The Beast Below. Your thoughts.

After being deluged with feedback on The Eleventh Hour (sorry to those whose contributions I haven't managed to post), the response to episode 2 of Series 5 has been much more low key. However, here are a couple of very differing opinions!

Kate Griffiths: I thought the pre-title sequences were some of the best ever. The Doctor and Amy's arrival was good, liked it when he said he never interferes in affairs, then said I stay out of trouble- badly! Liked the nod to the Idiot's Lantern with the Magpie electricals sign.

The Doctor is quite changeable in moods. From excitement in danger wanting to see the Starwhales stomach, to the fierce if not scary. "Don't ever decide for me and no-one human has anything to say to me". Back to showing his 'soft' side when Amy said "very,very old, and very kind, the last, sound familiar". Then the hug.

The concept of the Starwhale just wanting to help but being tortured gave you something to think about without shoving it in your face. It was nice that Amy came up with the solution, the Doctor was too cross and involved to see it. What were those smilers about though, apart from being scary?

Must say I enjoyed it.

Stephen Murphy: Nice idea, if a little Terry Pratchett. Again, some lines had to be gone back over. Maybe I'm getting old and deaf. Maybe not. I feel that Matt Smith is trying too hard. Early days, of course, but I don't feel he carries the gravitas necessary. At present, I'm watching an actor playing quirky.

Also, despite what the second, overly smug and self-congratulatory Confidential said, I'm watching an actress who has a limited range of facial expressions and is nowhere near as good as she's being held up to be. And thanks for hitting me over the head with the comparison between The Doctor and The Space Whale, but I had already got it the first time it was mentioned.

We also have another running "menace" (the crack, the silence, The Doctor knowing more about Amy than he's letting on etc etc), which is a little tedious. It's obviously been decided that the show needs a constant thread that runs through until episode thirteen and the big-bang finale. Ho-hum. Still, the Daleks are back next week, so perhaps things will take off then?