Obligatory content free post for the benefit of those who haven’t seen it yet.
Ooohhh! Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? And references to the Christmas Special and Season 1 too.
Nicely gruesome off-picture deaths.
And a nice twist or two at the end.
Very good episode. Also established the origin of the spinoff series, Torchwood.
To me, the plot seemed a bit rushed in this episode, like it was written as a two-parter and cut down into one.
That being said, the actress who played Queen Victoria was great, and the Doctor’s command over the language impressive - like Her Majesty, it took me awhile to notice he’d stopped using his Scottish accent.
Most of the one-off episodes from the new series feel that way (rushed) to me, so perhaps I’ve gotten used to it. The old series used to explore things more; now often it’s build-up, problem, resolution, see you next week! On the other hand, there seems to be more inter-relations between episodes over the season in the new series.
I also wanted to add this was the first episode that made me want to like Tennant’s Doctor. Not bad for three episodes in; he just might turn out all right. 