An enjoyable episode. The writing isn't exactly tight, there are issues with pacing, but overall, this episode is a good stand-alone and doesn't suffer from as many issues as the last one. There are a few missed opportunities, which I will discuss, but not without spoilers!
SPOILERS AHEAD
World-Building: Decent
Characterization: Secondary Characters a little 2D but the Doctor was awesome
Plot: pacing issues, but enjoyable overall
This episode was enjoyable overall. It doesn't waste time in throwing us in the middle of the "heist," and there are some interesting elements, especially with the new creature that was introduced and the "powers" of Clara and the Doctors' two new companions. My main problem with this episode is that it fails to provide motivation. Having the characters start out with their memories wiped and not knowing why they're there sounds good on paper, but the way it was executed it didn't allow us enough time to care for the new secondary characters who had a lot of wasted potential.
I loved the brain computer thing that Psi had going on, the back-story of why he was there with the whole memory of his loved ones wiping thing, and I loved Saibra's power of taking on the shape of the people she touches and the associated loneliness that comes with that, but these stories really didn't have time to develop naturally and it ended up being a case of telling instead of showing. Rather than have it develop slowly over time so that we can see their pain and struggles and feel for them when they die (not) we get a few seconds of them confiding their stories in Clara and the Doctor. For this reason alone this episode should have been a two-parter. I would even have loved to see these two around for a bit longer as regular companions.
The other issue with the pacing involved the actual plot. They ended up resorting to getting around this supposedly secure bank through huge vent-type tunnels that literally had the words "Do not enter" on them. Seriously? Couldn't the writers think of a different way to get the characters around? Couldn't they make this a two-parter and put a bit more effort into the actual heist part of this heist story? Also, there were a lot of choppy cuts where we suddenly find the characters in the head of security's office, for example, without actually seeing them get caught. It was easy to follow, but just felt choppy.
Others have mentioned that the identity of the "Architect" and other plot points could be seen minutes in advance of being revealed, which I true, but this honestly didn't bother me too much. I would have been fine with this had the characterization been a bit stronger.
In the end, while this episode did have some issues, I still found it quite enjoyable and didn't hate it as much as the last episode. It allowed the Doctor to do some clever things and take charge for a while and Capaldi's acting was, as usual, superb. If it had been penned by a slightly more competent writer I think this could have been one of the greats. As it stands, it's pretty good and we didn't have to hear from Missy again, which is always a cause for celebration.
I'd rate a little higher than Listen and a bit lower than Robot of Sherwood.
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