Doctor Who blog: 'Closing Time'

“You know, when I was little like you, I dreamt of the stars. I think it's fair to say, in the language of your age, that I lived my dream. I owned the stage, gave it 110%. I hope you have as much fun as I did, Alfie.”

And so we approach the end of the latest series of Doctor Who, but not with the usual crammed, noisy two parter. Instead, Moffat continues to change things up by finishing the series on two standalone episodes. 'Closing Time' was the polar episode of the typical Russell T Davies penultimate episode, and was all the more intriguing for it.

That's not to say I don't love the thrill of a big, mad end-of-series two parter; I can still remember the shiver of excitement I felt when the ninth Doctor promised to save Rose from the Daleks, or the sheer bemusement created by Old Doctor in 'The Sound of Drums'. But instead of building up shed loads of tension in the penultimate episode, Moffat has chosen to allow some breathing time by revisiting one of my favourite episodes of the last series, 'The Lodger'.

Now, it very much helped that I really believed that the Doctor would chose to spend his final day with the last real human normality he knew. Following the madness that is the River and Ponds (who were relegated to cameo roles this week), it was nice to see the almost abnormally normal home life of Craig and Sophie, along with adorable baby Alfie. Lonely god Doctor, eaten up by the guilt of his race, is all well and good, but it's easy to forget that he loves this life, travelling the stars and saving his beloved Earth time and time again. After so many episodes that focused on the dark side of being the Doctor's companion, this was a welcome reminder of the good being around him can do.

Gareth Roberts's script zipped along marvellously, using the Cybermen and Cybermats as little more than the background for the emotional story. And, once again, there were some lovely comedic moments created by the Doctor living in the real world; I especially enjoyed him being completely in his element working in the toy department of the shop, and all the stuff with him speaking baby to Alfie/Stormageddon had me chuckling away. Once again, James Corden was an absolute revelation in the role of Craig, bringing real likeability and warmth to the role, and he and Matt Smith played off each other wonderfully.

But what worked most beautifully were the moments of sadness that infused the episode, as the Doctor faced the fact that his death was approaching. Words cannot do justice to how brilliant Matt Smith was in this episode; for me, this was one of his finest hours. The Doctor's scene alone with Alfie in his room was an absolute highlight for me, full of age and wisdom and melancholy and wonder.

And yes, once again, the day was saved by feeling. But it didn't feel problematic when the whole episode was about the problems of being a proper parent – just as this whole series has been, really. It wasn't like Craig suddenly became a good dad thanks to the Doctor; his instincts are always right really, as shown by the fact that his first words after the Doctor jumps through the patio door are about his son. Or maybe I just accepted it because I'm a soppy old dear at heart.

The final moments may have brought us crashing back to the series arc, but I for one was glad to be reminded of the Doctor's quieter, more human moments, and just how wonderful they can be.

So is River the Impossible Astronaut? Will the Doctor really die? And will Rory be all noble and break my heart once more? Find out next week in 'The Wedding of River Song'.

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