I'll be honest when the doctor dressed up in his suit with the top hat felt really out-of-the-blue and pointless. It just looked to me like a little kid playing dress up and sure I could say the Doctor can be like a kid, but it felt more cringy. He looked like someone thinking it was halloween in March and dressed up and looked silly compared to everyone else...
the entire episode needed to be axed too much overkill in it what needed to be done was just a simple follow up from the previous story a good man goes to war with the doctor searching for melody pond through time and space connecting the opening sequence from the impossible astronuat and renaming the episode silent running.
Have you seen Arc of Infinity? The State of Temporal Grace Circuit was said to have broken down. Nyssa was the one who pointed it out after fans complained about the Doctor shooting the crud out of the Cyberleader in Earthshock.
actually wepons do work in the tardis because in "the parting of ways" they "spawn" a dalek inside the tardis by landing on top of it and it fires it's blaster, in which Jack retaliates by shooting the Dalek... so maybe the pacification field (that was a fallout reference I don't know why they can't shoot in the TARDIS) doesn't work anymore.
great review by the way hoping to catch up on them.
@joshramsayscat1228 You clearly didn't watch my review. My problem wasn't that it was complicated. It's that the episode was over-stuffed so it couldn't possibly work. Also, there's no need for immature name calling.
@MrTARDISreviews i dont agree with with u. i fine this episode very enjoyable and was a great start to the second part of the season. another great episode is the doctors wife which is very funny and highly amusing. i believe your in the wrong in saying that these episodes were over stuffed.
I'd give it 3/10, and im not the only one sick of the river song story, they keep cheapening it. Also, their daughter and their best friend. Are they not in the slightest bothered that hes not only shagging their baby but also doing it infront of them
My personal Matt Smith moment was when he saves Hitler's life, but then fixes him with a steely glare and says 'I assure you, it was an accident.' That was AWESOME! Overall you reviewed this episode fairly. But can I ask you one thing: do you think you could watch the way you often refer to female characters you don't like as bitches? I'm finding it a bit offensive. :( Explain why they are unlikeable or poorly written characters instead. You're an objective reviewer, you're better than this.
I really think 'Let's Kill Hitler' was just a cool title to flash up at the end of the mid-series finale. Then they had to make an episode around it which involved not actually killing Hitler as we know the Doctor can't change history like that. I agree, the Berlin setting could have been anywhere, and something I found jarring was the juxtaposition between the futuristic looking little people and the 1938 setting- it took away from the setting even more leaving us little to no feel for it.
Spoilers.....So in this episode they said the Silence was a religious organization, so I'm thinking the "leader" of the Silence is like a priest a "good man"...I think that is whom River kills, the "good man" is aka the leader of the Silence. She even mentions it at the end of the episode in Luna University that she is looking for a "good man".
You are defnately right about the sheer number of plots in this episode fighting for attention. TBA I don't see why River needed to be in this episode. They could have kept the Melody Pond mystery going even longer and this episode could have simply been about stopping these "lilliputians" going around try to torture and/or kill war criminals. The moral maze of having to save Hitler would have been way better. OH! and Mels annoyed me too.
I absolutely, completely agree with that entire review, and was thinking the exact same thing as I was watching the episode. It was scatterbrained and thinly spread, the ideas were shoved down our throats quickly so as to move on to the next one, and Hitler was not even remotely used to his full potential. Well said, sir.
Agree 100%, MrT! While it was definitely a high-potential episode, it was just too... busy.
On the other hand, Rory got filled with boatloads of awesome in this ep (he's now officially tied with the Brig as the most awesome male associate the Doctor has ever had), and I therefore think that alone makes the episode worth the watch.
They could have called the episode "Let's kill the Doctor". It would have worked in the context of the plot, and whipped Who-fans into a frenzy thinking it was going to resolve the Doctor's death plot thread. :-)
Totally agree with some of the points. The Mels is Melody reveal would have had weight had they spent a few episodes investing in the character.
The whole 'Melody-will-be-fine,-because-she-grows-up-to-be-River' idea is a bad excuse to go back to the 'monster of the week' strucure.
I was really expecting the teselecta to be in it a lot more and the epsidoe about it but no, River's great but the storyline with River could of been way better, I used to love Moffat but he is getting so over himself he's become the writer he hated in 1995. Also I wanted to see more Amy and Rory past relationship.
@RuffneckPE Agree with you on #7, I'm afraid "The Question" might be something dumb. Douglas Adams did it for laughs, but in DW's case this would not be funny.
The whole Mels thing seems like a cop out, it's not the same as raising your child, Rory/Amy were robbed the chance to be true parents...and it seems like they don't even care!!!!!
This episode felt rushed but it was funny so it wasn't to bad.
I did find the holograms part funny. Rose appears "Oh, great, give me guilt," Martha appears "more guilt," Donna appears "more guilt." And when Amy realised that Rory liked her. That was funny as well.
Good episode but I felt as though this was a two parter that got shorted down into one episode becuase so much was crammed in.
*Hitler promptly speaks English to said german officer*
I can understand this AFTER the Tardis crew arrive, but beforehand? It's not hard to pull off subtitles... or even make the robot people native english speaking so the conversation quickly turns to English after Hitler fails to converse in German.
@ash356 Well younger viewers and mentally challenged people may not be able to read so Steven must have decided to make them speak English so it's easier for them.
This is one of those episodes where opinions have been mixed, and I can see why. For many people, so long as the characters are played well and there's an element to carry the story, the script itself doesn't have to be paramount. For others, the script is the main focus.
For me, I'm inbetween. I liked the episode, laughed a lot and didn't hate Mels, but thought the ending was too obvious and kinda schmaltzy and wished we had more of the 'Numbskulls' and Hitler. 7/10 (Good)
You nailed it. Again. You're thorough and simply brilliant. Again.
My friend observed that series 6 has focused so much on the core characters that the guest characters are becoming interchangeable. In series 5, we got emotionally invested with side characters in the best episodes. Not so here, and that is crippling this series.
The whole temporal grace thing is nonsense. Weapons have been fired a few times in the TARDIS. Don't forget the most famous time this happened, when the Cyber Leader tries to kill the Doctor, Teggan, and Nyssa with his blaster rifle and the Doctor uses Adric's award (made of gold) to kill said Cyber Leader. At the end of Earthshock (Adric's final episode). That was a pretty high profile episode!
This review was perfect. I agreed with pretty much everything and it made me reexamine parts of the episode even more critically than I had before. This was refreshing and I really enjoyed watching it, going back now and watching /all the rest/.
Oh my goodness. River looks and acts crappier then ever. What a worthless charcter. I've never seen a worse character in the series of dr who since its beginning in 1963. She is way over the top, smug, obnoxious, and a total farce. Moffats writing is uneven. He should have never been put in charge. His stories are only good to those who don't like to use their brain. All his stories are full of holes. In other words, they are sloppy. Though I have to admit there is always a good scene or 2.
I disagree with your opinion on misadvertising with the episode title. Before the credits we were Mels say "Let's Kill Hitler", it is far from uncommon for a quote to be the name of an episode. I wasn't surprised that Hitler was merely a small part of the episode after I heard that line.
I know this sounds a bit dull bit i am glad the reviewer didnt like this either.I never ever disliked a episode as much as this one before.I would have give it a 3/10. but then the majority of fans seemed to love it and was doubting myself as a fan. But now i am sure,a episode of DW shoudnt be good just because there is lots of humour in it.However people seem to praise it because there were lots and lots of jokes.i dont like that. but i rather have a fantastic story and only a minumum of jokes.
Did you not hear the line about the whole "temporal grace" thing being a "clever lie"? If anything it cleared up the whole continuity error surrounding the temporal grace concept that already existed by suggesting that the Doctor was also lying in the Hand of Fear (as guns were fired in the TARDIS during a few of the 80s stories, so much for temporal grace then)
@tzlifts I've already explained this in previous comments. The Doctor said he was lying in this story, however in The Hand of Fear the alien he was talking to actually tried to use weapons but was unsuccessful. So The Doctor wasn't lying in that story.
@MrTARDISreviews sorry I did try reading through the comments to see if anyone made mention but I didn't see anything. Either way, it's not like it makes it any more of a continuity error than it already was.
