Doctor Who: Day of the Moon

Oh. My. My oh my. That was good. In fact, that was more than good. Actually, I'd go so far as to say that was very good. Exceptionally good, if you will.

*Pauses for a moment to open a dictionary of superlatives*

So, what did I like about this superb adventure? Well, firstly, the fact that it opened so well. A neat trick that Moffat has done time and time again, but to have what you expect the second episode of this story to consist of dealt with and subverted before the opening credits is just great. I love the idea of the Doctor using the idea of the Pandorica to his own advantage - no longer a prison so much as a bit of privacy.

And doesn't the Doctor look great with a beard? No? Oh. Maybe that's just me looking to justify my own preference for having a beard at all times.

Then we move forward, and learn more about the Doctor's plan to stop the Silence. And it is worth pausing for a moment, particularly as we consider the moments in the children's home, to consider just how close this story came to being a horror movie. I can imagine that, if I was a child, this would have freaked me out. But more on how children would respond to this sort of episode later.

Inbetween, you have scares, banter, and one of the most sympathetic uses of Nixon in popular culture that I have ever seen. It is nice that he wasn't portrayed as one of the monsters; it is also nice that the Doctor played his part in creating the Watergate scandal through the suggestion of taping everything that happens in the Oval Office (although, in reality, that was the suggestion of Lyndon B Johnson. Then again, was he one of the Silence...?)

And Rory - poor Rory! Never quite knows whether his wife wants him or the guy with the floppy hair. Of course, the episode played with that as well - and it's nice that the Doctor and Amy care about the man who believes he is the gooseberry in their relationship. But the Pond pregnancy - what to make of that?

But to the resolution of the story. It was nice that a number of elements across the story came together to form a way of stopping the Silence. It was also nice that the Doctor - as he tends to do nowadays - gave them the chance to run before he stopped them. And this takes me back to my point about the kids who watch the show - yeah, the plot is quite complex. But I think most kids will get that the way in which you defeat the monster you cannot see is to film 'em and stick 'em on TV.

Of course, they'll be some who object to this story. Some who object as it doesn't answer all of the questions posed by the first episode (although given the number of questions opened by that episode, it would take the best part of a season to answer all of those questions - as I suspect it will). Others will object to what they see as the grafting of a progressive agenda onto the programme - I won't ruin the surprise unless you've seen it, but the reaction of Nixon in the show is both spot on and a good representation of those with a limited view of adults living together.

In short, this was not the best Doctor Who story - nor, arguably, the best that the current show-runner has written. But it was clever, controlled, and able to leave enough questions open to keep the overall story running for a good long while yet. And it also stands as a startling testament of its author to throw a genuine curveball toward even the most experienced of fans.

That girl. At the end. Y'know, the one regenerating. What the fuck is that all about?