Doctor Who Christmas Special

[dr.girlfriend]

What did we think?  I have to admit I was pretty underwhelmed.  It seemed like they tried to pull a bunch of loose threads together but in a kind of nonsensical way.  Didn't seem like a great send-off for 11/12/whatever-he-is.  Although, I have to say I loved, "Is that what happened to your eyebrows?"  "They're just delicate!"  There's a joke that the next regeneration always has what the prior regeneration was lacking (e.g., David Tennant has a small chin and Matt Smith is all chin) and that's why Peter "The Eyebrows" Capaldi was a good choice for the next Doctor.  :-)

[midnightrae]

I agree that Capaldi was a good choice for the new Doctor. I am sad to see Matt go. The episode made me sad, but I did like it. I tried not to overthink the episode like I usually do and it helped me enjoy it more.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

[Mrs. ChanandlerBong]

Spoilers ahead for those who haven't watched.

If I don't overthink it, I'm ok with it. But when you start to pick stuff apart, I get a little upset about it. I am surprised that I don't like that he died because he got old instead of some kind of "blaze of glory" injury.

I feel like it was disjointed and there were a few "all of a sudden things". Like:

Clara had feelings for him
Him aging
The silence being good-ish guys

And did anyone else think of Wilson from castaway in regards to Handles?

I just think Moffat could have written something better for his golden boy.

I'm sad to see Matt Smoth leave. I never expected to crush on him the way that I do. I really think he played the part well.

Side note: I read a spoiler a month or so ago that referenced his knee surgery and having to work around it in the script, but I thought it'd be leg injury and not old age causing him to walk with a cane.

[nomad100]

I was totally underwhelmed. Totally. I had hoped for so much more. It seemed quite the pitiful sendoff for 11 (who I call The Floppy Doctor).

And I agree with Luna, I haven't really liked the Clara episodes. I still miss Rory (and Amy but no as much as Rory).  And Craig and Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All.   OK, just about every companion that came before Clara. 

I will be watching it again, just because maybe there was something that I missed which will make me like the episode better. 

[DesertMoon]

I enjoyed it, I instantly liked the new doctor. I'm not as sad about Matt leaving as I was about David, or even Christopher, but he was really good. I loved that pond sent off her raggedy man.

[DesertMoon]

Dec 26, 2013 21:08:06 GMT -5 sxia said:

Matt is my least favorites of the Doctors new series.

I liked him referencing Pond, but the rest? Come on. (She should have had the glasses on though.)

What is with the crack coming and the timelords coming through it and she just whispers to them, "Hey, could you send one more regeneration this way?"

Bah.

The past two regens have left me desperate to see them go. I wasn't thrilled with "I don't want to go" but...
Matt leaving is Meh. Except taking off the bow tie. Awww....

I wish all their regenerations were as romantic and passionate as 9's

[cjeanette]

I am on the minority in that I love Clara. I feel like the episode was a odd though. Still cried at his regeneration.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using proboards

[scribellesam]

Seeing Amy again just reminded me how dull Clara has been as a companion.

I liked the episode okay. It definitely paled in comparison to the 50th anniversary show to me.

[10outof9]

Dec 27, 2013 12:14:01 GMT -5 loonylunalovegood said:

I kind of lost it when Amy showed up.

Me too. I was fine (mostly) up until that point. Amy is my all-time favorite companion, and one of my favorite characters overall. In fact, we named one of our cats Pond after her.

So basically, I sobbed into cat-Pond's fur when Amy showed up.

[nsl]

Dec 27, 2013 12:14:01 GMT -5 loonylunalovegood said:

Oh I still cried. I loved Matt's doctor, just not with Clara. I kind of lost it when Amy showed up.

I started ugly crying when Amy started walking down the stairs.  I'm so glad they got Karen Gillan back even if it was just for a short cameo.

That said, I hated the episode in a way I've never hated an episode of Doctor Who before.  It was a hot mess of too-quickly resolved story lines from two seasons ago, villain parades, and new characters we ultimately didn't really care about.  Plus, from a narrative perspective, aging the Doctor so much in a single episode made me feel really disconnected from him.  Forget that I don't believe for a second that he would have happily just carried on without the TARDIS for several centuries, how could he even be close to the same person we know after so much time?  It just felt very wrong for an episode that was really all about saying goodbye and paying homage to his time on the show.

[Dumbledork]

The last 5-10 minutes, fantastic, but overall, terrible episode. I'm really disappointed. Loved Amy, hated Clara, as usual. Storyline was a jumbled, confusing mess. Really, really hated that they made Clara openly hint at having a thing for Doctor. The weird flirting they usually do is kinda similar to Donna so I can brush that off, but I'm annoyed with Clara openly admitting shed fancies him and how easily this Doctor brushed off River. I'm fine with the next finding a new love, but 11 is River's.


I really dislike Clara. She was awesome in the one Dalek episode, but I haven't liked her at all since then. I'm excited for the new Doctor, and, eventually, a new companion.

