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This episode began with a witty scene involving the Doctor popping out of a cake at Amy's fiance's stag party. But this was probably the highpoint of a weak episode. There were some good bits, but the plot was not strong and there was little that was novel. We learnt a little more about the cracks, but that was it.

Rory (Amy's fiance) shows remarkable insight "You know what’s dangerous about you? Not that you ask people to take risks, but that you make them want to impress you." This is one way of explaining the Doctor's charisma and his ability to inspire others to work for good, often at great risk to themselves. As the Doctor's daughter noted, he is a soldier and his companions are his weapons.

Signora Calvierri challenges the Doctor to let her race survive. She asks him if he can carry the weight of another dead race on his conscience. (It's not clear if he's referring to the Time Lords or the Daleks.) This highlights the difficulty of the Doctor's way of life. He fights for good, but there is a cost.

The Saturnynians are on the run from the cracks and the silence. They escaped their planet via a crack and arrived in Venice. The silence is something new and when it happens to the Doctor at the very end of the episode it clearly unnerves him.

A couple of clever bits: the Doctor shows his library card by mistake when he gives his psychic paper to Rory. It has a photo of the first incarnation of the Doctor on it (and apparently the name Dr. J Smith and the address in Totters Lane). And the psychic paper showing Rory as Amy's eunuch :)