Holistic Review: The first 33 minutes are superb, with great humor, fun characters, and a sense of menace that the Cybermen haven't enjoyed in years... but then it abruptly topples into the land of cliché and schmaltz and bad dialogue.

It's the annual Gareth Roberts episode! Rejoice! His episodes thus far — no surprise to me — have generally been highlights of their respective seasons, and season six is no exception. Roberts and Moffat shrewdly decided to bring back Craig from last season's The Lodger, on the strength of the character's likeability and James Corden's excellent performance. I can't speak for the rest of fandom, but I think this was a very wise idea. Craig's a sweet guy, and the audience already has a deep soft spot for him, so adding him into a scary story automatically lightens up the "creepy" with a healthy dose of "heartwarming", and, given Corden's background as a comedian, no shortage of hilarity. Which is, of course, one of Gareth Roberts' strengths as well, so they're an excellent fit! Roberts scripts numerous one-liners and recurring gags which help to keep Closing Time lighthearted and fun.

I managed to stay pretty clear of spoilers for Closing Time; all I'd heard going into it was that Craig was coming back, more recently that the Cybermen were in it, and a couple of days before that it involved a "silver rat", which of course thrilled me no end. I've been wishing for a return of the Cybermats for years. I've always liked them even more than the Cybermen, and I'm not even entirely sure why. Is it because their diminutive size makes them look deceptively non-threatening? Is it because they can jump and bite like evil poisonous metal fleas? Is it because they can hide in small spaces and ambush you without warning? Probably a combination of all of the above. What makes me especially happy is that these Cybermats are extremely faithful to the original version, yet also improved. They still have the same basic body shape (no more anaconda-like Cybermats, as in their last appearance in Revenge of the Cybermen, thank goodness), with the same wiggly tails, the same deceptive cuteness, the same ability to leap at people, and reportedly the same glowing red eyes, although we never actually see these glow. Even better, there's a complete lack of felt detailing, they're way faster than they were in the 60s, and these Cybermats are more convincingly cybernetic than any before them, with an obviously-organic mouth full of nasty sharp teeth. The CGI version (when one first bares its toothy grin at the Doctor) is less than convincing, but the practical effect in later shots looks superb, particularly as the Cybermat's mouth flares with electrical discharge, which is yet another nice touch that adds to their menace. I couldn't have asked for any better. It's great to have them back after 37 years.

And speaking of things coming back, how's about that lovely James Corden? I'm so pleased that they asked him to return for another episode as Craig. Corden was one of the most endearing characters in all of the fifth season, and I love the idea of having him around as a recurring solo companion for the eleventh Doctor. Corden and Smith have spectacular chemistry together, which of course is no doubt why Roberts scripted a love scene between them! In all seriousness, though, the two of them play off one another beautifully, and Corden makes you feel Craig's emotions so deeply that you get a very clear sense of how devoted Craig is to the Doctor, even though they really barely know each other. It's difficult to enumerate Corden's great deliveries because there were just so many of them, but the ones that particularly stood out to me were: "How could she phone you?!", "Are there aliens in my fridge?", "You've noticed something. You've, you've got your noticing face on. I have nightmares about that face!", "Metal rat, real mouth!", his very sweet "The Cybermen... they blew up!" (I don't know how anyone could make that line sweet, but Corden does), "You used up your time for me?", and "Oi, shut up, you two!" James Corden is frankly adorable. Craig's arc for the story — learning to believe in himself more, and winning his baby's respect (!), is really heartwarming, and overall well-done. He does indeed wind up finding deep reserves of bravery, trying to bluff the Cybermen with (amusingly) a price scanner, much like Rose did with the Daleks (or Ace with the geiger counter in Ghost Light). Here's hoping we'll see him again next year! After all, assuming the Doctor does in fact manage to survive next week, Craig will certainly want to be told! What do you say, Gareth... can we make this an annual tradition? Hmm?

