After two stories that went along the blueprint of classic Who tales from yesteryear Simon Nye's Amy's Choice gave us a refreshing romp from left field.
The previous three weeks stories were right up there with the best of "New Who" but it was good to see the team trying something creative for a splash of variety.
The episode felt a bit like a Doctor-lite story - i'm not sure they're doing one this year? - in that it was less about special effects and action and more about character and storytelling.
The dream idea worked well as a polt device and while an interesting bit of fun on one hand - had more depth that developed all three main characters if you wanted to scratch the surface, with echoes of Hartnell's "Inside the Spaceship".
The Dream Lord too was an interesting creation. A Valeyard-cum-Toymaker character who was revealed, far less "fanw***y-ly", to be the dark side of the Doctor's mind.
It was that underplayed and sinister reveal that added to the interesting development of Smith's Doctor. Tennant handled the emotional portrayal well, even if it was overdone by the writers, so it is important that his incarnation was different. Those who feel Smith hasn't taken to the role have massively missed the point. If you think he feels far-off, unsettled and "not at home" then that means Smith has nailed it. He seems to be returning the Doctor to a time when the role was that of an alien who was at times unfeeling and irascible as well as dynamic and magnificient.
Amy's Choice was well-paced and thought provoking but, in spite of the praise spilled out above still lacked something for me.
I can't put my finger on it but when I'd finished watching it I felt it had been enjoyable but wouldn't necessarily lead to repeat viewing, especially once you knew the big twist. I felt the same after Midnight, but maybe it's just me.
7/10 (but probably worth more for the addition of variety and experimentation!)
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