"You look Time Lord."

I know I'm not the only one who's been enjoying the heck out of Season Six, and I thought it would be nice to have a post to talk about the things going on so far that we like.

Basic groundrules - keep it positive, and especially refrain from framing your praise by criticising something else, e.g. 'Matt Smith is soooo much better than every other Doctor, they all sucked', etc.

Please clearly mark any spoilers for future episodes, including episode trailers, casting information, interviews with writers, etc. All three aired episodes are fair game, as is unspoiled speculation.

A lot of the big things that have happened in the show so far have made really happy - the way we've been launched right into the middle of an epic story and the emotional and thematic throughline that's already developing. The mind-blowingly awesome River Song swaggering back onto my TV, Mark Sheppard's fantastic guest turn as Canton Everett Delaware III (and the introduction of one of the most prominent queer characters we've seen in a while), multiple new alien races, spaceships, gorgeous effects shots and cinematography, and the glorious return of a Team TARDIS very close to my heart.

Here are a few smaller things that have also brought me much joy:

+ Establishing a relationship between Rory and River, in particular that it seems to be partly founded on 'we married idiots, didn't we?'

+ "She's doing it again. Dr. Song, sir. She's packing."

+ Some of the smaller themes continuing from the last series - Rory's experiences as a Centurion, the reappearance of the Lodger spaceship, Amy's experiences as a child, etc. I feel rewarded as a fan who wonders about these things!

+ The way the writing continues to quietly play with gender and sexuality - both Amy/Rory and River/Doctor subvert stereotypical expectations of heterosexual relationships, in part because Rory and the Doctor are both so defined by qualities like kindness and compassion, and the forthrightness of both Amy and River. But both relationships clearly have a basis of mutual respect and affection (still developing in the Doctor's case), and are lovely to watch.

+ Amy and her clear enthusiasm for dressing up as a pirate and doing some fabulous swashbuckling.

+ The image of a pirate crew, fundamentally changed and, perhaps, transformed by their otherworldly experiences, off on a new voyage among the stars. Just gorgeous.

+ And lastly, given that most of the above points have been relatively coherent, may I just say that OMG I LOVE THEM ALL AND THEIR FACES, SQUEE.

Over to you!