And all that makes logical, and dramatic, sense. It is, undeniably, good storytelling. But it’s also true that Moffat has had to put up with a lot of criticism from a very invested, very vocal fan base, and that scrutiny won’t be ending any time soon. Barring, say, James Bond or Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes and the Doctor are probably the two most famous fictional characters in all of the U.K. And Steven Moffat doesn’t have the advantage of having invented them. He’s adopted them. You (probably) wouldn’t tell J.K. Rowling she’s doing Harry Potter wrong, but you will often hear fans say "that’s not my Doctor” or “that’s not my Sherlock” in regards to Moffat’s tenure and these particular iterations.

Not that he’s under any obligation to service the fans, but Moffat has, at times, made changes that seem like responses to audience complaints. Displeased with the flirty, silly Doctor played by Matt Smith? Here’s a grumpy, asexual version played by that delightful crank Peter Capaldi. Frustrated that the twelfth iteration of the Doctor wasn’t a woman? Well, O.K., how about we make the Master a woman instead?

But it seems that there’s a certain kind of fan, the kind that fetishizes catchphrases and iconography like the TARDIS, the deerstalker, the scarves and bow ties, that Moffat considers a bad fan. Don’t believe me? Look what happened to poor Seb last night when, swept up in his admiration for the Doctor’s derring-do, he committed the cardinal sin of speaking Internet-ese.

There was a lot to love in this finale of Doctor Who. (I’m going to ignore the baffling “Other Side” coda and the worn-out “love conquers all” solution.) As I said, Gomez’s Missy was absolutely delightful. I think we all have our fingers crossed for her return. The tease of Nick Frost’s Santa was perfection. Clara turning her knack for lying into an asset rather than a character flaw was tremendous, and the payoff for Danny Pink, military man to the last, was particularly satisfying. And don’t forget that Moffat gave us this, a truly lovely bit of Doctor wisdom.

But when you look at this finale and last season’s Sherlock premiere side by side, a pattern does emerge. Steven Moffat can’t really hate his overly enthusiastic Internet-savvy fans, can he? Surely, this is all in good fun.

Maybe. Maybe not. But if I were you, I wouldn’t cosplay in the general vicinity of Moffat any time soon.