The alternative would be developing a conscience of your own.

"The Caretaker" is a double edged sword of an episode. It deals with the Doctor and Clara's respective worlds clashing in a big way, while simultaneously looking into their individual psychologies. The 12th Doctor's egotism seems to be a natural progression from the 11th's. The fact that he needs Clara's human perspective is fully illuminated, lest he float off to a plane of true alien-ness. The episode explored the effect the Doctor has on the life of people he travels with in a way that a less developed Clara could never make feel real. Her development since the 50th anniversary pays off by the midpoint of season 8.

Basically, it's the eyebrows.

While I appreciate the show devoting time to develop Clara's character, it was nice to have an episode that lets the Doctor be the Doctor. "Time Heist" really showcased the Doctors egotism when solving problems. It really felt like he was in charge, whether you like it or not. It's an authority that the character has been lacking since 2005. My favorite part about Capaldi's interpretation is the little bits of past Doctors that shine through. He makes it believable that this Doctor came straight from the 11th's cold detachment. While "Time Heist" is on the surface part heist pastiche/part economic satire, the real gems of the piece are the thematic callbacks to past episodes, particularly "The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People" (2011) and "Hide" (2013). This really makes it believable that the 12th Doctor is traveling in a universe that's still affected by the thematic consequences of his previous incarnation. It's almost halfway through the season and Capaldi is showing no signs of slowing.

Fear makes companions of us all.

Doctor Who has dealt with the concept of fear a few times in the past ("Kinda" (1982) and "Hide" (2013) come to mind), but never with the personal scope that "Listen" employed. Having a monster that may or may not exist really let the episode feature some real character moments for the three principles. The Doctor, Clara, and Danny all get their moments in the spotlight here. If the Doctor got his share  of fear as a driving factor for his character, then Clara acted as the counter balance of that fear. Season 8 continues to develop her character in a way that was sorely lacking last season. Character arcs aren't the only thing being expanded here. This episode deepens the mythology of the show by making it an integral part of the thematic elements at work. It will be interesting to see how this is played with over the course of the next fifty years.

Will no one rid me of this turbulent doctor?

Season 8 has it's first real filler episode with "Robot of Sherwood" and that's not neccecarily a bad thing. The episide felt like an amalgam of a Jon Pertwee and Sylvester McCoy episode. It was nice to have an episode where you knew what was going to happen next. It almost played like a Classic-Who-Greatest-Hits in that regard. Capaldi has really come into his own by now. He continues to perfect the pig-headed aspects of the Time Lord's many personas with ease. Not much else stands out here except for light fun. The idea of legends and their nature is about as deep as this one gets, which after last weeks episode, is okay.

She cares so I don't have to.

"Into the Dalek" features some much needed character development for Clara. The episode uses her as a foil during the Doctor's journey quite successfully. The trend of darker cerebralism continues in this episode with a look at the nature of hatred. The leading duo play with this well, regardless of them being separated for parts of the episode.  The idea of the Doctor making a good Dalek is revisited here in a way that doesn't feel cheap or rehashed. The internal struggle is played well by Capaldi. You can really see his mind at work here. It will be interesting to see how the events of this episode effect the Doctor/Clara relationship.

Just see me.

New theme/titles, call backs that don't necessarily confuse the plot for a new audience, not to mention a very Hinchcliffian feeling, all give the first episode of season 8 "Deep Breath" its bite. Peter Capaldi definitely has a very 1st/4th/6th Doctor vibe. Especially when it comes to Clara. I can see a Doctor/Sarah Jane dynamic start up. The episode seemed more cerebral than the vast majority of episodes that have aired in the last 9 years. That's not to say that the action was lacking. It found itself at a fast pace, even for its 76 minute length. If we can use Deep Breath as a baseline, season 8 will be on lists with seasons 5 (1967),13 (1975), 25 (1988), and 5 (2010).