Kill the Moon

248 – "Kill the Moon"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional image
Cast
Doctor Peter Capaldi (Twelfth Doctor)
Companion Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald)
Others Samuel Anderson – Danny Pink Ellis George – Courtney Woods Hermione Norris – Lundvik Tony Osoba – Duke Phil Nice – Henry Christopher Dane – McKean
Production
Writer	Peter Harness
Director	Paul Wilmshurst
Script editor	David P Davis
Producer	Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s)	Steven Moffat Brian Minchin
Incidental music composer	Murray Gold
Series	Series 8
Length	45 minutes
Originally broadcast	4 October 2014
Chronology
← Preceded by Followed by → "The Caretaker" "Mummy on the Orient Express"

"Kill the Moon" is the seventh episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, written by Peter Harness and directed by Paul Wilmshurst. The episode stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, with Hermione Norris guest starring.

Plot

After the events of "The Caretaker", Clara Oswald warns the Doctor that her student, Courtney Woods, is still interested in his TARDIS and is trying to clean up the mess inside it she made previously. As they enter the TARDIS, the Doctor stops Courtney from cleaning and offers to take her and Clara on a trip in the time machine.

They arrive in 2049 on a space shuttle filled with nuclear devices on crash course with the Moon. They survive the crash and while the Doctor is curious about the higher-than-expected gravity, they are met by three astronauts. Their captain explains they are on a suicide mission to blow up the Moon; she explains that years earlier, there was a sudden mass high tide, wiping out a significant fraction of humanity and taking out many of Earth's artificial satellites. Mankind abandoned scientific advancement for the sake of the survival of the species, a decision with personal consequences for the captain, Lundvik, whose space ambitions were thwarted as a result. A Mexican lunar colony reported changes in the Moon before Earth lost contact with them, leading scientists to conclude whatever caused Earth's problems originated on the Moon. By destroying the Moon, they hope to save Earth from further devastation. Clara privately asks the Doctor about this point in time, having witnessed the continued presence of the Moon at later points in time. The Doctor reveals this to be a moment where time is in flux: he cannot "see" what happens.

The group sets for the Mexican colony, which they find covered in webbing. Captain Lundvik sends one of the crew members to prime the bombs as they explore the colony; he is attacked on the way back when he investigates an opening on the surface. In the colony, they find the colonists entombed in more of the webbing. The Doctor reviews the readings taken by the colonists, showing seismic activity on the surface and an increase of the Moon's mass by over one billion tons, explaining the sudden tidal shift on Earth. A spider-like creature attacks them, killing Lundvik's other astronaut. Courtney kills the creature using disinfecting fluid she brought to use in the TARDIS earlier. The Doctor realises these creatures are like germs, and after returning Courtney to the safety of the TARDIS, leads the group back outside to investigate one of the cracks on the surface. They find thousands more spider-like creatures inside the crack, and the Doctor discovers amniotic fluid nearby. To the others' surprise, the Doctor tells them he will be back and dives into the hole.

Clara and Lundvik witness the Shuttle fall into a crack on the surface, and return to the colony to wait, with Lundvik preparing to set the timer on the nuclear detonators despite Clara's assurance the Doctor will be back. The Doctor appears soon after and brings the TARDIS to the colony, where Courtney is still safe. The Doctor explains that the Moon is really a 100-million-year-old egg, the creature inside ready to hatch, and the spider-like creatures the equivalent of microbes on the surface of the egg. Lundvik immediately asserts that they should still destroy the Moon and kill the creature in order to prevent any possible harm to humanity the creature may cause, but Clara refuses to accept this solution and turns to the Doctor for advice. Addressing them as "Womankind", The Doctor tells them this is a decision for the human race to make without his interference and departs in the TARDIS, leaving them to decide the fate of the creature in the egg in the time it has to hatch, about an hour and half.

As time passes, Clara, Courtney and Lundvik cannot reach a consensus. As the creatures begin to swarm the surface, Lundvik is able to make contact with Earth, and Clara uses a simultaneous television broadcast to plead with humanity to help them make their choice, by either turning off their lights to destroy the Moon or keeping them on to let the creature live (a scene shown in medias res at the start of the episode). Lundvik then initiates the countdown on the nuclear devices as they wait for Earth's response which they will be able to see from the Moon. The lights on Earth go out, but Clara intervenes and stops the countdown. At the last moment, the Doctor returns, knowing they have decided to allow the creature to live, and rescues them from the Moon as it starts to crumble.

