Holistic Review: A simple but engrossing plot idea produces a story with great character moments, delightful continuity, and some very interesting foreshadowing.

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS lives up to its title by finally giving us an extended look at the world beyond the console room. After eight years of hoping, my wish has come true! We've enjoyed brief glimpses of the TARDIS interior before — the wardrobe room in The Christmas Invasion, for example, or endless corridors in The Doctor's Wife — but this is the first time since probably Attack of the Cybermen that we've seen a decent chunk of the landscape beyond the console room. Not only do we get glimpses of an observatory and the swimming pool, but we get extended scenes in the library, some kind of storage room, and two brand-new rooms: the power source, containing the Eye of Harmony, and the architectural reconfiguration room. In fact, this story even goes one further: I'm utterly thrilled that the TARDIS, formerly enormous but of limited mass (at least according to Castrovalva), has now become infinite in size. I don't know that it makes mathematical sense for the TARDIS to be infinite, but I love it.

On top of granting one of my deepest fan wishes, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS just happens to be a pretty rocking story, too. I liked The Curse of the Black Spot, but writer Stephen Thompson is really in another league altogether with this story. For one thing, it's got a stellar concept — the TARDIS is damaged by a salvage vessel, leaving Clara trapped in its depths — which immediately grabbed my attention. Where his previous story had some challenging plot inconsistencies, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS is meticulously plotted. The storyline itself is perhaps not the very strongest — it's really not very complicated — but since all I need to make me happy is a detailed exploration of the TARDIS and some good character building, and that's exactly what we get throughout the entire episode, I'm as happy as a clam. The plot includes some pleasing nods to the past, as well. Even before the recursion elements of the plot became apparent, I got strong vibes of Castrovalva and The Edge of Destruction: a small cast, trapped in the TARDIS and exploring its labyrinthine depths. Of course there's an element of The Invasion of Time here too (and, may I say, these TARDIS interiors are way better done) along with a dash of Terminus.

But it's not all nods to the past; the script is full of imaginative ideas, like the architectural reconfiguration system, about which I'm very curious. What all can it do? Is this how we get new console rooms? The temporal rupture is well-used to drive the plot, and it has the interesting knock-on effect of causing Clara to see echoes of their past (and more solid, murderous, premonitions of their future).

The only real complaint that I can make about this story is that the ending is, literally, a big reset button. This has become an enormous science-fiction cliché, and it's so frustrating to have the characters reset after undergoing significant development. But if you absolutely have to do a reset-button storyline, this is the way to do it. On first viewing, I was extremely skeptical of the ending, because I didn't understand where the explodey-thing had come from, or why pushing the button magically cured everything. But after three viewings, all became clear, and now I can state with confidence that it's actually very well plotted. We see Gregor use the device (a magno-grab remote control, as it turns out) to activate the magno-grab, so we know it can turn the beam on and off. The Doctor pockets the one he palmed from Gregor's pocket, engraves "Big Friendly Button" on it as a clue to his past self, and lobs it through the rift in time so that his past self can use it to disengage the magno-grab before it causes the TARDIS' engine to explode. There's even a tidy explanation for why the Doctor's first attempt didn't work: rather than just throwing the remote control through the rift, on his second attempt, he carries it through the rift himself, using the crack in time to locate exactly the moment in the past that he originally threw the remote through the rift, and manages to alter the outcome only at the cost of his own life.

After complaining last week about the irritatingly overblown dialogue and unfunny gag lines that seem to plague current Doctor Who, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS pitches the humor exactly right. Crucially, none of the funny lines feel like they've been contrived for the sake of a laugh; they're all exactly what the characters would say, in the most perfectly eloquent way possible. The Doctor's lines, in particular, are witty and clever without ever crossing the line into smug or nonsensical. On the funny and serious lines alike, Matt Smith gives some spectacular deliveries. In addition to all the lines I'll mention below, I really liked: "Van Baalen and Van Baalen. That's gonna get confusing later.", "I thought I'd rushed it a bit, but...", his lost and sweet "She's just always... been there for me, and taken care of me, and now it's my turn and I don't know what to do, I, i- i- i- i- i- it just...", "It's better that way.", and I love the way the Doctor very gently, but very firmly, points out to the Van Baalen brothers that they have deliberately disabled his ship using illegal means. There are great moments of physical comedy, too, my favorite being when the Doctor, hilariously, seems to think that Clara is just slightly taller than his waist.

