I've been trying to get me head around what I actually think of this episode (based on one watch, with friends, who occasionally talked over a bit of it). I'm very much finding with Who these days that I have to sift through my thoughts to decide how I feel about an episode, and that usually turns out not to be a good thing.

So, sifting...

I liked the hotel. I liked the Doctor popping into various whatevers with his room service order. That was a curiosity-inducer at the beginning, and kind of a fun thing, once we were given the why. The deadly transferring suitcase was, again, an intriguing thing. Some problems with that, as I don't think there was enough explanation behind the contents of the briefcase (I may have missed some detail), and overall it felt like someone came up with the setup but didn't put much thought into the resolution.

I liked Trev. I liked Anita and the Doctor's interaction with her. I found that bit very charming. I liked the Silurian hotel manager, but the idea that he would feel threatened by a hair dryer from his own hotel and not recognize what it was...I find that hard to swallow.

The religious and political content of the episode... To put it bluntly, I get enough of the real world in the real world, and that's not what I turn to Doctor Who for. So I could do without the writer's opinions on Partygate (whether I agree or not) being unsubtly inserted. So, that little bit of politics I could have done without.

I don't think Doctor Who should wade into religion the way this episode did. I may be oversensitive on the subject at the present time. There is a concerted effort in the US right now to eliminate the separation of church and state, to present Christianity - and a narrow-minded interpretation of it at that - as the only legitimate and correct way to be, and to demonize anyone or anything that does not conform. So, while I think the tail end of the episode is harmless in and of itself, it just goes to a place I don't want Doctor Who going anywhere near.

My conclusion: There was stuff I really liked in this episode, but I think it went in too many directions to be coherent. I think, like much of Who today, too much thought went into getting people's attention and piquing their interest, into promoting the episode, and too little into satisfactorily answering the questions in presents, putting together a story that actually holds together once you get past the cool set pieces.

There's enough joy in this world to make this episode worth watching. There's fun stuff and sentimental stuff, and that's the bulk of the episode. I found the ending unsatisfying, and I don't think the plot entirely holds together if you stop and think about it. But that doesn't entirely wipe out the good parts that come before.