New Who Review: “Kill the Moon”

Vinnie Bartilucci

Freelance pontificator - unsubstantiated opinions for a reasonable fee

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10 Responses

  1. Dee says:

    Just throwing my eggs and butter in because…well your review has been the closest to what I was thinking about this epi. in a very slow burning series.
    Whether we know it or not, The Doctor is in “Loco Parentis” of Clara, Courtney and the Captain. He doesn’t want to be but doesn’t shirk his responsibility.

    We are constantly reminded that in Doctor Who people can be fixed points, primarily in this case the 3 women. We can assume Clara is a ticking fixed point – she teaches, she becomes a Dalek, she helps to save Rory and Amy, but inevitably we are counting down to her being a Dalek. The Doctor cannot prevent this, and perhaps in all the grey he doesn’t know how it occurs, just that it does – a timeline he hasn’t visited yet perhaps? But earlier in the series he tried to save a dalek, to teach it humanity and maybe that’s what he’s trying to teach Clara while she’s still a human.

    The writers constantly return to the idea of cause and effect, can you kill an innocent even if you know what they’ll become in the future, just not when or why? Is our future predestined? Another reason why he can’t tell Courtney she’s special, even she is, maybe he can show her, what being special is? Nature or nurture?

    Also, its bugging me that Danny’s life as we know it so far echoes the Doctor’s, through his childhood and The Doctor was a teacher too. And lasts weeks enemy, why did it head straight to the school? Up until the Doctor became the caretaker, he’d never been there, why would it track him?

    The Captain is sent off after the rebirth of the (phoenix) moon to start NASA up again. 10 years later – Water of Mars happens, and the Doctor meets his daughter/wife.

    And Courtney will become POTUS.

    • As Mike points out, that wasn’t “our” Clara, but one of the manifold aspects of Clara that spread across time when she stepped into The Doctor’s timeline on Trenzalore. The moment when she did that has passed in her timeline – one wonders if she remembers all the things she did, or if they were all copies/aspects of her that split off, led their lives and helped the Doctor individually, none aware of their greater role.

      I mentioned in last week’s review that The Doctor has had a long history with Coal Hill School – the very first episode was set there. In An Unearthly Child, his Granddaughter Susan attended there, and he’s been back more than a couple times. The Blitzer wasn’t searching for The Doctor, tho he theorized that it homed in on the residual artron/time-travel energy left by all the other visits.

    • Mindy Newell says:

      Great analysis of Clara’s future, Dee. I never thought of that, i.e., that her transformation into a Dalek is going to be her “last stop,” so to speak.

  2. mike weber says:

    Courtney can’t become POTUS, unless she was born in the US, since her parents are Very British and i doubt she got US citizenship through them (or unless the Constitution is amended in the next thirty or so years).

    That was a different Clara. Clara is fragmented through time and space, i seem to recall.

    The Doctor has known three (?) Claras who died, already.

    I have to say, so far this season is shaping up to be my least favourite of the new series.

    I did like “I will hit you so hard you will regenerate

    • I think the rules about naturalized citizens not becoming presidents may change someday, but I think it’s a moot point because The Doctor may clearly be lying at this point.

      The key point is that Courtney may well be able to grow to great things now as a result of the pump-up her self-esteem has gotten. Let’s not forget Sarah Jane’s discussion about all the great things The Doctor’s ex-companions have done for the world.

    • Dee says:

      Can’t is such a strong word. Especially when the sum total of the special skills at 15yo are “Disruptive Influence”. Also the year is clearly stated. If events at Coal Hill School were present tense, there’s every chance she might actually be POTUS in 2049. The line was intended to cause debate and certainly I’m not up for embracing it as a lie, Clara just got through telling him off for not clueing her up about the future and disappearing at crucial moments, yet he chooses to mumble the Captain and Courtney’s future? He seems to be maintaining the expected outcomes of this timeline – Rebooted space program, POTUS, and…

      Soz, still rambling, cos something about the epi is still bugging me.

      • mike weber says:

        At this present time, Courtney cannot become US President, even if naturalised. That’s the “can’t” i was referring to.

        • Dee says:

          Sorry, I meant in “that” version of the universe and her age, it doesn’t seem unlikely. Definitely not a pop at you.

  3. Mindy Newell says:

    I’m not getting Clara’s reaction to the Doctor forcing her to make a decision. Unless it’s because she’s still so angry that it’s not Matt Smith with whom she’s dealing; this could be an unresolved issue dealt with in upcoming episodes.

    Also, as Clara is/was so attached to Matt Smith’s Doctor, she is breaking the promise she made to him when he asked her, via the telephone call in DEEP BREATH, to stay with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor, because he was so alone and he needed her.

    The other thing I just thought of is that by forcing Clara to make a decision by herself, to not being dependent on him all the time, he is preparing Clara to make a big decision, i.e., to leave him and marry Danny? Because I don’t buy that he doesn’t know/realize that Captain Austin Pink is the descendant of Clara and Danny.

    And I agree, the “bad day” line by Danny is full of portent.

    All of this, I am guessing, will have something to do with the season finale and the “will she or won’t she?” rumors about Jenna Coleman leaving the series.

    Great review, Vin. And even though I’m not sure I agree with how Moffat is playing Clara this season (unless it pays off, as I said, and I expect it probably will), it was a riveting ending!

  1. October 11, 2014

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