Early Access - Doctor Who | Reaction & Review 8x7 "Kill The Moon"
Added 2023-03-11 03:59:40 +0000 UTCComments
Even when this came out, I didn't watch the full reaction, or the full edited one! I just skipped to the end because I knew that's where all the value is. Aand I did the same in this re-rewatch. Despite how much I have to say about it, I couldn't care less about the spider moon stuff. Though I do love the imagery at the end of them being on the sand dunes and the moon crumbling. Maybe it's partly nostalgia, because I remember the photo of them on set filming that scene being exciting as we were waiting for S8 news. The music when Clara turns around at the end to tell the Doctor to go away is a beautifully weird parallel to S7. I don't know if this was the doing of Moffat, or Murray Gold, or the sound/music designer, or most likely a coincidence, but it actually made me emotional in that S7 episode when I realized what the subconscious connections going off in my brain were. Like with the Into the Dalek/Listen Danny/Clara parallel, I commented it in the episode I noticed the first half of the parallel through a ROT-coded message, so for the full explanation of what I believe to be the emotional connection between these two very different scenes, find that one there, haha (but it may have S9 spoilers, so be mindful). I'm pretty sure she even turns around and almost the exact same musical cue hits back then! The contrast between Clara/Eleven and Clara/Twelve's relationship, and the contrast between optimistic whimsy and brutal reality once you take off the rose-tinted lens. Courtney is a meh character and I'm not fond of her, but I think she's still an interesting example of the philosophy behind this era's storytelling approach, particularly this season as Capaldi's debut. There's a trend of the overarching plot beats being to do with the character relationships rather than the plot itself -- sure there's Missy and the whole "heaven" situation going on, but the throughline of the season is more than that -- case in point, minor as it may be, the Doctor calling her not special and Clara having to pick up the pieces. I don't know, I think it's a fun impetus for the plot and I love Twelve's Doctory way of going "You don't feel special, how about I take you to the moon?". And the Doctor saying she is something special now and the president at the end, that's always so funny to me and fits the Doctor's humor perfectly -- I love the way we glide over such an absurd fact (that the Doctor probably made up) in favor of the meat of the scene. And I actually think the "She's been using your psychic paper as a fake ID" is a funny bit. Of course, this episode is probably the best example of the character consequences of this era. The abortion allegory is apparently unintentional. One thing I haven't seen pointed out that's interesting if you view it through that lens, however, is that the people making the decision at the end of the day are all women and the one man there chooses to opt out because it's "not his decision". That's a funny coincidence, if that. Just a comment on the idea of the Doctor patronizing her. I have seen people who don't get Clara's side before point out that the Doctor is the opposite of patronizing; that it would be patronizing if he HAD made the decision for her, but he avoided that to respect her agency. That's ridiculous. The point is the Doctor knew information that Clara didn't, information that might alter her decision. If you're friends with someone and you view them as an equal, and you specialize in an area that they just don't and it gives you information they just don't have, then you would share that with them rather than intentionally keeping them in the dark. The Doctor treats Clara less like her own person and more like a lab-rat in his own experiment to observe humans in a stressful situation. He wanted to turn a life-or-death situation into a teaching moment for her, rather than being there to support her, and respecting her enough to trust she would still learn even if the choice was a little easier. Clara hit the nail on the head -- he treated her like a child. Also I agree with your point that the Doctor doing something like this only really works with Capaldi. I can't see Eccleston doing this, even at his most cranky I feel like he'd tell them to all shut up and make the decision for them. Your analysis of Clara through S7-8 and how the lessons she learned from the Doctor across that time about not turning their backs being contradicted in this episode by the Doctor causing her frustration was beautiful. I'm surprised I didn't have anything pre-written about The Fight at the end, and that I didn't comment on it in the first place despite how much I love it. I love the progression of it, the way it builds, and Jenna Coleman really gets an opportunity to go wild. But I also love how it's inherently science fiction. I don't know, I feel like in genre-heavy stories there's a tendency for the big emotional gut punches to either be 1) a straightforward/simple dramatic universal event like a character death, or 2) something completely mundane yet dramatic that could be lifted right out of the genre it's told in. Yet the whole argument involves Clara getting to the core of the Doctor, mentioning his TARDIS, referring to herself as human, inquiring about his time travel knowledge... That aspect of it always intrigued me because the emotional conflict is still very nuanced and complex, yet it fits so perfectly within this sci-fi fundamentally Doctor Who scenario (arguably it is also one very entrenched in moral philosophy too). I love the tone as Clara walks out of the classroom full of flying papers, Danny's coy smile, Clara absent-mindedly going "I'm done, I am done", and Jenna Coleman expertly conveying the way she's talking to herself more than Danny with that almost thoughtful expression. This episode again is mostly fascinating to me on a metatextual level, because I find the last 5-10 minutes more gripping than the rest of it which I literally usually skip, but I also find that 5-10 minutes more gripping than entire arcs in previous seasons of the show. This era is so bizarre and interesting to think about.
