Bad Night

This was interesting to see, having never bothered with much of these shorts before.

On the one hand, it was a bit of a fun nostalgia trip for this era of Doctor Who. The intro does give a sense of wonder Moffat always was great at. On the other, this short doesn't quite have the film polish of a normal episode and you can definitely see the limitations of the set in a way you rarely can in the properly shot, lit, and more carefully constructed main episodes.

And, as much as it was fun to get a feel once again of the Eleventh Doctor era, it was also a bit of a painful reminder of what this dialogue used to be like. It's got that overly silly, frantic pace to it that really doesn't hold up well. Smith, Gillan, and Darvill aren't really pulling anything special here and if anything, Amy's banter about the Eleventh Doctor and River felt a little cringe-worthy. It's a shame, too, because the idea of the Doctor just going off and doing things while Amy and Rory are sleeping could be a lot of fun. I just don't think it achieved much in delivery.

I'll be curious to see how these other "Night" specials go.