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Russell T. Davies took a lesson from Anton Chekhov, methinks. It's a great one, indeed, leading to a surprising track record of playing fair with the audience. And yet, maybe we saw this lesson in action too much?
I do agree with the formulaic side of things. I think it even extends to the whole season arc themes RTD insists on using.
Personally I think RTD puts things like the hand in place and then finds a way to use them later.