After several years of stomping around loudly, hiding in closets, overworking orphans, acting prissy with Daleks, and electrocuting people, finally the Cybermen get an opportunity to do what they do best: hide in the shadows, convert people gruesomely, and present a powerful unstoppable menace. Closing Time gives us the most effective Cyberman story that we've had yet in the revival, which is amazing because they're not even in the story that much; but they provide a palpable unseen threat throughout the episode, and when they do periodically appear to capture people for Cyber-conversion, they're stealthy and terrifying, with a creepy battered look that makes an interesting contrast to their usual gleaming polished silver. I'd say this is my favorite Cyberman story since Earthshock, which, incidentally, Roberts subtly and successfully mines for atmosphere: part of the action occurs underground, and there's a wonderful moment when the Doctor finds George's soil-smudged nametag on the ground. It's not as icky as the comparable moment in Earthshock with Snyder's nametag, but the vibe was so similar that it still sent a delightful shiver down my spine. The Cybermen are also allowed to be cunning and clever, most notably when the Doctor stupidly reveals his plan to Craig before it has succeeded, which gives the Cybermen all the time they need to squash Bitey before it can do them any real harm. We even get a nice explanation for why they've never tried to convert the Doctor. Unfortunately, despite utilizing them more effectively than any other onscreen story in the past 30 years, Roberts drops the ball a bit with their plan. The tension was mounting so inexorably that I expected them to have some kind of really horrific objective, but it turns out that what they wanted to do was... create more Cybermen and survive. Well, duh. That's what they always want to do. Not that it's a bad motivation, but it didn't feel terribly original.

And then, 34 minutes in, the script — which, up to this point, was building mystery and tension and had the potential for some creepy body-horror unparalleled in a Cyberman story since 1986 — takes a nose-dive into the most clichéd, unlikely territory, which renders the ending completely ridiculous. True, the basic idea — that a father's love can overcome even emotionless alien brainwashing — is sweet and redemptive. I wish, however, that it could have been conveyed in a different way.

Part of the problem is my own expectations. I thought they were going to totally skip the gory parts of Cyber-conversion, but given how well Roberts was handling the Cybermen in this story, I'd been hoping that we'd see a return to the idea that the Cybermen are actually quite horrific. At first, when it appeared that the Cybermen were only going to clamp Craig into a suit of armor and scrub the emotions out of his brain — presumably, just the first phase of conversion — I resigned myself to a less-gruesome Cyber-conversion. But then we hear the sound of what is almost certainly a whirring blade cutting through bone, and Craig starts to scream... yikes! That's definitely a return to the genuinely horrific Cyber-conversion I was hoping for, although I was sad that it had to be Craig in their clutches. But then, when Craig managed to escape the conversion chair, he turned out to be miraculously free of injury. Not even a scratch on him. So what was with the buzz-saw and the screaming?

Still, if the only problem with this scene were Craig's miraculous survival, I could have handled that, since it's sort of implied that the conversion process would have continued past this point if it hadn't been interrupted. But the scene is thoroughly de-fanged when the Doctor informs us that "they can't convert you if you fight back!" Um, really? So, what, everybody else that the Cybermen have converted just meekly allowed it? I don't think so. I think, Doctor, that the Cybermen can convert you no matter how hard you try to resist, mentally or physically! They're strong, and they have restraints, plus the aforementioned bone-cutting saws. Was the Doctor just trying to keep Craig's spirits up? We've seen that the Cybermen's human emotions are merely suppressed, or at least that they can be revived under the right circumstances, so the fact that Craig was able to resist isn't particularly surprising, but it does feel much too fast and far too easy. I don't necessarily dislike the idea of Cyber-Craig responding to his baby's cries, but, as the Doctor says, it's "grossly sentimental."

What makes it worse: the Doctor manages to save the day by egging on Craig's efforts at mental resistance, which is much like encouraging a possum that it will survive the oncoming pick-up truck if it just thinks happy possum thoughts. Seriously? Not gonna work. And yet, there goes the Doctor, desperately pleading with Craig in the most saccharine way possible: "You're strong! Don't give in to it! ... Think of Sophie! Think of Alfie! Craig, don't let them take it all away! ... Listen to me! I believe in you! I believe you can do this!" That's the kind of ending that I was writing in fanfiction when I was 15, and even then I realized that it wasn't strong plotting. It feels like we see this "Fight them, don't give in!" and "I know you're in there somewhere!" kind of mental appeal constantly in modern-day sci-fi, whenever anyone's possessed. This travesty is capped off by one of the worst lines Matt Smith has ever been asked to deliver: "What happening, you metal moron? A baby is crying! And you'd better watch out, because guess what? Ha ha! Daddy's coming home!" Even Smith can't salvage this sarcastic overconfident posturing, which says a lot. And this from Gareth Roberts, master of the witty turn of phrase and pitch-perfect characterization! Please tell me someone meddled with his original ending.

