I like the new intro, it's not dramatically different, I fancy that there's some slight differences in the music, and it's a bit more sparkly than it was, although that could just be for the Christmas special.
Why is Clara linked to the Snowmen? Possibly it's just related to her working with the daughter, although that just opens up the question of why the daughter is linked to them, and that's unclear.
The Great Intelligence says "The drowned woman and the dreaming child will give us form at last", but there doesn't seem to be any basis for the link to the child. Obviously it's needed for the story, so that their tears cause the (mostly) demise of the Great Intelligence and the snowmen, but they don't seem to justify it within the rationalisation of the story.
The Doctor does seem to rely on aid from Strax and Madame Vastra, whilst supposedly shunning them, or any involvement in human affairs. It's a bit of a contradiction, but then again, the Doctor is a mass of contradictions, so I guess it's allowed!
At the start when the Dr is talking to Madame Vastra over the wireless, there's a slight implication that Clara will be repeating things, with the whole "It's the same story every time, and it always begins with the same two words.", "She'll never be able to find me again ...".
I like seeing Strax again, in this episode he's an amusing mixture of psychopath and butler, with phrases like "Do no attempt to escape or you will be obliterated. May I take your coat?".
I need to find some way to drop "automated laser monkeys" and "projectile acid fish" into my everyday conversation. I dread to think what his collar size is, it's definitely not something you'll find in M&S.
There is also an allusion to how he's around, and not dead, "He gave his life for a friend of mine once ... Another friend brought him back.", which is a sort of explanation, albeit without any details.
The other two don't have quite as many good lines as Strax, but Madame Vastra's "Good evening, I'm a lizard woman from the dawn of time ..." was quite impressive!
The one word conversation bit was clever, and there's a few questions it brings up eg exactly what does she mean, and what do they take from the response "Pond". Obviously it's an allusion to Amy as well as the actual physical pond, so I wonder if there are other more subtle references which may become clearer in later episodes of this series.
There was rather more overt flirting between the Dr and Clara, more so than some of the previous companions of the new series. I do like her though, she's a mixture of happy to accept the weirdness, asking difficult questions, and confidence, and gets the Doctor with some of her lines; "It's smaller on the outside!".
The "I do the hand grabbing, that's my job, that's always me", is possibly suggestive of her behaviour, with hopefully more of that to come, since it's nice to see someone pushing the Doctor around, rather than him doing it. Of course in this episode it throws out the continuity, because he goes through the window before Clara (whose bustle get's stuck), which wouldn't have been the case if she was doing the hand grabbing, and pulling him along.
The soufflé reference is barely allowed, since the episode is set in 1892, which is just about the time that the usage of soufflé entered into the English language (sometimes quoted as being at the turn of the 19th century), although it would seem doubtful that a barmaid, regardless of how good her ability to act as a governess was, would be familiar with what would probably have been bleeding edge catering. I guess it does make for some interesting lines, and the reference to a kitchen in this storyline was necessary to support the links to the earlier (later?) character with the Daleks.
I'm guessing that the London Underground and the Great Intelligence may come back and bite us again in this series (although it's also a clever reference to the earlier appearances, so it may just be that).
