My back is as straight as it can possibly be.

"Motherhood changes a man."

A good show comes up with a wacky bit of world building, like an inter-office Olympics, to give us a sense of history between its characters. A great show adds specificity to that history, like taking some element from it's origin and turning it into an elaborate opening ceremony, leaving how it evolved to the…

That was the point of my post? At least I hope that came across, that the show is doing a good job progressing with a number of themes and elements rather than one oppressive arc.

I mean more in terms of impact on this season. We followed up on the tease of Deep Breath with…two more teases. 2/3rds of the way through the season and we don't have much new info.

That's a good point, I suppose it comes down to him.

You think I haven't? I've also suffered through The Twin Dilemma, Time Flight, The Horns of Nimon…

Yeah, sadly. I'd love more Rorys.

That's true, but the key here is that it's still enjoyable on its own terms. So if he wants to trade a little less understanding for faster catching up, that's a fair choice.

It's still good TV, and if you're smart enough you can probably pick up on why certain things are dramatic and departures. Though you will get more out of it starting from season 5 or earlier, you can start with this season just to catch up quick and not be entirely lost.

I would bet he rewrote a good chunk of the Doctor's lines since that's what other writers have said he did for their scripts, not to mention the last, arc continuing scene. Either way, it's still correct to credit Moffat since the original comment was about the season, not this specific episode. Moffat course…

How I would love to have another scientist companion like Romana. Or just bring Romana back, that'd be nice. Obviously not as a companion, but I'd love to see the Doctor find Gallifrey again and the first thing he does is have a chat with its President.

Ah, that's a good point I didn't think of. I'm sure "AI experimenting on humans" wasn't original to Portal, but that is the most well known (and best) use of the trope, so I can see it being an influence.

That ones alright. The worst bit of season 5, but only in contrast, it's pretty middle of the road IMO. Surely there's nothing embarrassing about it.

I survived the farting aliens, the concrete slab blowjobs, Tinkerbell Jesus. I was THERE. And I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

I'd say it's more of a case of both sharing a common influence.

Well Hamlet's a hardcore deconstruction of contemporary revenge dramas and plenty seem to enjoy that without reading Titus Andronicus. Even if he doesn't appreciate it as much, it will still be good entertainment.

Acceptable enough. You have to get used to a few characters that were met previously. The beginning of season 5, The Eleventh Hour, is a better starting point, but I understand if you don't want to wade through a three season backlog.

"[I]t’s just one of a few moments in the episode where the Doctor’s penchant for talking to himself effectively makes him his own companion."

Given that he knew what he'd be getting into, I wonder if this whole trip was the Doctor's roundabout way of explaining his actions in the last episode.