The Caretaker is one of those episodes where the science fiction takes a back seat for more grounded character-based content. In Who, this can and has been an effective way to show the Doctor living on Earth a bit, and having a bit of fun. Usually it might be a bit of a palette cleanser after some particularly dramatic events.

In this case, we are following Time Heist and are using The Charaker not only for a fun romp but also to create a bunch of drama between Twelve, Clara, and Danny. And I am not really here for it. That the alien stuff is practically incidental would be fine if the character work were better, but as it stands, our characters are all a little off-putting in their own way.

The Doctor feels more abrasive than usual, even by the standards of the Twelfth incarnation. He treats Danny unfairly, which is compounded when Danny turns around and treats Clara pretty unfairly both here and going forward. And Clara, though probably the strongest written of the three here, gets put in this awkward position that doesn't do her character many favours.

It's an episode I wish worked a little better but that and our very underwhelming supporting cast make this much more of a slog than it needed to be. This episode should have been fun and while it kind of is, it does so in a way that makes me like our main characters less, which is never a good idea.