[nsl]

You know, as much as I don't care for Clara I think there's more potential for her than there's been for a companion in a long time. I'd love an episode (or several) that really works to flesh out who she is beyond being the "impossible girl." Like, why doesn't she live on the TARDIS full time? No one has ever (at least since 2005, I'm not conversant enough about Classic Who companions to make a blankekt statement about all of them) had a full-time real world life and been a companion. I think her decision not to abandon the Maitlands and now to becomee a teacher is fascinating, but we don't have a clue about why she made it. Also, what about her family? We know her mom died, but now she has a stepmother who's kind of a bitch. What's that relationship like? Rose, Donna, Martha, Amy, and Rory all had pretty clearly defined purposes for their existance on the TARDIS. Beyond having a crush on the Doctor (which sometimes appears to have waned and other times not so much) why is Clara there? Why doesn't she stay? I WANT STEVEN MOFFATT TO TELL ME!

[scribellesam]

Dec 28, 2013 13:09:35 GMT -5 Dumbledork said:

The last 5-10 minutes, fantastic, but overall, terrible episode. I'm really disappointed. Loved Amy, hated Clara, as usual. Storyline was a jumbled, confusing mess. Really, really hated that they made Clara openly hint at having a thing for Doctor. The weird flirting they usually do is kinda similar to Donna so I can brush that off, but I'm annoyed with Clara openly admitting shed fancies him and how easily this Doctor brushed off River. I'm fine with the next finding a new love, but 11 is River's.


I really dislike Clara. She was awesome in the one Dalek episode, but I haven't liked her at all since then. I'm excited for the new Doctor, and, eventually, a new companion.

I agree with all of this.

[Mrs. ChanandlerBong]

Dec 27, 2013 12:14:01 GMT -5 loonylunalovegood said:

Oh I still cried. I loved Matt's doctor, just not with Clara. I kind of lost it when Amy showed up.

All of this, word for word.

[katfco]

Late to the party and in the minority, but I actually like Clara and prefer her character to Amy. Amy and Rory, sure, but I never got why Amy was so much better than Clara.

Regarding the special, did the character of Tasha remind anyone else of River Song?

[nomad100]

OK, having seen 10's last episode again yesterday, this one stank. I cried even though I knew what was coming for 10 and when he said "I don't want to go"? OMG, I wanted to say "I don't want you to go either!"

None of that happened even after watching The Time of the Doctor again. All I thought was such crap! 11 deserved better. Not once did I feel like my heart was being ripped out and stomped on. (isn't that the sign of a good Moffat episode?)

Then again, "The End of Time" was also Davies swan song so maybe that was part of it.

Looking forward to 12 with a bit of trepedation since I wasn't overly enthused about the 50th anniversary special either. It was like they tried to cram too much stuff in/tie up too many lose ends.

[DesertMoon]

Jan 2, 2014 13:20:42 GMT -5 loonylunalovegood said:

Jan 2, 2014 12:24:23 GMT -5 nomad100 said:

OK, having seen 10's last episode again yesterday, this one stank. I cried even though I knew what was coming for 10 and when he said "I don't want to go"? OMG, I wanted to say "I don't want you to go either!"

None of that happened even after watching The Time of the Doctor again. All I thought was such crap! 11 deserved better. Not once did I feel like my heart was being ripped out and stomped on. (isn't that the sign of a good Moffat episode?)

Then again, "The End of Time" was also Davies swan song so maybe that was part of it.

Looking forward to 12 with a bit of trepedation since I wasn't overly enthused about the 50th anniversary special either. It was like they tried to cram too much stuff in/tie up too many lose ends.

I watched the Waters of Mars with H yesterday, it was the first time he saw it. 10's emotional range is just so much larger than 11's. I dont remember 11 really caring about something and having a huge emotional outburst since Pandorica. 

I loved Matt Smith and 11 in the thick of it and he was a wonderful, but now that I'm out of it I'm just feeling underwhelmed by him. No one is ever going to compare to Tennant. 

Yes all of this, exactly. He was good, just not as good, there was a lot more passion in 10, even more passion in 9. He doesn't give us those devastating scenes.

[cuddlyevil]

Jan 2, 2014 13:20:42 GMT -5 loonylunalovegood said:

Jan 2, 2014 12:24:23 GMT -5 nomad100 said:

OK, having seen 10's last episode again yesterday, this one stank. I cried even though I knew what was coming for 10 and when he said "I don't want to go"? OMG, I wanted to say "I don't want you to go either!"

None of that happened even after watching The Time of the Doctor again. All I thought was such crap! 11 deserved better. Not once did I feel like my heart was being ripped out and stomped on. (isn't that the sign of a good Moffat episode?)

Then again, "The End of Time" was also Davies swan song so maybe that was part of it.

Looking forward to 12 with a bit of trepedation since I wasn't overly enthused about the 50th anniversary special either. It was like they tried to cram too much stuff in/tie up too many lose ends.

I watched the Waters of Mars with H yesterday, it was the first time he saw it. 10's emotional range is just so much larger than 11's. I dont remember 11 really caring about something and having a huge emotional outburst since Pandorica. 

