So I just got around to watching "The Snowmen"....
Liked Richard E. Grant as the villain Mr. Simeon. Would have been nice to have seen more of him. By the way, this probably makes him the only actor to have played both a Who “baddie” and The Doctor (though "Curse of Fatal Death" and "The Scream of the Shalka" are in no way "canonical").
I see Moffat is continuing the idea of making the Companion a "Woman of Mystery". Look, can we give it a rest already? With the exception of Martha Jones, all the New Series female companions have been the "ordinary woman who somehow holds the key to saving the universe". That’s the worst sort of Mary Sue fanwank. While appropriate for all the tween girl fans of the show, he risks losing the other demographics if he keeps it up.
The Doctor does not need a girlfriend. He needs someone to:
1. Explain things to – so the audience can follow along, too.
2. Keep him from getting too full of himself and developing megalomania.
3. Help him see all the wonder and magic of the universe, so he doesn’t fall into melancholy and despair.
Clara is perfectly suited for the last role. There’s no need to build a Rubik’s Cube of plot devices around her. Davies fell into the trap of hypercomplex story arcs; Moffat can still escape it, as long as he realizes that not everyone is watching the show in the exact order that the episodes are being aired, as soon as they are aired. Your international audience isn’t all on the BBC’s schedule. Stop writing the show as if you are creating a boxed set of DVDs and make each episode capable of standing on its own.
To the fans and viewers wondering where the Great Intelligence will appear later on; it’s already happened. See "The Web of Fear". That’s how you do "wibbley-wobbly timey-wimey" without confusing the viewers.
Nice comic relief with Strax. Just enough at the right moments. I figure that his "softness" (as opposed to all the militaristic Sontarans we’ve seen in the past) is due to his being stuck on Earth for so long, away from any real action. Still want to see something of the Rutans, the Sontarans’ long-standing enemies. Shapeshifters who look like electric jellyfish in their natural form – the FX people can have some easy fun with them.
With regards to Clara falling off the staircase/platform into the courtyard, I don't think the Doctor reacted properly to the situation. Admittedly, he hadn't been really himself for most of the episode, but still....
What they should have done:
1. After the Doctor sees Clara fall, he runs back into the TARDIS and dematerializes it. Back in the house, we hear a dull thud and then everyone looks out to see Clara lying on the ground. Oh noes! We next see the TARDIS materialize in the courtyard/room. The Doctor comes out, and says "Help me get her inside..." While people get her inside onto a couch/table, the Doctor dashes out into the courtyard and digs something out of the wall/ground. He comes back in, holding a small device. "Force field generator. Put it there six months ago. Should have slowed her fall enough so that she'll make it."
2. Strax is fussing with his equipment over Clara's body while everyone watches.
STRAX: I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do here with the tools I have at my disposal.
DOCTOR: How long has she got?
STRAX: A few minutes, at the most. (pause) What about that spare Stasis Box?
DOCTOR: "?"
STRAX: The one you have in the kitchen. You are using it for food storage. Place the girl in it, and she should last until we can get her to proper medical facilities.
Overall, a decent way to spend an hour.