(Copied from previous thread)

I was not a big fan of the special. I did not mind the sappiness. I actually thought the idea was great, trying to deal with loss on a day that should be happy. But they ruined it in my opinion by saving the dad. It took away from the little speech the Doctor made to the mother about why the kids should be happy. Also, when did trees learn time travel technology?

The other down point to the special was the lack of the doctor doing anything. He was basically just there to run around and explain things. The companions were not that great either. The only good one was the little girl because she seemed intelligent. The boy had no idea what was going on and the mother was all over the place. And not in a way you would expect someone dealing with tragedy. The potential for the mother to return in the future is not something I am looking forward to.

The slight change in music was good. They have been running with the same background music for two years. I'm hoping they do a new score for the next season.

Moffat will not quit until he finishes the 50th anniversary special. After that, he'd probably take a break. Or maybe cut back on something else to focus on one thing. Whether that is Doctor Who, Sherlock, or another movie.

"But there was one major niggle."


Cries of racism in 3, 2, 1,....

LOL, goatse.

I liked it. But I had the circumstance of watching it with people who had never seen Who before, so they didn't appreciate the quick dialogue or the circumstances of the character.

My GF, who doesn't like most Who, still teared up twice.

"The Caretaker, The Doctor, Get Off This Planet (although that's not technically a name)"

ActionJoe: But they ruined it in my opinion by saving the dad.

It's a family show. There's no way it could have ended any other way.

Plus it's a Doctor Who Christmas special, so miracles have to happen.

My favorite part was when he was showing the kids around the house. First bunk beds, now hammocks; I wonder what's next?

ActionJoe: But they ruined it in my opinion by saving the dad.

I think so too. maybe not ruined it but it lost it's poignancy.

and just to clarify that a bit.
I thought the episode would have been much better had he just helped the woman find the strength within herself to tell the kids about their dad and face the future without him. having him live felt like a cop out. maybe even something the network forced on the episode?

All in all a good story ,great acting and direction. A lot of heart. but a major cop out.

Dwight_Yeast: ActionJoe: But they ruined it in my opinion by saving the dad.

It's a family show. There's no way it could have ended any other way.

Plus it's a Doctor Who Christmas special, so miracles have to happen.

The dad was dead most of the episode and they already made you feel it by showing how the mom was going through it. Having him stay dead at the end would not have made it any sadder than it already was. I know it's a kids show but I think they could have taught a lot about dealing with loss and how you can still be happy even when sad things happen. Like Hobo said, I think just helping the mother to tell her kids would have been good enough. Especially when they went through and showed all her memories of him.

browneye: I liked it a lot. But I found the music to be a bit intrusive at times which is surprising because Murray Gold is usually brilliant in accentuating a scene without overwhelming it.

However, the scenes that got to me emotionally wasn't the father being saved from death (kinda figure that would eventually happen when he was listed as missing), but the Doctor going to have Christmas dinner with Amy & Rory. Quite wonderful ending.

For whatever reason, the music was mixed super, super loud. Very in your face.

Dwight_Yeast , what program about aliens traveling through space and time in a big blue box have you been watching? people die ALL the time in doctor who. its more unusual to have an episode where no one dies. i'll agree though, saving the dad was a little cheesecake and pretty much figured that would be the case as soon as they said they were going through the time vortex. ActionJoe , i can only assume alien trees learned the secrets of time travel sometime between the 20th and 54th centuries or whenever moffat learned about deus ex machina from RTD, whichever came first. personally, i think it would've been kickass if the doctor would've had to figure out where he would've been with the TARDIS at that time and had the trees drop them off and he had to risk crossing his own timestream to 'borrow' the TARDIS for a quick trip back to the proper time. we could've had a nifty previous doctor cameo through the magic of cgi!!

not reading thread.

Going to watch tonight.

DeusMeh: Dwight_Yeast , what program about aliens traveling through space and time in a big blue box have you been watching? people die ALL the time in doctor who. its more unusual to have an episode where no one dies. i'll agree though, saving the dad was a little cheesecake and pretty much figured that would be the case as soon as they said they were going through the time vortex.

Yea - I didn't get the comment either. You just have to look to last Christmas episode for death. Abigail is dead by the next Christmas day. They just didn't show it.

And how many people met their end in Christmas episode "Voyage of the Damned" anyway? Basically everyone!

/enjoyed this years episode although not the best

Shazam999: browneye: I liked it a lot. But I found the music to be a bit intrusive at times which is surprising because Murray Gold is usually brilliant in accentuating a scene without overwhelming it.

However, the scenes that got to me emotionally wasn't the father being saved from death (kinda figure that would eventually happen when he was listed as missing), but the Doctor going to have Christmas dinner with Amy & Rory. Quite wonderful ending.

For whatever reason, the music was mixed super, super loud. Very in your face.

I thought that was just my "internet borrowed" copy of it? Good to know others were hearing the same thing.

/buy them when they get released on DVD for those of you shocked

I just loved that they made so many references to Androzani. Nice callback. The Doctor died there, you know.

And the ending was good. I especially loved Amy & Rory's front door. Subtle, but sweet. However, I would just love it if they'd call him their son-in-law, just once.

Dumb-Ass-Monkey: C'mon, of course they were going to save the Dad. It's the freakin Christmas Special! If this had been regular season, he would have stayed dead. But not on Christmas!

begs to differ:



/hot like the fires of a out of control engine on the titantic

Meh.

Last year's was the best. The Next Doctor was the worst.

