Doctor Who Christmas Special

SPOILERS

Okay so it’s been a few days – we’ve all had a chance to digest and muse over Moffet’s latest offering of Doctor Who.  For my part I was tragically disappointed – the idea was sound, exciting even – the Doctor taking on the role of the spirit/spirits in an attempt to melt the heart of an old miser –all in order to save Amy and Rory who are trapped aboard an imperilled cruise liner.  

The Victorian Literature geek in me rather enjoyed some of the nods to Dicken’s classic, like references to the frozen people as the ‘Surplus population’ –echoeing Scrooge’s well quoted line ‘If they would rather die, then they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.’ The Doctor spends 8 Christmas Eve’s with the young scrooge as he grows –but of course he does it all in one night (spirits can do that you know, course they can, course they can), along with the rather hamfisted wrenching in of Katherine Jenkins into the plot with some ill conceived bit about fish reacting to the harmonics of her singing.  It seemed like a poor attempt to throw a pretty girl, that wasn’t Karen Gillan, into the plot as a love interest.

Unfortunatly none of this made for a satisfying episode of Doctor Who, it felt like it was written for people that enjoy Christmas specials of any show rather than for anyone with a particular interest in the show! More than that it felt very rushed! Normally A DW Christmas special is a two parter -one half Christmas day or eve and the other part on new years day/eve. Moffet should have made a single episode out of the beginning, up until the point where after he has done christmas past he still refuses to turn off the clouds ending on the lines - 'I've changed Doctor!' - 'Yes but not nearly enough' and Amy and Rory still stuck on the ship. Then taken more time to have Amy as ghost of christmas present and then the child as future.  As it was it felt like we rushing through the story for the sake of an episode! A missed opportunity here Mr Moffet – I was looking forward to some of your quantum puzzlry which has been a defining feature of his better episodes.  

 

I will refrain from dwelling on the detailed plot holes that were present in the episode, the most glaring being the older Kazran being able to embrace his younger self, an action that left Rose/Doc 9 battling against reapers.  BUT I will say that I have had several nightmares since about face spiders –the mental image of the creepy spider doll from Toy Story (shudder)

Now as anyone that knows me can attest I am an ardent support of Moffet, I was excited that he was taking over the reigns from Russel T Davis because he was responsible for some of my all time favourite episodes – The Empty Child/The Doctor Dance, The Girl in the Fire Place, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead before he took over – I wanted him to do well.  Largely because I had been so vocal about how awesome I thought he was going to be.  I’ve had to defend him all of last season thanks to a few ‘dodgy’ episodes and now even I have to admit my faith is wavering.  I hope that taking on the main seat hasn’t diluted his ability to write or that trying to spread his time between Doctor Who and Sherlock he will end up as the proverbial butter over too much bread. 

However! The trailer of next season looks AMAZING! The hints about what we are to expect that the BBC, Moffat and the cast have all dropped have me on the edge of my seat, if they deliver what they have promised it should make a season that more than makes up for some of the failings of last year.  For a start the season will be longer broken into a run of 11 episodes, before a mid season break over the summer and finishing with a 13 episodes the other side of September in the run up to another Christmas special.   This marks the first big change in the Who Franchise, the switch over to the US season format will make it’s scheduling on BBC America etc much easier.  My concern with this is that the show will become too Americanised, remakes, rehashings etc of UK shows for the US market have not been successful up to now, The Office was unrecognisable after it moved, and the thought of Shamless (due to be released next month) and Being Human (in production) make me cringe.  

But we are told that we will find out Amy’s ‘big secret’ and her true relationship with the Doctor, as well as more about the force that tried to destroy the TARDIS last year.  On the whole the entire season looks significantly darker than last (yeah!) .  While the Doctor is continueing his love affair with bowties and hats (a pot of coffee, twelve jammi dodgers and a fez) it looks like  Musketeers(?), Nazi’s and the Men in Black will all be making an appearance in the next season –as well as several hints that another Time Lord and/or another TARDIS will feature.  

Well enough from me! For those that havnt seen it – the trailer for Doctor Who 2011 – oh! And Happy Christmas!