Doctor Who

[Sarlaccfood]

Overall I thought it was enjoyable family stuff to hide the sprout farts, but I wish that instead of being told over and over that the Doctor doesn't help people anymore (all whilst helping people and generally being the normal Doctor regardless) he actually was a recluse for most of the episode, not helping and not caring, only to come in at the last minute. It would have made his "return" much more satisfying and the other cast members easily could have held their own for a bigger chunk of the episode.

Also, I'm beginning to notice that a common solution for defeating Who villains nowadays, is to hold the nearest girls face, bring your face into theirs, and tell them you need them to "think really hard....concentrate, they feed off your thoughts"

[will]

It also appears as though fewer and fewer people care at all now - such a shame with the show's 50th anniversary year only a week away. Remember the good old New Who days when there would be page after page of posts before and after every episode? Well we've had barely two pages of posts in this thread in two months, and this year's Christmas Special was just on telly. Not a good sign.

Alternatively it could be that people don't post in here because they're sick of the relentless tide of negativity. After thoroughly enjoying the episode this morning I almost didn't open this thread because I didn't want to have my pleasure disected by the normal (sometimes justified) moans. Whether the criticisms are right or whether they're not, this thread is like a joyless stuck record.

[FishyFish]

A couple of real LOL moments in the episode for me. When the maid opens the front door:

"I'm a lizard woman from the dawn of time. And this is my wife."

And then, seconds later, when she bumps into Strax...

"This house is under attack. Remain calm, human scum!"

[Alex W.]

Grenades!

[Professor Puzzles]

Strax was great. I hope we see more of the Victorian Scooby gang.

[Cthulhu Steev]

"Do not nooggie me while I'm discussing battle tactics, Doctor!"

Paraphrased somewhat, but Strax was great.

[LaParka]

"I appear to have been run over!"

[scottcr]

I can't really take to this new companion... Overdoing the 'sassy' for me. Wife thought the same. Was a really good episode though. Hope we hear more Gandalf as the series goes on.

I demand lots more Strax

[Mogster]

I thought a lot of the character stuff was great, and I really hope we see more Straxx. I did however think the plot itself was a bit weak, despite the rather good idea. It was a lot better than last year's though, and probably the best special since Moffat's first.

I quite like the new title sequence too. The music seems to slide closer to the classic versions with every revision, with the orchestra slipping away. Oh and the face.

[will]

Yes, more strax.

Mogster is right that the plot was fairly standard mumbo jumbo, but the whole thing was so full of fun character stuff that I barely noticed the actual plot. I loved all of the doctor and Clara scenes, so nice for him to have someone that doesn't worship him or act or constantly provide the exposition by playing dumb. If modern Clara is as evenly matched with the Doctor as Oswin and Victorian Clara then the rest of the series should be fun.

[BitterToad]

I'd take character and humour over plot any day. I think the main problem Moffat's been having recently (and I mean very recently, I still love most of the stuff he's done) is that sometimes it can get a bit plot heavy and we can lose the funny Doctor moments.

Still smaller on the outside got the biggest laugh of all the Christmas TV in my house.

[zxcvbnm]

I think everyone is agreed that Strax is a great character, so why stick with a pretty young woman as a companion? He'd make a much better companion, as would the rest of the scoobies.

But in all, that was one of the better Xmas specials, Richard E Grant made an excellent villain. As for the new titles, still too much bombastic orchestral bits in the theme for me, the original was very sparse and quite sinister sounding. They should go back to using the original.

[Made of Ghosts]

Strax and the gang were great. Really livened up an otherwise by-the-numbers episode. And I'm glad they're not going for the meet-her-knowing-she's-going-to-die-in-the-future thing again. Oswin's multiple deaths are an interesting plot strand.

That "one word answers" scene was total bullshit though. Tried so hard to be Good Writing but rang completely hollow.

[Garwoofoo]

Best Christmas special since The Christmas Invasion for me, and I really wasn't holding out much hope for it after last year's awful effort. I'm thoroughly fed up of the eleventh Doctor now but at least they're taking the chance to reboot a little and maybe a new companion will shake things up a bit. I like Clara, and this and Asylum of the Daleks suggest that there's still potential there.

