As lovely as "Bad Wolf" was, amazing CGI Daleks, hideously expensive guest stars and all, if indeed we've resolved the identity of the titular He, She or It that's been stalking the Doctor for the past thirteen weeks, then that's got to amount to a bit of a disappointment. The Space Station we find ourselves on, in a cunning "Revenge of the Cybermen" style re-use of an earlier set, is run by the "Bad Wolf" corporation, who turn out to be the Daleks. Really? It's not Cap'n Jack then? Or Mickey? Or the Face of Boe? Or whoever it is that's booming away just-out-of-shot in the exciting trailer for next weeks episode? It makes you realise how 'token' this alleged 'arc' has been - put simply, two words which turn out to be no more than a rather meaningless alias for the series biggest foe have simply been shoehorned into each previous episode.

I am, of course, criticking on a half-empty hand, as we have 50% of this story still to go. So let's instead look at something rather remarkable that happened mid-way through the first episode which, were we to strip it of its silly arc-resolving title, could have been called "The Redemption of RTD". It all started rather predictably, and while in hindsight the parody of today's reality shows was an amusing diversion (and one weirdly not unlike Big Finish's "The One Doctor") it was another example of RTD swinging Doctor Who round his head with a gleeful glint in his eye in order to show us how modern, flexible and saucy-wink ironic it could be. It felt out of place for the last story of the season, so it was just as well that, all of a sudden, this turned into something more than a bit special.

Perhaps the "death" of Rose was the turning point. Done just convincingly enough to make you wonder if they'd thrown a surprise curveball at us, it certainly evoked sighs of relief when she turned up again a while later. And there it was, relief, an emotional response! And you realise that - yes - you're actually quite excited as well. And a little bit scared, in a fun way. And very thrilled. Last week Doctor Who's first public face since JNT said emotional drama was "what I do. If you don't want that, there's no point me being here". Perhaps finally, after the odd false start, he'd managed to drag us ALL along for the ride. Twenty minutes later, the big Daleks effects piece had been unveiled and there wasn't a doubting Thomas in the house. A very timely means of overcoming your opponents. Now go and watch "Boom Town" and tell me it's really that bad.

We now have the somewhat strange notion of the BBC themselves, via their website, issuing a tongue-in-cheek instruction to stop checking it, and to stop watching BBC1 the moment Eastenders finishes (if they'd really been our friends they'd have told us to skip dreary old Enders altogether, but I suppose they have to make a crust somehow). Yes, this week is going to be THE challenge of challenges not to have Episode 13 spoiled. Avert your eyes away from the Listings Magazines when you do the mid-week shopping! Change the channel when you hear the first eerie bars of the theme tune, whistling out from a daily trailer! And above all, stay off pesky damn messageboards populated by people who want to know it all before they have the means to appreciate it! Like the Doctor, we'll do well to escape this one unscathed, but there's only one week to go. Good luck!