“Vampires of Venice.” I really enjoyed this episode!
First of all, this episode looked absolutely gorgeous! The 16th century Venice (actually Croatia) settings, locations, and costumes were all just stunning and looked more big budget than they probably were. In fact, I think this was one of the best-looking NuWho's I can remember over the past several seasons.
It was a good story and if not exactly a pure historical episode, it felt historical.
As overdone as they are, vampires continually make good scary/creepy story material and the twist of them being alien was cool, but not entirely unexpected. I was not expecting fish-aliens, though (I wonder if they are related to the Hath?).
Helen McCrory was excellent as Rosanna, Queen Mother of the Saturnynian, and I actually found myself feeling just a little bit sorry for her in the end. Really, she was just trying to help her species survive (why won't these people ever listen to the Doctor when he is willing to give them a chance!).
Rosanna's face-off with the Doctor was extremely interesting to watch and showed that Matt Smith is proving more than capable in the role of the Doctor. Smith's Doctor is proving to be a man who is a little more easily unnerved than previous Doctors. Then again, it could just be because he knows of the impending Cracks as he remembers Rosanna's words, “We saw silence, and the end of all things …”
I'm loving the addition of Amy’s fiancé Rory (Arthur Darvill) to the TARDIS and I hope he proves to be a valued companion and not just another half-companion the way Mickey sometimes was. The Doctor seems pretty clear on not having any romantic entanglements with Amy, which is a good thing, and I'd like to see Amy and Rory become more like the Barbra/Ian dynamic of old.
Best Parts: Lots of funny moments!
Dig the old library card with the first Doctor’s (Hartnell) photo on it!
The Doctor popping out of a cake at the stag party—more than once!
Love the Steampunk-inspired goggles and the new TARDIS set.
The twist on the vampires, which is saying something considering how oversaturated that subject matter currently is.
Worst Parts: Yet another ending that involves the Doctor climbing a tower or spire to dismantle some alien piece of gadgetry that will advert disaster and save the day. We tend to see this ending quite a lot in “Doctor Who” and it should really be more original.
My Rating: Quite nice, I give it a 3-1/2 out 5.