Review: DOCTOR WHO - The Woman Who Lived

To be honest, I'm a bit on the fence when it comes to this current Doctor Who: although I appreciate the lack of plotty-wottiness in this season, the two-parters have been mixed.

Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar? The Genesis of the Daleks sequel we didn't ask for. Under the Lake/Before the Flood? Great base under siege suddenly becomes timey-wimey...and works like a charm.

Now we have The Woman Who Lived, which isn't so much the second half of a two-parter as a counterpoint to last week's The Girl Who Died, and quite honestly...it's the most emotionally satisifying two-parter this season.

Plotwise, not much happens - the Doctor encounters Ashildr, shenanigans ensue, and there's a last minute potential alien invasion. But much like Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar, this is more of an exploration of ideas through two characters having a conversation....and that leaves me a bit cold.

However, these two episodes serve as a point/counterpoint to each other - the importance of stories and how they bond people together; the implications of a long life and the willingness to let go of memories....something tells me this is going to be the lynchpin for this season's themes.

And next week, UNIT!