My Review of Doctor Who's 6x02: "Day Of The Moon"

Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Toby Haynes

The Doctor: “You know what they say – there’s a first time for everything.”
River: “And a last time.”

I thought last week’s episode was a head trip but this episode was even more trippy than the first one and watching it three times was needed for me before I decided to write a review for it. Where do I begin?

Well, there was the cliff hanger for a start from last week. Not only was Amy a bad shot but for the first five minutes of this episode, we were under the horrible impression that Canton turned villain as he gunned down Amy and Rory, drove River off a building and imprisoned the Doctor in something that looked like the Pandorica Mark 2. Fortunately looks aren’t everything.

Mark Sheppard usually plays villains in most things he appears in but Canton was still on the TARDIS team’s side for this one. How nice was it that he was in on the Doctor and company’s attempts of fooling the Silence than being duped himself. Even more nice when he later used Amy’s video phone to help bring the Silence’s downfall in this episode too.

And because of that, it’s actually a pity that we probably won’t be seeing for a while yet but as a temporary companion of sorts, he was wonderful in his scenes with the gang. I definitely got why the Doctor sent both Canton and Amy to check out Graystark Hall when they were investigating the little girl as well.

Creepy children’s homes aren’t exactly new territory but this episode certainly used them effectively. The completely brain zapped Dr Renfrew and the mysterious Eye Patch lady aside, I have to give credit to the cat and mouse antics with the Silence in relation to Amy during those scenes. They could’ve snatched her at any time but waited until she interacted with the girl in the space suit before doing it.

Two episodes in and the Silence managed to retain their overall creepiness nicely. Their perversion with memories was one thing but it still intrigues me as to why they’ve kept the gang alive. Even Canton didn’t have his life threatened in this one, apart from the flashbacks at the start of the episode.

In particular, never mind the little girl for a minute – what’s so special about Amy? She’s encountered them more than anyone on screen and they didn’t kill her. Sure they kept her hostage but even before the Doctor could bring out their downfall, they still didn’t kill Amy. That has to mean something because it’s too important not to.

They did however have zero problems in trying to attack the Doctor, Rory and River after a little message played alongside the Moon landing made everyone on Earth consciously aware of them. Now that was definitely a clever way of dealing with the Silence but given the build up that’s been surrounding them for the past year, I doubt they’re actually defeated – more neutralised for the time being.

The most funny however during the gang’s rescue of Amy was the flirtatious banter between the Doctor and River. You gotta love Matt Smith and Alex Kingston because they really are selling this rather tragic love story (or whatever it is) dynamic between their characters and while the Doctor’s lighter approach towards guns might have seemed a little out of character, what else was River going to do? The Silence weren’t exactly going to go quietly, were they?

However, flirty banter aside the real tragedy of the Doctor and River is that their relationship is playing backwards and one will always know less than the other and that sucks for them. River’s heartbreak when the Doctor revealed that he didn’t know their relationship extended to kissing certainly knocked the wind out of her sails but there’s more than that.

River let slip last week about being an impressionable girl when the Doctor first met her and then there was a comment she made about her old fella being cross when Rory stepped out of the TARDIS. Is River really going to be revealed as the daughter of Amy and Rory? This episode kind of suggested the possibility.

And then there’s the little regenerating at the end. I like spoilers but I wish I hadn’t actually known about that. Also, until I get further evidence, I think that girl is going to end up being revealed as River, which also ties into Amy’s unconfirmed pregnancy, the picture she found in the children’s home with her and a newborn and her own fears about having a time head.

River doesn’t necessarily have to be a Time Lord but it has been suggested that the TARDIS could be affecting Amy’s pregnancy as well, which I could buy into seeing as there’s always been something off with Amy anyways, so it wouldn’t be that implausible, would it? Still, the bigger question also should be how long we have to wait before Amy and Rory realise they actually are going to become parents after all?

Speaking of Rory, Arthur Darvill really went through a gamut in this episode too. His fears over losing Amy first to the Silence and then mistaking her confession of love to be for the Doctor did make me feel for the guy. Thankfully though, Amy was actually professing her love for Rory and not the Doctor – though he’s always going to have a place in Amy’s heart and basically if you’re an Amy/Rory fan, this episode will be a pleaser for you and there was confirmation on what Rory remembers from being a Centurion.

Also in “Day Of The Moon”

No tribute for Nicholas Courtney? Ah, come on; pay the man his respects already.

Amy: “Is that a body bag?”
Canton: “Yes it is.”
Amy: “It’s empty.”
Canton: “How about that?”

This year’s Confidential is being narrated by Midshipman Frame himself, Russell Tovey. He also narrated the one for “A Christmas Carol” too.

River (re the Silence): “They’re here, Canton. They’re everywhere.”
Canton: “I know. America’s being invaded.”
River: “You were invaded a long time ago. America is occupied.”

The Doctor: “You okay?”
Amy: “All better.”
The Doctor: “Better?”
Amy: “Turns out I was wrong. I’m not pregnant.”

That mysterious Eye Patch Lady will be returning later in the season. She’s definitely not someone we’ve seen the last of.

The Doctor (to Amy/Rory/River/Canton): “We’re not fighting an alien invasion. We’re leading a revolution.”

Rory (to Gardner/Grant): “America salutes you.”

While Rory got to rock a suit quite nicely, poor River got a somewhat frumpier outfit during those scenes. Amy’s businesswoman attire wouldn’t look out of place on The Apprentice though.

Canton: “You invaded us, you’re everywhere. Are you armed?”
Silence: “This world is ours. We have ruled since the wheel and the fire. We have no need for weapons.”
Canton: “Yeah, welcome to America.”

The Doctor (re Amy): “She can’t hear you. I’m sorry, it’s all my ....”
Rory: “She can always hear me, Doctor, always. Wherever she is and she always knows that I am coming for her. Do you understand me? Always.”

The BBC released a prequel for the next episode, “The Curse Of The Black Spot” after this one had finished airing.

Rory: “Rome fell.”
The Doctor: “I know. I was there.”
Rory: “So was I.”

Silence: “You’re Amelia Pond.”
Amy: “You’re ugly. Has anyone ever mentioned that to you?”

Canton confirmed that he was both gay and wanted to marry a black man. Nixon lost points for denying Canton’s request.

The Doctor (to the Silence): “Look at me, I’m confident. You wanna watch that – me when I’m confident.”

River: “I hope my old fella didn’t see that, he gets ever so cross.”

The TARDIS scanner was unable to confirm or deny Amy’s pregnancy but why did the Doctor scan her without her knowledge? Bad move, Doctor.

The Doctor: “Have I forgotten something?”
River: “Oh, shut up.”
The Doctor (after being kissed): “Right. Okay. Interesting.”
River: “What’s wrong with you? You’re acting like we’ve never done that before.”

Little Girl (to homeless guy): “It’s alright. It’s quite alright. I’m dying but I can fix that. It’s easy, really. See?”

Chronology: This episode was mostly set in July 1969, three months after “The Impossible Astronaut”.

“Day Of The Moon” certainly managed to be quite the rollercoaster ride, didn’t it? I think the regeneration at the end was the most discussion worthy part of the episode but overall, what the hell does Steven Moffat have planned next?

Rating: 10 out of 10