I finally got round to watching the second episode. My general thoughts on the episode are as follows:
Season 7 / Episode 2
- I enjoyed it...somewhat. I give this a 6/10. It's a 'decent' storyline against a 'decent' backdrop. The antagonist of the story is slightly lackluster. The Doctor's performance in this episode I also found slightly below his stunning standard, though still acceptable. I guess the subtext about the episode being an examination of religion is good, albeit executed slightly poorly in the episode. It's decent, as a standalone episode, but it's lacking something.
- I do like how heartfelt the story is though. While many hated the singing aspect, I quite liked it. It gave a sense of community spirit. Often there's a conflict between races (see Cold Blood for a prime example) but in this one all the different races blend together well. I did like that aspect; were it not for that, this episode would be a very mediocre 5/10. The doctor's speech was quite nice as well; particularly Clara's intervention with the leaf. Nice.
- I'm getting annoyed at the use of the Sonic Screwdriver. It's a very obvious deus ex machina. "Hmm, unpassable door? Use the screwdriver!" "The Vigil firing forcefields at me? Use the screwdriver!" It's abit of a bore sometimes. I don't mind the odd use of the screwdriver, but it gets abit much when every small problem is solved through it's use.
- The mind parasite (planet) is too similar to the Great Intelligence. It gets a pass in my view, but hardly original.
And now the mysteries section:
Season 7 : Formy's mysteries
- Could be nothing, but I do wonder why Clara's mother died. It is probably nothing and she died just because, but this is Doctor Who. There's generally a reason behind most things.
- We of course still have the mystery of Clara. No new plot developments on that front, to be honest. It's a standalone episode: you rarely get any developments of the overarching story in these.
And NOW I see why everyone is shouting Davos Seaworth. Brilliant. Can't wait for his performance. I love ol' Davos. And what a surprise, he's in a nautical role again!