The series feels tiresome in its relentless pleading with us to be impressed.
An era of the series has ended, but as always, Doctor Who continues moving right along.
Showrunner Steven Moffat caps off not one, but two story arcs which have run through the entire season.
Whatever happens next week, for the moment the Doctor appears to have lost everything.
We’re once again left with the impression that the real story has only just begun.
Showrunner Steven Moffat’s plotting ingenuity is on full display throughout the episode.
Despite its impressively designed environment, the episode’s logic is strained.
Some skillful writing diverts attention from the fact that this is a rather oddly structured episode.
The first half of the episode is almost entirely comedic in nature, and the performances are appropriately unsubtle.
Coleman excels at showing her character’s horror at what the Doctor has suffered, and what it’s done to him.
Director Rachel Talalay surpasses her work on last season’s finale, providing whole sequences of breathtaking visuals.
While the previous episode had many obvious references to read-world events, such allusions are considerably toned down here.
Last year the Doctor exhibited an antipathy toward soldiers bordering on the cartoonish, but he’s more restrained here.
First-time director Daniel O’Hara creates a very convincing environment using mainly lighting effects, a constant low-key shimmering in the background always reminding us that we’re underwater.
When he’s on form, writer Steven Moffat is adept at constantly surprising the audience.
The Doctor’s barnstorming re-entrance is a hilarious moment of pure absurdity.
Showrunner Steven Moffat presents the intersection between Doctor Who and Christmas in the most direct possible way.
After hovering around the fringes for most of the season, Missy finally takes center stage.
In “Dark Water,” showrunner Steven Moffat begins the process of drawing together the threads of this season of Doctor Who.
The episode is another mostly light-hearted script from Gareth Roberts.