@MrTARDISreviews Your review was spot on. Don't pay attention to those with low standards. And actually in 'Arc of Infinity' Nyssa asks why the Cyberman in EarthShock was able to fire his weapon in the Tardis when the Tardis was suppose to be in a state of temporal grace and he mumbled something about things always needing repair. And it did work in 'The Invasion of Time'. Andred tried to shoot the Dr but his gun didn't work. And River was so bloody stupid! It was like WTF?! Glad I didn't watch.
@MrTARDISreviews i think hitler was a cameo because of people maybe thinking that the bbc was being insensitive about ww2 but thats only a theory when i first heard the episode title i literally said well isnt that a good idea! didnt realise this bullshit would happen no wonder the kids afraid of the wardrobe maybe that will become a theme
Oh and like I said to someone else aren't the people who raised/manipulated Melody into being an assassin going to be a bit miffed she didn't finish the job? If Moffat was solidly plotting, those people[unknown] would have been following River through season 5 looking for payback.
A lot of people I know wanted hitler to be played differently they want he to be shouting and fighting and making a paddy and to them I say fuck off I very much doubt hitler was like that at all and that would be a very bad way too write him he should be civilised because somehow thats more sinister its also bad if you sort of like or find funny the evil evil character here he was more hitler from inglorious basterds the lets ridicule the evil man than downfalls hes evil but also human
I think this shows how chaotic stephen moffats mind is I can relate but even my mind isn't that cluttered maybe he was rushing I think he should have been give 21 or so episodes so all of these ideas could be put in seperate episodes and work much better rather than coliding and giving us all a headache
Kingston completely stole every scene she was in in this episode.
This was really her episode mroe than anything and I think she did brilliantly with it.
Though Matt Smith is admittedly getting better at acting with every episode he's in and his scenes in the second half of the episode were easily some of his best.
One thing that I've noticed about this season is that the main plot is written by Moffat only. It's really made the season feel kind of disjointed, with the other episodes (except for The Doctor's Wife) coming across as badly written filler. The other thing is that he doesn't seem to trust anyone else to write for River's character. She's only appeared in episodes he's written. It seems a bit odd.
i have to say that when Mels said "Lets kill Hitler" just before the title sequence i also though of Peter yelling "AH he said it!!" and i thought the "IM A FIRIN MA LAZER!" part was hilarious. very good review too dude, i always come back to watch you because you always seem to be on the same page that i am on just about everything in these episodes plus your humor is awesome and i love your hat choice!
Well you have to keep in mind this was the second part of A Good Man Goes to War and the lake of killing Hitler well that was obvious the Doctor doesn't tamper with human history, he stops aliens from tampering with human history. Yeah it's weak but it's still leagues above the crap Davies was putting out. I really like your stuff and I usually agree but I just can't this time. Sorry bud I'm sure Night Terrors will be awesome seems like the thing Gatiss would do.
The title was a head fake. While I agree with some of you criticisms (the "fixed point" of the Doctor's death) and disagree with some others (Mels? Who cares? You're nitpicking nicknames.) To spend several minutes criticizing the title which was an intended misdirection somewhat betrays your lack of understanding of the narrative form for which you try to imply some sort of expertise. Harping on this one point undermined the rest of your review which was at times quite good.
@PJsCreed a clever misdirection would MAYBE have been good if there wasnt a 3 months gap between it.If the headwriter had any bit of knowlegde about his fans then he would have known that the fans would be speculating on the title Lets Kill "Hitler"and what the episode would be about.Mels was an unnecearry character.and i wasnt so sure if Moffat himself knew who she actually was apart from being a future wife. but now, i am sure he only started thinking of her as Melody Pond in this last season.
@LifterC3 The 3 month gap is probably why they did it. A red herring to screw with the fans. I wouldn't say that Mels was an unnecessary character. However, as was pointed out in the review, we just didn't really care that much as we had only been introduced to her. Had she been a recurring character or something for the past year, it would have been a much bigger deal. Imagine Mickey had regenerated into, I don't know, somebody cool. Anyone other than Mickey really. ;-)
@PJsCreed yes...it could be...but is screwing with the fans really a good idea..perhaps only if they give us something worth waiting for..but its more like teasing a dog with a nice juicy t-bone steak.We are dogs, and the title is the steak.First they show us a really amazing and anusual title/steak..then they are making us sit down and wait for a very long time/the three months gap then they let us speculate about how nice that episode/steak will be and then...they lock it up in a cupboard.
The thing I found most interesting about this episode was The Doctors rules, he mentioned in the last episode that he explains that he has a lot of rules and why he has so many. In this episode he started with rule #408, that is a lot of rules, and I feel like the fact that he is teaching them to River is no coincidence.
I also hope we haven't seen the last of the Amy bot (especially if the doctor kept it), as well as the group who piloted her. They have a lot of potential for future episodes
Also, I agree with Mrspikeprime, you were being way too harsh. Mels is deliberately unlikeable, and although we knew he wasn't going to die, the emotions and performances of the characters, including Matt himself, rouse a reaction from the audience despite everything. 8/10
The title is what he call a mind fuck, or Moffuck. It's Steven Moffat misleading us and then throwing a whole different plot at us. He's a genius at messing with us.
It was also used for Sherlock Episode 2 :D Just wondering, how you seen the Sherlock S2 teaser?? Also, gr8 review!! XD I still don't know what to think of it :S
There are some good points in this review, but you are unfortunately wrong in a few points, the no weapons thing was adressed in the classic series as not working, so the doctor probably either didn't fix it or it broke too many times so he now relies on hoping people will believe him.
Mels isn't supposed to be likeable, this is someone who hasn't gone through what river has yet.
Also, I've met people called Mels. It's not that weird.
@Mrspikeprime "Mels isn't supposed to be likeable." Then why are Amy and Rory friends with her and why did they name her daughter after her if she's such an unlikeable character?
great review, i think this episode would have been bad if it wasnt for the great acting. i loved Alex and Matt in this episode, the scene then she is trying to kill him is very funny. (and Moffat did really well at being consistent regarding the doctors charecteristics, that he notices little things that others dont see e.g. The Eleventh Hour, when rory is taking pictures of the man and the dog, and Beast Below, with the crying child. and in this episode when he sees River pick up the gun.)
When River Song was in the restaurant trying on clothes, and then puts on a Nazi uniform, my immediate thought was "Wow, that is the worst excuse to appeal to the kinky side of the audience ever", then my second thought was "Who the hell cares, this story is already buggered anyway". Some people might call it moving, I think its just bollocks.
I liked the episode, but it was a bit confusing for me at first. We were given too many answers in such a small time frame, and it hurts rather than helps. It was still pretty good though. Not Steven Moffats best though.
Loved it! I found the episode so boring, yeah it did have amazing jokes and funny lines they spoilt it by saying The Doctor will always die on that day 'cause now we all know that he will die on that day no matter what, and I'm thinking "What the hell Moffat?!" As soon as the episode ended I was kinda glad it was over because it was too confusing too many things happening at once and I felt like turning it off but I didn't
Also using the same set through out since the series came back I got bored of it, first time it was shown "yeah okay awesome great!" second time "Hang on a minute didn't I just... nah.." Third time "Bloody hell seriously?!" Well you get the idea... It annoyed me so much! And they put in too many spoilers
....... but Id give it 6/10, a mark added because it managed to wrap up a lot of things we've been wondering ever since river song entered the whoniverse and added lots more to keep us wondering (for example, a question hidden in plain sight? how big a teaser is that!? and the fact the the silence are a religious cult and not a species). oh, and I bet the question is "what do you get if you multiply six by nine?" :D. sorry this is so long, had to spread it across three comments.
...... but maybe thats because we're younger than you, and we're both not really good at examining it in as much detail as you did, so mabye thats why he, and me, thought it was good. anyways all im saying is that I think its a good place for a new fan to start watching (albeit you'd have to tell them the plot of the first half of series six). anyways good reveiw!......
