“How would you like being the first woman on the Moon?” the
Doctor tells realistic schoolgirl Courtney, and with that we’re taken into this
week’s adventure which definitely gives you something to think about.
The episode promises Aliens but gives us a discussion on murder, or even abortion. The Ark in Space stuff is almost window
dressing - admittedly the best looking window dressing we’ve had in years, as
the volcanic Moon landscape being awe inspiring. Filming in bright rocky Lanzarote
rather than a quarry or sandpit was a great choice, as is the muted grey/orange
colour scheme. And it’s not just the visuals that are gorgeous, the direction
overall is strong and the tone is tight. There’s mystery, there’s some proper scares
from the ‘spiders’ and cobwebbed corridors (textbook creepiness), there’s funny
lines too - but the episode, and the plot, is centred on the decision whether
or not to ‘Kill the Moon’ rather than the visuals.
It’s not every day that the series goes all philosophical,
though there are examples in recent years - The
Beast Below had a similar, if less bleak, scenario, and The Waters of Mars featured another
pioneering but doomed space crew. But this feels genuinely new territory for
the show in a similar way as Listen,
perhaps because it’s written (superbly) by a new writer to the show, Peter
Harness. The default setting this series is ‘deep’: every episode has big
running themes in the background, complex main characters (plural), nuanced
motivation and grey areas, even more pronounced than in Moffat’s earlier Who.
These are big, brave questions (do they have the right?) that sci-fi can do so
well, and this one sticks in the mind.
And especially brave is that it’s an episode that didn’t
present one clear view for us to root for - not even Clara was sure of the
correct decision. Admittedly I wanted to see more of the ‘spiders’, certainly
more of the threat that this creature apparently posed, more than a hologram
and a description of life back on Earth. But all it needed from the other
viewpoint in the end was the understated bleakness of the scene of Earth reacting
to Clara’s impassioned speech by switching off their lights, by wanting to kill
the thing that is killing them. It seemed a very realistic view of a future
Earth (though a bit unfair for only the half of the world that’s in darkness to
be able to vote, no?), if lacking in humanity. It’s a trait also evident in
Hermione Norris’s quietly strong performance as the suicide-mission leader (she
looked natural in a spacesuit to me, or maybe I’m just remembering Outcasts), and
of course the Doctor.
He’s adopted a policy of not caring, and still remains an
unknowable rather than truly unpredictable figure, a walker in eternity and
above humans, whether they’re astronauts, scientists, schoolteachers or
children. It’s bringing the character’s more alien traits to the forefront, but
with the benefit of strong writing and acting that makes it more interesting
than ever. And again, what the Doctor knows and decides to tell us affects the
story (the dilemma changing to killing a living creature rather than a lump of
rock), a bit like the problems in Listen, in Time Heist, and his reluctance to
share information in The Caretaker.
Which means Clara’s exit at the end of this episode comes
more out of the blue, this episode being the final straw after similar dangers
in a series where some viewers have questioned why she kept travelling with
this new Doctor. It’s written as cleverly and as complex as the rest of the
episode: it’s the Doctor’s automatic faith in her to be the best of humanity
that is pushing her away. Clara’s grown into a fully rounded, flawed character
and perversely that means that she isn’t ‘companion material’ any more, unlike
many of her predecessors that apparently put up with it. She’s not special.
Jenna Coleman sells this change for us perfectly - I’m sure
everybody else must have teared up from seeing her and the Doctor’s reactions -
and she’s more downbeat earlier in the episode too, with Courtney getting most
of the quirky lines. It’s a natural performance of someone who isn’t
comfortable with travelling with the Doctor, and this time she’s being pushed
too far. Her scene with Danny Pink at the end is glorious (so reassuring to see
him again, especially back to nice accepting mode) though painful for her. To
use Tegan’s words, “it’s stopped being fun”.
But isn’t that a downside to this episode of Doctor Who, a
lack of fun? There’s the dry coldness of the setup (more manufactured than most
- it’s a big sell that we’re rushed into very quickly at the beginning) and a
general lack of humanity as well as a lack of action. Certainly very little has
changed physically by the ending - Clara cleverly second guesses the idea that
they can’t destroy the Moon, but in the end, it’s still there - is that an
anticlimax? The Doctor’s speech and the scenes at the end help cover up the
lack of impact on the rest of the world or other characters, but the story only
really affects Clara - and even that’s down to what the Doctor didn’t tell her
rather than the scenario itself.
And even in the less philosophical episodes like The
Caretaker, there’s been a huge increase on sniping between the main characters,
which isn’t to everyone’s taste. After the previous episode, splitting the
Doctor and Clara up at the end here in a complex fashion feels like it wants
the audience to pick a side: is Clara being selfish, or is the Doctor? Viewers
can all too easily fall into the trap of disliking the main character or the
hero, and then it can be not so fun anymore, even if it is interesting to
watch.
That is, unless viewers (and reviewers!) simply accept that
this new show is ambiguous - science fiction and fantasy with gloriously deep
drama, telly that you can get out of it whatever you want, depending on how
much you want to analyse it. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but I think
it’s a bold, certain step for probably the most analysed show ever. A series
that can have Time Heist, The Caretaker and Kill the Moon one after another - mad
ideas, character drama, action and scares and food for thought, and always
always craziness - it’s why we love Doctor Who.
Because next week: killer mummy - in space!
many thanks to
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