More than the previous episode, this is self-contained story, one that barely has any relation to the larger context of Series 8.  There’s the obligatory interruption of Clara and Danny’s second date, cementing the notion that the story is currently being expressed through Clara’s point of view, but that seems more a pretest for giving Clara a reason to look very attractive throughout the adventure.  Not that I’m complaining, as Jenna Coleman is the full package.

 

This episode was co-written by Stephen Thompson, who does not exactly have the most stellar track record when working as part of Moffat’s writing crew.  His sole-writer contribution to Sherlock is widely regarded as the weakest episode of the bunch, and Doctor Who episodes “Curse of the Black Spot” and “Journey to the Center of the TARDIS” were concepts with potential that suffered in execution.  It makes me wonder if Moffat is co-writer because there was an impression that “Time Heist” was falling in a similar pattern.

 

Heist stories are fairly predictable, so the fun is often found in the finer details: the quirks of the team, how the heist is pulled off, the quick pacing as challenges are presented and overcome, and even the uniqueness of the item in question.  One can excel in some of these items, yet a struggle in one can bring the whole house of cards down a notch.  That’s the trouble with “Time Heist”: the heist itself progressed a bit too generically, and seemed to counter the notion that the Bank of Karabraxos was some uber-secure fortress.

 

A lot hinges on the secret identity of “The Artitect”, and the notion that the team members have volunteered to have their memories wiped prior to the operation.  Now, anyone who didn’t immediately figure out that “The Artitect” was going to be The Doctor simply was paying attention.  I’m fairly sure that the writers were hoping that the audience would suspect as much, at least, and thus see his apparent willingness to let team members die as another reason to question his moral compass.  Instead, it was more a reason to wonder how exactly the sacrifices were going to be justified or reversed.  And so they were, in the end.

 

Psi and Saibra were interesting enough temporary companions, but it was fairly clear that it was only for this adventure, so I didn’t have much reason to invest in them, other than as walking, talking plot devices.  Perhaps that’s another reason why the proceedings felt so perfunctory; whatever connection was supposed to be growing between Psi and Clara was obviously never going to go anywhere, and was happening too quickly regardless.  Relationships that result in life or death choices need time to grow organically if they are to work well, and that wasn’t the case here.

 

Another element that didn’t work for me was the notion that yelling “Don’t think about anything!” at someone, when it’s a matter of survival, is about the worst possible thing one can do.  There’s a reason meditation is an acquired practice!  Blanking one’s mind does not come naturally, especially in a stressful situation.  So the idea that any of the team members could defend themselves against the Teller was ludicrous on that level alone, and simply contributed to my overall sense that the episode had potential, and some nice elements, but ultimately didn’t hang together.