If my sums are right, the Doctor should have 23 lives left thanks to River. although he gets killed in the impossible astronaut, so....... anyways i disagree that a new fan wouldn't watch it next week after seeing this episode. im 13, and one of my friends at school, who hasn't really ever seen a full doctor who story, watched it and thought it was great. and he says he's watching next weeks episode cause it looks cool and scary.....
@MrTARDISreviews nice review. i agree for the most part, not a great episode and some things were annoying like mels, hitler's role and amelia pond reminding us 12 times how much of the episode was left. one thing i don't agree on is the monsters/robots/villains/wtf?/flying jellyfish things. whilst it was great to see a monster that wasn't cgi, to me they were still unconvincing but i do agree that their motives were quite scary
@MrTardisreviews Actually, when you think about it, Melody aged alongside Amy and Rory, giving her at least a somewhat human lifespan. If it took her twenty years to get to Leadworth surely she would've aged in that time, right? Personally, I thought the episode was only about a three. I mean, growing up with your parents as your best friends, and then mid regeneration you start calling them mum and dad all of a sudden? That was a creepy bit to me.
Well, to be fair to Moffat, not only is it clear that the "temporal grace" has stopped working for a VERY long time, if we think back to the cyberman shooting in Earthshock, even the script acknowledges the fact that it should be in "temporal grace", before the Doctor says that it was "a clever lie".
Sorry, but when continuity is questioned, it's only natural for a continuity obsessed fan like me to answer!
The Hitler thing didn't bother me that much. I took it as misdirection on Moffat's part. Get people to think about how the Doctor could have to save Hitler, and the episode turns out to be something else entirely. I did like this episode, but it was all over the place. I get the impression that Moffat is trying to write out the entire main plot of the season himself (River so far has only appeared in episodes that he writes) and doesn't leave the other writers much to work with.
Hey Mr. Tardis, here's something you missed out from the review, how did Melody 1 regenerate into a toddler in NYC, 1970, and somehow, grow up in Leadworth in the 90's? Maybe Melody I or II had a TARDIS or a time travelling device.. which more than likely will destroy continuity within in the show if she did! I agree with you, it was a poor episode, because a lot of things don't link up, and Hitler was just written out the episode sharpish.. bad Steven Moffat.. tut tut!
@changethewords2 To be honest, it would have been nice to have an explanation but it wasn't exactly needed. Melody regenerated for the first time in 1970s New York. In the 11th Hour we first met Amelia in 1996 Leadworth. So Melody had around 20 years to get to from New York to England and since Mels is a criminal (she did steal a car at the beginning) then maybe she used similiar methods to get across the pond.
@changethewords2 I wondered about that too, but then in her River-regeneration she talks about being able to age backwards at will, and in The Impossible Astronaut the doctor looks the same when he's 900 and when he's 1100, so I'm guessing timelord-aging is not as linear as ours.
I liked this episode a lot but I do think the story would have done better if it was a two parter. These arc storylines would do better if they weren't broken up by the 'stand alone' episodes. Maybe they should try the old serial approach where a story arc is told in succession instead of being broken up by singular episodes. Like what they did with 'The War Games' and 'Genesis of the Daleks' for example.
@HaiderNawaz You bring up a very interesting point. I judge media (whether it be film, television, videogames, whatever) on their own merits. The only influence a writer or director has on an episode for me, is my expectations. Matthew Graham's work on Fear Her caused me to have low expectations for The Rebel Flesh, whereas David Fincher directing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo remake has me excited to see it. If an episode is bad, it's bad no matter who wrote it or directed it (and vice versa)
Well its clear you've taken our feedback to heart. Although I disagree with your score I really enjoyed the review. It never dragged, went into some pretty deep analysis but also had plenty of comic moments that were used quickly and then dropped to make them even funnier! A brilliantly made review.
Seriously, they've used that set waaaaay to much. Or they just haven;t disguised it well enough.
Personally, I enjoyed this episode, mostly for how funny it was and especially the Sherlock-esque sequence with the Doctor and Melody weapon swapping. It was a lot of fun and I think its a case of "love whilst watching, simply like after analysing"... if that makes any sense.
@queenoftheoutlands Plus that place they used for the national museum in the pandorica opens and for the library from 2008, they didn't even hide anything and used the same angles to shoot it!!!!
I have to say that you and I are on the same page with this review.
After the show we all just sat around going, "eh."
Your high point are correct and your low points are spot on as well.
Sorry to hear you are under the weather, but it seemed to sharpen your critical sense. Even the comic points were a little to "inside." Good once in awhile, bad as a consent element.
I do agree with you on Rory. Did not like him at first, but he has grown to my favorite companion.
My theory is that when River/Melody says she is the 'child of the TARDIS', Amy will actually be revealed to be Idris. Regeneration, maybe? The TARDIS is from Gallifrey too, presumably.
I actually quite like the episode - funny and touching at the same time. I am also very happy to see Mel being bitchy since it kidda go quite well with the bad-ass aspect of River. I do however agree that the episode is a bit rush and there are lots of plots going on. Still looking forward to this second half of the series tho.
Thanks for the review and hope you get well soon.
This is the worst episode in Doctor Who history, and is the point where new Who has disappeared up its own arse completely while taking a filthy amber piss on old Who for bad measure. I despise everyone involved and hope Moffat never works again.
This is interesting as I usually agree with your reviews, however, this time I couldn't disagree more. I really liked this episode, I thought the acting, special effects, and the plot were all fantastic. I'm not suggesting it was perfect, because it wasn't. It was rushed and that detracted from the episode. I thought you were too harsh and I'm giving this one 8/10.
I actually really liked this episode. I didn't think it was perfect. My biggest problem with the episode was that they didn't do much with Hitler or the 1930s Berlin background. It did feel like a waste. They could have done much more than just meet Hitler for a couple minutes and then throw him in the cupboard. but, besides that, I did like the overall plot of the episode as it concerns River.
great, enjoyable fun review, RE-the title 'lets kill hitler' reflects the attitude of River Song, the casualness of treating time travel in a light and random way as opposed to fully thought through. locking hitler in cupboard is funny, i'm afraid Moffat approach his writing in the same way as telling a joke, its a ride that results in enjoyable sensation instead of a logical or dramatic one.
The only problem I had with the episode is River not showing any concern for her parents' safety when they are being threaten by the anti-bodies within the robot. Why does it take the Doctor's plead for her to finally spring to action?
I enjoy your reviews but I feel you may have missed the point with this episode. The very title refers to that age old question "if you had a time machine would you go back and kill hitler?" However, as we all know, this episode was not about Hitler. It was all about River, except with that question applying to her (according to those Justice people she's an even worse war criminal). It is the Doctor who answers that question with a no, even knowing she will kill him.
Wait, if this is the story where River Song regenerates into the River we know, does that mean we're losing the actress of River? I mean, every time we meet her, she gets younger. She said so herself. So logically, that means the next time we see River, it will be with the Mels actress
@iceonightmares nah, River BELIEVES the meet in perfect oposite direction, while they really meet in such an out of order that one day we'll need a timeline for it... if we really have enought episodes to make it xD
Oh, and as for the appearances by Tennant's companions: I thought they were kind of cool taken as a whole, but forget about Rose; Donna's the one who made me roll my eyes in disgust. She's the most annoying DW character I've ever seen--and that includes all of those shittily-acted War Lords from "The War Games."
I liked that Hitler didn't have much of a role. We had to pick up with the regular characters and had no time for him to steal the show. And the "Oh yeah, Hitler. Just get him out of the way" motif shows that really, really big things are at stake here.
Otherwise, I liked this as River's origin story and was sold on the journey she went through. One assumes Kovarian filled her brain with lies about how evil the Doctor was, and now she's seeing that his instincts are toward selflessness and
compassion that even extends to her, even when he himself is in danger. So her conditioning breaks down--believable.
And as for the robot captain saying the Doctor dying in Utah is a fixed point in time undermining the tension: Well, it's not like I would have sat around thinking "Wow, could this be the Doctor's last appearance?" if he hadn't said that. We already knew he'd get out of it somehow or other, so that didn't detract.
