You'd think that, wouldn't you? In fact, you'd think having a time machine would fix just about any problems he runs into. "A cyberman ship that crashed here centuries ago has reactivated because the council laid down some new wires!"
"Why don't we use your time machine to go back a few months and petition the council not to do their roadworks here?"
I believe they have established on a few occasions that once the Doctor has become a part of an events time stream he cannot alter it, although Moffat has broken that 'rule' on several occasions with his paradoxes.
I enjoyed the finally, I enjoyed the ideas, but I am sick of Moffat's tricks. I don't have issue with the plot, it's just the way he passes it to the audience. "And now here is the part of the scene we didn't show you earlier" - it cheats the audience and is getting to the point where it ticks me off. Just show the scenes in their entirety and let the audience try to beat you to the revelation before you tell them. Thats part of the fun and part of the suspense. Not "well, he's boned. Oh wait, turns out he was in absolutely no danger all along." I think thats the cause of the anti-climactic feeling that many seem to have had. Moffat tricks aside, I really liked a lot of it. The moment for the Brigadier, the cliffhanger question, the history all at once - lots to like. I just hope Moffat remembers what makes Doctor Who good, what it is that people like about his writing and not get carried away with trying to show the world how clever he is.
