I really enjoy this opener. Martha's introduction feels a lot more fleshed out than Rose's. We know more about the Doctor, so its a bit easier as we're only introducing one new character. I like that Martha feels a bit more clued in than Rose/Donna from the get go. It fits with what 10 seems to be doing, which is somewhere between an interview for a companion and being in denial about needing company. Martha's justification for wanting to leave, having a lot of domestic trouble, is a lot more compelling than Rose's who seemed just a bit bored with life. One thing that did bug me was the Doctor-Martha kiss, while I understand the logic of 10's plan there were obviously better ways of transferring DNA which would be less invasive, and in a modern context this didn't age well.

Throughout this there's quite a high energy, mostly quick movement from scene to scene, and the threats feel genuine. The straw bit is a funny joke, and is probably peak dark humour in this episode. There's also comedy in the curmudgeony old timer handing out the old "I'm just about to retire and relax with my grandkids", shortly before he gets offed. Time lords needing 2-heart CPR is a fun idea as long as you don't think too hard about it. There's plenty of references as well. Mr Saxon. Ronald Biggs, a fugitive of the great train robbery is mentioned. Continuity around Martha's cousin as gets thrown in.

On the sci-fi side, I enjoyed the idea of a vampire that uses shapeshifting to hide their insides rather than their outsides. Overriding an MRI scanner to output 50 KiloTeslas is a bit of a reach, considering the hospital is probably running off of emergency generators. Wikipedia tells me that's somewhere around the equivalent of a neutron star. ACAB applies to the space police as well, I guess, though it's a bit unclear exactly what their status as mercenaries is. I enjoyed the mask design of the judoon - space rhinos is a monster design I've never seen anywhere else. The whole Judoon "we're going to do whatever we want" and the ship designs feels reminiscent of the Vogons from Hitchiker's.

There's a lot going on in this one and I enjoyed it.

Observation: Another hospital series opener. Rose's second series, Martha's, Donna's is medical-adjacent, Amy's climaxes in a village hospital, and Clara's in the Dalek Asylum. Hospitals make for an interesting setting because there's lots that can go wrong, and they can feel like very liminal spaces with all the closeness to death and white antiseptic spaces.

I won't be able to sit and watch this one until tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to it. It's been a while.