You know, I'm not rating this serial that high, but it wasn't that bad either.  That opening with the models and CGI was genuinely impressive, exciting, and amazing.  That energy continues well into the early courtroom scenes.  Even though I know what's happening, there's a good sense of intrigue going on here.  What's happening?  Why is the Doctor on trial?  It's good stuff.

The actual execution outside of the framing device is a lot weaker, though.  It feels like the actual mysterious planet of The Mysterious Planet is a little boring.  Some Doctor Who sets and alien worlds look great - this is not one of those situations.  It really feels like everything is just barely holding together at the seams.  And the characters living there felt flat and boring.  It all felt so artificial - like these were costumes and sets rather than people and places.  Still, I found Six and Peri pretty entertaining.  They have good banter here, for once, and it already feels like a huge improvement from last season.  Again, it's just not that bad.  Not that great, but not that bad, either.