This week's slice of Doctor Who sidestepped much of the intrigue raised last time around for a swashbuckling foray into world of pirates - and a refreshing one-off romp.
The Curse of the Black Spot couldn't have been timed better really, with the next chapter Pirates of the Caribbean saga set to hit the cinema screens shortly and thus everyones favourite plank-walking, parrot-shoulder-perching, sword-bearing, ship-sailing, treasure-hunting characters bang in fashion.
The story itself had a decent pace and blended dark moments with humour in a way that the best of the Moffat-era episodes have managed to good effect.
Once the obligatory sword fight was out of the way we got into a tale that felt much more like a traditional Doctor Who story.
I could certainly have pictured William Hartnell et al on deck - with Ian and Barbara offering solutions for the siren's appearance and eventually spotting the water/reflection links. You can just imagine them spinning a 4/6 parter out of this, with Bill off screen for an episode while on holiday.
That's certainly no criticism and, if anything, was pretty satisfying after the incident packed two-part opener.
Aside from having all the hallmarks of a classic Who tale, this was also a story of two very notable cameos.
Firstly, Lily Cole was an excellent choice to play the eerie Siren. Her otherwordly looks seemed perfect for the role and, as a star name, it was something of a coup to get her on board.
Secondly, and more prominently, came Hugh Bonneville's turn as sea dog Henry Avery. Bonneville expertly avoided straying into the realms of a camp 'stereotype' performance, and the whole episode lit up during his two handers with Matt Smith's Doctor. The exploration of his background added a bit of depth to take this 45 minutes beyond the 'bit of fun' that it could have lapsed into while he and Smith also handled the humour in the Tardis well.
The main downside for the episode is that the, 'actually the alien was only trying to cure them all' resolution has come before with the gas mask two-parter and the Girl in the Fireplace. It's good to show that not all aliens are the baddies, but it didn't feel like a particularly original twist.
Still, the combination of good storytelling, engaging performances and an excellent look to the action made it a good watch.
8/10
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