what was wrong with the resolution? the chair thing was a big middle finger to every writer who likes to use the sonic screwdriver as a solve-all plot device and the way Mr Sweet died was rather refreshing given the main enemy's death is usually due to The Doctor or a companion's actions. i will agree that some of the dialogue wasn't great but no episode is perfect.

Aside from the fact that that particular almost-but-not-quite-the-real resolution was literally just smashing something with a chair, the problem was actually solved by two people... Just walking up and taking the bad thing out of the other bad thing. This is supposed to be a clever show, but they consistently put the main characters in situations that could as readily be solved by Dog the Bounty Hunter.

the problem with making the show clever all the time though is the characters are then made out to be geniuses that can work out complicated problems in a matter of seconds (which they're not); that's the problem with such short episodes, but they aren't void of intelligence. sure, anyone could have gotten the poison out of the rocket but most of the episode revolved around trying to figure out what the Crimson Horror was and its connection to Sweetville without The Doctor's presence. in Nightmare in Silver, could anyone have won against being taken control of by the Cyber version of themself? no. The Doctor used his intelligence to trick the Cyber-Doctor so he could have time to come up with a plan. sure, anyone could blow up the planet with a voice-activated bomb, but for [b]most [/b]episodes the resolution is blowing a machine up or disrupting a signal or reversing some disease by magically creating a vaccine or simply killing the bad guy.

Actually, I'd contend that the Doctor being a genius is sort of one of the main points of the show. It's not the only point, and there's certainly a lot more to it than that, but the Doctor (and his companions and allies more generally) being an intelligent hero, rather than one that just flukes or bashes his way through problems, is a really important part of the show. The fact that this is often replaced by some bland, contrived plot device that has something to do with some abstract power of love or fuzzy feelings is by far my biggest pet peeve when it comes to this show. See: Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords, the best story arc to be completely shat on in this way, or, more recently, The Rings of Akhaten. And, by the way, I did really like Nightmare in Silver: it was easily the best episode of the current production run, for me. I hope Neil Gaiman continues his work on Doctor Who, because he's a really good writer. I also really hope Moffat pulls his game up or retires as showrunner - it's obvious that he's a top notch writer, but I get the feeling he's not really that interested in writing for Doctor Who any more.

[quote]Actually, I'd contend that the Doctor being a genius is sort of one of the main points of the show. It's not the only point, and there's certainly a lot more to it than that, but the Doctor (and his companions and allies more generally) being an intelligent hero, rather than one that just flukes or bashes his way through problems, is a really important part of the show. [/quote]agreed, but i think the problem is time. in general i think the cleverest episodes of the revived series have been two-parters because then you have time to create and dismantle a complex problem; and that's why i still think we need to return to the 4 x 25 minute format (or just generally more multi-parters instead of about 2 per series). with a single 50 minute episode you only have time for one or two problems which are hard to make seem clever when they need to be resolved quickly. not every episode can be like Amy's Choice. [quote]The fact that this is often replaced by some bland, contrived plot device that has something to do with some abstract power of love or fuzzy feelings is by far my biggest pet peeve when it comes to this show. See: Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords, the best story arc to be completely shat on in this way, or, more recently, The Rings of Akhaten.[/quote]agreed. and yes it would be nice to see Moffat step away.