Note: Doctor Who TV’s pre-air reviews aim to be as detail-free as we reasonably can while still offering a critique, but as everyone’s spoiler sensibilities are different, we advise you read on at your own discretion.

After last week’s frothier diversion, we’re now heading into the second half of Series 8 and Kill the Moon kicks off things with a bang. The story sees the Doctor, Clara and TARDIS newbie Courtney heading into space and crash landing on the moon in the year 2049. There they meet a small team of astronauts who are preparing to nuke it from orbit (it’s the only way to be sure), because it now inexplicably poses a major threat to Earth.

The first episode of Series 8 to be written by new blood, Peter Harness’ debut is superb and the clear highlight of the series so far. Whilst Listen was concerned more with examining psychological horror and themes, Kill the Moon is very much your traditional monster creeping about in the dark. In this case it’s spider-like creatures that mask a big reveal. For its opening half at least the story feels very much like something out of the Classic era. Indeed Moffat’s hilarious brief to “Hinchcliffe the s**t of out it” seems apparent. If you’re going to draw Hollywood influences there’s a fair bit of Alien/Aliens in here as well.

Kill the Moon may be the darkest story of the run yet, but that isn’t just because of the scares and monsters. While the episode might appear to be the classic ‘base under siege’ story on the surface, at the heart of it lies a huge moral dilemma. The type of dilemma that questions humankind’s very nature and makes you think ‘what would I do?’ There are no easy answers. This has some major implications for Clara and her relationship with the Doctor. Repercussions that will surely be felt for the rest of the series. With the clock literally ticking the suspense is upped considerably and you’ll be itching to see how things are resolved.

As you might expect an episode posing tough questions draws out some excellent acting from our lead characters. Capaldi’s Doctor has been anything but predictable and his actions here are certainly the most questionable yet, to say the least. This may be Capaldi’s own ‘Time Lord Victorious’ moment. That’s not to suggest his actions are a repeat of that, just in terms of seeing the Doctor acting in a way we really don’t expect. Twelve may not always be likable but you can’t fault Capaldi’s powerful presence and overall performance. He is certainly keeping fans on their toes.

Jenna Coleman gets her weightiest material of the run and she absolutely delivers. This is easily her best acting in a series already full of great acting. Believe us when we say topping this will be no easy task. On the flip side, those feeling the character has been taking up too much of the limelight this series will see not much change on that front.

Leading the guest cast this week is Hermione Norris as Lundvik. She is fantastic as the captain of the doomed astronauts, someone who is forced to question her own actions. Ellis George’s Courtney also gets her first full adventure in the TARDIS this week. A couple of her lines are a bit corny but she is actually an endearing character and fits in well. Anyone fearing another case of Angie Maitland can rest easy.

This episode has a wide ambition with almost all of the story taking place on the Moon. New to Who director Paul Wilmshurst makes the most of the creepy setting and the Lanzarote vistas have certainly been put to good use. While some of the CGI is hit and miss, considering the TV budget, it’s hugely impressive the scope that has been achieved. This is TV sci-fi done well. It’s all held together by a wonderfully atmospheric score by Murray Gold.

To conclude, this is a fantastic episode and something to really savour. Dark, creepy, tense, emotional, with amazing acting all round and a kicker of an ending. What more could you want from Doctor Who?

Doctor Who TV Verdict: 10/10

