Even in this lengthy recap, I’ve had to skip past many of the emotional beats and nuances in this marvelous episode.
After the dizzyingly complex plotting and major revelations of the past few episodes, “Night Terrors” is a real change of pace.
The episode is full of witty dialogue, dazzling perspective shifts, and a surprising number of answers about the mysterious River Song.
Before this split season began, showrunner Steven Moffat promised that the first half would end with a “game-changing” cliffhanger.
“The Almost People” is an episode with a dual function.
Last week’s mix of Lovecraftian horror and ancient romance is followed up with a harder-edged, industrial sci-fi thriller.
Giving an episode a title like “The Doctor’s Wife” is enough in itself to encourage feverish speculation all across the internet.
After the opening two-part story of this season launched a ton of mysteries, the Doctor and his friends have decided to go off and have a stand-alone adventure.
Doctor Who has never really tried serialised storytelling on this scale before.
Certainly there aren’t many carefree moments in this episode apart from the very beginning.
At long last, BBC America has bowed to the reality of the internet and broadcast the Doctor Who Christmas special within hours of its UK premiere.
Who expected the end of the universe to be so much fun?
This two-part finale is directed by another of this season’s first-time directors, Toby Haynes.
Over the last five seasons of Doctor Who, the week or two just before the big finale has tended to be where the oddball, envelope-pushing episodes turn up.
In the end, it brings us back to reality with the reminder that a condition like depression is not to be negated by one moment of joy.
The episode shows us that the Silurians and present-day humanity are unable to overcome their seemingly irreconcilable differences.
Many of the elements of this story have their roots in the Pertwee era.
One of the major threads running through this season has been Amy’s relationships with the Doctor and her fiancé.
“The Vampires of Venice” is a distinct step down for the season after the triumph of the Weeping Angels two-parter.
The episode maintains the high quality displayed by the first half of this two-parter, “The Time of Angels.”