8X07 "Kill The Moon" (Grading/Discussion)(SPOILERS!)

[MarsWeeps]

I think this was the best Capaldi episode yet. Clara was great, we see a different side of her and I think this episode probably planted the seed for her exit as companion.

 

[Relayer1]

The creature was growing, hence the moons mass was increasing ? Where did the 'extra' mass come from ? If the creature was metabolising the moon, the combined mass should still be pretty constant.

And wouldn't the discarded shell after hatching have reformed into a small moon under it's own gravitational pull ?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I'm confused?

Let the Alien Life Form Hatch out of the moon, Moon Gone, Earth Orbit/Gravity fucked up, and devastation occurs.

Destroy the moon, before it hatches, and how is that any different than the loss of the moon to hatching?

Loved it aside from that, and I think Blind Self Preservation (War Hawks?) was well displayed in the episode

Well, they did explain it sorta. Nuke it and it'll be blown to pieces and ejected into space (for some reason). Then the moon would collapse in on itself and be restored to its original size.

I think a more accurate explanation would be that organic material would be vaporized and then the moon would be restored to its original size.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

The assumption that the whole world would vote democratically by turning off the lights was a bit naive (only half the wolrd being able to vote aside).
I'm pretty sure in the real world, it would have just been the select few controlling the power grids overriding the pro votes of the population.

 

[Captain Shaw]

Does anyone else think that Hermione Norris is a bit limited in her acting?

 

[Ultima Thule]

I've just started watching Doctor Who. I take it science is not a major consideration? Or was this unusual?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

No, science is not a major consideration (nor should it be.)

 

[diankra]

I've just started watching Doctor Who. I take it science is not a major consideration? Or was this unusual?

It varies from era to era, and circumstance to circumstance (they usually try - and often fail - to get present day or near future stuff right, while letting Tme Lord tech be indistinguishable from magic).
But even back when the series had an actual scientific advisor, stories he wrote had sub-FTL spaceships moving only while still under power (rather than continuing to move once accelerated until decelerated), and Earth's twin planet reappearing from nowhere with an hour's notice, and having no gravitational effects on us except for on spacecraft already in orbit... (Well, Kit Pedler was an ophthalmologist with an interest in bionics and computing, not an engineer or mathematician. Though he did build his own cars).

 

[SeerSGB]

All the complaining about the science in the episode: It's Doctor Who, the show's premise alone, more or less, chucked science out the window. On the list of sci-fi shows I watch and expect scientific [near] accuracy from, Doctor Who doesn't even make the list.

* Farfetched premise, but felt like a story from the classic era.
* Courtney wasn't to bad.
* I actually liked Danny in this episode. Much better written than last week.
* The Doctor telling them to make the choice was prefect. He actually thought was doing the respectful thing.

Not even the worst of the Classic era stories got the science this bad.

Really?

. Once the core is removed, they will replace it with a power system that will allow the Daleks to pilot the planet anywhere in the universe.

 

[davejames]

Found it a really gripping episode once the actual moral dilemma became clear and the debate began over what to do... but all the setup to get there felt awfully silly and contrived, even for DW. And throwing a bunch of giant alien spiders into the mix didn't exactly help with that.

Ultimately I found myself having to agree with Clara about the whole thing-- surely a revelation as huge and mindblowing as this would have come up in conversation before now, or been discovered in all their previous travels to Earth's future (and if not by Clara then by one of the previous companions).

Although I do give the writer props for seeing the idea through, and having Clara finally decide to let the moon be destroyed (even if the creature popping another one out immediately after was entirely too convenient).

The final argument between Clara and the Doctor was really powerful stuff as well. Even if the two do manage patch things up later on, it's becoming clearer and clearer that Coleman won't be staying with the show much longer.

 

[intrinsical]

I've just started watching Doctor Who. I take it science is not a major consideration? Or was this unusual?

Doctor Who often play fast and loose with science and history, often injecting fantastical elements. Especially during Russel T Davis's tenure, scientific accuracy was never a priority. Having said that, most stories do at least try to be internally consistent.

