by the BBC. One notable scene removed by the BBC was the revelation of Missy's identity. Ratings Overnight viewing figures were estimated at 5.27 million. It was watched by a total of 7.34 million viewers. The episode achieved an Appreciation Index score of 85. In the US, the episode was watched by an estimated 1.02 million on BBC America. Critical reception The episode received critical acclaim. Michael Hogan of The Daily Telegraph gave it five stars out of five and called it "bone-rattling and suitably spooky fare". He praised the source of everyday fears such as death for the horror and praised the performances of Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Samuel Anderson and Gomez. Neela Debnath of The Independent said that the episode was "sad, funny, scary, romantic" and "is everything you could ask for from a Doctor Who finale the day after Halloween." Richard Edwards of SFX gave the episode four and a half stars out of five, claiming "...in a series of great Capaldi performances, this is one of the best". He praised the opening premise and the big reveal at the end and also commented on its allusions to The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Invasion. Matt Risley of IGN praised the episode for its "tense and traumatic dose of Who", but was critical of the lack of action, which usually went hand-in-hand with the Cybermen. Overall, he rated the first part of the finale an 8.4. Alaisdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B rating, claiming that "Dark Water could be a good episode, or it could be a terrible one", indicating that it was only the first half of the story. Despite the positive critical reception, the episode received criticism from viewers concerning the use of death and cremation in the storyline. The BBC defended the use of the themes in the show's context. The BBC also noted that it was stated several times that the truth may be distressing and that the Doctor dismissed this straight away. Critical analysis A book length study of the serial (covering both "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven"), was written by Philip Purser-Hallard, and published as part of The Black Archive series from Obverse Books in 2016. The serial was covered in volume 79 of the Doctor Who: The Complete History book series, which reprinted Andrew Pixley's Archive features from Doctor Who Magazine and the various