Hitler's office and the dining hall were not the same place. And it seems that most of your problems are all about what you were expecting, rather than actual issues with the episode itself. I remember reading a fake spoiler about the shark dying in A Christmas Carol. I waited the whole episode for that shark to die, but it didn't. It left me feeling empty. But that's not a problem with the episode. Just because they didn't use Berlin to its full potential, doesn't make the episode worse.
in a way we dont really need to know the story of mels as she is river song and we kinda know abit about her and who knows on how much of her passed will be revealed. Many people know the story of the doctor without watching any of the previous 8 doctors and still follow his character.
I feel like seeing negative traits of Mels is rather the point. You see her as the troubled best friend of Amy that's really screwed up, you find out she's River, and you realize why she's so screwed up. I'd probably give this a 7/10 or 8/10, because I love the River Song plotline.
In the season finale or have to watch the Dr. pine for River I will hunt Moffat down and have a dalek exterminate him. I think Rivers character is basically a sexed up violent version of Romana without Romanas charms and chemistry with the Dr.
This episode was a mess, and it was hard for me to watch. That is mainly because I really stongly dislike River. I feel like since the beginning we have been forced to like her. Look she knows secrets about the doctor, look she is super smart, look she is a badass with a gun, look she is Amy and Rory's daughter. Ur right some of the moments were funny, but the story could have happened any where. Like it could have been Let's Kill Stalin. Though I swear if we have to watch Dr. and River marry
Did noone get that Let's Kill Hitler refers to River killing the Doctor. And how can you not feel concerned for the Doctor's life when Matt Smith is acting his heart out and his tardis is telling him he's going to die?
Even though I was upset Melody Pond regenerated before we really got to know her and the episode hadn't lived up to my expectations, I still managed to enjoy focusing more on the comedy side of the episode. I think I enjoyed the episode more than you......
To be fair, it's not like it's the first time this continuity detail has been ignored; Capt. Jack managed to shoot a Dalek in the TARDIS in 'The Parting of the Ways' without any problems, right?
And of course Mels isn't likeable - she's a trained psychopath!
Otherwise, you're absolutely right about the pudding being over-egged, but that's OK because I really like eggs (metaphorically). Yes, the title's a cheat and the ideas were underdeveloped, but I still enjoyed it, even if only superficially.
I'll be honest when the doctor dressed up in his suit with the top hat felt really out-of-the-blue and pointless. It just looked to me like a little kid playing dress up and sure I could say the Doctor can be like a kid, but it felt more cringy. He looked like someone thinking it was halloween in March and dressed up and looked silly compared to everyone else...
Samuel24842 2 days ago
Come on! It was a clever lie! :D
BodoInMotion 1 week ago
not keen on this review
krisharrischannel 2 weeks ago
Zimmerman Wasn't The Man In Charge Of The Teselecta. His Name Was Carter. Zimmerman Was The Name Of The Nazi Who They Took The Form Of.
KirbyForce1 3 weeks ago
Hittler is a hero !
russ9356 2 months ago
the entire episode needed to be axed too much overkill in it what needed to be done was just a simple follow up from the previous story a good man goes to war with the doctor searching for melody pond through time and space connecting the opening sequence from the impossible astronuat and renaming the episode silent running.
doctorw2 2 months ago
No, not Rose! Make her leave!
mugiwaraboshi37 2 months ago
"We have spent nearly 4 years trying to find out who River Song is, and it turns out she used to be this bitch!" I'm dying. LOLOLOLOLOL
xxxBabyBritneyxxx 2 months ago
I loved this episode, but I see your point. I'm also sick, and you really cheered me up :)
errorsinconduct 2 months ago
AMY'S FIRIN HER LAZOR BLARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH!
haydos271 2 months ago
Two words: clever lie. that explains temporal grace.
lmullen93 3 months ago
You REALLY don't like Rose Tyler, do you? I don't mind her.
Kaagh178 3 months ago
Have you seen Arc of Infinity? The State of Temporal Grace Circuit was said to have broken down. Nyssa was the one who pointed it out after fans complained about the Doctor shooting the crud out of the Cyberleader in Earthshock.
Kaagh178 3 months ago
After a good man goes to war, this episode was a huge dissapointment.
Silvertardis 4 months ago
Hitler isn't listed anywhere on the Wiki page now, not even as a cameo
BlackMagnumFilms 4 months ago
reeeeeally bad bad bad episode, reviewer is such a mark -_-
FFFalcon64 4 months ago
The people inside a robot human? you say that's creative? They blatantly stole that from 'Meet Dave' With Eddie Murphay :L
GMMReviews 5 months ago
actually wepons do work in the tardis because in "the parting of ways" they "spawn" a dalek inside the tardis by landing on top of it and it fires it's blaster, in which Jack retaliates by shooting the Dalek... so maybe the pacification field (that was a fallout reference I don't know why they can't shoot in the TARDIS) doesn't work anymore.
great review by the way hoping to catch up on them.
psychomantis108 5 months ago in playlist More videos from MrTARDISreviews
Crap, that's the second time I've fallen victim to Doctor Who's false advertising.
dwibs93 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@dwibs93 When was the first time?
haydos271 2 months ago
I agree with you whole heartily!
karigaut 5 months ago
@joshramsayscat1228 You clearly didn't watch my review. My problem wasn't that it was complicated. It's that the episode was over-stuffed so it couldn't possibly work. Also, there's no need for immature name calling.
MrTARDISreviews 5 months ago 2
@MrTARDISreviews i dont agree with with u. i fine this episode very enjoyable and was a great start to the second part of the season. another great episode is the doctors wife which is very funny and highly amusing. i believe your in the wrong in saying that these episodes were over stuffed.
clairemcm3 4 months ago
I love that the episodes are complicated and I loved this episode there was not to much going on. In conclusion: your a douche bag
joshramsayscat1228 5 months ago
Brill review, I laughed with the duh duh duh when you saw Rose!
MegaWho100 5 months ago
I think you actually were too lenient LOL... Moffatt needs to get you in for a bit of guidance. :-)
poglad 5 months ago
I'd give it 3/10, and im not the only one sick of the river song story, they keep cheapening it. Also, their daughter and their best friend. Are they not in the slightest bothered that hes not only shagging their baby but also doing it infront of them
oldgregg93 5 months ago in playlist More videos from MrTARDISreviews
My personal Matt Smith moment was when he saves Hitler's life, but then fixes him with a steely glare and says 'I assure you, it was an accident.' That was AWESOME! Overall you reviewed this episode fairly. But can I ask you one thing: do you think you could watch the way you often refer to female characters you don't like as bitches? I'm finding it a bit offensive. :( Explain why they are unlikeable or poorly written characters instead. You're an objective reviewer, you're better than this.
darkbatMori 5 months ago
I really think 'Let's Kill Hitler' was just a cool title to flash up at the end of the mid-series finale. Then they had to make an episode around it which involved not actually killing Hitler as we know the Doctor can't change history like that. I agree, the Berlin setting could have been anywhere, and something I found jarring was the juxtaposition between the futuristic looking little people and the 1938 setting- it took away from the setting even more leaving us little to no feel for it.
darkbatMori 5 months ago
Spoilers.....So in this episode they said the Silence was a religious organization, so I'm thinking the "leader" of the Silence is like a priest a "good man"...I think that is whom River kills, the "good man" is aka the leader of the Silence. She even mentions it at the end of the episode in Luna University that she is looking for a "good man".
garacco 5 months ago
"I'm a-firing my laser! BOOM!!!
TheOllie36ify 5 months ago
Be sure to subscribe to Jelly Baby Productions (Creators of The Dealer) for more videos written by and staring Jamie and Will ......coming soon :D
JellyBabyChannel 5 months ago
You are defnately right about the sheer number of plots in this episode fighting for attention. TBA I don't see why River needed to be in this episode. They could have kept the Melody Pond mystery going even longer and this episode could have simply been about stopping these "lilliputians" going around try to torture and/or kill war criminals. The moral maze of having to save Hitler would have been way better. OH! and Mels annoyed me too.
cardwitch91 5 months ago
The antibodies' dialogue was written by Douglas Adams' ghost. It's the only explanation for the hilarity.
thesyfychannel15 5 months ago in playlist More videos from MrTARDISreviews
I absolutely, completely agree with that entire review, and was thinking the exact same thing as I was watching the episode. It was scatterbrained and thinly spread, the ideas were shoved down our throats quickly so as to move on to the next one, and Hitler was not even remotely used to his full potential. Well said, sir.
bigfatcarp93 5 months ago
I think if Mels had made an appearance last series as mels, then this would be a great reveal
lmullen93 5 months ago
The doctor said the temporal grace thing was a lie, in this very episode when amy asked "i thought you said blah blah temporal grace"
chooch99 5 months ago
Agree 100%, MrT! While it was definitely a high-potential episode, it was just too... busy.
