"The Vampires of Venice" -- This one felt much more like the premiere -- which I mostly enjoyed -- so that was good. I guess I get why Amy kissed the Doctor now in the last episode, but I just feel that I should have gotten that from the *last* episode and not because the Doctor spelled it out here. Eleven/Matt Smith continues to be awesome. Amy is okay, Rory's cute and asks some good questions/makes some good comments. Rosanna (played by Helen McCrory) did a beautiful job. I actually could see this character as a one-off in RTD's Who, and that's the first time I thought that this season. So good.
"Amy's Choice" -- Sorry,
"The Hungry Earth" -- I'd heard bad things about this one, but other than the slight Star Trek-y* feel during the Earth-lian/Doctor scenes (that were somewhat elevated by the Doctor's 'don't insult me, I know what last of your kind feels like' bit), I enjoyed this one too. It felt like Who to me. I dunno, maybe because I'm just growing accustomed to the series, as opposed to how it differs from RTD's era, or maybe the episodes are just getting better. Either way, I look forward to part two! (Oh, and Matt Smith and Karen Gillian continue to have A-MA-ZING! chemistry.) Plus, I loved "DON'T DIS THE SONIC!" Hee!
* Not that there's anything wrong with Star Trek. I love Trek, but it's just that Who has always been a bit more sophisticated, I guess? Ah well.
"Cold Blood" -- It, again, had the Star Trek-y feel which really sticks out like a sore thumb on Who, BUT the emotional levels were on fire. This is the second episode in a row where I said "Go Amy!," I love Rory -- yes, I totally cried when he died, and started to get all emotional again when the Doctor had that quick moment before he pulled out the TARDIS piece -- and I loved Nazreen, great character. And, the Doctor, oh Eleven! I love you so, so, so, so much. SO MUCH! What I didn't love? The flashbacks. Yes, yes, the whole crack is important, but we had the recurring "Bad Wolf" theme throughout series one and I don't recall flashbacks sprinkled throughout the series to remind viewers. Just the saying of it, or the sight of the crack is enough. I still think that actually showing flashbacks to those moments is dumbing it down. Still, overall, I really am genuinely enjoying the series now. And if I didn't mention it? I LOVE ELEVEN!