do like how it shows maturity with her upset at what the Doctor did despite his foreknowledge. Less of Courtney would have been better for me as I didn't understand the appeal of her being around, but this ended with all the focus on Clara as should be. She wanted the Doctor to go away and that's quite the contrast of her recent attitude. I like that she confides in Danny now, even though I'd rather her not leave the TARDIS at all. Overall, an intriguing episode to go back and watch with a strong atmosphere and whilst it is fun, it's also a bit ridiculous. 

Rating: 7/10