On the other hand, Rory got filled with boatloads of awesome in this ep (he's now officially tied with the Brig as the most awesome male associate the Doctor has ever had), and I therefore think that alone makes the episode worth the watch.
AceofGallifrey 5 months ago
She isn't the actor of Liz 10.
Just so you know.
ParanoidEngineer 5 months ago
They could have called the episode "Let's kill the Doctor". It would have worked in the context of the plot, and whipped Who-fans into a frenzy thinking it was going to resolve the Doctor's death plot thread. :-)
Totally agree with some of the points. The Mels is Melody reveal would have had weight had they spent a few episodes investing in the character.
The whole 'Melody-will-be-fine,-because-she-grows-up-to-be-River' idea is a bad excuse to go back to the 'monster of the week' strucure.
mygameshelf 5 months ago
I agree, they shouldn't of called the episode "Let's Kill Hitler". Maybe something to do with Berlin.
Who7100 5 months ago
I laughed out loud at the Rose/Music combination.
stephsouthcombe 5 months ago
I was really expecting the teselecta to be in it a lot more and the epsidoe about it but no, River's great but the storyline with River could of been way better, I used to love Moffat but he is getting so over himself he's become the writer he hated in 1995. Also I wanted to see more Amy and Rory past relationship.
Smallvillenerd 5 months ago in playlist More videos from MrTARDISreviews
1. Hitler appears for 3 mins. Well done.
2. Once upon a time regeneration was a rare TV event, now its Disney fairy dust, and fuck off Jesus pose.
3. Doctor, Doctor Who? Really, you think we STILL find that funny?
4. Sonic Cane, fuck off.
5. How did the hologram give him strength?
6. Fuck off story arc, didn't work with Key To Time or Bad Wolf, stop it!
7. What's the question? Ask Douglas Adams.
8. I like you Steven, but you've become the writer you hated in your 1995 interview.
RuffneckPE 5 months ago
@RuffneckPE Agree with you on #7, I'm afraid "The Question" might be something dumb. Douglas Adams did it for laughs, but in DW's case this would not be funny.
The whole Mels thing seems like a cop out, it's not the same as raising your child, Rory/Amy were robbed the chance to be true parents...and it seems like they don't even care!!!!!
garacco 5 months ago
Matt Smith's performance- 9/10
Alex Kigston's- 10/10
Mels (sorry donnt know her name) 3/10
arthur darvill- 8.5/10
karen Gillan- 9/10 (very creepy robot)
Steven Moffat 2/10
priamyvate 5 months ago
This episode felt rushed but it was funny so it wasn't to bad.
I did find the holograms part funny. Rose appears "Oh, great, give me guilt," Martha appears "more guilt," Donna appears "more guilt." And when Amy realised that Rory liked her. That was funny as well.
Good episode but I felt as though this was a two parter that got shorted down into one episode becuase so much was crammed in.
TheRenegade102 5 months ago
*Hitler sees German officer*
*Hitler promptly speaks English to said german officer*
I can understand this AFTER the Tardis crew arrive, but beforehand? It's not hard to pull off subtitles... or even make the robot people native english speaking so the conversation quickly turns to English after Hitler fails to converse in German.
Hell, I'm just nitpicking.
ash356 5 months ago
@ash356 Well younger viewers and mentally challenged people may not be able to read so Steven must have decided to make them speak English so it's easier for them.
Beanoz4 5 months ago
@Beanoz4 Or they could just stay German. It wasn't a problem in Journey's End.
iamthefirstbeans 5 months ago
This is one of those episodes where opinions have been mixed, and I can see why. For many people, so long as the characters are played well and there's an element to carry the story, the script itself doesn't have to be paramount. For others, the script is the main focus.
For me, I'm inbetween. I liked the episode, laughed a lot and didn't hate Mels, but thought the ending was too obvious and kinda schmaltzy and wished we had more of the 'Numbskulls' and Hitler. 7/10 (Good)
TheGerkuman 5 months ago
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TheGerkuman 5 months ago
You nailed it. Again. You're thorough and simply brilliant. Again.
My friend observed that series 6 has focused so much on the core characters that the guest characters are becoming interchangeable. In series 5, we got emotionally invested with side characters in the best episodes. Not so here, and that is crippling this series.
NealKlein 5 months ago
The whole temporal grace thing is nonsense. Weapons have been fired a few times in the TARDIS. Don't forget the most famous time this happened, when the Cyber Leader tries to kill the Doctor, Teggan, and Nyssa with his blaster rifle and the Doctor uses Adric's award (made of gold) to kill said Cyber Leader. At the end of Earthshock (Adric's final episode). That was a pretty high profile episode!
KateOsKorner 5 months ago
This review was perfect. I agreed with pretty much everything and it made me reexamine parts of the episode even more critically than I had before. This was refreshing and I really enjoyed watching it, going back now and watching /all the rest/.
absinthespoons 5 months ago
12:32 THANK YOU!!!!
slugcorp 5 months ago
6:59 She should have been named Meg.
That would have at least been funny.
slugcorp 5 months ago
0:38 No it wasn't nice, don't you realize what Steven is doing? He's repeating himself with the whole WW2 theme!
Watch my vid about it!
slugcorp 5 months ago
Glad to here some praise for river in this, seems to be the trendy thing to slate her.
zaftra 5 months ago
Oh my goodness. River looks and acts crappier then ever. What a worthless charcter. I've never seen a worse character in the series of dr who since its beginning in 1963. She is way over the top, smug, obnoxious, and a total farce. Moffats writing is uneven. He should have never been put in charge. His stories are only good to those who don't like to use their brain. All his stories are full of holes. In other words, they are sloppy. Though I have to admit there is always a good scene or 2.
sallyjosie 5 months ago
I disagree with your opinion on misadvertising with the episode title. Before the credits we were Mels say "Let's Kill Hitler", it is far from uncommon for a quote to be the name of an episode. I wasn't surprised that Hitler was merely a small part of the episode after I heard that line.
LegendofBen 5 months ago
I know this sounds a bit dull bit i am glad the reviewer didnt like this either.I never ever disliked a episode as much as this one before.I would have give it a 3/10. but then the majority of fans seemed to love it and was doubting myself as a fan. But now i am sure,a episode of DW shoudnt be good just because there is lots of humour in it.However people seem to praise it because there were lots and lots of jokes.i dont like that. but i rather have a fantastic story and only a minumum of jokes.
LifterC3 5 months ago
Just gotta say I love the series, especially the Hitchhiker theme music!
GeorgePennellMartin 5 months ago
Did you not hear the line about the whole "temporal grace" thing being a "clever lie"? If anything it cleared up the whole continuity error surrounding the temporal grace concept that already existed by suggesting that the Doctor was also lying in the Hand of Fear (as guns were fired in the TARDIS during a few of the 80s stories, so much for temporal grace then)
tzlifts 5 months ago 2
@tzlifts I've already explained this in previous comments. The Doctor said he was lying in this story, however in The Hand of Fear the alien he was talking to actually tried to use weapons but was unsuccessful. So The Doctor wasn't lying in that story.
