This episode reminded me of Life on Mars with the lights going out and the phone ringing and the conversations with a television. Plus, a creepy little girl. Reminded me in the good way, but I would be surprised if they weren't, in fact, inspired by everyone's favourite time-travelling cop show.
Other glaring references were; The Matrix, Firefly, Lost in Space and, obviously, all of those space movies where a large mystery has happened and a team is sent to search it out; like Event Horizon (which is a bad film that had an interesting premise.)
It was creepy and atmospheric and clever. It worked on several levels.
Moffat's really good at writing episodes that really, genuinely, freak me out.
The next series is going to be very dark, isn't it?
