Three months after the events of The Impossible Astronaut, the Doctor is locked in the perfect prison in Area 51 and Amy, Rory and River are on the run from the FBI. It’s 1969, and the elusive manipulators of human history, the Silence, are calling the shots. This is how the second episode of the new series’ opening two-parter kicked off. Whilst this episode followed on very nicely from the series opener, it made some of the questions raised last episode even more complex, and invented a few more mysteries for us to ponder over...
The opening set up reveals a captive and brilliantly longer-haired and beardy Doctor (quite a good look, I reckon!), being secured in the perfect prison of Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy (first introduced in the Fourth Doctor serial ‘Warriors’ Gate’) and his companions being chased across America by the FBI. However, this all turns out to be a ruse, and FBI agent Canton Delaware is actually still on the Doctor’s side, slowly forming the basis for a revolution against the Silence. In an effort to understand just what the bloody hell is going on, Amy and Canton head to an orphanage to find out more about the astronaut child that may or may not have killed the Doctor in the future, and the Doctor, Rory and River infiltrate Apollo 11 to set their revolution into motion.Early into the episode, the jarring moment at the conclusion of The Impossible Astronaut - in which Amy declares she’s pregnant and then attempts to shoot a little girl in the face - is resolved by her claiming that she had made a mistake, and she was not in fact pregnant. However, during the course of this episode the potential for Amy’s child is strongly hinted at. One such indication was whilst investigating the run down orphanage, where Amy discovers a picture in a room, possibly belonging to the spacesuit-clad child, of her holding a baby. Yet she very quickly seems to forget this - rather unusual, seeing as I imagine if I found a picture of me holding a child I’d never seen before, nor had any recollection of, it would be the only thing on my mind for quite some time! I sense more foul play from the Silence…
The crux of the episode was mostly focussed around the orphanage, and provided the most intriguing plot elements. A curious old man who has no memory of the past two years, and certainly seems to be gravely troubled by something, considers it his life’s purpose to protect the child - presumably, the Apollo spacesuit-clad child. It is strongly implied that the curious old chap has been influenced by the Silence to carry out their wishes, indicating that the child he tasks himself with protecting must also be very important to his ghoulish manipulators (who apparently have a penchant for sleeping on orphanage ceilings). There is also a bizarre encounter with a woman peering through a hatch, who’s brief appearance only features her saying “No I think she’s just dreaming.”, and promptly vanishing. If that isn’t a teaser for a future story, I don’t know what is! Well played, Moffat, well played…
An eye is exchanged for an eye, as Amy is taken hostage by the Silence, and Canton manages to wound a Silent, taking it back to Area 51. The being rather candidly informs Canton, who’s videoing this, that humans should ‘kill them all on sight’. Rather cunningly, the Doctor inserts this brief bit of footage into the feed from Apollo 11’s landing, implanting humanity with a post-hypnotic suggestion to kill all Silence on sight.
The episode concludes with River returning to her cell, where she and the Doctor share their last and first kiss respectively, with a rather spectacular performance from Alex Kingston when River realises that is the last time she’ll ever kiss the Doctor. Back in the TARDIS, Amy and the Doctor discuss her unknown pregnancy (with an almost throw-away comment regarding how time travel may have affected her child were she to have one, which I believe may very well be more relevant in episodes to come), and, unbeknownst to Amy, the TARDIS console’s quick scan reveals that the status of her pregnancy fluctuates between positive and negative. More timey-wimey, history can be rewritten, plot devices abound?
Wait… WHAT?!
So after all that, we’re still left with some pressing questions…
- Who was in the spacesuit that the Doctor recognised shortly before they killed him. Is this still the child?
- Why did Amy flit between thinking she was pregnant, and then not pregnant? Does the scan signify that it’s something that is not set in stone yet, and does the picture in the child’s room of Amy holding a baby indicate that she will be the mother of the regenerating-astronaut-cold calling Nixon-girl?
- When the woman peered through the hatch and said “No I think she’s just dreaming.” and promptly vanished into thin air, what was that all about?!
- What did the Silence mean by “We do you honour. You will bring the Silence. But your part will soon be over.” Is this another hint that perhaps the Apollo astronaut who killed the Doctor is the child that was calling Nixon and regenerating in a New York alleyway is perhaps Amy’s child? Artificial insemination?
- Who is River Song? We’ve been asking this for a while, but still…
- And who is this child? Daughter of Amy? If so, how is she able to regenerate? Why did the Silence believe this girl was so important that she needed protection and a mechanised spacesuit? Will she be the one who bring’s the Silence by killing the Doctor?
The combination of The Impossible Astronaut and The Day of the Moon represent everything that makes Doctor Who fantastic - the indepth narrative, the curious plot twists, and the all-round spectacle that draws you into the engaging stories. What other show can make you genuinely excited and be the topic for conversation and debate for young and old alike? Once more, Steven Moffat has sewn the seeds for even more fantastic future adventures - Bravo, sir, bravo!
I’m not entirely certain I’m willing to wait an entire week until the next episode…
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