Matthew's Journal

This episode of Doctor Who was different from the usual in a number of ways, notably the plot structure and the number of characters. On the whole I thought it worked, although to some extent I must reserve judgement until I've seen the next episode.

Peter Capaldi was excellent in what is essentially a 1-man show, and the plot itself was tense and mystifying, without you feeling that they cheated; the revelation that it was the Doctor chipping away at the way out, a few tiny pecks per life was well done and suitably grim. I guess it makes a change for the Doctor to be the victim of an ontological paradox (where, started in identical circumstances, he makes the same mistakes so arrives at the wall without a spade time and again) rather than exploiting one.

It raise rather more questions than it answers, though: whose is the confessional? (I'm inclined to think it's the Doctor's), how will the Doctor get his TARDIS back? (since someone has stolen the key). I'm going to suggest that the Doctor is lying when he says he's the hybrid...