Back on Earth, the four watch as the winged creature hatches and flies away, the shell of the Moon harmlessly disintegrating. At Clara's insistence, the Doctor reveals that because of the brief re-interest in what happened with the Moon, humanity would be re-inspired to travel to the stars, helping them to spread across the universe, and then assures Lundvik that she will now have a real space programme to lead. They then witness a new Moon – a freshly-laid egg by the creature – appear in Earth's orbit. Later, alone with the Doctor, Clara angrily confronts him about having forced her to participate and finally make that choice, telling him that having made himself a friend to humans (he walks the Earth and breathes its air), he is not above them. She tells him that she does not want to see him again. After she leaves the TARDIS back at Coal Hill, she is comforted by Danny Pink. She explains to him that she is done with the Doctor but Danny thinks that she is really not ready to move on. When asked how he became so wise, we learn that he left the army under circumstances that he refers to as a "really bad day". Later that evening, Clara returns to her flat and looks out her window at the Moon.

Continuity

The Doctor uses a yo-yo to test the moon's gravity inside the shuttle. The Fourth Doctor used the same method to test gravity in the Nerva space station in The Ark in Space.^[1] According to executive producer Brian Minchin, Capaldi had requested the yo-yo to be similar to the one that Tom Baker had used before.^[2]

The Doctor tells Clara that "Earth isn't my home", echoing the Fourth Doctor's statement in Pyramids of Mars that "The Earth isn't my home, Sarah. I'm a Time Lord. I walk in eternity."^[1]

In "The Fires of Pompeii", the Tenth Doctor says that as a Time Lord, he can see both fixed and mutable points in time. The Twelfth Doctor says the same thing here, but that there are "grey areas", points in time for which he cannot see the outcome.^[3]

The Doctor claims that Courtney will meet "a fella called Blinovitch." This refers to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect, first mentioned in the Third Doctor story Day of the Daleks.^[1]

This takes place one year before The Moonbase which is set in 2050.

Production

Writing

The episode was originally written for Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. An early working title for the episode was "Return to Sarn", however, this was intended to be misleading. While briefing Harness on how to write the script, executive producer Steven Moffat told him to "Hinchcliffe the shit out of it for the first half", meaning, essentially, to make it frightening. This was in reference to Philip Hinchcliffe, who produced Doctor Who from 1974–77, a period known as especially frightening during the classic series.^[4] Moffat called the script "intense and emotional".^[5] Harness has said that the episode will see a large change for the show. "I still don’t know how people will take it. I’m in this kind of limbo now waiting for people to see it, and I’ve no idea, really I do not know how it is going to go down."^[6]

Filming

Filming for the episode took place in Lanzarote, near the Volcán del Cuervo (Raven's Volcano^[7]) in Timanfaya National Park.^[8] The last episode to be filmed there was 1984's Fifth Doctor serial Planet of Fire.^[9] Filming took place on 12–13 May,^[10] while the park was closed to visitors,^[11] with locals reporting that “they’ve erected a huge marquee, have trailers, toilets and a van.”^[8] Filming also took place at Aberavon Beach in Port Talbot on 21 May.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17]}

Casting

Tony Osoba previously appeared in the classic serials Destiny of the Daleks and Dragonfire.

Broadcast and reception

The overnight viewing figures were estimated at 4.81 million. The episode was watched by a total of 6.91 million viewers.^[18] On BBC America, 0.94 million viewers watched the original broadcast.^[19]

Critical reception

Kill the Moon is notable for receiving widely polarising reviews from critics and audiences alike. Whilst some labelled the episode an instant classic ^[20] and one of the show's very best,^[21] others found it poorly written with weak characters and themes.^[22]

Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Ben Lawrence noted that "'Kill the Moon' was an excellent example of Doctor Who reaching out to different generations, something it hasn't always done in recent weeks." He felt Coleman was "terrific" and that Capaldi added further layers of complexity to his character. Lawrence stated that the guests were underdeveloped, but concluded that, "it lacked the clever-cleverness that has marred recent episodes and proved how good Doctor Who can be when it simply tells a story."^[23] Dan Martin, writing for The Guardian, stated that "Clara's outburst was the next stage in what I have loved about this series most of all. More than ever before, they're playing out the reality of running off to fight aliens with a time-travelling space detective. And, guess what, this life is not all wine and roses." Martin noted that Coleman has been terrific all series stating that "We no longer need to make note of just how good Jenna is this year; she’s already established herself in pantheon of all-time great companions."^[24]

Writing in The Independent, Neela Debnath praised Coleman's performance, articulating that she "impressed again with her fury as she held the Doctor to account. This is the grown up assistant the Time Lord needs to keep him in check" and ultimately closed her review by saying "'Kill the Moon' was an enclosed space adventure with all the claustrophobia that an episode like this demands [...] It was hardly the strongest episode of the series but it was no car crash either.".^[25] Radio Times heavily praised the episode, awarding it a perfect 5/5. They also praised Coleman's performance, stating that "Coleman expertly conveys Clara’s terrible dilemma – and later her tearful fury at the Doctor’s behaviour". They described the episode's writing as "audacious, highly imaginative, and is well matched by Paul Wilmshurst’s supremely eerie, cinematic direction", and closed their review by noting "Portentous dialogue, sharp direction, urgent music and a powerhouse performance from Peter Capaldi make this one of the defining moments of the season".^[26]

