The Review Revue & Other Headscratchings

The first part of an unfinished (and probably forever) series of reviews that was meant to delve into the core of Series 6, at least the second half of the season.

Short Review:

 

Long(ish) Review:

 A great start to the second part to Series 6 (the second outing of actor Matt Smith and writer Steven Moffatt) and I am very happy with the turnout, especially after the rather lackluster half that preceded it. Well, save for one amazing episode by Neil Gaiman.

Plot synopsis: Doc meets up with Amy and Rory, the couple’s friend hijacks the TARDIS and sends them back in time to kill Hitler. Little do they know that someone else has the same idea.

I think this is a real fun idea for the series; one thing I love about Moffatt’s writing is that when he writes a story that centres around time travel, he doesn’t fuck around. Especially after 4 seasons of Russell T. Davies having rather linear plots despite the show’s theme, it’s a refreshing break from ‘monster of the day’ antics and into a grander adventure revolving around a much larger overarching plot. I can see The Silence being the new series’ Key To Time, but time will tell if he pulls it off.

What I don’t inherently enjoy, however, is the lack of focus in this episode. During the first 20 minutes it was all about fucking with history, which I am all over. Especially when it dabbles in Hitler’s Time Travel Exemption Act, a recurring theme throughout many tales that incorporate any kind of temporal fuckery. But then they lock him in a cupboard and move on to… 

…well, I’ll let you see it for yourself.

Said overarching plot enters stage right and keeps the spotlight for the rest of the episode, much to my disappointment. I think that the shift could have been much more expertly handled; Hitler never makes an appearance after the halfway point of the episode and he’s got the episode title to himself. I feel like I’ve been conned.

I also think Amy and Rory’s friend could have been introduced earlier, because I for one would have flipped the fuck out as the twists and turns begin to settle in. It wouldn’t have been hard to introduce her either; just have her as a secondary character like Rose’s Mum or Wilfred.

…or even Rory, pre-Vampires in Venice.

Other than that, I loved the episode. It was brilliantly shot, the special effects were good enough to take it seriously, but corny enough to say ‘you’re still watching Doctor Fucking Who’. The twists were cool, and a single line pertaining to The Silence has made my day. And while I don’t really feel the chemistry between Amy and Rory (the latter of which I am growing really fond of, the former is still insanely hot I guess), Matt Smith is very quickly becoming my favourite of the new Doctors. And I loved Eccleston’s performance in Season 1.

Long story short, Let’s Kill Hitler has its problems but they can be easily overlooked. It’s very classic Who; serious enough to keep you on your toes but silly enough to keep it fun. And what more could you ask for? I’m eagerly awaiting the coming series, especially considering the next one is Mark Gatiss’ phone-in for this season: Night Terrors.

It’s just a shame I live in the land of Oz. The poms never cease to remind us that we’re living on Prison Island so I have to do with pirated torrents of episodes to get my fix.

The power in my house is probably going to short out again soon; I swear I’ve written this damn piece 5 fucking times in the past 2 days. I’ll be back soon with more shit to spam your dashboard with (and hopefully a fusebox that works).