Still not 100% sold on Clara but damn this was a good episode.
Warwick Davis=amazing
I like when the Doctor goes dark far more than I should. I think Matt Smith does an amazing dark doctor because his normal facade is so awkward, lanky, 8-year-old-hopped-up-on-too-much-candy-stuck-in-a-centuries-old-body and his dark doctor is so strikingly different. When 10 and 9 went dark it seemed like a natural extension of their character, but when 11 goes dark it doesn’t seem out of character, but something he is trying so very hard to suppress that can’t always be.
(normally I would insert a gif here but I can’t find one I like)
Matt Smith was absolutely amazing in this episode. I think the only way it might have been better is if it had all taken place in his head after the cybermites, but then we would have missed out on Davis.
But really just congrats to Gaiman for writing such an excellent battle between 11 and himself. I hope he continues writing for the series, especially for 11.

And then next episode we get River and Strax again and creepy white people with pointy teeth. I feel like this season has been a U shape in terms of quality, but I’d prefer for it to end high before it goes on evil season break than low. And really I think the first few Clara episodes could have been better if the Doctor had taken a Clara from a different time.
Last thing I have to say is I was kind of right about the Doctor being borg-y since he was kind of connected to a hive mind. Anyway those are my thoughts.