Otherwise, Matt Smith's entertaining performance mostly makes up for whatever little plot issues go awry. As before, Gareth Roberts and Matt Smith are a dream team. Smith effortlessly channels the Doctor's alien eccentricities: here he grinds pepper over the distraught Craig's shoulders (as if that's supposed to help!), starts to eat chalk, absentmindedly scratches robot Yappy's back, and does his cheek-kiss thing with Alfie and Val. And, having successfully introduced the Doctor's air-kissing tendencies in the last story he penned, now Roberts gives us a new Doctor quirk: he can shut people up simply by shushing them! This new talent is used to hilarious effect in Closing Time, particularly both times that the Doctor shushes Kelly. Love his delivery of "Cross my hearts." (with accompanying two-handed gesture!), "You go and find your parents slash guardians. Uh, try in lamps!", the way he puts a finger to Craig's lips on the line "Before you ask...", his nervous high-pitched "Yes, that's it, that's all, it's the lights.", the way he clamps his hand over his mouth following his triumphant laugh on capturing a Cybermat, "Oh, thanks!", and his new catchphrase of "Here to help!" Brilliant. The only one that I think doesn't quite work is his overly-silly "Goodbye, Craig! Goodbye, Stormageddon!" Best of all, though: the effortlessly poised and graceful way that the Doctor lands on the floor after leaping through Craig's glass door! Very suave.

With only a guest-starring appearance this week, Amy and Rory are barely present, which is actually a welcome change. It's odd to have incumbent companions who spend this much time away from the Doctor, though. But with Craig around, you don't really miss them!

The other characters in the story are all great. I didn't even remember that Lynda Baron was playing Val until I saw the end credits; how could I have missed that familiar Captain Wrack smile??? Baron is absolutely fantastic, and aside from Corden, the highlight of the story. I love the way she sweetly cooes over the Doctor and Craig's relationship, not to mention her zeal for gossip and her bold unflappable personality. She'd make a great companion too! Can you imagine the TARDIS full of Craig, Sophie and Val? Mmmmm. I adored her delivery of "And then there's that silver rat thing.", the way she warmly smiles at the Doctor and Craig "[blowing] them up with love" even though she can't possibly have any clue what they're going on about, and my favorite: "Then it zizzed off." Kelly is played to perfection by Holli Dempsey, and she reminds me of no-one so much as Catherine Tate's Lauren, which of course had me cracking up every time she opened her mouth. I'd find Kelly unbearable in real life, but as a comedic character, her loudmouthed sense of entitlement is hilarious. Love her lines "Last night my telly went off in the middle of Top Model." (ha! that would make me mad too), and her umbrage in "That's the last thing I need today, 'cause Shona's not turned up, right, so I'm doing twice the work for the same money, if you don't mind." George (Chris Obi) doesn't get much to do, but his one scene beaming at the Doctor is enough for him to make an impression. I love the way his face absolutely lights up when the Doctor says hello! Shona (Seroca Davis) also has a very limited role, being dead by the end of the teaser, but Davis is a very naturalistic actress and I enjoyed her performance. Finally, dear Daisy Haggard returns as Sophie, albeit in a reduced role. I was sorry that we didn't get to see as much of her this time, given that she knows as much about the Doctor as Craig does, and therefore doesn't need to be kept out of the loop, but it was admittedly a funny premise that she (much like Claire in Night Terrors) completely missed all the excitement of the Doctor's visit. And her absence from the storyline allowed Craig to grow as a person and as a father, so I can't fault the script for that. Love her delivery of "And I do know you can cope on your own, and I may have drawn some arrows in the fridge."