I loved Matt Smith and 11 in the thick of it and he was a wonderful, but now that I'm out of it I'm just feeling underwhelmed by him. No one is ever going to compare to Tennant. 

This, right here--I agree with all of this.

I like Matt Smith, I do, but I don't know that he was ever truly cut out for the role of the Doctor--at least with the way #11 was written. Tennant had so much more emotion--in his face, voice, and whole persona but I don't see that in Smith. However, holding both 10 & 11 up to #9 and they are both lacking a little.

[cuddlyevil]

I know I am late to the party on this, but I finally got to see the episode (thank amazon!).

I wasn't underwhelmed, but I wasn't overly impressed either. It felt more like a regular episode than a special.

Granted, I am not all caught up on #11 so I didn't catch some of the stuff they tried to wrap up quickly. I liked Matt Smith more in this episode (his voice didn't annoy the crap out of me--yay!), but I am glad to see him go. I totally believe #11 would be okay with staying in one place for a while (possibly forever). He's a helper and a studier of things, hanging out in Christmas was perfect for him--he needed a respite, some place where he didn't feel he had to leave because his work was done. He still wanted to stay, even after the tardis came back. As for the aging thing, he was not in the time stream for 300-ish years, what should happen? When a doctor stops moving through the time stream, he will age (e.g.: The curator in the 50th anniversary episode).

It wasn't the neatest episode and really shoddy when put alongside the 50th anniversary episode, but decent enough.

I did like how he did #4's nose touch when he said "I have a plan" and my sister pointed out (I didn't catch this) that the "old doctor" make up made him look like the first doctor.

I'm going to rewatch it this weekend.

[GilliC]

I watched it quite late so I didn't weigh in on the original discussion, but I'll throw my 2¢ in now.

I felt like the Christmas Special was trying to do way too much. Tim Gunn needed to stop by Steven Moffat's office and tell him to EDIT! Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, Silence, the crack in the wall... Really? I bet if I rewatch it there's probably a kitchen sink in there somewhere.

All that would be fine if he had tied it up neatly, but it felt like he was just trying to come up with explanations and links between things that had never really been connected.

And this just brings up a problem I have with Moffat in general. I was so excited when he took over, but frankly, his long game sucks. His one-off episodes are amazing and deserve all the Hugo/Nebula nominations. But his overall script for the series feels disjoint and confused. It never seems to fit together quite right.

[semay]

I will admit that I thought the inclusion of the weeping angels was pointless. At least the cybermen showing up could be linked to the fact that their ship was orbiting the planet. The weeping angels were just there to be there.

[gnorah]

Dec 26, 2013 12:34:47 GMT -5 loonylunalovegood said:

I didn't like it. I can't form all my thought together right now because it was so all over the place, but I know I didn't like it. Actually, I haven't really LIKED any of the episodes since Clara came aboard. I really hope that changes with Capaldi.

THIS!!

I liked the Doctor/Amy/Rory stuff.  I just never thought Clara was all that interesting, and while the episodes with her were okay, they weren't the best.

I agree that the Christmas special was underwhelming.  I hope they can do better with the next Doctor, this one wasn't all that awesome.

My favourite companion... Donna.  She was awesome.  Gave him crap when he needed, but had a big gooey heart under and rough, uncertain exterior.  I wish there was more than one season with her.

[evans]

Jan 9, 2014 10:42:03 GMT -5 GilliC said:

And this just brings up a problem I have with Moffat in general. I was so excited when he took over, but frankly, his long game sucks. His one-off episodes are amazing and deserve all the Hugo/Nebula nominations. But his overall script for the series feels disjoint and confused. It never seems to fit together quite right.

Moffat is an amazing writer but RTD was a better show runner.

I liked that they finally showed us what was in the room from the god complex episode and brought the crack back. I enjoyed seeing Amy again. I'm okay with the growing old, I just thought that it was busy and not as satisfying as previous endings.

I like Clara, or I guess I see the potential in her.  The actress, Jenna Coleman, is right for the part, I think, it just needs more. I'm hoping we'll get some of that with the new doctor.

[CheshireGrin]

Yeah, underwhelmed is definitely the word.

I never really liked Matt Smith. In the beginning I hated him, and it's only since the second half of season 7 that I've even begun to warm to him at all. I'm still ready for him to be gone.

I felt like this episode was just a desperate attempt to tie a bunch of loose ends together, like they started with endings and foreshadowing but never stopped to think about how they were actually going to get there. This episode was the "Oh shit, now we actually have to write the middle part!" episode.

All that being said, I am also in the minority of people who actually like Clara. She's not my favorite by any means, but I don't really get the hate. (Although, I'm kind of ready to be done with her too. New doctor, new companion. Let's have a clean slate.)

I have high hopes for Capaldi. I'd also like to see them get back to more episodes that stand on their own right, and less of this convoluted "everything leads back to some overall plan" kind of storytelling. There's a time and a place for that, but those storylines have never been among my favorites.