I don’t know how many times it has happened to me, but I love it every time. How could you not love it when a Black woman points a gun at your head and says, “You’ve got a time machine, I’ve got a gun. What the hell. Let’s kill Hitler.” Oh, I do love a bit of Mels. You know, Mels, Amy’s best friend from childhood who she taught all her secrets about the Doctor to.

Anyway, Meet Dave. Anyone remember that crap film with Eddie Murphy playing a spaceship that’s taken the form of a very funny Black man? A who has lots of little people inside him, operating him? No, yeah it isn’t a one-for-one with that, but the concept of the Teselecta as a time and spaceship is an interesting one. It is used to explain the disappearance of some major figures throughout history, say, Adolf Hitler, for example. However, things go wrong when Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson come crashing into town and save the day… for Hitler. Oops!

Don’t worry, it is still fun, light-hearted, and I’ve got a feeling the episode might regenerate itself from making fun of some bloke doing a horrible Charlie Chaplin cosplay to sci-fi adventure. I mean, this is also the episode where Amy found out Rory isn’t gay, or rather wasn’t gay, and he’s been hanging around with her and Mels because he really liked her all along. I mean, what other revelation could there be where there is a woman with a penchant for pointing guns, asking questions about a bloke named “the Doctor, just the Doctor,” and is magnificent fun? Nina Toussaint-White does a brilliant job making Mels such an enjoyable and lovely character… before she regenerates from Hitler shooting her.

Hello Sweetie! Oh yes, I love when Moffat does this type of thing; Some people don’t like it, but they can go back to watching Chris Chibnall’s cavalcade of beige paint drying on a white wall for an hour if they don’t like it that much. Another chapter in the River Song/Melody Pond saga, another little moment of seeing Alex Kingston shine like a diamond, a big curly hair diamond. I love that woman, she just makes the best of every moment with Doctor Who and I love it.

That’s not to say the episode itself is without flaws. I just needed to string things out long enough my editor wouldn’t instantly find out Mels (Melody) was River, as after last week’s review I got a lovely message, “Doctor Who makes my brain hurt.” It has become a turn of phrase with me of late, it’s not a bad episode, but it isn’t the best either. There is just something a little deflating from the episode once the Teselecta takes Amy and Rory into the ship. Yes, that is me criticizing the sci-fi bit of a Doctor Who episode, enjoy it while it lasts.

In fact, this past week I was writing something Who-based up, and I needed a monster/villain to put into the story. One idea I had early on was a rogue Teselecta that was run by a group of people who had disbanded from what is shown here as a very righteous order. I still like the idea, I think it has legs, but it is just a rough thing to implement without feeling a little too much like a sci-fi pirate story. With “Let’s Kill Hitler” the focus isn’t actually about Hitler or the Teselecta running around 1938 Berlin, it’s a story about the Doctor, and about River before she becomes River.

Episodes of Doctor Who where we’re trying to put together the Doctor as a being, trying to add to the character just aren’t all that interesting. Yes, the main question of the show is Doctor who? But anyone who tries to explain who the Doctor is, possibly by explaining all we have known so far is a lie, and in fact, isn’t Gallifreyan but something else, is missing the point. Well, that person is an idiot, and call Chris Chibnall. I’d say some stronger words on that, but I’m pretty sure my editor wouldn’t be pleased.

The episode, beyond River’s regeneration, is still fun in places, as it takes my favorite route of adventure and hyperactive Moffat story-telling. Though I’m probably getting ahead of myself with trying to wrap things up, as this is the episode where the Doctor whispers something in River’s ear. He also gives her a little blue book that looks like a blue box I might have seen once or twice in my life. So, now we’ve seen River’s death, we’ve seen her first moments with the Doctor in several forms, we’ve seen her kill the Doctor, and we’ve seen her be given her little book of memories. What’s next, Jim the fish?

No, sadly. Next up are some creepy child-sized peg dolls in what is the beginning of Moffat’s twinge taking over. It’s been said before and I’ll say it again here. I don’t like this bit of Who, and I’m not going to like the next few weeks. Especially considering we’ve got the second James Corden episode coming up too… Someone shoot me!

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Doctor Who "Let's Kill Hitler"

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• River!
• Nina Toussaint-White as Mels is great!
• "You've got a time machine, I've got a gun. What the hell. Let's kill Hitler."
• Rory putting Hitler in the cupboard.
• "He's my favourite guy. But he's, you know... gay."

Cons

• Beyond the points with Mels, everything get a bit deflated.
• The Teselecta is just Meet Dave, again.