I think the problem here is that those criticizing Kill the Moon and those praising it are having entirely different conversations, and thus just talking past one another.

And let's not forget Clara placing importance on everyone getting a say, representative democracy, etc., only to impulsively make a unilateral decision at the last moment - a decision that was treated by the story as obviously correct, without question. (And that's without touching on Clara having little more right to…

… except that the moon, and its relation to our planet, isn't "theoretical science." We know lots and lots about the moon, mass, gravity, etc. Pretty basic stuff.

I think Ten was very obviously influenced by Five, if he was influenced by any past Doctor at all - something that was, of course, made explicit in Time Crash.

I'm struggling to recall how Love and Monsters foreshadowed Rose's impending exit, and failing. And don't feel like going back to watch it. Care to enlighten a fellow?

I think it's because (and I've commented on this before) the lowest grade you've given out all season is a B-. And the previous two years before that, during season seven (parts I and II), widely considered the worst two-ish seasons of the show since the relaunch, the lowest grade you doled out was… a C+ (for The Time…

That was my thinking too, to be honest, but I also thought, 'Well, it was just a one-time sight-gag, I think?'

Ah, neat. That'll be the true test - a test that even Gaiman failed (albeit thanks in part to events outside of his control), in my not-at-all-humble opinion!

Has he written any other episodes? I could check, but I'm so very lazy. :(

Yeah. While the Third Doctor influences on the Twelfth Doctor (especially the look) were apparent before the season started, it's no coincidence that people were quick to compare him to the Fourth and Ninth Doctors (and unsurprisingly, a lot of people saw the Fourth Doctor in Eccleston's performance as Nine) from Deep…

Something tells me that your perspective—starting with the Twelfth Doctor—is going to be fun to read.

I think that might be why some folks have had difficulty latching onto this new season/Doctor, actually: The era of the antihero is more or less over, I think. At least in the United States, where the notion of the 'gritty, dickish protagonist' was beaten into the ground a while ago.

I love that one of the first comments I see states, 'Well, I guess we are all fucked. Obama = HAL.'

I got a Community notification for this?

I will say that the more I think about Kill the Moon (beyond the horrible, terrible, no-good premise of the moon being a giant egg that hatches and then is replaced by a perfect facsimile with no consequences to the Earth or anything else whatsoever), the less the Doctor's decision to leave makes sense at all. I even…

Ew.

I dunno; I can see why someone wouldn't love this season. I feel like something is missing, and I can't quite put my finger on it. (I've considered the possibility that it might just be me, burnt the fuck out on Moffat to the point where I can't get excited when he makes a few, small course-corrections. I certainly…

And if there's been one misstep, I think it's that they went with that story arc before really defining this Doctor first. It made some of the hard questions—like the ones asked in Into the Dalek—a bit… well, opaque, I guess. I think if they'd just spent a few episodes really giving us a taste of the Twelfth Doctor…

Yeah, I think having to rewrite most or all of it from memory at the last minute hurt matters. I'm not even Gaiman's biggest fan (not in the 'I have something against him' sense, though!), but I really do think that he should get a pass on Nightmare.

Whereas it gave me acid flashbacks to the Fallout: New Vegas expansion, Dead Money. But then, I'm kind of a Fallout junkie, so it likely says more about me than anything else.