For me, the line of the night was the "I didn't know I'd noticed that" aside.

And the only white male among the guest cast second.

I don't see this being a plot all about the Doctor's mortality, in the style of series 6, or the Trenzalore arc. Having it appear that a main character has died, or is about to die, is a pretty standard set-up for a cliffhanger: to complain about it is like rolling your eyes and sighing "Oh, the hero of this adventure…

Although the deaf woman's lip-reading ability did become a plot tool, it's still impressive that she was portrayed as an authoritative character besides that, rather than as someone who's overlooked until her disability becomes an unexpected boon.

(In all seriousness, thanks for your informative reply. No wonder you made professor.)

And if, instead of being tangy and brown, the drink is clear and yella?

Is cider non-alcoholic in America? I was baffled by Flanders' enthusiasm for it.

Here is a ball. Perhaps you'd like to bounce it.

Cut final scene : Maedbh's family are abruptly devoured by a tiger.

Yea, did the trees sort of deliver her back, or did she come home just because she heard Meadbh's message? (Because teenage girls go missing only deliberately, it seems.)

That's the precise line I was thinking of, but couldn't remember quite well enough to quote accurately. Thanks!

Cool. I appreciate your point of view, and, who knows?, maybe a re-watch will change my mind. I already think it a pretty good episode all the same.

I agree it will require a re-watch to see how well the plot stands up, but even an explanation such as the one you provide seems a little unsatisfying to me. I know in 'Doctor Who' any exposition relies on imaginary conceits that we simply have to accept, but if the story is structured as a mystery, I think there…

The title evokes Hercule Poirot, but the detective the Doctor most reminds me of here is Sherlock Holmes - at least as Steven Moffat imagines him in 'Sherlock': an arrogant genius with apparent disdain for other people. The sequence of the Doctor renouncing mourning and pity while trying to outwit a manipulative…

While there's a lot to like about this episode, I can't get past my issues with its plot. I'm used to making excuses for 'Doctor Who', but the last-minute explanations here just won't wash. I think it bothers me more than usual because the mystery structure seems to promise a satisfying pay-off, yet the explanations…

The Doctor's outfits are showing a lot more variation this year, too. Capaldi has a distinctive style, but not a signature item of clothing, like a bow tie or a big scarf.

Well, this Doctor's contempt for soldiers cropped up in 'Into the Dalek', too, without having anything to do with Danny. I think you're on to something, though : the Doctor distrusts the military mindset.

I'll be interested to see where the theme of the Doctor's antipathy towards soldiers goes. I mean, I like it that this programme has a protagonist who isn't a gun-toting warrior whose heroism depends on physical might, but I think it does sometimes let the Doctor off too lightly with his pacifism. There are no real…

Of the episodes with co-writer credits, this is the first in which I felt I could see the join. I could be wide of the mark, of course, but it seems likely that Roberts wrote the stuff that was basically 'The Lodger' redux - the awkward comedy, the underdeveloped and barely-relevant alien plot - while Moffat wrote the…

What's odd is that the robot wasn't a failed special effect - it didn't look particularly cheap or ropey. It seemed designed to be cheesy - to be sort of cute, rather than menacing. I thought this might be a joke within the episode, that the supposed killing machine looked so goofy, but it seems that that's simply how…