Closing Time

This picks up where The Lodger left off and does a solid job of recapturing that energy and putting it in a new setting. The Doctor working in a department store is funny and charming, it's not something the show needed to revisit but it's a bit of fun. I am far more comfortable with this version of Matt Smith’s Doctor who is socially inept and doesn’t understand interpersonal dynamics, than the sexy, suave Doctor who’s put together and knows everything.

Amy being a famous model? Not a fan of that. Seems apropos of nothing. Would have been much better if she and Rory did not appear in the episode. Felt like a contractual thing.

It's a little more loose limbed than The Lodger. You miss some of the spark of seeing The Doctor the first time round coming into these mundane, real world situations: playing football, being an awkward third wheel. There is some delight to be had seeing The Doctor pushing a pram and talking to the baby. It's hard to begrudge a second outing for something that is silly and straightforward, unlike the tiresome series long arc.

It's the resolution though where things go wrong and credibility starts being stretched. The power of a father’s love for his son overcoming a Cyber-conversion feels contrived and oversimplified given everything we know about the Cybermen. It's also the third time in this series that a father’s love for his son saves the day. Which is not good scripting or series planning.

Fun overall episode, but they did not have a good ending up their sleeves.