I can't say that director Steve Hughes really wowed me; Closing Time is perfectly well-directed, but there weren't really any shots that floored me. I did like the shot of Alfie as the Doctor works his magic and the baby stops crying, and the convincing underwater shot of River. The contrast at the start between the lights flickering in Sanderson & Grainger and in Craig's house is nicely linked and visually interesting. Not too sure, though, about the way Matt Smith was filmed during the Doctor's "very soon I won't be here" speech; the angle makes him look almost unrealistic. Likewise, Murray Gold's music didn't make a particular impression on me this week one way or the other, though I liked his hilariously serious threatening sting after the Doctor proclaims the baby to be "Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All." as if the baby's going to turn out to be the episode's villain! Ha!

The effects this week are overall really good. I loved the teleporting effect, which is attractive and enhanced by good direction and editing, and the many shots of Cyber-heads exploding (as is traditional for them to do). The sound effect of the Cybermat's tail whipping back and forth is great, as is the familiar-but-I-can't-place-it sound effect of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver breaking through the Cybermat's metastatic energy shields. It's also interesting, in a good way, that the sonic screwdriver has now started to fire green bolts! Might this be one of the upgrades the Doctor's made to it since Amy and Rory left his company? It's neat. Slightly weapon-like, but neat. Only a couple of CGI effects, mixing mechanical and organic, look weird: the first shot of the Cybermat baring its teeth, and the similar shot of the Cyber-helmet closing around Craig's head.

As I mentioned before, I love the way that Gareth Roberts writes for the eleventh Doctor. Roberts gives him so many great moments, and I love how happy everyone in the store is to see the Doctor; here again, we have the Doctor taking an everyday job and winning over the entire rest of the staff, even surly self-absorbed Kelly. I also really like that, aside from the ending, Roberts doesn't always take the expected route. A good example in Closing Time is that after we've been repeatedly led to believe that the Cybermen are in a ship orbiting the Earth, we suddenly discover that they've actually been underground the entire time. In terms of narrative impact, this doesn't really matter one iota, but it's an interesting detail that flips the way the audience has been thinking about the story. And, in general, his script moves from beat to beat very naturally, with good justification for everything that happens. One of the script moments that I particularly like is the very naturalistic way that the Doctor finds out about the presence of a Cybermat. It makes total sense that Val, having seen one zizzing about the displays, would have noticed its uniqueness and tried to find one for her nephew; and of course the stockroom wouldn't have one! That was very nicely done. The only tonally-odd part of the story is the Doctor's chat with Alfie, a lengthy introspective monologue in a story which is otherwise dominated by action and interaction. But, it is the day before the Doctor's death, which is traditionally a time when one becomes introspective... so I can let it slide.

In a lovely bit of symmetry, the week that Closing Time aired, I got to return the favor and play host to my dear friend JB, whom I was visiting in Manchester when The Impossible Astronaut aired. I never thought we'd have the chance to watch two episodes together, from opposite ends of season six! We didn't get a chance to watch Closing Time right away — we were delayed by out-of-town trips and the somnolent effects of jet-lag, not to mention a viewing of Horror of Fang Rock — so it wasn't until Tuesday night, when we stayed at a hotel in Dearborn before visiting the Henry Ford Museum the next day, and had no tempting distractions, that we finally got to sit down and watch it. I was amused to note that the colorful pinwheel behind the Doctor as he talks to the kids in the toy department is identical to a pinwheel that JB mounted on his balcony railing at home, which is visible in the photo that I took of his TV screen as The Impossible Astronaut was beginning. Ah, synchrony! I was also amused and delighted that the episode made JB jump twice: first when the Cybermat in the Doctor's hands bared its fangs ("I knew it was coming, but I jumped anyway!" he laughed) and again when the Cybermat leapt on Craig. It's so much fun watching TV (and films) with people who really react to what's onscreen!

Minor points:

• An odd thing: in my copy of the story, Kelly's first two lines come out sounding all buzzy, almost like she's a Troughton-era Cyberman herself. I was really worried at first, thinking that I'd downloaded a corrupted copy of the episode and was going to have to re-download it all over again, but then the effect mysteriously (and suddenly) cleared up on Shona's first line ("No, I'll do it. You head off."), which sounds absolutely fine. Weird!

• Ahh, I felt so proud of myself: the minute the Doctor started up the stairs, I knew he was going to find a baby. *buffs knuckles on lapel* I probably shouldn't give myself too much credit, though, as there are clearly baby photos on the fridge behind Craig as he phones his mum.