MrTARDISreviews 5 months ago 2
@MrTARDISreviews sorry I did try reading through the comments to see if anyone made mention but I didn't see anything. Either way, it's not like it makes it any more of a continuity error than it already was.
tzlifts 5 months ago
@MrTARDISreviews Your review was spot on. Don't pay attention to those with low standards. And actually in 'Arc of Infinity' Nyssa asks why the Cyberman in EarthShock was able to fire his weapon in the Tardis when the Tardis was suppose to be in a state of temporal grace and he mumbled something about things always needing repair. And it did work in 'The Invasion of Time'. Andred tried to shoot the Dr but his gun didn't work. And River was so bloody stupid! It was like WTF?! Glad I didn't watch.
sallyjosie 5 months ago
@MrTARDISreviews i think hitler was a cameo because of people maybe thinking that the bbc was being insensitive about ww2 but thats only a theory when i first heard the episode title i literally said well isnt that a good idea! didnt realise this bullshit would happen no wonder the kids afraid of the wardrobe maybe that will become a theme
thegamerguru97 5 months ago
@MrTARDISreviews But weapons have been shot before that...
someone332 5 months ago
Oh and like I said to someone else aren't the people who raised/manipulated Melody into being an assassin going to be a bit miffed she didn't finish the job? If Moffat was solidly plotting, those people[unknown] would have been following River through season 5 looking for payback.
jennyinthepark 5 months ago
Great Review! But you have to admit, "Let's Put Hitler in Cupboard" has its own charm...;-)
jennyinthepark 5 months ago
A lot of people I know wanted hitler to be played differently they want he to be shouting and fighting and making a paddy and to them I say fuck off I very much doubt hitler was like that at all and that would be a very bad way too write him he should be civilised because somehow thats more sinister its also bad if you sort of like or find funny the evil evil character here he was more hitler from inglorious basterds the lets ridicule the evil man than downfalls hes evil but also human
Chrisindapurplehouse 5 months ago
I think this shows how chaotic stephen moffats mind is I can relate but even my mind isn't that cluttered maybe he was rushing I think he should have been give 21 or so episodes so all of these ideas could be put in seperate episodes and work much better rather than coliding and giving us all a headache
Chrisindapurplehouse 5 months ago
So... they can regenerate race too? so will the next doctor be black?
rocknrollrocksout 5 months ago
Kingston completely stole every scene she was in in this episode.
This was really her episode mroe than anything and I think she did brilliantly with it.
Though Matt Smith is admittedly getting better at acting with every episode he's in and his scenes in the second half of the episode were easily some of his best.
TheJboy88 5 months ago
i like this epsoide but it just didnt feel like a doctor who epsoide, something more than rushed out one but i love the beginging
snroblox1234 5 months ago
One thing that I've noticed about this season is that the main plot is written by Moffat only. It's really made the season feel kind of disjointed, with the other episodes (except for The Doctor's Wife) coming across as badly written filler. The other thing is that he doesn't seem to trust anyone else to write for River's character. She's only appeared in episodes he's written. It seems a bit odd.
SilentGunman 5 months ago
Comment removed
SilentGunman 5 months ago
i have to say that when Mels said "Lets kill Hitler" just before the title sequence i also though of Peter yelling "AH he said it!!" and i thought the "IM A FIRIN MA LAZER!" part was hilarious. very good review too dude, i always come back to watch you because you always seem to be on the same page that i am on just about everything in these episodes plus your humor is awesome and i love your hat choice!
soccerskater600 5 months ago
Well you have to keep in mind this was the second part of A Good Man Goes to War and the lake of killing Hitler well that was obvious the Doctor doesn't tamper with human history, he stops aliens from tampering with human history. Yeah it's weak but it's still leagues above the crap Davies was putting out. I really like your stuff and I usually agree but I just can't this time. Sorry bud I'm sure Night Terrors will be awesome seems like the thing Gatiss would do.
johnhamilton08 5 months ago
The title was a head fake. While I agree with some of you criticisms (the "fixed point" of the Doctor's death) and disagree with some others (Mels? Who cares? You're nitpicking nicknames.) To spend several minutes criticizing the title which was an intended misdirection somewhat betrays your lack of understanding of the narrative form for which you try to imply some sort of expertise. Harping on this one point undermined the rest of your review which was at times quite good.
PJsCreed 5 months ago
@PJsCreed a clever misdirection would MAYBE have been good if there wasnt a 3 months gap between it.If the headwriter had any bit of knowlegde about his fans then he would have known that the fans would be speculating on the title Lets Kill "Hitler"and what the episode would be about.Mels was an unnecearry character.and i wasnt so sure if Moffat himself knew who she actually was apart from being a future wife. but now, i am sure he only started thinking of her as Melody Pond in this last season.
LifterC3 5 months ago
@LifterC3 The 3 month gap is probably why they did it. A red herring to screw with the fans. I wouldn't say that Mels was an unnecessary character. However, as was pointed out in the review, we just didn't really care that much as we had only been introduced to her. Had she been a recurring character or something for the past year, it would have been a much bigger deal. Imagine Mickey had regenerated into, I don't know, somebody cool. Anyone other than Mickey really. ;-)
PJsCreed 5 months ago
@PJsCreed yes...it could be...but is screwing with the fans really a good idea..perhaps only if they give us something worth waiting for..but its more like teasing a dog with a nice juicy t-bone steak.We are dogs, and the title is the steak.First they show us a really amazing and anusual title/steak..then they are making us sit down and wait for a very long time/the three months gap then they let us speculate about how nice that episode/steak will be and then...they lock it up in a cupboard.
LifterC3 5 months ago
@PJsCreed and anyway, i think The Doctors Wife" was a way better misdirection title dont you think?
LifterC3 5 months ago
The thing I found most interesting about this episode was The Doctors rules, he mentioned in the last episode that he explains that he has a lot of rules and why he has so many. In this episode he started with rule #408, that is a lot of rules, and I feel like the fact that he is teaching them to River is no coincidence.
I also hope we haven't seen the last of the Amy bot (especially if the doctor kept it), as well as the group who piloted her. They have a lot of potential for future episodes
soahar 5 months ago
MrTardis superhero? It'd totally watch that.
MrFish291 5 months ago 2
@MrFish291 done.
Strobertat 5 months ago
Also, I agree with Mrspikeprime, you were being way too harsh. Mels is deliberately unlikeable, and although we knew he wasn't going to die, the emotions and performances of the characters, including Matt himself, rouse a reaction from the audience despite everything. 8/10
Vamp61616 5 months ago
The title is what he call a mind fuck, or Moffuck. It's Steven Moffat misleading us and then throwing a whole different plot at us. He's a genius at messing with us.
Vamp61616 5 months ago
It was also used for Sherlock Episode 2 :D Just wondering, how you seen the Sherlock S2 teaser?? Also, gr8 review!! XD I still don't know what to think of it :S
XxLi3rose123xX 5 months ago
The title is a red herring Mr T. and I really didn't see mels being river coming so meh.
TheNima55 5 months ago
There are some good points in this review, but you are unfortunately wrong in a few points, the no weapons thing was adressed in the classic series as not working, so the doctor probably either didn't fix it or it broke too many times so he now relies on hoping people will believe him.
Mels isn't supposed to be likeable, this is someone who hasn't gone through what river has yet.
Also, I've met people called Mels. It's not that weird.
I think you were too harsh, 7/10 at least.
Mrspikeprime 5 months ago 3
@Mrspikeprime "Mels isn't supposed to be likeable." Then why are Amy and Rory friends with her and why did they name her daughter after her if she's such an unlikeable character?
MrTARDISreviews 5 months ago 2
@MrTARDISreviews They named their daughter after her because she was the one who brought them together. Also she seems to be Amy's best freind.
KageBlader 5 months ago
@MrTARDISreviews Basically it's Amy being motherly to her daughter she didn't know was her daughter. Which I like, even if it's illogical.
someone332 5 months ago
@MrTARDISreviews You've never had friends that were pretty douchey? Or seen an episode of South Park?
Swtgem423 5 months ago
great review, i think this episode would have been bad if it wasnt for the great acting. i loved Alex and Matt in this episode, the scene then she is trying to kill him is very funny. (and Moffat did really well at being consistent regarding the doctors charecteristics, that he notices little things that others dont see e.g. The Eleventh Hour, when rory is taking pictures of the man and the dog, and Beast Below, with the crying child. and in this episode when he sees River pick up the gun.)
animelover5076 5 months ago
When River Song was in the restaurant trying on clothes, and then puts on a Nazi uniform, my immediate thought was "Wow, that is the worst excuse to appeal to the kinky side of the audience ever", then my second thought was "Who the hell cares, this story is already buggered anyway". Some people might call it moving, I think its just bollocks.
