Wow, that was awesome. Absolutely chock-full of ideas. Nice little Time Traveller's Wife-style touch going on there between the archaeologist and the doctor too.

I hope the other writers on this series have been taking copious notes on how to do it right.

Great first part - even managed to avoid the spoiler for next week!

That was a Moffet one wasn't it?

The guy must hate parents - first kids get scared of statues, now they have another reason to hate the dark.

Still very good though; but I will now have a week of "who turned out the lights" being said through the house.

Woah. That was stunning. I could even just about forgive how shouty Donna was.

The swarm in the suit was very reminiscent of The Android Invasion.

Clearly a fair degree of riffing by mister Moffat on themes from his previous stories, but as long as he continues to get mileage out of them and the end result remains as polished and engrossing as this, I've no objection.

Scariest yet. Profoundly shocking in places: the "ghosting" phenomenon will stay with me for a long time.

Wow, that was just so great. I can't even try to be coherent about it. It was just so full of brilliant things.

That was really good. Just-right use of special effects (not too gimmicky), and a real lesson to previous writers on how to keep multiple strands of plot all going without skimping on detail, getting confusing or losing pace (albeit a bit easier to do that in a two-parter). Proper sense of menace, both from the shadows/darkness and the Poltergeist-style small-child-at-the-centre-of-events.

(spoilers)

The only - only - minor gripes were killing off the poor lass (who seemed a more interesting character than half of the party, but I guess that just added to the impact) and Dave's last line being very reminiscent of "Are you my mummy?"

Can't wait for the next episode. And I already have my theory on who the archeologist really is and why she knows the Doctor.

Good as it might have been, this was also, sadly, the first episode of Doctor Who since the relaunch to lose out in the ratings to ITV, who were showing something with the ironic title 'Britain's Got Talent'.

I wonder, if it had been one of the lesser episodes of the season that had been trounced in this manner, whether knives would start to emerge?

Anyway, on the old board I wrote, of 'Rose':

QUOTE:

it was more than pleasing, it was a metaphorical kick in the teeth for the kind of imbecilic Saturday night moron fodder that's been foisted ceaselessly on viewers for the last twenty years. in this respect it was a triumph for Russell T Davies, the cast, the entire production team and not least the scheduling department of the BBC, who had the conviction to stick it in the flagship slot it deserves. finally the public have been treated to an intelligent, thought-provoking drama series shown at a time when they've traditionally been expected to enjoy some of the most nauseatingly vacuous programmes ever made - and to the surprise of no-one who understands this is precisely what the public have been craving, they love it.

neither is this a highbrow versus lowbrow issue, because there is absolutely nothing 'highbrow' about the way the show has been re-fashioned; it simply refused to patronise its audience, whilst still communicating with them on a level with which they felt comfortable. in a very real sense the screening of 'Rose' was just as revolutionary as the screening of the very first episode of Doctor Who back in 1963, challenging its audience, as it did, by redefining what they had come to expect from drama.

it's optimistic and unrealistic to suggest that shows like 'Ant and Dec' and their innumerable brethren will disappear in the light of Doctor Who's success. hopefully, however, at least a feeling has been engendered among those in control of our terrestrial stations that they represent a type of entertainment which is no longer a reliable guarantee of audience satisfaction. what's satisfying for now is that a fallacious myth has been exploded and a very welcome precedent established

Hearty congratulations to ITV (sorry, ITV1), then, on finally concocting a formula for a reliable guarantee of audience satisfaction.

A very tiny bit disappointed, in so far as all of Moffat's previous episodes have radically extended the breadth and potential of the series, whereas this one seemed to be harking back to previous ideas (the repeated incongruous phrases from Empty Child, the spaceship-linked-to-a -different-timezone from Girl In The Fireplace, the monster-lurking-in-ultrabasic-everyday-phenomena from Blink). Some nice details, but I wasn't blown away like I was hoping to be. Still, we're only half way.

In keeping with my "rehash" thoughts, I bet 10p River Song is the little girl.

Yes, it did seem to take some of the best plot elements from earlier episodes and combine them. Still much better than other recent episodes though (best in this series so far?).

My money was on River Song being a later incarnation of the Doctor, but there are some big holes in that theory.

Overwhelmingly brilliant, I thought.

QUOTE:
Good as it might have been, this was also, sadly, the first episode of Doctor Who since the relaunch to lose out in the ratings to ITV, who were showing something with the ironic title 'Britain's Got Talent'.

I wonder, if it had been one of the lesser episodes of the season that had been trounced in this manner, whether knives would start to emerge?

I don't think so. Britain's Got Talent is a beast. It would have crushed whatever was up against it.

Her indoors is arguing strongly for "best yet". I'm being more cautious; I think Moffats need time to bed down before coming to a final judgement. But she also said "best yet" about Blink, and I think she was probably right at the time.

I was in a state of wriggly nirvana throughout, and was saying "best ever" to myself. At the time I thought Lucy's point about reprising his other stories was in the show's favour - ie it crammed in a dazzling number of great ideas. In the cold light of day I still think that, but I'm not as certain as I was.

Only two problems for me:

Firstly and most distressingly predictably: Murray Gold's music - one particularly obtrusive Terry & June style sting actually drowned out a really important thing when the Doctor and Donna heard a noise behind them just after he'd been interrogating the computer system. There was some good low-level bass guitar stuff when they followed Miss Evangelista into the Reading Room, but the rest was just about his clumsiest ever.

Secondly: how exactly did Proper Dave's cadaver acquire the ability to walk and strangle? There's been no suggestion that Vashta Nerada work through possession. Seemed like a bit of Saward-style "just because"-ism to me.