• And now the side-splitting Gareth Roberts dialogue begins. There's a lot of it.

  Craig: "Do they have off switches?!"
  Doctor: "Human beings? No. Believe me, I've checked."

• I think Craig — and Sophie — should just be glad that Alfie doesn't call him "Not-Big-Milk-Thing".

  Doctor: "No, he's your dad! You can't just call him Not-Mum."
  Craig: "Not-Mum?!"
  Doctor: "That's you. Also-Not-Mum, that's me. And everybody else is... peasants. That's a bit unfortunate."

• Most definitely my favorite of the recurring jokes in this episode. Craig's expressions — totally vacant, then bewildered — are priceless. (However, the Doctor does it to Craig — and Kelly — twice, so clearly it does work more than once! And he's clearly not even trying when he shushes Craig at the top of the stairs at the beginning.)

  Craig: "Wait, wait, hey, can you do the shushing thing? 'Shh, shh.' "
  Doctor: "No, it only works once, and only on lifeforms with underdeveloped brains."
  Craig: "Hang on, you said 'farewell tour'. What do you mean, 'farewell'— ?"
  Doctor: "Shhh."
  Craig: (shuts up)

• Lamps and vegetables! Yes, that's exactly what I buy when I go to the store. (Preferably lamps made of vegetables.) Incidentally, the Doctor working in a toy department is an absolutely brilliant idea; talk about the best combination ever for the kiddies! It suits his personality well, too.

  Doctor: "It goes up-tiddly-up, it goes down-diddly-down, for only £49.99, which I personally think is a bit steep. But then again, it's your parents' cash, and they'll only waste it on boring stuff like lamps and vegetables. Yawn!"

• Yeah, so maybe you should start providing these to your companions? It happens to them even more often!

  Doctor: "Look, they gave me a badge with my name on in case I forget who I am. Very thoughtful, as that does happen."

• I think I like this line so much because it reminds me of Buffy. ("He lived for kissing toast." "You mean Kakistos?" "Maybe it was 'taquitos'. Maybe he lived for taquitos... What?")

  Craig: "You were leaving. The Alignment of Exeter, what about that?"

• Awww, K-9 reference!

  Doctor: "Yappy, the robot dog. Not as much fun as I remember."

• Interesting. According to the Colchester Evening News, this story takes place between the evening of 19 April 2011 and the afternoon of 21 April 2011. So when the Doctor refers to dying "tomorrow" — which we know is 22 April 2011 — he must surely be talking about the "tomorrow" of Earth's linear timestream, although clearly he's able to dip in and out of that as he pleases. So why does he seem to think that he has to go directly from 21 April to 22 April? Doesn't he still have time to check out the Alignment of Exidor? (And the first time he tells Craig "Tomorrow is the day I [die]", it's still April 20th, unless the Doctor's been working on Bitey until after midnight?)

• Love this sly dig at our media-obsessed culture:

  Doctor: "No-one's noticed yet. They're far too excited about Nina's emotional journey, which, in fairness, is quite inspiring."

• Oh! I totally called this one too. As the Doctor and Craig pondered where in the building a teleporter might be located, I thought to myself: hmm, that light fixture in the lift has exactly the same pattern as a Star Trek transporter pad. And then Craig essentially points right at it when asking "A teleport? Like a, like a 'beam me up' teleport like you see in Star Trek?" At that point I was 95% convinced, and desperately wishing, that the lights would indeed turn out to be the teleport. And then the Doctor muses, "It could be disguised as anything..." Bwahahaha. I love it. Very clever to hide the teleporter in plain, and in-jokey, sight.

• Probably my favorite exchange of the episode, partly because the Doctor's not really in love with Craig (otherwise we'd have another Grace/Sam/Charley/Rose/Martha/Amy situation on our hands), but partly because the Doctor doesn't seem to regard it as any more impossible than him being in love with Grace/Sam/Charley/Rose/Martha/Amy. Hilariously, also note Craig's reaction to the Doctor's come-on... not "I'm straight!" but "I'm taken!" Perhaps under different circumstances, eh Craig? (It must also be said that Matt Smith is unexpectedly great at the sultry. Get a load of the way he breathes "Would you like that?" Good heavens. Perhaps I should not be surprised that Craig was apparently tempted!)