ParanoidEngineer 5 months ago
wtf?,amy wears mini skirt and doctors wears a long coat,WTF?
141mesa 5 months ago
The temporal grace in the TARDIS, which supposedly prevents weapons fire is said, by the Doctor to be a "clever lie".
papapingu1992 5 months ago
I liked the episode, but it was a bit confusing for me at first. We were given too many answers in such a small time frame, and it hurts rather than helps. It was still pretty good though. Not Steven Moffats best though.
luvLins 5 months ago
Loved it! I found the episode so boring, yeah it did have amazing jokes and funny lines they spoilt it by saying The Doctor will always die on that day 'cause now we all know that he will die on that day no matter what, and I'm thinking "What the hell Moffat?!" As soon as the episode ended I was kinda glad it was over because it was too confusing too many things happening at once and I felt like turning it off but I didn't
WickedLadyProduction 5 months ago
Also using the same set through out since the series came back I got bored of it, first time it was shown "yeah okay awesome great!" second time "Hang on a minute didn't I just... nah.." Third time "Bloody hell seriously?!" Well you get the idea... It annoyed me so much! And they put in too many spoilers
WickedLadyProduction 5 months ago
....... but Id give it 6/10, a mark added because it managed to wrap up a lot of things we've been wondering ever since river song entered the whoniverse and added lots more to keep us wondering (for example, a question hidden in plain sight? how big a teaser is that!? and the fact the the silence are a religious cult and not a species). oh, and I bet the question is "what do you get if you multiply six by nine?" :D. sorry this is so long, had to spread it across three comments.
animationdude56 5 months ago
...... but maybe thats because we're younger than you, and we're both not really good at examining it in as much detail as you did, so mabye thats why he, and me, thought it was good. anyways all im saying is that I think its a good place for a new fan to start watching (albeit you'd have to tell them the plot of the first half of series six). anyways good reveiw!......
animationdude56 5 months ago
If my sums are right, the Doctor should have 23 lives left thanks to River. although he gets killed in the impossible astronaut, so....... anyways i disagree that a new fan wouldn't watch it next week after seeing this episode. im 13, and one of my friends at school, who hasn't really ever seen a full doctor who story, watched it and thought it was great. and he says he's watching next weeks episode cause it looks cool and scary.....
animationdude56 5 months ago
i actually liked mels, she completely clashed with the doctor and it was funny
TEHEmmie 5 months ago
You really know your stuff, you're a great reviewer.
And this particular episode really threw me in a loop.
cashomnitrix 5 months ago
@MrTARDISreviews nice review. i agree for the most part, not a great episode and some things were annoying like mels, hitler's role and amelia pond reminding us 12 times how much of the episode was left. one thing i don't agree on is the monsters/robots/villains/wtf?/flying jellyfish things. whilst it was great to see a monster that wasn't cgi, to me they were still unconvincing but i do agree that their motives were quite scary
DaBigPink 5 months ago
Hahahahaha TRUMPETS!
fedredted 5 months ago
@MrTardisreviews Actually, when you think about it, Melody aged alongside Amy and Rory, giving her at least a somewhat human lifespan. If it took her twenty years to get to Leadworth surely she would've aged in that time, right? Personally, I thought the episode was only about a three. I mean, growing up with your parents as your best friends, and then mid regeneration you start calling them mum and dad all of a sudden? That was a creepy bit to me.
sanjnalat 5 months ago
"Continuity: who needs it?"
Well, to be fair to Moffat, not only is it clear that the "temporal grace" has stopped working for a VERY long time, if we think back to the cyberman shooting in Earthshock, even the script acknowledges the fact that it should be in "temporal grace", before the Doctor says that it was "a clever lie".
Sorry, but when continuity is questioned, it's only natural for a continuity obsessed fan like me to answer!
DoctorDodge 5 months ago
"the doctor? doctor who?"
"ahaaaa! he said it! :D"
laughed my socks off at that bit XD
SmithMoviesInk 5 months ago
The Hitler thing didn't bother me that much. I took it as misdirection on Moffat's part. Get people to think about how the Doctor could have to save Hitler, and the episode turns out to be something else entirely. I did like this episode, but it was all over the place. I get the impression that Moffat is trying to write out the entire main plot of the season himself (River so far has only appeared in episodes that he writes) and doesn't leave the other writers much to work with.
SilentGunman 5 months ago
The tardis has glass now not wood so bullets break glass
whoboy11 5 months ago
Love the review, but the "Temporal Grace" IS explained within the scene on the Tardis and was put down to being a "clever lie".
thedurs 5 months ago
Hey Mr. Tardis, here's something you missed out from the review, how did Melody 1 regenerate into a toddler in NYC, 1970, and somehow, grow up in Leadworth in the 90's? Maybe Melody I or II had a TARDIS or a time travelling device.. which more than likely will destroy continuity within in the show if she did! I agree with you, it was a poor episode, because a lot of things don't link up, and Hitler was just written out the episode sharpish.. bad Steven Moffat.. tut tut!
changethewords2 5 months ago
@changethewords2 To be honest, it would have been nice to have an explanation but it wasn't exactly needed. Melody regenerated for the first time in 1970s New York. In the 11th Hour we first met Amelia in 1996 Leadworth. So Melody had around 20 years to get to from New York to England and since Mels is a criminal (she did steal a car at the beginning) then maybe she used similiar methods to get across the pond.
MrTARDISreviews 5 months ago
@MrTARDISreviews but if it took her twenty years to get tp :eadworth, than how come she's a child in the flashbacks?
MsRiskybuisness 5 months ago
@changethewords2 I wondered about that too, but then in her River-regeneration she talks about being able to age backwards at will, and in The Impossible Astronaut the doctor looks the same when he's 900 and when he's 1100, so I'm guessing timelord-aging is not as linear as ours.
QueenMegaera 5 months ago
loving the zelda poster!
HyperBlob1 5 months ago
I liked this episode a lot but I do think the story would have done better if it was a two parter. These arc storylines would do better if they weren't broken up by the 'stand alone' episodes. Maybe they should try the old serial approach where a story arc is told in succession instead of being broken up by singular episodes. Like what they did with 'The War Games' and 'Genesis of the Daleks' for example.
spitfiremark14 5 months ago
@HaiderNawaz You bring up a very interesting point. I judge media (whether it be film, television, videogames, whatever) on their own merits. The only influence a writer or director has on an episode for me, is my expectations. Matthew Graham's work on Fear Her caused me to have low expectations for The Rebel Flesh, whereas David Fincher directing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo remake has me excited to see it. If an episode is bad, it's bad no matter who wrote it or directed it (and vice versa)
MrTARDISreviews 5 months ago
I think Melody was her actual name, Mels was abbreviated as Steven Moffat didnt want to give to much away.
TheWerdnaR 5 months ago
i think ur reviews r epic!
and even i don't like lets kill hitler i love this review!
by the way did u get bad luck after when u opened the umbrella indoors?
2vidman 5 months ago
Well its clear you've taken our feedback to heart. Although I disagree with your score I really enjoyed the review. It never dragged, went into some pretty deep analysis but also had plenty of comic moments that were used quickly and then dropped to make them even funnier! A brilliantly made review.
TheAdamTowers 5 months ago
he said IT!
ThreeLinkProductions 5 months ago
How did melody get from new york to ledworth?
waffleriddle 5 months ago
AND THE DECK OF THE VALLIANT!
Seriously, they've used that set waaaaay to much. Or they just haven;t disguised it well enough.
Personally, I enjoyed this episode, mostly for how funny it was and especially the Sherlock-esque sequence with the Doctor and Melody weapon swapping. It was a lot of fun and I think its a case of "love whilst watching, simply like after analysing"... if that makes any sense.
Also, Rory is a badass.
queenoftheoutlands 5 months ago
Also, I'm taking bets on how long before there is fanart of MrTARDIS stabbing Hitler in the face with an umbrella.
queenoftheoutlands 5 months ago
@queenoftheoutlands Plus that place they used for the national museum in the pandorica opens and for the library from 2008, they didn't even hide anything and used the same angles to shoot it!!!!
