First, I should warn you this review will contain spoilers. I'll try and keep them vague, but there's no way to discuss the episode without revealing the core spoiler (namely, who the Doctor's Wife actually is). So if you're opposed to spoilers and haven't seen the episode.. well, go and see it already! We'll try and wait for you…

"The Doctor's Wife" merges two giants of geekdom - Doctor Who and Neil Gaiman. Doctor Who is one of the oldest, most successful, and loved sci-fi TV shows of all time. And Neil Gaiman has grown from "one of the best comic book writers today" to simply "one of the best fiction writers today". I'm sure Wikipedia can tell you more (although be prepared for tons of data regarding Doctor Who if you're unfamiliar with the show). And now Gaiman has penned an episode of Doctor Who!

Such hype and excitement about a writer on Who hasn't been felt since the 1970s and 1980s, when the late, great Douglas Adams wrote some unforgettable Who episodes; expectations were certainly high for this Gaiman episode among Who fans, with a lot of pressure on Gaiman to "do right" by the venerable Doctor.  And that is both the strength and focus of this episode: It's for the Doctor Who fans - it is quite literally a work of "fan fiction". This episode is not for the Doctor Who neophyte. Oh sure, you'll enjoy it, and it'll be cool, but it won't make much sense and seem rather silly. If, however, you're a fan of the Timelord, and have spent more time then is healthy discussing the mythos and technology of Gallifrey, then this episode will delight you.