JSG said: I'm surprised how good Doctor Who is this season. I never soured on it as much as some but it certainly lost a lot of quality over the years. This season, though, is (so far) on par with the best seasons. I hope it can stick the landing because I've been loving it like I haven't loved DW in some four years.
CaButler said: I wonder if it's because it's been almost nothing but two parters this season? I also found that I have too much to watch this season, so I'm not sticking with new shows. So far it's been Dr. Who, Blacklist, Sleepy Hollow, Castle, Flash and Arrow. I ended up dropping Gotham at some point and didn't stick around for Minority Report. I want to give Limitless a try but haven't had the time.
JSG said: I think the two-parter format is helping. It's something fresh, and it allows for some more creativity in the stories (like the viking two parter). I think it's also that it feels like it has an overarching theme that informs all of the episodes' stories but doesn't overwhelm them like the later Matt Smith seasons. It's also not tacked on like a lot of episodic shows' seasons where they throw a few scenes in. It feels like the episodes can just be themselves, but the events and themes within them are all building toward something. It's just better, smarter writing ("smart" by Doctor Who's standards). Clara doesn't feel pointless for once. Capaldi settled into his Doctor and he's killing it. Things are just coming together in a way that they haven't since seasons 4 and 5.