REVIEW: Doctor Who, Series 6 Episode Eight 'Let's Kill Hitler'

 REVIEW: Doctor Who, Series 6 Episode Eight 'Let's Kill Hitler'

Originally published in 2016, here are my thoughts on Let's Kill Hitler.

With Donald Trump being the only republican candidate in America for their presidency I thought it would be fun to look at an episode with a similarly unlikeable individual: Let's Kill Hitler. Those three words are not necessarily what you would expect a Doctor Who episode to be called so its name comes as something of a surprise, although I suspect it was more to grab the attention of the media rather than a title picked to suit the episode.

The title is very misleading and many quite rightly felt disappointed by it. Personally, I didn't; whilst I liked the idea of an episode set in the past with an evil dictator as the 'historical celebrity' it was never a necessity for me that this episode featured a significant amount of screentime for Hitler (Albert Welling). It is more focused on the origins of River Song (Alex Kingston) and the Teselecta's attempt to take her down due to their knowledge of her killing the Doctor (Matt Smith). This in my view is a much more interesting story to tell than Mel (Nina Toussaint-White, later River) trying to kill Hitler, even if by this point River Song is becoming something of an irritating character due to her frequent appearances. In this case the story does at least suit River, and she doesn't feel quite as overbearing here as she does in other Series Six stories. This is definitely on the lighter spectrum of Doctor Who episodes, especially when the greatest moment in the episode sees Rory (Arthur Darvill) shove Hitler in a cupboard.

The best thing about this story is by far the set design. It looks perfect and probably one of the best recreations of a historical period in the show thus far. You get a strong and clear sense of world-building and character from the production decor of Hitler's office alone, which is decorated with all of the Nazi swastika symbolism to be expected from the workspace of the fuhrer. You can tell the designers spent a lot of time working on the sets for this story, and their hard work and dedication shows clearly in the finished product. Even the outdoor scenes look like the cast and crew have literally travelled back in time, with vintage motorbikes and old army trucks littering the streets.

Albert Welling is very convincing as Hitler and it would have been great to have seen a lot more of him. Again, I thought the story focused on a more interesting point with Mel's attempts to kill the Doctor but it would have been fun to have seen Hitler involved more within the narrative. What if the Doctor was reluctantly forced to team up with Hitler, for instance? There are so many opportunities to feature a historical celebrity known to be a ruthless dictator in the Doctor's travels, and they don't utilise these possibilities to their full potential. It's a more interesting situation than the script seems to give it credit for, especially as the Doctor (as established in Series Five) is best friends with Hitler's main rival, Winston Churchill. Surely this long-lasting friendship the Doctor shares with Churchill must make things feel somewhat awkward for the Time Lord here?

Alex Kingston is perfect as a newly-regenerated River too, although Nina Toussaint-White felt a little flat at Mels. She doesn't have the same screen presence as Alex Kingston displays in abundance, who dominates the screen in every scene she's in. Alex Kingston's portrayal gives us the rare chance to see how another character with regenerative abilities deals with post-regeneration, and she really milks it in her performance for all its worth. Funny, wild and totally unpredictable, this younger River is a little less experienced and more naive than the one we are used to, but it makes for a highly engaging forty five minutes. 

The main cast are great as always but Arthur Darvill in particular really shines here. He has brilliant comedic timing in this episode, especially near the beginning with Hitler. 'Shut up, Hitler' has to be my favourite line from the entire story, the way he just casually shoves Adolf into the cupboard being one of Rory William's greatest stand-out moments. Rory does what we'd all want to when coming face-to-face with one of the most evil men in human history, and so it's extremely satisfying to see him act exactly how we would in this scenario. Rory is essentially the everyman, and Arthur Darvill plays that character type extremely well.

Overall, Let's Kill Hitler is a great instalment in Doctor Who's sixth series. It offers a fun and comedic take on a journey back to World War II, demonstrating some excellent attention to detail with the period setting alongside some truly stellar performances from Arthur Darvill and Alex Kingston. Whilst the title may be somewhat misleading and Albert Welling a tad under-used, Let's Kill Hitler is largely an extremely underrated story within fandom, and one that undoubtedly deserves to be given another chance.

What are your thoughts on Let's Kill Hitler? Let me know in the comments below.