I mentioned, in my review of The Rings of Akhaten, that it was unusual for actors playing the Doctor to get the opportunity to extend their range, but the same is true of this story. In fact, I would say that it's one of Matt Smith's best stories thus far. I don't think we've ever seen the eleventh Doctor's manipulative side, but he unleashes it in full force here, not quite on par with the seventh Doctor, but pretty darn close. The moment he realizes that the salvage men have put Clara's life in danger, he contrives a plan to not only get in their good graces, but also to secure their assistance under false pretences. Then, having lured them into his ship, the Doctor pulls the rug out from under their feet while forcing them to help him anyway, using a fake (or so he thinks) self-destruct timer to light a fire under their feet. It would seem cruel and disingenuous, if it weren't for the fact that the brothers have only themselves, their greed and their lack of ethics to blame for getting them into the situation. The Doctor's ruthlessness — "My ship, my rules!" — took me by surprise, but I like it, and I'm not entirely convinced that his lunatic act ("Don't get into a spaceship with a madman. Didn't anyone ever teach you that?") was all just for show. If he's trying to save Clara's life (yet again!) from a malicious act of vandalism, it's no surprise that he's willing to go to extreme lengths. The later revelation that the self-destruct was all a bluff ("Had you going, though, boys, didn't I?") is so very Doctorly, and smooths the edges off his earlier startling behaviour.

To my great delight, Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS boasts one of the best directorial efforts we've seen in the entire revived series thus far. By Mat King, eh? A new name, and one I definitely want to see more of. There's almost not a shot in the entire episode that isn't worth mentioning. His direction really makes an impact right from the beginning, as the camera pans through the interior of the salvage ship, focusing on various items in turn. As in last week's episode, King mostly films his monsters out of focus, which on the whole increases the time zombies' menace (even though, after a while, you do start wondering if the makeup job is really bad!). The only extra shot I think we could've used is a quick glimpse of the magno-grab disengaging at the end, to make it totally clear that the Doctor's plan had worked, but then again, maybe I like that the director trusted us enough to figure it out on our own. It's not as if the answer to that question is unclear, after all! My other most favorite shots: the continuous shot tracking Clara around the TARDIS console; the brothers opening up their lockers; the disorienting angles as Clara wanders through the TARDIS corridors; and the discreet, but very effective, shots of Bram being mauled.

This week promises to be Clara's moment in the spotlight, stranded on her own in an ailing, dangerously unstable TARDIS and unexpectedly pursued by hostile creatures. I could make the criticism that this doesn't amount to much: we still don't really get any new insights into her personality, Clara spends most of her time running away rather than doing anything proactive, and although the storyline appears to be designed to resolve Clara's relationship with the TARDIS, with the Doctor deciding to teach Clara how to fly his ship in the hopes that they bond, that plot element is still left dangling at the end. Clara, at least, probably regards the TARDIS as more than just a really advanced toaster, but we're none the wiser as to whether the TARDIS' opinion of Clara has changed. Fortunately, the rest of the episode is so well-done that it's left me in a generous mood. And it's not as if the story is completely bereft of development for Clara: if nothing else, we now know that she's the sort of girl who would open a door that's practically screaming "do not open me!" (I'm not sure whether to be impressed or worried.) And she can outrun an explosion, which I think makes her a bit of an action hero. Thompson also lets her be clever (she immediately picks up on the idea that the rods in the primary fuel cell will start to warp) and assertive (she stands right up to the Doctor and demands answers from him, which is typically a great companion characteristic), and even after she's been through a traumatic experience, she doesn't want to lose the good memories along with the bad. But, really, must the Doctor describe her with that all-purpose adjective "feisty"?

I very much appreciate that the designers are giving Clara a distinct style. In fact, she's perhaps the first new-series companion (aside from bizarre series-six Amy) who has a readily-identifiable mode of dress. I don't typically love the clothing she chooses — her dresses tend to be a bit dowdy for my tastes — but I can readily believe that the woman who likes one of them would like all of them. This week, although the style is similarly prim, her dress has a bit more pizzazz because of the fabric choice, the contrast with the black collar, and the design of the sleeves. It's retro, but with a cool edge. I must also admit that I'm not usually a big fan of the up-do, but Clara's hair this week is sophisticated.

Jenna-Louise Coleman continues to give an inspired, naturalistic performance. I love her relieved reaction upon finding the console room again, only to panic when she finds the exterior door missing. Likewise, Clara's posture as she leaves the console room and debates which way to go signals her obvious frustration with the recursion! Great delivery of "I always feel so good after we've spoken.", "That will not be a problem." and "You're being weird."

