Doctor Who - Day of the Moon

As River Song would say: SPOILERS!!!

Oh what a difference a week makes. After what felt like a messy, even rather….mistimed… first episode, this time it was just infinitely better right out of the gate.

From the thrilling chase between Canton Everett Delaware the Evil (or you know….not….) and the Doctor’s most faithful companions, we are sent on an all-out thrill ride through the good ‘ole US of A.

There is so much to talk about in this episode, and despite a whole host of answers, we are met once again with 100 new questions – Is Amy really about to give birth to a timelord? When will Silence fall? Who is the newest regenerating addition to the show?

But before I can talk about any of that, there is one thing that really needs saying: The Silence are literally the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. Bar none. Truly terrifying conceptually, and the idea that it could actually be happening is just literally beyond scary. After last weeks introduction to them, this week it was genuinely taken to the next level, and the scenes inside the children’s home were completely and utterly horrifying.

Ok. That’s out of my system. Moving swiftly on.

Umm: Amy is pregnant….but not pregnant….but pregnant…. Umm….what? My guess: the timelord baby inside her only has one heart working right now, which is why the TARDIS is confused. It can sense two and one isn’t beating so the pregnancy scanner is completely confuzzled. That still doesn’t answer how Amy is going to become impregnated with a Time Lord baby, but sorry: I honestly have no answers on that one…. We’ll just have to wait and see what Mr Moffat has in store.

One of the best things about this episode – as indeed with last weeks although I failed to mention them in my frustration with everything else – were the performances of Mark Sheppard and Stuart Milligan as Canton and Nixon respectively. Every time either of them spoke, or even appeared on screen, it was a delight, and Nixon genuinely got many of the biggest laughs in this episode (“He broke into Apollo 11 Mr President.” “Oh…well….I’m sure he had a good reason…..”)

A lot of people across the Interwebs have become very bored with River Song as a character, but must say I’ve stood by her up until this point, and: but for last weeks minor discretion, it was a true return to form this week, kicking butt and taking names. I can’t wait to finally find out who she is, and exactly who she killed – my money is still on her being in the Space Suit on the beach rather than the little girl, but we’ll see.

And now, just incase you thought I’d forgotten it, it’s time for the elephant in the room: The little girl regenerated. She fucking regenerated. Excuse my French, but that is actually the extremity of the confusion and befuddlement which befell me at the moment that girl’s hands began to glow.

Again, I have no answers, and honestly at this stage no theories even as to who she is, and how there can possibly be another Time Lord, but I’m certain that she will continue to appear throughout Season 6 until we finally get answers. . At least now we know why the Silence needed to keep her alive. River told us that whole species would rip planets apart for one cell of a dead Time Lords’ body. What would they do for a live one?

Having completely assuaged any doubts that episode one left that this season might not live up to expectations, one can only hope the rest of the season will meet these standards.