Doctor Who - Kill the Moon (A Month of October - October 5)

[byslantedlight]

Kill the Moon might be my least favourite episode so far, although it's apparently got rave reviews everywhere else (okay, not from certain people on my flist... *g*) I liked the idea of it, and it should have been good, but I didn't like:

- the whole Courtney dilemma at the start, which didn't resolve into anything. Is she a rebellious schoolgirl or isn't she? The Doctor took her into space and then brought her back and she's playing up - brilliant - but the answer can't possibly be, as Clara seems to think, just to tell her she's special after all. That's not going to solve the problem of being motion-sick when you're travelling in time and space, cos how humiliating is that? That no one else (as far as you know) has travelled in time and space before, and you're so rubbish that you get sick when you try it? I much prefer the Doctor's solution, which is to take her back up and give her something to be special for. But that said, I don't really believe that any kid, no matter how scared by a giant bacteria-spider, would resort to playing on her phone if she's been painted to be as "bad" as Courtney's supposed to be. Also there's a reality-gap - how in the world have Courtney and Clara been interacting at school?It would be a discipline-disaster! So in the end I don't believe in Courtney...

- the incompetent British astronauts. Cos... what? We've been here before, we know there are competent British astronauts (okay, they specified 2049 which isn't far off, but I still can't believe they're that incompetent. Did you know that the space industry is the one actually really booming industry in the UK? And globally? Employing increasing numbers of people, not fewer and forgotten...) And why were they talking about NASA rather than ESA, if they were Brits? And how in the world did the first bloke to be killed ever qualify for the mission if he didn't know how to prime the bombs they were sent up to use? No, just... couldn't buy it. Granted it didn't help that the leader of the astronauts will always be Karen from Coldfeet, for me... *g*

- of course the world voted to kill the alien, it was by far the most practical decision to make, and humans are often stupid, but again not that stupid... Yes, they're stupid enough to kill aliens before even trying to talk to them or ask why they're here in many other episodes, but if it's a question of relatively certain death, according to local knowledge (no tides, already huge disasters and death from that, every other thing humans rely on being affected and the world presumably being devastated because the moon's no longer there) or else survival if one creature is killed, then it's no surprise they all turned off their lights. And I hate that the best reason for not killing it that Clara and Courtney could come up with was "awww, but it's a baaaaybyyyy"... Not good enough! All lives are innocent! What, as Karen the astronaut asked, about the thousands of other babies being born on Earth who would all die through letting this one live? I don't mind at all that the Doctor had inside knowledge that this wouldn't happen - but I do mind that the feted decision was made on something so much more sickly-sentimental and illogical. And it really bugged me that we had a cast of women, and what was their big decision? A decision about a baby.

- I quite liked the Doctor swanning off to see what decision Clara and the world would make - it sort of fits his uncertain am-I-a-good-man? persona (and I don't think it's the first time he's done it, though don't ask me when... *g*). He's interfered in the Earth for so long, and he's been so unsure about being god-like in his recent incarnations, that I like him being rather erratic and spiky and so on this time. I even like that he got it wrong, and that humans weren't ready to be left to such a big decision - despite (or maybe because) of their lack of knowledge. It even made sense that Clara was cross about it, but she's such a madam and a princess about things that I want to smack her... Cos it goes the other way too - she doesn't know the Doctor well enough to react that way, to distrust his motives so much, or to call him patronising. She should know him by now (and he can be patronising!), but she's always so focussed on herself, that I can quite see why she doesn't. She seems to have no curiosity about time or space or anything outside of her own tiny world. Which doesn't make her interesting to me, because the Doctor's doesn't seem to be sorting her out, he seems to be going along with it, and I do wish he wouldn't!

- And then happily-ever-after we get another moon after all. Which... just... no, too pat. It might have been fun if it turned out that we got two new moons - or even three or four - but just replacing it seemed too easy. Presumably we'll get our tides back now, and uncover all the cities that were wiped out... well, except that they'd still be wiped out.

- and there was other stuff too, because it just didn't seem to hang properly together this time (and again it should have been much longer, for the story - I've not thought that over the last couple of seasons, but I'm thinking it this season...)