TheAdamTowers 5 months ago
I have to say that you and I are on the same page with this review.
After the show we all just sat around going, "eh."
Your high point are correct and your low points are spot on as well.
Sorry to hear you are under the weather, but it seemed to sharpen your critical sense. Even the comic points were a little to "inside." Good once in awhile, bad as a consent element.
I do agree with you on Rory. Did not like him at first, but he has grown to my favorite companion.
Good job.
Laceykat66 5 months ago
My theory is that when River/Melody says she is the 'child of the TARDIS', Amy will actually be revealed to be Idris. Regeneration, maybe? The TARDIS is from Gallifrey too, presumably.
wagadonia 5 months ago
You choose one of my fav songs for the openning
cybertardis99 5 months ago
You forgot to mention the part when river attempts to kill the Doctor with a banana.
Clockwork097 5 months ago
I actually quite like the episode - funny and touching at the same time. I am also very happy to see Mel being bitchy since it kidda go quite well with the bad-ass aspect of River. I do however agree that the episode is a bit rush and there are lots of plots going on. Still looking forward to this second half of the series tho.
Thanks for the review and hope you get well soon.
FiNottle 5 months ago
This is the worst episode in Doctor Who history, and is the point where new Who has disappeared up its own arse completely while taking a filthy amber piss on old Who for bad measure. I despise everyone involved and hope Moffat never works again.
JonathanBones 5 months ago
This is interesting as I usually agree with your reviews, however, this time I couldn't disagree more. I really liked this episode, I thought the acting, special effects, and the plot were all fantastic. I'm not suggesting it was perfect, because it wasn't. It was rushed and that detracted from the episode. I thought you were too harsh and I'm giving this one 8/10.
theSteve1290 5 months ago 20
Good review as always Trilbee.
criticalsmithy 5 months ago
I actually really liked this episode. I didn't think it was perfect. My biggest problem with the episode was that they didn't do much with Hitler or the 1930s Berlin background. It did feel like a waste. They could have done much more than just meet Hitler for a couple minutes and then throw him in the cupboard. but, besides that, I did like the overall plot of the episode as it concerns River.
caffingdu 5 months ago
fair enough mrtardis nice to point that out in forest of the dead, I didn't see that myslef :)
thelashers 5 months ago
great, enjoyable fun review, RE-the title 'lets kill hitler' reflects the attitude of River Song, the casualness of treating time travel in a light and random way as opposed to fully thought through. locking hitler in cupboard is funny, i'm afraid Moffat approach his writing in the same way as telling a joke, its a ride that results in enjoyable sensation instead of a logical or dramatic one.
ScareMeSexy71 5 months ago
The only problem I had with the episode is River not showing any concern for her parents' safety when they are being threaten by the anti-bodies within the robot. Why does it take the Doctor's plead for her to finally spring to action?
robberblood 5 months ago
I enjoy your reviews but I feel you may have missed the point with this episode. The very title refers to that age old question "if you had a time machine would you go back and kill hitler?" However, as we all know, this episode was not about Hitler. It was all about River, except with that question applying to her (according to those Justice people she's an even worse war criminal). It is the Doctor who answers that question with a no, even knowing she will kill him.
robberblood 5 months ago
The tv show is British so they changed the script but they did ruin the nazi concept
whoboy11 5 months ago
Hitler was the Doctor; metaphorically
Aweois 5 months ago
Wait, if this is the story where River Song regenerates into the River we know, does that mean we're losing the actress of River? I mean, every time we meet her, she gets younger. She said so herself. So logically, that means the next time we see River, it will be with the Mels actress
iceonightmares 5 months ago
@iceonightmares nah, River BELIEVES the meet in perfect oposite direction, while they really meet in such an out of order that one day we'll need a timeline for it... if we really have enought episodes to make it xD
Wazaraku 5 months ago
Oh, and as for the appearances by Tennant's companions: I thought they were kind of cool taken as a whole, but forget about Rose; Donna's the one who made me roll my eyes in disgust. She's the most annoying DW character I've ever seen--and that includes all of those shittily-acted War Lords from "The War Games."
aperson22222 5 months ago
@aperson22222 Hell, it even includes Eric Roberts!
aperson22222 5 months ago
I liked that Hitler didn't have much of a role. We had to pick up with the regular characters and had no time for him to steal the show. And the "Oh yeah, Hitler. Just get him out of the way" motif shows that really, really big things are at stake here.
Otherwise, I liked this as River's origin story and was sold on the journey she went through. One assumes Kovarian filled her brain with lies about how evil the Doctor was, and now she's seeing that his instincts are toward selflessness and
aperson22222 5 months ago
compassion that even extends to her, even when he himself is in danger. So her conditioning breaks down--believable.
And as for the robot captain saying the Doctor dying in Utah is a fixed point in time undermining the tension: Well, it's not like I would have sat around thinking "Wow, could this be the Doctor's last appearance?" if he hadn't said that. We already knew he'd get out of it somehow or other, so that didn't detract.
aperson22222 5 months ago
This may be my least favorite Moffat episode
jojomonkey908 5 months ago
Hitler's office and the dining hall were not the same place. And it seems that most of your problems are all about what you were expecting, rather than actual issues with the episode itself. I remember reading a fake spoiler about the shark dying in A Christmas Carol. I waited the whole episode for that shark to die, but it didn't. It left me feeling empty. But that's not a problem with the episode. Just because they didn't use Berlin to its full potential, doesn't make the episode worse.
hpathbp25 5 months ago
in a way we dont really need to know the story of mels as she is river song and we kinda know abit about her and who knows on how much of her passed will be revealed. Many people know the story of the doctor without watching any of the previous 8 doctors and still follow his character.
MrWhatsrossable 5 months ago
I feel like seeing negative traits of Mels is rather the point. You see her as the troubled best friend of Amy that's really screwed up, you find out she's River, and you realize why she's so screwed up. I'd probably give this a 7/10 or 8/10, because I love the River Song plotline.
someone332 5 months ago
In the season finale or have to watch the Dr. pine for River I will hunt Moffat down and have a dalek exterminate him. I think Rivers character is basically a sexed up violent version of Romana without Romanas charms and chemistry with the Dr.
stardetective29 5 months ago
This episode was a mess, and it was hard for me to watch. That is mainly because I really stongly dislike River. I feel like since the beginning we have been forced to like her. Look she knows secrets about the doctor, look she is super smart, look she is a badass with a gun, look she is Amy and Rory's daughter. Ur right some of the moments were funny, but the story could have happened any where. Like it could have been Let's Kill Stalin. Though I swear if we have to watch Dr. and River marry
stardetective29 5 months ago
The state of temporal grace was always bullshit. It has been going at least as far back as "Earthshock," anyway.
aperson22222 5 months ago
Did noone get that Let's Kill Hitler refers to River killing the Doctor. And how can you not feel concerned for the Doctor's life when Matt Smith is acting his heart out and his tardis is telling him he's going to die?
farshnuke 5 months ago
Has anyone else thoyght about yhe fact that the first half of the series arc was about a pregnancy and a baby?
CoolCartoonsGuy 5 months ago
@WhovianWars don't forget in tge emoty child/the doctor dabces where he switches the sonic gun for the banana again
CoolCartoonsGuy 5 months ago
Even though I was upset Melody Pond regenerated before we really got to know her and the episode hadn't lived up to my expectations, I still managed to enjoy focusing more on the comedy side of the episode. I think I enjoyed the episode more than you......
vccool72 5 months ago
1:21 that would be a giveaway but mels implies it isn't a short version of melody
also i was pretty damn surprised when mels turned out to be river
piplup2009 5 months ago
To be fair, it's not like it's the first time this continuity detail has been ignored; Capt. Jack managed to shoot a Dalek in the TARDIS in 'The Parting of the Ways' without any problems, right?
And of course Mels isn't likeable - she's a trained psychopath!
Otherwise, you're absolutely right about the pudding being over-egged, but that's OK because I really like eggs (metaphorically). Yes, the title's a cheat and the ideas were underdeveloped, but I still enjoyed it, even if only superficially.
JackChristmas2 5 months ago