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What a devastating episode, penned of course by shown runner Steven Moffat - an instant improvement over the previous three dud episodes. But of course with this the final appearance of the Ponds it was always going to be a tough hurdle to get through, and Moffat doesn't scrimp on the drama. The Weeping Angels attack the time travelling trio in New York (great use of the location shoot), attracting the attention of a later incarnation of River Song and it fast becomes a fight to the death.

It's a little contrived - The Doctor really didn't know about an Angel energy farm in 1938? - but it's hugely emotional. Facing the end what are Rory and Amy prepared to do to save each other and the city? What fixes a point in time? How much of what we're presented with can any of the trio change? What does River Song already know? Moffat uses his standard timey-wimey manoeuvring to keep us on our toes, in an enjoyably hard boiled tale in the past.

I'd never thought Karen Gillan or Arthur Darvill were that good the last couple of years but here they positively shine - their loss is real, their heroism triumphant. It's a shame both decided to leave, but it puts The Doctor in an interesting position, particularly with the 'Doctor Who' code words used a second time in this run (no doubt, Bad Wolf-style, foreshadowing a possible resolution to the Silence subplot). So the Angels seemed less threatening, sure, but after repeated use they were always going to be.

It was a good episode, offering the cinematic experience Moffat said he wanted this year for the first time, with superb direction and significant character development (for River Song too). Having said that I've not engaged with the non-Moffat episodes at all this year, and I hope the opposite is the case in 2013. Christmas and a new companion seem such a long time away.