I was genuinely surprised to see the crack from Amy's wall appear in this story. I can't pretend that every mystery from the last three series now makes sense, but it was a nice way of connecting the end of Matt Smith's tenure to its beginning, and circumscribing this period of 'Doctor Who' as a semi-self-contained…

I wonder whether they'll continue to use the awesome "I Am the Doctor" motif now that Smith is gone. It started off as the Eleventh Doctor's theme, but it came almost to supplant the them music.

I expect that every time the Doctor regenerates, the show loses some fans, and gains some new ones. It's not about "the right way to watch the show", it's just a question of different tastes in lead actors.

Well, she was written off, in a sense, in her first appearance, and got a send-off of sorts in 'The Name of the Doctor', so I think we're probably done with River.

Furthermore, he was also defending a connection to Gallifrey, while he tried to figure out how it could be brought back safely,

I would have loved it if 'Nightmare in Silver' had been replaced with a third Craig episode. I can't imagine that same chemistry existing between Corden and Capaldi.

I enjoyed the flashback to the Doctor's room from the God Complex. It was unshowy, and it answered a question that I didn't expect to see revisited.

Yea, people complain about the "mystery" of Clara preventing any relationship developing between her and the Doctor, but the arc of the second half of season 7 is the Doctor growing to care more about Clara the person than he does about Clara the mystery. Look at 'The Crimson Horror', when he cheerfully admits to…

The sound mixing if often problematic, too : a lot of dialogue gets drowned out by music.

I don't think the episode needed to be any longer (if anything, the second half could have done with some trimming). Having years - centuries, even - pass in montage added to the mythic, fairy-tale quality of the story.

It's hard to guess at the moment, isn't it?, what Capaldi will be like. His most famous role, and that shot of his terrifying eyes in 'Day of the Doctor', might lead one to expect a fierce, angry Doctor, but in his brief screentime here, he just seems bewildered.

The BBC?

One of the extra features on the series 6 DVD depicts that final date, if I remember correctly, and it is with Smith's doctor. (I preferred to believe it was with the Tenth Doctor, since it would make more sense then that River didn't find it odd to meet David Tennant in the library.)

The change of Doctor might be enough rejuvenate the show ; also, Moffat has now tied up a lot of dangling threads, so that should make way for a fresh start.

Well, the last series did have quite a few relatively low-stakes episodes - the likes of 'Hide', or 'A Town Called Mercy', for instance, It's understandable that Moffat would want a more epic scale for both the 50th anniversary, and for Smith's departure.

I have to disagree about Smith not suiting dark themes. One of the best things about his performance was its beguiling blend of darkness and levity.

Fair point. I need to expand my horizons.

Did talking to your mom used to make your wife orgasm?

So does this mean women really do want a romantic, dramatic proposal, even if the decision to get married has already been arrived at mutually?

Happy birthday!