Thompson is firmly cementing the Doctor and Clara's status as trusted friends, not wannabe lovers. Clara's reaction to the Doctor's relieved embrace is "Okay. I don't know what the hell this is about, but the hug is really nice." and later, when she can see that the Doctor's feeling distraught and helpless about the TARDIS' fate, she sweetly takes his hand to offer support and comfort. I really like that the way their relationship is developing, with gradually-building trust and affection. I've suddenly realized that maybe this is partly the reason why I haven't liked the Doctor getting immediately lovey-dovey with his companions, as he does with Victorian!Clara. That felt sudden and forced; this, as I've said before, feels earned. Both Coleman and Smith are superb in the confrontation by the chasm. (If this were The X-Files, fandom would be turning that into a nifty little acronym: TCBTC!) Their characterization is pitched exactly right as the Doctor, shockingly, finally spills the beans to Clara about the mystery of her identity, and tries to get Clara to divulge her secrets, only to learn that she's utterly unaware that she has any; Clara, meanwhile, retorts with "I think I'm more scared of you right now than anything else on that TARDIS." This turns into an excellent bonding moment for the two of them, as the Doctor and Clara both finally really realize that they can trust one another. So it's a shame that all this fantastic character development is later wiped out of existence!

Yet again, we have a relatively small-scale story with a very limited cast, and everyone gets very well characterized. I warmed very quickly to Tricky (Jahvel Hall), who's immediately evident as the compassionate, caring one of the group. Such a contrast to his two brothers! (Speaking of which, that revelation was a complete non-surprise to me; despite the fact that they kept describing Tricky as an android, he never behaves like one, so the thought had never crossed my mind that they weren't all three brothers!) He's the one who stops them using a thermo-charge on the suffering TARDIS, he's the one who keeps them from throwing the TARDIS back into space, thus saving the Doctor's life; he's the one who tries to keep the Doctor from going back into the TARDIS, fearing it would mean certain death; he's the one who stops them from using flamethrowers on the TARDIS, because he understands that she can feel pain; and he's the one who tries to get Gregor to give back the circuit that he stole. Tricky's affinity with machinery is a neat character detail; I'm not sure it makes a whole lot of sense if he only has a few cybernetic parts, but regardless, it's a handy character trait. The only moment where Hall's performance threw me was on the line "You can't hurt it!"; his intonation implies that the TARDIS is immune to pain, but what Tricky actually means is that he doesn't want Gregor to injure it. To balance that out, he gives a great performance on "Because I tried to give back the circuit?"

Gregor (Ashley Walters) is a very well-defined character, too. Right from the start, it's made clear that he's one devious guy, instantly scrambling to invent a plausible cover story the minute he realizes that one of his illegal activities stands a chance of being discovered. Illegal activities which, of course, are designed to bring him the most personal profit possible, meaning that he's unscrupulous and greedy. Gregor's such an aggressive money-grubber that even under threat of death, his first concern is to trick the Doctor into leaving Bram unsupervised so he can strip the console! So of course, with an upstanding personality like that, it's no surprise that he's also a bully, with a taste for cruel practical jokes. The very idea that he would look at his suffering brother, who's just been through an accident so traumatic that it caused him to suffer memory loss, and think "hey, it would be really fun to make him believe he's actually an android" — deepening his brother's trauma just for his own amusement — is so horrible as to be unfathomable, and yet it fits Gregor's sadistic, selfish personality perfectly. Especially since he also seems to have been motivated by a desire for revenge, after their dad promoted Tricky to captain over him. So in one swift move, he stole his brother's command and made him feel less than human... it's like something out of a classic myth. Another thing that's great about the story, and what keeps me from really griping about that "reset button" ending, is the hint that Gregor, at least — the one most in need of it — seems to have come through the experience a slightly changed man, possibly because the Doctor urged him, "Don't ever forget this." (Is it, therefore, possible that Clara might remember any of her experiences too?)

