Doctor Who - Series 6

Continuing our look back at Doctor Who, it's time to cast an eye over the second half of Moffat's best season.


Let's Kill Hitler: Oh come on, like you were really going to do it.  We all seen that title at the cliffhanger of the last episode, we knew there was no way you'd actually go through with it.  So putting that somewhat pointless fakeout aside, we open with a rather elegantly done retcon, writing the pond's friend Melody into the story.  Of course, if you want to be charitable, she is a time traveller, this is probably an example of time being in flux.  So here we see River Song at the earliest point in her timeline and she is on top form (i've never fully understood the River hatred so many fans seem to have)  For me, the character justifies her entire existence with her "I was on the way to gay disabled bar mitzvah" line.  Not a standout episode, the tesselecta is somewhat wasted, but a strong enough opening to the second half.

Night Terrors: Moving away from the ongoing plot, we see an episode that could easily have been a highlight from the Davies era, particularly with it's working class tower block setting, which instantly remind of the settings often explored with Rose.  While it has it's flaws, the monsters are a touch cliche, its twists work excellently, with "Clare can't have kids!" being one of the most shocking twists in the shows history.

The Girl Who Waited: A good episode, but one I was constantly wishing was better.  Karen Gillan acts her ass off here as both young and old Amy and I do love when the show emphasises Amy and Rory's romance.  Here we also see more of Moffat's own attempts to question the character of the Doctor, something that I think more DW writers go through.  Here we see The Doctor's companions as they come up hard against the less nice aspects of his character.  "The Doctor Lies" is a much colder, cruller fact here.  The risks that he puts his companion through are put in stark relief here.

The God Complex: While not part of the overarching narrative, in terms of the doctors character development, this might be the most important episode of this half of the season.  It's a stonker too, creepy as hell, with an aesthetic that's half house of leaves and half the shining and a minotaur that manages to look truly awesome.  Even that twat from Little Britain is great.  It all comes to a head with the doctor having to tear himself down in Amy's eyes.  While Davies was always concerned with what would happen if the Doctor's power ever went to his head, Moffat (who previously delighted in portraying the character as a fairy tale) takes that apart and asks, What kind of old man would want to sweep a young girl off like he does?

Closing Time: A breather before the end, this sees Craig from the Lodger make a return as a now beleagured dad.  We see the Doctor trying to forestall his death by paying a rare social call, which inevitably becomes tied up in a cyberman adventure.  It moves at a breezy pace and offers a dose of simplistic fun before we come to the finale, without ever letting the shadow of the stories ongoing narrative fade.

The Wedding Of River Song: So we come back to where we started, Lake Silencio.  The Doctor dies at the hands of the girl we now know is River Song.  Except he doesn't.  River averts it, and history melts for the defiance of a fixed point in time.  We see a return of Churchill and some stunning visuals.  But ultimately this episode is a touch disappointing.  Sometimes the show suffers from having to fit too much in its forty minute runtime, and that definitely crops up here.  But still, overall, it's good.

Overall then, this has been the strongest season of New Who.  Though we still have numerous unresolved plot threads, the fact is that this season succeeds on the simple high quality of it's episodes.  The Doctors Wife, The God Complex and others are all highlights of the show.  Next time, we wind back to the start of Moffat's career as show runner.

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