Den of Geek affirmed that "Doctor Who hits top form with 'Kill the Moon'. And Jenna Coleman has never been better". They also praised Harness' script as "impressive" and said that Wilmshurst "fully understands that slowing things down and making little moments count is the key to crawling under people's skins". They closed their review by saying "The best Doctor Who episodes have something to say, get under your skin, and keep you pretty much gripped until the end credits roll. 'Kill the Moon' certainly did that, with us heading for a rewatch as soon as it was done. It has a good science fiction story underneath it, a strong dilemma, and real consequences".^[27] The A.V. Club also reacted very positively to the episode, awarding it an A score praising almost every aspect of the episode, but particularly the focus on character development. They said "'Kill the Moon' is the second time this season that Doctor Who has genuinely surprised me. That fact, above all else, is why tonight’s episode rates as an instant classic" and went on to praise the episode's final scene, saying that "Maybe the whole Moffat era is going to be defined by that final scene in the TARDIS, in which Clara delivers the most blistering rebuke we have ever seen any companion give the Doctor". They ended their review by claiming that "This season is already a return to form, but 'Kill the Moon' could help turn it into something truly special".^[28]

IGN labeled the episode as "The best Capaldi Who yet" and awarded it a score of 9.3/10, deemed "Excellent", They praised almost every aspect of the episode, saying "Dramatic, thought-provoking, gorgeously shot, dryly hilarious and consistently compelling, 'Kill the Moon' was easily the best episode of the season so far, and we'd even put good money on it staying that way come the end of November". They also praised Coleman's performance as "explosive and mouth-gapingly compelling" and summarised the episode as "grown-up sci-fi at its best".^[29]

In contrast, some reviewers criticised what they perceived to be plot elements alluding to the abortion debate and, moreover, how the issue was dealt with in the script. In a separate review for The Independent, Ellen E. Jones described the episode as "perhaps the weakest so far... The grey moon surface provided an uninspiring backdrop for what amounted to a galactic metaphor for the pro-choice debate".^[30] Writing for Forbes, Ewan Spence described the script as "leaden and heavy... the lack of consequences to [Clara's] decision left the episode with a hollow ring." The review praised Capaldi's and Coleman's performances, but concluded that "'Kill the Moon' wasn't good drama, it delivered false controversy, and it did not respect the debate it was trying to start in the viewers at home."^[31]

For The Escapist, Elizabeth Harper gave the episode one and a half stars and felt it was "a mess of pseudoscience". She summarised that "This episode is a string of scenes that don't make a lot of sense, but are vaguely held together by virtue of the fact that they all happen on the same channel in the same one-hour period." She added finally that "The last scene, however, is genuinely good." ^[32]

Other reviews were also critical of the episode's lack of scientific accuracy, mainly around Earth's moon. Writing for Slate, Phil Plait remarked, "The science mistakes were so egregious and so obvious that they kept pulling me right out of the story. A lot of the mistakes were fixable with a simple Google search."^[33] In his review for Doctor Who TV, Clint Hassell had a similar objection. While he loved the actors in it, and the story's ability to "examine aspects of the human condition", he said the episode was "also terrible, presenting a version of science so incorrect that it almost creates a new genre – 'not-so-science fiction'". Though part of the fun of the show is "obviously make-believe, sciencey-wiencey facts and jargon", he believed that, "When [The Doctor] states blatantly wrong science 'facts' because the writer couldn’t be bothered to think rationally, or consult a scientist, that makes the Doctor look like an idiot, and...ruins part of the believability of the show."^[34]

The episode received an AI score of 82.^[35]

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Twelfth Doctor

• "Kill the Moon" at the BBC Doctor Who homepage
• "Kill the Moon" on TARDIS Data Core, an external wiki
• "Kill the Moon" at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
• "Kill the Moon" at the Internet Movie Database

Doctor Who episodes Classic seasons (1963–89): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Dimensions in Time (1993) Doctor Who (1996) Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death (1999) Scream of the Shalka (2003) Revived series (2005–present): 1 2 3 4 2008–10 specials 5 6 7 2013 specials 8 9 Series 8 "Deep Breath" "Into the Dalek" "Robot of Sherwood" "Listen" "Time Heist" "The Caretaker" "Kill the Moon" "Mummy on the Orient Express" "Flatline" "In the Forest of the Night" "Dark Water" / "Death in Heaven"