The story's one weak link, I think, is Bram (Mark Oliver). He's an interesting character, following dutifully in Gregor's footsteps despite apparently being the eldest brother, and being almost equally unscrupulous. His relationship with Gregor seems to be a complex one. There's certainly some condescension there (on Gregor's side) and a bit of resentment (on Bram's side), if the moment when Gregor patronizingly pats his cheek is any indication. Oliver's huffy, disgusted reaction is entertaining, as are many of his reaction shots. However, every once in a while, there was a line that just fell completely flat because of his delivery. The worst offenders include "Looks like there's a broken fuel line!" and "Hey, robot. Go get me some food, I'm starving." But I really like his intriguing accent (especially on the line "That thing is spewing poison!"), which I must admit, for me, helped to save some of those unconvincing deliveries. I'm such a sucker for a good brogue.

It's nice, isn't it, that usually when a story really hits the mark in one area, all the other aspects seem to step up to the plate? So on top of the well-crafted plot and the excellent script, the effects are absolutely flawless. The salvage ship, flying through a colorful nebula, looks vast and imposing. Tricky's pupils are accentuated with a simple revolving graphic that immediately conveys his part-cybernetic nature and his enhanced vision. The shot of the salvage ship's maw opening to unleash the magno-grab is stunning, and the music that's played over the scene fits the mood perfectly. The laser cutters are a great design; at first glance, it looks like they're going to have buzzsaw blades, so the design is inherently chilling. The effect of Tricky's eyes detecting the Doctor's legs behind the flotsam is a nice illustration of how his enhanced vision works. The shot of Tricky hanging from the walkway, although fairly obviously an effect, is still done well enough that it's quite a tense scene. The exploded TARDIS engine, with twisted debris hanging in mid-air as the Doctor and Clara walk through it, looks superb. And the time zombies, when they're clearly visible, seem like an effective design; their glowing red eyes are definitely frightening, as are their smoking palms that release wisps of steam when they attack, giving the impression that their victims are burned alive. In terms of sound effects, the flashing red light that Clara unwisely ignores sounds almost exactly like an irritating alarm clock. Murray Gold delivers yet another good score, especially as Clara examines the scratches on the wall.

The set decorators, too, have done an exceedingly good job. Aside from the fact that they've been given the opportunity to dress some never-before-seen TARDIS rooms, they've made the salvage ship look both hi-tech and lived-in, with little touches like the folded-back family photo, the poster of the blue alien babe on the wall, and the TARDIS lying akimbo on top of a heap of discarded tubing. Inside the ship, the library looks beautiful, and is absolutely a place where I would want to hole up for some downtime if I were the Doctor's companion. Getting to see a brand-new TARDIS room is a rare treat, and the design of the architectural reconfiguration system is appealingly organic, like a silver weeping willow bearing glowing fruit. My only slight reservation is that the TARDIS — traditionally a welcoming, comforting place for companions to relax and feel safe between excursions — looks distinctly unwelcoming in this story, although that's a criticism I could (and did) level at The Doctor's Wife too (in addition to every console room we've seen since the revival). It seems to be simply the new ethos for the series, that the TARDIS is an alien and therefore potentially dangerous place, and I can live with that even if I don't personally adore it. And would I sound ungrateful if I admitted that I'd been hoping we'd see more props from the classic series as Clara explores the ship? (I can't really grumble — not only did we see the Doctor's cradle and Amy's TARDIS model, there was an exciting reappearance by the seventh Doctor's original umbrella!) At any rate, I hope that now we've seen some other TARDIS rooms, and they've built the corridor sets, this won't be the last time we get to explore the bowels of the ship!

Minor points:

• I like the 'probably'!

  Clara: "You're not getting me to talk to your ship. That's probably bonkers."

• Why doesn't the Doctor immediately quash the notion that he's setting the TARDIS to basic mode "because [Clara's] a girl"? The expression he gives her, it looks like she's hit the nail on the head!

• I must say, if I saw a grenade-looking thing rolling across the floor toward me, my first reaction would not be to pick it up and stare at it.

• One of the few logistical niggles I have about this story: how did the Doctor get thrown outside the ship? (And, conversely, why did Clara get flung the opposite direction, only to wake up in a corridor remarkably unscathed after having a big metal screen land on her?)

• In this week's exciting continuity, not only do we have a reappearance of the cloister bell, a mention of the conceptual geometer, and an implication that the architectural reconfiguration system is made of validium, but we've now learned that the TARDIS is newly generating its own gravity field! How helpful for these sideways landings. Don'tcha know the fifth Doctor wished for that feature constantly...

• Can you imagine the ways this line could have gone outrageously over-the-top? Bravo for restraint while maintaining a strong sense of humor!

  Gregor: "I don't get it. She was lying on her side."
  Doctor: "The TARDIS is special. She has her own gravity. I'd explain if I had some charts and a board pen."

