I may be reading too much into the religious bit, it just jarred so much with the show’s history of (granted, loosely) science based storylines and resolutions. Just yesterday I watched The daemons where the Third Doctor berates Jo for her new age-y superstitions:

Everything that happens in life must have a scientific explanation. If you know where to look for it, that is.

But I guess I’ll have to ignore the biblical setting in JttW as a rare lapse, unless of course it is revealed to lead into the opening scene of Life of Brian…

The more I think about this special episode, the more I love the Doctor’s year with Anita. The way it was compressed and showed their bond growing made me think of the first minutes of Pixar’s Up. Just the gentle, fragmented sketching of a shared life, leading up to an inevitable but still devastating loss — and the significance of armchairs!

Finally, re “bootstrapping” — Moffat has form in this area. Yes, obligatory nod to Before the flood, but the way it was handled this episode really reminded me more of an earlier example. Only a few days ago I watched the Red Nose Day shorts Space and Time, and it’s basically the same situation:

Amy Pond: Who the hell are you?

Amy 2: I’m you … from your future.

The Doctor: Tell me exactly what’s happened.

Amy 2: Well, the exterior shell of the TARDIS has drifted forwards in time. If you step into the box now you step inside the control room a tiny bit into the past.

Amy Pond: I don’t understand.

Amy 2: Neither do I.

Amy Pond: But you just said it.

Amy 2: No, I’m just repeating it. I’m just remembering what I heard myself saying when I was standing where you are standing now and repeating it I’m just repeating this, too, and this … and this.

Amy Pond: Ah, I still don’t understand.

Amy 2: You still don’t.

At some point you just have to trust the process and hope you don’t create a new “mavity” situation, I guess 🙂