Yeah, and I definitely think that Darlton (and the critics' treatment of them) played as much a part in those expectations as the narrative itself, by taking on and trading off of their whole guru personae. That shifts the whole experience of engagement and anticipation to one of a quasi-mysticized revelation, which sort of echoes the show's whole "faith vs. science" motif (not to mention the recurring deferral of direct answers in the dialogue). A lot of their interviews over creative choices for this season and the ending have an almost Zen koan refrain.

(I was over Murray Gold by the end of the RTD era, though he seems to have dialed it back a few notches for this year, so I don't mind as much. But I'm still mulling over Matt Hills' recent Antenna post about brand regeneration.)