This post contains spoilers for the latest SJA episode, but nothing else.

I was dreading this episode – mostly I think because everyone else was really hyped up about it, and I am strange like that. But I had convinced myself it was all nothing and I would enjoy it when I came to see it. Turns out I was wrong.

There were some good bits: Mr Smith and K9, treating K9 like a dog, Rani and Clyde dealing with the CGI alien. Actually, that was it really.

I disliked the Doctor being in it a lot. I mean, I liked him in it, I liked his reactions, I liked their reactions to him, I liked the explanation of what’s going on with Sarah’s name, I liked that it’s Sarah who saves the day, which is right because it’s her show. The trouble was that the Doctor felt superfluous. He didn’t actually do anything. You could argue that he gave her a clue as to what to do, but the trouble is she points out that appearing to people who nearly die is what the Trickster does, yet there’s been no evidence of that until now.

I hated all the lovey-dovey stuff. To the extent that I fast forwarded through it, otherwise I’d have needed a sick bucket. The trouble with romance is that I have to be introduced to it gradually, so it would have only worked if we’d seen it over a perioud of time. I know the story is set over a couple of months, but between me starting watching and finishing wasn’t much more than an hour. It probably doesn’t help that Nigel Havers just comes across as being a bit shady anyway.

I was amused that they went to an Italian restaurant. I did like the bit where Sarah was curious about what they’d been saying in her absence. The trouble with that bit is that it’s supposed to show how well Nigel Havers knows her by that point, but no one wouldn’t be curious after you say “We were just talking about… never mind” because it’s clearly something they don’t want you to find out about.

I was disappointed by the episode as a whole, but I was also disappointed that they cut out the Harry reference. I hope it’ll be on the DVD, but given the lack of interesting extras on them so far, I’m not holding my breath.

I really enjoyed the first two episodes of this series and it looked like it was going to be better than series 2 (which I didn’t like much overall), and then this was the worst episode yet. Hopefully it’ll pick up again next week.

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