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The year is 2049 and earth is trouble, big trouble, huge in fact! What should have been a quick trip to the moon to satisfy the curiosity of wayward Cole Hill pupil Courtney Woods ends up becoming a morality tale, the likes of which haven’t ever been explored before in the show. Technically this is standalone episode (although I can’t see many calling it simply ‘filler’) and I think it will throw up some interesting conversations and viewpoints once it’s been seen. It’s an ambitious story in many ways; some of the questions it poses are deep and will have major, and lasting, consequences - both for the characters on the moon and the rest of mankind.
Peter Harness' brief from Moffat was to “Hinchliffe the sh*t out of it for the first half” of his debut script, and he does so marvellously. If you are even slightly spooked by thoughts of spiders jumping out at you abruptly, or have fears of oversized scuttling insects chasing you around the room, then this one is going to get your adrenaline pumping. However, much like last week’s Skovox Blitzer, there’s a lot more drama to be had from the story than just the Monster of the Week, so if you’re not the kind of person to be too perturbed by the huge fricking Alienesque Facehugger-like spiders then you’re still in for some pretty chilling stuff. I will say that parts of the huge dilemma they face could be a little contentious in nature, and maybe wrapped up a little too conveniently for some, but it’s worth suspending your disbelief that little bit further than you perhaps normally would in order to enjoy what is an exceptional piece of television.
Both Capaldi and Coleman are on top form, Jenna in particular giving us her best performance to date towards the end of the episode, it’s going to be hard to top the emotion and intensity she puts into this one. Ellis George too is very entertaining as Courtney, and effortlessly breaks the curse of irritating youngster on board the TARDIS that has dogged the show in the recent past. Hermione Norris plays the cynical and brusque captain that leads the small ragtag crew of redshirts on board the shuttle. She’s on a suicidal mission from an earth that’s been hit by strange phenomenon so it’s no surprise that at times she’s vying with the Doctor for grumpiest person to ever set foot on the moon, but there is a softer side to her too.
Kill the Moon airs on Saturday 4th October at 8.30pm on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD in the UK, and at 9pm on BBC America. Below are a few dialogue teasers to see you through until then. Don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after the episode and let us know what you thought.
"You really think it? I’m nothing, I’m not special?"
"There’s no water on the moon"
"My granny used to put things on Tumblr"
"You’ll have to spend a lot of time shooting me, cos I keep regenerating"
"I have a duty of care ok, you know what that is?"
"There are some moments in time that I simply can’t see"
"Don’t you ever tell me to mind my language!"
"Pretty much all the satellites had been wacked out of orbit, they managed to send back some..screams"
"When did you get to become so wise?"
"She took your psychic paper, she’s been using it as fake ID!"
Trailer Teaser
"Can we get a new expert?"
Sneak Peek
About the Author - Sandi
Sandi is part of the Senior Staff at SpoilerTV having been a contributor from back in the Lost days of DarkUFO, and who now writes previews for Banshee, The Musketeers, Atlantis, and other BBC shows. She also enjoys watching and commenting on other shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Hannibal, Game of Thrones and Elementary.