• If I hadn't already been impressed with Thompson's skill with dialogue, this line certainly would have sealed the deal. It's one of the best-crafted lines I've heard in a long while. (I was wondering why the Doctor would ever consider letting them take the TARDIS as salvage! Especially when I felt sure he'd never actually go through with it.)

  Doctor: "Salvage of a lifetime. You meant the ship. I meant Clara."

• Is the Doctor actually tracking Clara with the sonic screwdriver? I assumed he was, even though he thought it might take days to find her, but then why would the party need to split up?

• It's probably just unreliable memory, but doesn't the telescope look an awful lot like the one in Tooth and Claw? And how do you use a telescope in the TARDIS anyway?

• I love love love that the episode includes TARDIS-related dialogue clips from classic-series episodes. I feel sure I should be able to place them all, but the only ones I could reliably pick out were Susan's "I made up the word TARDIS from the initials: Time and Relative Dimension in Space" and Ian's "A thing that looks like a police box, just standing in a junkyard... it can go anywhere in time and space?" from An Unearthly Child, along with the Doctor's "That's transdimensional engineering, a key Time Lord discovery" from The Robots of Death. There's also someone (Pertwee?) saying "dimensionally transcendental" and what sounds like someone yelling "We are in space!"... no clue about that one! Ooh, and "The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door" although I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm completely blanking on the source! (Ohh, of course. Rose! Thanks, Wikipedia! I love you!)

• Maybe Gregor was just in a "take whatever I can carry" mindset, but I'm really not exactly clear on what good he thinks one circuit of the TARDIS' architectural reconfiguration system is going to do him? Wouldn't he kinda need the entire system in order for the circuit to work? I would theorize that he thinks he can reverse-engineer it, but it's Gallifreyan technology! So either he hasn't thought this through, or, if he's not planning to use the circuit to create lots of machinery out of thin air, he must just think he can get a good price for it.

• As secretive as the Doctor is, and has always been, about the Time War, I find it difficult to believe that he would leave an enormous book on the subject — which not only reveals his role in the Time War, but also his real name — on full view in the library. And not just lying around either, no... on a fancy special podium! Despite being on display, it isn't under lock and key. And until Clara, nobody's ever flipped through it before? Has the Doctor deliberately been choosing companions who do not read for pleasure? (Quite possibly: Rose and Donna seem more like the "glossy magazine" type; Martha and Rory probably had to do enough reading in medical school; and even Amy preferred for the Doctor to read to her, although she did become a writer in the end...) As audience titillation, though, it's very well designed: the title The History of the Time War is extremely tantalizing, as is Clara's line "So that's who..."

• A liquid encyclopaedia is a very interesting concept (although, as demonstrated here, it's a little too easy to spill; has that knowledge now been lost forever?) but I wish I could understand what it was saying! All I can make out is "The Medusa Cascade!"

• Another great line from Thompson's pen (or, probably, keyboard). Not only is it funny, and not only does it add a nice dash of continuity, but it also serves a purpose.

  Doctor: "Smart bunch, Time Lords. No dress sense, dreadful hats, but smart."

• The echo console rooms are a clever idea, although I do see through that little money-saving ruse of yours, Thompson. I don't quite get, though, how the Doctor figures out that Clara's in another echo console room. She just sits there, and then stands up, and doesn't seem to do anything (like touch one of them, or move an object) that would indicate her presence. Does he see her shadow moving?

• As Clara and the time zombie regarded one another from opposite sides of the console, for a moment, I hoped she might be able to reason with it. Then it lunged at her murderously, and I thought, perhaps not...

• Neat touch that the hexagonal roundel-substitutes in the TARDIS console room (or, at least, some of them) now serve as conduits to the interior service ducts!

• When the fuel cell rods start to warp, Clara and the Doctor are extremely lucky that they don't get themselves harpooned! You'd think it would be smarter to stand right by a rod that's already ruptured through the wall, and wait until things calm down, but no, they go running off into intact corridors where rods are just waiting to launch themselves at the two of them. Yikes!

• When Tricky gets speared by a rod, how come he's not more badly damaged? The rod appears to have gone through his chest, close to his heart, rather than his shoulder. I'm surprised, too, that he doesn't seem to feel the heat from the welding blade radiating through the rest of the metal rod. Or, for that matter, howling pain from being impaled. (Perhaps it's shock?) And is it my imagination, or do they seem to get the rod out of him with no evident blood loss?

