I guess they wanted a big climax for the end of the 10th doctor’s first year, but it didn’t feel needed at all, and I’d’ve much rather something smaller scale and character driven like they seemed to be setting up with Cindy’s return and generally lower stakes of the first part

oh well, still enjoyed it, it’s a missed opportunity, but what they did was fun enough

Sins of the Father is the conclusion to the story arc that has run through The Fountains of Forever and Spiral Staircase. As a conclusion to the story it works well, as well as a single issue. It ties up the plot nicely, while adding the option for it to be picked up later. The art work was great in this issue, with little 'comic' moments not normally seen in this series.