tom
2023-08-21 18:46:12 +0000 UTCCompletely agree, never been a fan of this episode at all on its own (outside of the ending) but does some great stuff with Clara and 12s relationship. Stuff that carries over and is referenced along the rest of their run.
Jason Hampton
2023-03-17 16:21:15 +0000 UTCIn regards to the abortion analogy, iirc that was not the intention of the writer at all. It's supposed to be more like the trolley problem, but unfortunately the fact that one of the choices is, you know, an egg kind of murks that original intent for the audience. This episode really is carried by that last scene and 12 and Clara's relationship. One of the messiest, emotionally-driven and downright interesting dynamics between a doctor and companion
Oswin
2023-03-15 10:49:04 +0000 UTCI like this episode a lot more than most of the fan base. Obviously the scene in the tardis at the end does a lot of the heavy lifting and Jenna’s performance in this episode is outstanding. The episode would be significantly better without Courtney though. She is a very 2D and I don’t know any 15 would behave like her. She was an ok small comic character in the last episode but she has no place in this episode. Lots of people’s problem with the episode, aside from Courtney, is they find the moon/egg thing too ridiculous but I would agree with you equally ridiculous things have happed on who and the stakes feel real to me. The doctor was definitely disappointed in the human reaction to the conundrum and he felt the need to prove to himself that Clara was different and would make the ‘right’ or more compassionate choice. He is obviously very short-sighted and selfish in his way of doing this and doesn’t really think about how the weight of the decision, the kind of decisions which the has to make all the time on her. The thing I love about their relationship is how most of the time they feel like equals and similar they are in many ways but the doctors failing is not seeing how she would handle the situation differently. As for what the episode might or might not have been trying to say about abortion, I don’t know. Probably best to think they were not trying to make any direct comparisons as if they were it was terribly done. Not a perfect episode but some great character moments. You correct about it being a divisive episode. The next episode however is almost universally beloved so I can’t wait.
Carys Barnes
2023-03-11 17:25:33 +0000 UTCyeah after watching I really don't know how I feel about this episode lol
Louis
2023-03-11 10:37:03 +0000 UTCI'll watch in a bit but i remember my opinion on this episode is that it struggled delivering the intended message, but the scene of the doctor and clara in the tardis near the end is really great
Louis
2023-03-11 07:56:40 +0000 UTCIt's been a long time since I've found a reactor I've enjoyed watching DW with, one who really understands all the nuance and appreciates all the characters motivations. Just wanted to say I am really enjoying watching the Capaldi/ Coleman era with you. Thank you ♡
Belinda
2023-03-11 05:36:40 +0000 UTCDon't comment a lot on the Dr. Who episodes but just want to say thanks for watching this series. The Capaldi and Coleman chemistry is incredible. Also definitely agree with you about Courtney.
Jak
2023-03-11 04:28:26 +0000 UTCsame
Cas_nc12
2023-03-11 04:21:54 +0000 UTCThanks! [[My mini-review for "Listen" ended up being not-so-mini, and I felt guilty continuing without saying anything so I fell behind in these reactions but am gonna catch up today and revisit my thoughts on the episodes.]] This one is an interesting one for sure. The whole premise is silly and it's riddled with plot holes... But the last few scenes in it, man. The acting, the writing. Without it I would probably skip this episode on a rewatch, but with the ending and especially *that* argument, it somehow cemented itself as memorable to me. Excited to see what you think.
tom
2023-03-11 04:13:00 +0000 UTC