For me, this episode isn't quite that bad in internal consistency department. The baby hatchling clearly had some kind of the ability to teleport, or have parts of its body living in a higher dimensional, or some other funky-super-sciency explaination. If it can lay an egg of equal mass to itself, then in my book it can increase its own mass.

The worst science mistake in Kill The Moon was actually Clara polling the Earth by asking them to turn off the lights. Electric companies and government agencies who control the street lights are not the best people to answer the question "Should we kill the moon?".

 

[Lakenheath 72]

I haven't seen definitive proof that Jenna Coleman is leaving the show. I have read an article about this from a British news source, and the refusal of the lead thespians in confirming or denying it.

Verity Lambert believed the show was a space fantasy. This is how I perceive Doctor Who. So, for me, the science has been always loopy. The book series About Time has articles about the science of this show and how it reflects beliefs not current in science. One thing Doctor Who is not is Star Trek, especially the first series, which had a strong basis in science and inspired generations of scientists and engineers into emulating the technology introduced in this series.

I am an animal lover, so I loved that Clara saved the creature.

 

[Photoman15]

So this was a remake of "Water of Mars" and "The Beast Below"?

 

[Anachronus]

I think it can be said of Moffat these days, "Don't you think he looks tired."

 

[Relayer1]

* I actually liked Danny in this episode. Much better written than last week.

I disliked him slightly less, which isn't quite the same thing.

It's partly he's a badly drawn and written charcter, but largely because the actor is just so bloody awful...

 

[Alidar Jarok]

For me, this episode isn't quite that bad in internal consistency department. The baby hatchling clearly had some kind of the ability to teleport, or have parts of its body living in a higher dimensional, or some other funky-super-sciency explaination. If it can lay an egg of equal mass to itself, then in my book it can increase its own mass.

There are creatures born pregnant. At least that would explain the massive increase in mass (the creature was always there, but it didn't always have a mini-moon inside of itself). The delay probably could have been a little longer to really justify it, though.

 

[Jax]

The assumption that the whole world would vote democratically by turning off the lights was a bit naive (only half the wolrd being able to vote aside).

I hated that scene even by Doc Who standards, it was a little too stupid and childish.

 

[Venardhi]

Really felt like a rough draft. The implausibilities and impossibilities were a constant distraction and the characters consistently inconsistent.

The drama was good, but as a whole this was definitely one of the weakest episodes of the season and is the first time I've wished Clara would get on with leaving already.

 

[Relayer1]

even by Doc Who standards, it was a little too stupid and childish.

Sadly true.

Really felt like a rough draft. The implausibilities and impossibilities were a constant distraction and the characters consistently inconsistent.

The drama was good, but as a whole this was definitely one of the weakest episodes of the season and is the first time I've wished Clara would get on with leaving already.

Yes, but it sadly wasn't one of the weakest of the season - the first two episodes were actually worse.

I've stood up for Mofatt all along - his run has (imho) been far superior to RTD's, but it's time for him to go...

 

[Timewalker]

I've just started watching Doctor Who. I take it science is not a major consideration? Or was this unusual?

Doctor Who has had bad science before, but this time was exceptionally bad.

For me, this episode isn't quite that bad in internal consistency department. The baby hatchling clearly had some kind of the ability to teleport, or have parts of its body living in a higher dimensional, or some other funky-super-sciency explaination. If it can lay an egg of equal mass to itself, then in my book it can increase its own mass.

There are creatures born pregnant. At least that would explain the massive increase in mass (the creature was always there, but it didn't always have a mini-moon inside of itself). The delay probably could have been a little longer to really justify it, though.

Okay... then it's a mix of Doctor Who, The Trouble With Tribbles (alien creature born pregnant), Encounter at Farpoint (wiser, basically immortal alien gives ordinary Earth people a moral dilemma to solve and their future existence depends on this dilemma being solved in the last split second), add guest stars, toss in a blender, and this episode is what comes out?

So far this new season isn't worth the extra money I'm paying to access the Space Channel...