So... I shall hope for better things next ep!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I was in two minds about this one. The good Doctor actually looked younger and more energetic; but he also seemed to have taken on a more background role as if to showcase Clara and co. Then we take a leap from spiders spiralling out of control to some strange bird-like[?] creature that erupts from the moon like a phoenix, only to have another moon 'magic' itself back to replace the old one - just like that.. oh I dunno! I feel like I went to the loo and missed a substantial piece of the story line; never mind the character development = it felt too rushed, bits cut out. Like they were trying to condense too much action, drama whatever in too short a space of time. About the only thing that looked spot-on was the clock at the start counting down the 45 minutes of action.[lol]. I really am beginning to miss the old cliffhanger episodes where more exploration of people and plots was permitted. I guess budget constraints play a big part [sighs]...Kiashi

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I feel like I went to the loo and missed a substantial piece of the story line
Yes, that was how I felt for a lot of it! Bits seemed to skip somehow. Interestingly, I read somewhere when I was glancing at other reviews that this story was actually written for Matt Smith's Doctor, so it's funny you should say he seemed younger! I didn't have a particular problem with the character development in this one (except for Courtney, but even that was more that it seemed contradictory to other things we were told about her), I don't think, it was more that the story itself felt rushed and as if we kept missing bits of it that would mean it made better sense. Even the focus on Clara didn't bother me too much, because it was on Clara's interaction with the Doctor, and it's not as though we've not had similar eps with the other Doctors. But... yeah, I liked the older, longer cliffhanger-episode stories too! *g*

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah I thought young Courtney's character was rather lacking in ... character as well. I guess I was kind of expecting [hoping] to see shades of take on all comers - Rose to some degree. I wanted to see her play up a bit, question and demand answers rather than sitting quietly in a corner playing on her phone. Not so sure about the dynamics between her and Clara either as teacher and student..hmm. I guess we can interpret the Doctor as we see fit. You and so many other Pros writers have a good enough understanding of the 'flavour' of that show to be able to write excellent fiction based on what you've watched and a genuine love of the characters; so maybe that is all DW needs too - a little more love.

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

I was mainly sad to see Tony Osoba of Pros (and other!) fame as random, not-very-inspiring astronaut who then got eaten by a spider :( I liked the look of the ep though - the cinematography and colour. Putting myself into the shoes of a younger watcher who hasn't seen a billionty DW eps I thought visually and atmosphere-wise the bacterial spidery things were quite scary. Capaldi was good, but I think I'd like his doctor to move on a bit now, not be so... I dunno, dislocated from humanity, or from his humanity whatever it is. Really hated the whole baby/right to life thing, and that Clara ended up being more wonderful than the whole population of the earth. And what about all the people who didn't get to their lights, or didn't have any lights... Ha! I wasn't too distracted during it though, so I think I enjoyed it overall more than most of what's come before. All of which has to be said in the context of my not really knowing the whole DW world and backstory very well. I can appreciate that for more loyal and long-lasting fans there are... difficulties!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm rubbish, I didn't recognise Handsome Man at all! And it does look like him! I never do recognise people though - Peter Capaldi could probably stand in front of me to buy coffee and have a chat with me about the weather, and I wouldn't cotton on that I knew him from telly... *g*

I'm definitely not a loyal and long-lasting fan (except that I totally am, but not to remember everything and analyse it the way fans do), and I'm always aware that DW is for younger newer people than me these days, but... I think I would have liked it more if they hadn't thrown me with the Courtney thing to start with (and ha - I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was what's up with my current housemate, someone's told her she's special once too often... /totally-off-topic... *g*), and then the whole baby/right to life thing, and yeah, I wondered what about people who didn't have lights, or weren't watching telly at the right moment for the broadcast, or who didn't have telly or the internet (even in 2049...) or were on the other side of the world so were asleep, or it was light on their side of the world so Clara wouldn't have been able to see, or... yeah. I dunno. I think there's lots of things I'd've forgiven more easily if they'd come one at a time, too, but female cast wasted on stereotyping baby-plot kind of grumped it for me once and for all... which I think I would have thought even if I'd been watching it for the first time - bloody 'ell the women have been given babies to talk about again...isn't that one supposed to be an astronaut...? *g*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Oh, it was awful, wasn't it? Contrived conflict right from the word go and a dilemma manufactured not for the sake of this story but to push Clara over the edge (- h, and surprise surprise, it happened just the week after Danny dropped the anvil, warning her it would happen. Horrible characterisation, even more horrible character dynamics. I don't believe in any of these people - they are all merely devices to get the Seasonal Plot where it is supposed to be going, with no reasoned logic or consistency driving their actions or reactions whatsoever.

And the thing is, on paper it sounds reasonable enough - a brave choice, perhaps, but it should be interesting and something new to see a companion who doesn't cope with regeneration and rejects the new Doctor afterward. But the way it's played out has been awful, sidelining the Doctor in his own show - for the story to work, we need to see both sides. Especially if Clara is leaving anyway! We need to engage with the Doctor, 'cause he's the one we'll be sticking around for! Bah humbug. I really hate what Steven Moffat has done to this show. I know he's winning massive viewing figures and gaining popularity, but he's doing it at the expense of decent storytelling!

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Four thumbs down in this house. Lack of logic, silly storytelling, and yes - all that baaaaybyyyy nonsense. And is the show about the Doctor or Clara now? I don't think I've seen more egregious Companion worship since... since ever. And I wanted to continue to like Clara, which I'd got into the way of doing, but this was ridiculous.