[Commander Jameson]

Going against the general sentiments here, but I was very disappointed with this special. I've never been a fan of the Christmas specials in any case, but this one seemed particularly lightweight. Maybe that's the point.

Whilst I enjoyed Oswin's role in the Dalek episode, I really didn't like her character in this one. Yet another young attractive woman who has the hots for the Doctor. Again. I'm sensing another Rose here.

The only good thing was Strax. I thought he was excellent and very funny.

[Red Alignment]

I thought the special was total dogshit, unfortunately. Completely cringeworthy twee CBBC nonsense.

[womblingfree]

The last Who I watched was the episode with the impossile astronaut or whatever it was called.

So having no clue what's been going on for a few years I really liked the Christmas special. Loved the lizard woman and her wife and the sontaran. I was getting seriously bored by nothing but human companions for the Dr and Miss Emerdale seems very good and with an interesting back story as well.

Actually the last episode I glimpsed was the one where she was making soufflés on planet Dalek but I never caught the end and presumed she'd been the companion ever since.

So yeah, I'm back on board and might even check out the episodes I missed.

[Space Gibbon]

I'm surprised at people saying 'best Christmas special ever' when I thought the best one was hands-down the Christmas Carol one from two years ago.

This one was okay. It got a lot better during the second half, but the beginning was slow. I didn't think the villain was very well-established, mostly because of the amount of time they spent on the moping Doctor.

I was a bit confused by some of the start stuff. I'd gotten the impression that the Doctor had been asked to meet Clara by Vastra when he was reporting back to her. Maybe I need to rewatch it.

[El Pibe]

I thought that was really good fun and I enjoyed it far more than last year's disaster.

Clara is ridiculously hot. Ahem.

Strax was great but I think having him as a companion would be stretching it. I hope we see him again soon, though.

If Clara/Oswin turns out to be River Song, her daughter, her sister, her cat or anything else connected to River Song, then I'm done with New Who.

[KRP]

Also, I'm beginning to notice that a common solution for defeating Who villains nowadays, is to hold the nearest girls face, bring your face into theirs, and tell them you need them to "think really hard....concentrate, they feed off your thoughts"

Ha!

[scottcr]

I really really don't want to see River Song again.

[kensei]

I do. Not for a little bit, but definitely.

Deal with it.

[DirkCrisis]

Just finished watching it. The title sequence was AMAZING.

But I didn't like the snowmen from Jack Frost 2 or when the Doctor copped off with a 15 year old girl. That made me uncomfortable.

[Dr Derek Doctors]

But I didn't like the snowmen from Jack Frost 2 or when the Doctor copped off with a 15 year old girl. That made me uncomfortable.

Yeah, they need to address the 1000-year age difference basically making him an ultra-paedophile.

[JohnC]

Yeah but it's beginning to look like being a paedo is a requirement to work at the BBC.

[DirkCrisis]

If they could just ditch the idea of the doe eyed girl companion for a year and try it with Strax and the other two I think it would be an interesting experiment. But that's not marketable so it won't happen.

[Radish]

Where is this 15 year old stuff coming from? In what way was she 15?

[scottcr]

I do. Not for a little bit, but definitely.

Deal with it.

if we do see her, you just know there'll be some mysterious build up... a shadowy figure working her way through some alien environment.. the Doctor in pursuit... just WHO is this person? He has to stop her. She doesn't know that if she continues on her course, it will lead to the destruction of time itself... and the holes between the holes in time.

He corners her and pulls back her hood... to reveal...

"Hello sweetie"

<intro tune bursts in>

FFUFUFUFUFUCUCKCKUFFUFUFUFKCKFUFU RAGEGEARGRAGREGAEGEA FUCKK

[will]

If they could just ditch the idea of the doe eyed girl companion for a year and try it with Strax and the other two I think it would be an interesting experiment. But that's not marketable so it won't happen.

From the evidence of the past few episodes, Clara/Oswin isn't particularly doe eyed.

[Commander Jameson]

From the evidence of the past few episodes, Clara/Oswin isn't particularly doe eyed.

Didn't Clara just instantly get attracted to The Doctor?