  Doctor: "Just keep looking at me, Craig. Right at me. Just keep looking."
  Craig: "Why?"
  Doctor: "Well, because, because..." (Craig starts to turn around) "Because I love you."
  Craig: "You love me?"
  Doctor: "Yes, Craig. It's you. It's always been you."
  Craig: "Me?"
  Doctor: "Is that so surprising?"
  Craig: "Doctor, are you gonna kiss me?"
  Doctor: "Yes, Craig, yes I am. Would you like that? Bit out of practice, but I've had some wonderful feedback."
  Craig: "Doctor, no, I c- I can't, I'm taken!" (Craig turns his head and sees what's behind him) "OH MY GOD!"
  Doctor: "We could just hold hands, if it'd make you feel more comfortable."

• Interesting. Sanderson & Grainger appear to have entire departments devoted to "Paperchase", "Caffe Nero" and... "Welsh Foods"?! In Colchester! Big expat population, apparently.

• Hee, so now Doctor Who is jumping on Supernatural's "people keep thinking they're a gay couple" bandwagon.

  Doctor: "Partner? Yes, I like it. Is it better than 'companion'?"

• Kelly, honey! Why are you holding one of the store's bras up to your own bosoms??? I feel sure this is not a professional thing to do, although, on further reflection, Kelly is also not the most professional employee. Is this a thing that ladieswear employees often do?! "C'mon, Mabel, while nobody's around, let's go over to the lingerie section and see how we'd look in those hot-pink Spanx." Well, I suppose it's one way to pass the time...

• Love the unexpected moment when the Doctor, searching for Cybermen in the changing rooms, instead accidentally peeps at a woman trying on clothes! Which leads to this awesome quote that I missed the first two times I watched it:

  Doctor: "Ahh, sorry, madam. I'd try that in red if I were you."

• Amy's fragrance ad looks great! Karen Gillan's model training is definitely showing, although: does this mean that Amy's now a model too? Art imitating real life? Or is she a fragrance designer? (I also love that her perfume is called Petrichor, although I don't know how easy it will be to convince women to buy a cologne that smells like wet earth...)

• In the scenes set in the store's basement corridors, as the Doctor finds George's dead body, his sonic screwdriver suddenly seems to be glowing blue again. It's green when he deactivates the Cybermat before venturing into the corridors, and it's green afterward, the next time that the Cybermat attacks... but it's definitely blue in between, as if he's using it as a torch to light up the passageways and find George.

• What on earth is the Doctor mixing with a wooden spoon in Craig's home? It sounds all... crunchy. Is he making tea again? (Or medicine, like the similarly-icky joke in The Lodger?)

• After the Doctor and Craig deactivate the Cybermat, I, too, was wondering when they were going to remember about Alfie! I had this horrible fear that the Cybermen were using the Cybermat as a distraction while they stole Alfie away. (Thank goodness that's not actually what was happening; for the Cybermen to have been centering their plan around Craig's child would have been a step too far!)

• I'm glad that Craig doesn't listen to the Doctor's whole "I put people in danger" spiel. He goes to that well far too often (as do others, like Davros). Yes, he puts people in danger, but that's a natural consequence of battling dangerous things, which would put a lot more people in danger, if not for his intervention. As Craig rightly points out: "If it weren't for you, this whole planet would be an absolute ruin."

• I love that the Doctor nicknames his Cybermat "Bitey"! Ha! Too bad we never get to see Bitey in action...

• So many authors of new-series stories are doing a really great job of distilling the essence of Doctor Who into a single quote, and this is another great example.

  Craig: "He always needs someone, he just can't admit it."

• Ha! Oh my! And I thought the "Would you like that?" scene was saucy! Val is surprisingly blasé about this idea — she doesn't once mention that it's probably against store policy! — not to mention being very liberal in her interpretation of "alone", given that customers might very well be around! As Craig rushes off to the changing rooms to find the Doctor:

  Val: "I understand! You two need time alone."
  Craig: "Don't follow me!"
  Val: "I wasn't intending to!"

