In many respects, this feels like the greatest hits of Steven Moffat. It features some very familiar tropes, characters, dialogue, and storytelling, with a couple of twists and turns. Thankfully, Moffat's greatest hits are so good that it results in a solid, enjoyable episode.

The most unique aspect is the central conceit of the Doctor being stuck on a landmine and it was a conceit that was used to its full potential. It created threat, tension, drama, and it helped to create a narrative which was small-scale yet still high-stakes, which is the sort of narrative that Doctor Who excels at. It also gave the actors their moments to shine. Gatwa, Gibson, and the supporting cast were all great and this episode was the first time that the Fifteenth Doctor felt like, well, the Doctor.

In an era which seems to pride itself on being more silly and zany and colourful, it was good to have an episode that had an edge to it and leaned into darker themes. The ambulances roaming the battlefield, the flesh canisters, the disposable attitude towards life, and the general pervading sense of this being just one battlefield in a huge industrial war gave the episode a vivid and, at times, haunting feeling to it. It felt like a real setting with real people and real struggles. Consequently, the messaging around war and religion and capitalism also felt more authentic and relatable.

If this is an episode of Moffat's greatest hits then it should perhaps not come as a surprise that it doesn't entirely stick the landing. "The power of love saves the day" just isn't a very satisfying ending but the rest of the episode is so high quality that it can be forgiven a questionable conclusion.