The latter half of this series of Doctor Who has, in many ways, been disappointing. The fifth series of the modern reboot, with its introduction to the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, was a much needed burst of energy, gone was the somewhat dingy colouring, and, in a move away from the melodrama that the departure of both David Tennant and lead writer Russell T Davies, came a fresh, plot-based approach. There were big bangs and bow ties and Roman centurions, but most strikingly, a finale that managed to tie together even the smallest details as part of the overarching theme. What appeared to be a costuming problem was in fact an indication that time was being changed around. It was clever and fun television but retained the ability to be moving as well.

It’s a shame, then, that the second half of Matt Smith et al’s second series has been so lacking. The big reveal concerning mysterious River Song’s identity was obvious and badly written. The title of the first episode after the unwise mid-series hiatus, ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’, says it all: daring in scope, but failing to impress after a second consideration, relying instead on immediate ‘gosh’ appeal. Viewers are confused as to quite how Steven Moffat and his writing team will get their way out of killing the Doctor as they did in the series opener. Instead, we’ve had Adolf Hitler stuck in his cupboard, yet another episode dealing with the re-imagining of a young child’s fears and a tantalising mention of The Silence, who happen to be one of the most creatively sinister monsters created on the show, only for the idea to be almost forgotten. As a whole, the series does seem to be moving towards the climax first shown to us in ‘The Impossible Astronaut’, but despite this, some of the initial episodes have lacked the vivacity and interest the previous series was filled with.

The last few episodes, however have been a marked improvement. Faith, and the disappointment it can bring, was the theme of ‘The God Complex’. Combined with ‘The Girl Who Waited’ the character of Amy Pond has been fleshed out, after suffering from underwriting and a decidedly mediocre performance from Karen Gillan. Amy is an often passive figure, as seen with the rather disturbing image of Amy waking up to find she is heavily pregnant. However, what was becoming an increasingly implausible unwavering trust in the Doctor is tackled and so the viewer finally can sympathise with a character who is supposed to be our entrance into the weird and wacky world of a travelling, regenerating alien.

For all its criticisms, it is this sense of strangeness that keeps Doctor Who an essential captivating watch. Other television shows (Gossip Girl, for one) don’t have an interesting enough world that a bout of underwhelming writing can be a noticeable, but admissible problem. In my local library, however, young boys are eagerly discussing quite how the Doctor’s going to reverse his own death by the Impossible (but no longer anonymous) Astronaut. On my part, just two objects featured in this half of the series (an apple and a Rubik’s cube) have guaranteed my excitement for the finale, an achievement hardly any other programmes can match.