As soon as they realized how popular the first season was, the writing took a considerable nose-dive in season two since they seemed to stop putting in much effort at that point. So many of the stories have seemed like they were produced by an algorithm based on S1 instead of actual writers, and they've made…

The reference to Pepper in the review made me realize that Cam has now been entirely consumed by the stereotype that Pepper was created to mock and to emphasize that Cam was *not* that caricature.

I think there's probably some kind of court order where Modern Family is legally required to stay at least 500 metres from car accidents after they abused the trope so badly.

That Christmas episode was the first one in about three seasons I'd feel comfortable putting alongside season one.

I think the companion model works better when they're cycled out with more frequency, as with Tennant's era. Otherwise you get situations like this where Clara stepped into a show that was essentially operating with a third of its cast, and was asked to carry a half-season's arc, the build-up to the 50th anniversary,…

The specific number isn't all that important, it's the idea that almost half of the Doctor's life has now been spent in the stupid little town in this episode. There's nothing wrong with leaving gaps that the novels, audios, and even future multi-Doctor specials can utilize, but it means something pretty fundamental…

I sure hope so, given the diminishing returns after her debut.

Or at least someone to shake him and say "Steven, you're babbling."

Clara isn't an actual character with actual personality traits and an external life, she's a plot tool Moffat brings along when he needs another person to receive exposition or move puzzle pieces for the Doctor. I mean, she's constantly getting picked up from her normal life outside of the TARDIS, but there's no arc…

To be fair, when that rule was introduced, I don't think anyone was really thinking "and after nine more lead actors cycle through, we'll wrap up all the loose ends and be done forever" so it isn't exactly like they're betraying the concept of the show.

Given Moffat's apparent devouring appetite for all possible plot points, I anticipate Capaldi's Doctor will burn at least four of those regenerations in the next episode alone.

Or, more accurately, how much of a mistake it was to transition the Ponds out a year before Smith left given how that was the only emotional beat that worked at all, and Clara's role in this episode would have actually worked and been coherent were it Amy there instead of being entirely baffling.

I'm really hoping Capaldi and the challenge of differentiating his Doctor from Smith's will knock the show off its axis a little and end up producing something a bit more engaging. I'd grown tired of RTD's work by the end of his and Tennant's run, but I'd prefer some of his era's earnest cheese over some of the slick,…

"Don't call me the Doctor. I'm so much worse than that."

Good lord I despise the way this show keeps going to the "this episode
is a mythic fairytale" framing narration well over and over for no good
reason. It's a lazy, sloppy cheat that tries to lend the episodes a
false gravity they've yet to (and rarely do) earn.

Yeah, I think that's a phenomenal thing they're doing (particularly given the rehabilitation it has apparently provided for the previously under-appreciated Sixth and Eighth Doctors), I just think they'd do well to cut a filler episode out of each new season (your Curse of the Black Spot type of episode) and let a…

I know it's not going to happen, but I'd love to see them devote an episode of each season to producing a new classic Doctor adventure, and McGann would be a major part of that. I'm happy they brought him back for the prequel minisode, but wish he could have had a larger role in the series proper (especially since his…

Is it worse than the animation on the reconstructions like episodes 2 and 3 of The Ice Warriors? I appreciated what they were doing, and it's better than the telesnap reconstructions in terms of watchability, but it looked like the cheapest Flash animation money could buy (usually when people turn their heads…

"I see you bought a PS4, Dave. That's fine. I'll be over here, playing an high-frequency sonic pulse that you can't hear but will cause crippling migraines until you take it back to the store."

Science suggests you should feel goddamn awesome about it.