• Why does it matter whether the Doctor deactivates the Cybermen or they deactivate themselves? They're going to end up deactivated either way! And I don't think that the concept of a "noble" deactivation probably means much to the Cybermen, not having the emotion of pride to worry about. So quit with the blathering and just deactivate them already. (Which, incidentally, I didn't realize you could do...? Maybe because they're operating on such low power.)

• What with Craig's unlikely lack of injuries, and his unlikely ability to mentally resist the conversion process, I guess I shouldn't be surprised or dubious that he's also now strong enough to shove a Cyberman away from him, and nearly off its feet. (Is this why the Doctor earlier tells Craig, re: the Cybermat, "You must be really, really strong! That thing should've had you easily!"?)

• And now, suddenly, the Doctor is able to overload the Cybermen's emotional inhibitors in a mere moment with his sonic screwdriver. Why didn't he do that the moment that he found their ship? Weren't George and Shona's deaths enough to warrant him stopping them immediately? Was the Doctor that determined to give them a second chance?

• This is brilliant: a joke that pokes fun at the Doctor's tendency to hang around afterwards and explain his brilliance to the people who helped him. Except in this case, Kelly is completely out of the loop! (Great performance by both the actors, too!)

  Doctor: "Uh, the building should be totally safe structurally, and of course the bonded disillium contains the explosion."
  Kelly: "Right. Why are you telling me all this?"
  Doctor: "I don't know. Shhh."

• Aww! True, and yet... not the way that Val means it!

  Craig: "You think I'm..."
  Val: "His companion!"

• Awww... how sweet that the Doctor would tidy up Craig's house before he left. Now there's a use of time-travel technology that would come in handy for me! (No more all-nighters cleaning before company arrives...)

• Another sweet detail: the Doctor gets his Stetson from Craig. What a thoughtful gift, and how nice that the hat now has a deeper (and more sentimental) meaning.

• Sophie forgot her key before she left for an entire weekend??? Good heavens! That was a little careless. (I guess I shouldn't throw stones, though, having locked myself out of my apartment once or twice!)

• Awesome delivery by James Corden:

  Sophie: "Has something happened? You look different."
  Craig: "Nothing happened. Nothing weird."

• Daisy Haggard's reaction ("What?!") to Alfie saying "Doctor" is hilarious!

• The coda, with the kids who are the last to see the Doctor before he goes off to face his death, is interesting and rather sweet, particularly the little girl who later remembers: "I really liked his hat." Nice performance by both actresses (the little girl and her adult voiceover).

• It's just occurred to me: children have been the real theme of this season, haven't they? We've got Amy's daughter in The Impossible Astronaut, Day of the Moon, A Good Man Goes to War and Let's Kill Hitler... Amelia Pond herself is a key element in The Girl Who Waited and The God Complex... and then there's Toby in The Curse of the Black Spot, George in Night Terrors, and Alfie in Closing Time, and their respective stories pretty much revolve around them. Was this intentional? If so, I wonder what it means for the season finale.

• Now, River has surely seen the Silence before, two regenerations ago when they held her captive as Melody Pond. We know that people forget having seen the Silence once they've turned away, but when the Silence are in their sights, they can remember all of the previous sightings, right? And Melody was surely traumatized by them as a little girl. So why doesn't River remember who they are when she sees them? (Then again, she doesn't remember Madame Kovarian either, so maybe they used some kind of memory blocker on her? But she remembered enough to know that she was a trained psychopath assassin...)

• I don't quite see how this is going to tie together. River is clearly very dead-set against killing the Doctor... so, what, just because they put her in the right time and place, she'll shrug her shoulders and do it anyway? I'm interested to see how they're going to motivate this. (I still wish I really understood why River is so firmly on the Doctor's side now, but maybe they'll explain that next week too. I'd better not get my hopes up though.)

• Finally: this nursery rhyme. It's getting more than a little bit annoying, IMHO. It at least made sense in the context of Night Terrors, but the more I hear it, the more it irritates me, particularly since you can't make out half the words.

For two weeks in a row now, we've had stories that do a beautiful job of balancing humor and scares, yet the ending is simplistic, overly convenient, and unconvincing. As with The God Complex, it's certainly not enough to dampen my overall enjoyment of the episode, but it does keep me from hailing it as a superb story. It's like a marathon runner who trips and falls just inches short of the finish line. The ending is unfortunate, but the way they ran the race was great.