In memory of the dearly departed Hellen McCrory, I decided to review her one Doctor Who contribution. Which, is a very solid episode.
The plot, when said out loud, is admittedly quite strange (as is most of Doctor Who to be fair), but Toby Whithouse constructed a well-paced mystery with some neat twists. It's got a great balance of comedy and seriousness. Such as Rory switching clothes with a 17th century Venusian as a disguise. Leaving a 17th century Gondola pilot wearing a stag night shirt!
The performances by all the cast were great. They were all clearly comfortable in their characters and knew what they were doing. Everyone had great chemistry. The way madam Calvierri was portrayed in both the writing and performance was masterfully done. You could easily envision this as a 2 hour classic episode. I did not want to leave Venice by the 45 minute mark.
All in all, this is a solidly paced mystery with some neat elements. The way it keeps its continuity and connects to the series plot is smartly handled too.