• It's a mark of how good this story is that it took until the fourth viewing for this question to occur to me, but: how does Tricky fall so completely for the ruse that he's an android? It's kind of on par with Crayford continuing to believe himself eyeless. Tricky surely must have realized that he had to eat, and go to the bathroom, and sleep, and other things that humans-but-not-androids have to do?

• Another feather in Thompson's cap: the very naturalistic, subtle way he reminds us that the handheld scanner has started to recognize Clara (hilariously) as "Lancashire, sass." I, for one, never anticipated the twist that they themselves were the time zombies. (Or at least, most of them; we don't see one for the Doctor, do we? Then again, maybe we do; there seem to be 4 attacking inside the power source room.)

• In yet another continuity link, we actually get to see the TARDIS' Eye of Harmony. I always assumed there was only one Eye of Harmony, on Gallifrey, and every other TARDIS simply carried a link to it, but either that was never the case, or things changed once Gallifrey was destroyed. At any rate, the TARDIS appears to actually be carting around a collapsing star, which is a pretty impressive visual, I must say!

• Freaky moment! I love how proud the scanner sounds that it's figured out the mystery.

  Scanner: "Identifiable substance: Clara!"

• I really like that the Doctor attempts to avert the time-zombie timeline, but Gregor — in a rare moment of self-sacrifice — causes it to come about by rescuing Tricky. It does make me wonder, a bit, why the Gregor-Tricky bonding is the catalyst for the time-zombie timeline; why couldn't either the Doctor or Clara have transformed first? (And, for that matter, why do they turn into burning ash creatures, rather than liquefying as he initially states?) But I find this easy to overlook, mainly because we don't know what the transformation trigger is or why it might affect different people at different speeds. Perhaps if the Doctor and Clara had stayed in the room five seconds longer, they would have been transmogrified.

• Excellent line! This one made me laugh out loud.

  Doctor: "Hey now, Clara, I have piloted this ship for over nine hundred years. Trust me this one time, please." (Clara gives him a look.) "Okay. Okay, as well as all the other times."

• It is a bit alarming, after all these years of believing the TARDIS to be finite but indestructible, to now learn that it's infinite and just has really awesome shields!

• Well, after all that burrowing down through corridors to the heart of the TARDIS, the Doctor and Clara sure do get back from the engine room to the console room quickly!

• I wonder if it was deliberate that the time rift in the TARDIS wall looks vaguely similar to the time crack in Amy's bedroom wall?

• Another line that manages to be funny, painful, and expository, all at the same time:

  Doctor: "I've thrown this through the rift before; I need to make sure this time. I'm gonna take it in there myself. There might be a certain amount of yelling."
  Clara: "Is it gonna hurt?"
  Doctor: "Things that end your life often do that."

• Now, what exactly makes the Doctor think that rewriting the day will prevent Clara from finding out his name again? Is he going to move the book to a slightly less public location???

• What caused the photo of the three brothers and their dad to become un-folded (or un-torn)? I love the sentiment, but I'm sure the time rift didn't do that! And it doesn't appear that Gregor's admitted the truth yet...

• It's nice to have a mundane wrap-up scene in the console room at the end. I always kinda treasure those moments when you get to see the incumbent Doctor and companion(s) relaxing, and it's particularly nice in an episode like this that's had some great character moments throughout. But I wonder why the Doctor's unsubtly obsessing about whether or not Clara feels safe? Is he concerned about keeping her alive after her recent experiences? Is there some reason she shouldn't feel safe?

• Pitch-perfect delivery by Coleman... this line could have easily come out sounding salacious, but instead it affirms Clara's interest in an exciting life of adventure!

  Doctor: "Running away with a spaceman in a box, anything could happen to you."
  Clara: "That's what I'm counting on."

• And, can I just say, I am soooo excited for next week! It looks like absolutely quintessential Gatiss, with a delightful historical setting and a really creepy monster. I can't wait! (Even though, as I write this, I've fallen farther behind on reviews than ever before. In fact, Nightmare in Silver is airing right now, so I'm gonna have to hurry it up and get two episodes reviewed this week if I want to catch up before the finale! This is the one problem with travelling for five weekends in a row...)

Gosh, it feels nice to lavish almost-unreserved praise on an episode again. I've really missed this. And I was starting to feel guilty! Thank you, thank you, to Stephen Thompson, with particular additional thanks to Mat Knight and Matt Smith. I've been waiting a long time for a story like this, and it did not disappoint.