During the epic “Doctor Who” trailer released at Comic-Con, Adolf Hitler appears to thank the Doctor and his friends for saving his life. Some fans have reacted (shall we say… ) strongly over this scene and ignored the fact that Rory punches out Hitler later in the trailer. On Thursday at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, “Doctor Who” showrunner Steven Moffat was quick to shoot down any lingering doubts from the fanbase.
“I think we can unequivocally say we’re against Hitler,” said Moffat (via Entertainment Weekly) “I think the worst thing you can do to that awful man is take the mickey out of him on ‘Doctor Who.’ Don’t worry, we’re not going to save Hitler.”
Moffat appeared alongside series stars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and executive producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis. The panel also screened the first few minutes of the next episode of “Doctor Who,” which is memorably titled “Let’s Kill Hitler.”
SPOILERS AHEAD!
The episode opens with Amy and Rory (Arthur Darvill) back on Earth driving through a field. Using crop circles to spell out the Doctor’s name, they manage to summon the Doctor and the TARDIS to get an update on the search for their baby, Melody Pond… who will go on to become River Song (Alex Kingston).
The Doctor tells them that he hasn’t found her yet, but River’s presence in the future means that he should find her soon. However before he can begin his search anew, a woman named Mels (Nina Toussaint-White) holds the trio at gunpoint and she is seemingly bent on hijacking the TARDIS.
During the panel, Moffat called “Let’s Kill Hitler” one of his favorite episodes and indicated that it was also one of Smith’s finest performances in the series. The second half of the season will also continue to deal with the revelation that River is Amy and Rory’s daughter and how that changes their relationship with the Doctor.
“You think you know the truth about River,” teased Moffat. “You don’t know it yet. There’s loads more to come.”
“It’s going to take some twists and turns,” added Gillan. All of the relationships and the whole dynamic is going to change.”
Of course, there’s also the matter of the Doctor’s impending demise at the hands of the Impossible Astronaut as seen in the sixth season premiere that will be addressed by the season finale on October 1.
“There’s the great revelation,” exclaimed Moffat. “We’ve still got to understand what happened to the Doctor in episode one.”
Moffat also added an intriguing tease regarding the darker direction for the Doctor that Smith hinted at during the Comic-Con panel last week. Moffat stated that “the dark side of a man who could have caused the end of the universe is considerable.”
“Doctor Who” returns to BBC America on Saturday, August 27.
