This is about a story that aired six years ago and a plot arc that was first mentioned four years ago. The link only occurred to me a few months ago. Since then I’ve intended to write something about it but haven’t, mostly because it’s pretty flimsy and uninteresting. But I’m at a loose end so here we are.
Looking back, knowing about the existence of “religious
order” The Silence (or, possibly, The Silents) the title of Steven Moffat’s
first series four script seems designed to be a “clever” revelation at a later
date. It’s safe to assume that he’d had the idea of The Silence for a while,
intending to implement them as one of his Big Ideas should he ever get to run
Doctor Who. We know that he wrote Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead
after he’d discovered he’d be succeeding Russell the T as the lead exec. Is it
possible that Moffat’s intention was to have the Silence appear-but-not-appear
in the episodes? A cheeky bit of pre-planning ahead of time as showrunner
proper?
Well obviously yes, it is possible. And it would fit with
the way in which Moffat’s known to operate. His preferred method for writing
Doctor Who (more accurately his preferred method for planning out the big,
landmark episodes that are clearly his focus) is to have a vague working idea
of where he’s going without too many bothersome specifics worked out. That way
he can drop in teasers and tie them together when the appropriate time comes
without spending too much time tying himself in knots working all the
complexities out. Sometimes it works, as with his tying of the series six opening
and closing stories. Sometimes it doesn’t, as it didn’t with River Song, Trenzalore,
and the reason for the TARDIS explosion in season five.
It’s also not like Moff is above playing around with
titles in this way. He’s admitted that he chose to call the season five finale The
Big Bang because he knew it would be the episode in which River Song was
conceived in the TARDIS. He’s described that as a dirty joke that only he was
in on (giving you a marvellous insight into his maturity and how seriously he
takes his job). Silence in the Library would fit snugly into that same approach
and, in fairness, be a far more creative example of forward planning and title
tomfoolery.
That Moffat has never, to my knowledge, commented on the
significance of the Library story’s opening title makes me think that I’m
probably reading too much into things. If the Silence were intended to be in
the episode, unseen, then he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from
crowing about it after six years. It’s beyond him, not at all within his
nature. The man’s too much of a smug show-off. My guess would be that he either
got a draft or two in and decided to strip the Silence out and replace them
with the less impressive and memorable Vashta Nerada or that RTD had issues
with the foreshadowing. It’s known that Moffles had to fight for the inclusion
of River Song. Maybe Davies felt that the Silence would be too much left
unexplained and gave Moffat the choice of seeding in one or the other. Perhaps
he invented The Silence after the Library story was finished and took
inspiration for naming them from that episode title.
We’re never going to know. But it’s interesting to think
that there could be a connection
between the Library two parter and the Moffat era proper beyond an appearance
of River Song.