This year was made only more painful by BBCA's sh*tty "I Love The (70s 80s 90s)" Who themed knock off show. The one with commentary by a bunch of nobodies who have, at best, a tenuous grasp of the show and zero sense of humor.

I wanted to know what happened to the other guys on the plane.

bravian: Dumb-Ass-Monkey: C'mon, of course they were going to save the Dad. It's the freakin Christmas Special! If this had been regular season, he would have stayed dead. But not on Christmas!

begs to differ:

[images.fanpop.com image 640x480]

/hot like the fires of a out of control engine on the titantic

Yes, but that episode was a complete trainwreck sinking mess and was 60 minutes too long.

Pawn takes the King: Gilliam317: My favorite part was when he was showing the kids around the house. First bunk beds, now hammocks; I wonder what's next?

It's a BED, tied up with STRING.. you can't beat that.


I know!

ActionJoe: Also, when did trees learn time travel technology?

It's just a tree-vee show, you really should relax.

i hate this doctor with the intensity of a burning star.

carry on.

some_beer_drinker: i hate this doctor with the intensity of a burning star.

carry on.

At least he's not as bad as Tennant.

Dumb-Ass-Monkey: C'mon, of course they were going to save the Dad. It's the freakin Christmas Special! If this had been regular season, he would have stayed dead. But not on Christmas!

Last years special had the woman that Kazran loved die. You knew half way through the episode she was going to die. But in the end, her death was not entirely sad. Kazran got to realize something about himself and it made him better, even if it was going to make him sad.

This episode could have done the same but went for the cop out and just saved the dad.

I will say this: this era really does call back to the Troughton era in style. This special put me in mind of "Tomb of the Cybermen". Yes, really. Not because of any plot resemblance, aside from the fact that the plot was kinda daft and terrible.

No, what made both the special and that serial work were the Doctor's quotes. "Why be happy now if they'll just be sad later?" "The answer is, because they'll be sad later." ranks up there with Troughton's delivery of "Our lives are different from anybody else's. That's the exciting thing. Nobody in the universe can do what we're doing!" (the line isn't nearly as quotable, but the delivery is delightful).

Both of these Doctors have a recognition, more than any other Doctor, that what they're doing is amazing and the universe is wonderful. It's one of the big elements that I like about Smith's portrayal.

ActionJoe: This episode could have done the same but went for the cop out and just saved the dad.

It would be a cop-out if not for the fact that they established it very early on. This episode basically had a guy with semaphore flags broadcasting the plot from the get-go.

bravian: Dumb-Ass-Monkey: C'mon, of course they were going to save the Dad. It's the freakin Christmas Special! If this had been regular season, he would have stayed dead. But not on Christmas!

begs to differ:

[images.fanpop.com image 640x480]

/hot like the fires of a out of control engine on the titantic

That was understandable because the fatties had to die.

One thing that bugged me was near the end of the episode. Yes, the plane landed safely and Daddy made it home, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CREWMAN IN THE BACK WHO WAS IN A BAD WAY?

Hell, what about ANY of the other Lancaster crewmen? Were they left to drift in the Time Vortex forever or something?

Tax Boy: bravian: Dumb-Ass-Monkey: C'mon, of course they were going to save the Dad. It's the freakin Christmas Special! If this had been regular season, he would have stayed dead. But not on Christmas!

begs to differ:

[images.fanpop.com image 640x480]

/hot like the fires of a out of control engine on the titantic

Yes, but that episode was a complete trainwreck sinking mess and was 60 minutes too long.

It introduced me to Russell Tovey (Midshipman Alonso Frame) so I forgive it's flaws.

cretinbob: Surool: This year was made only more painful by BBCA's sh*tty "I Love The (70s 80s 90s)" Who themed knock off show. The one with commentary by a bunch of nobodies who have, at best, a tenuous grasp of the show and zero sense of humor.

Yeah, that shiat needs to end. Of course it's an attempt to explain 50 years worth of series to people who've never seen it.

They don't explain sh*t about 50 years of anything. 90% of these stupid programs is about post 2005 Who. Dragging out a handful of Christmas specials over an entire hour made me all stabby... especially when they were running the same 3 clips from the episode over and over. Since they don't even try to give you any new information at all, they're just a poorly executed recap show. It is the one thing crappier than the "Amy Pond Hour" intro that BBCA has done with the show.

Not the first time that Alexander Armstrong has played a RAF officer. Just could not watch him during this episode without thinking of this.

TV's Vinnie: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CREWMAN IN THE BACK WHO WAS IN A BAD WAY?

That was incredibly lazy. They could have chucked in a throwaway line, and heck, maybe there was one that got cut.

Surool: That was understandable because the fatties had to die.

No, no. They died because they were an interracial couple. All interracial couples in RTD land have to end tragically in some fashion. They were fat because THAT'S FUNNY. HAHAHA. COMIC RELIEF IN THE FORM OF LARD.

Surool: cretinbob: Surool: This year was made only more painful by BBCA's sh*tty "I Love The (70s 80s 90s)" Who themed knock off show. The one with commentary by a bunch of nobodies who have, at best, a tenuous grasp of the show and zero sense of humor.

Yeah, that shiat needs to end. Of course it's an attempt to explain 50 years worth of series to people who've never seen it.

They don't explain sh*t about 50 years of anything. 90% of these stupid programs is about post 2005 Who. Dragging out a handful of Christmas specials over an entire hour made me all stabby... especially when they were running the same 3 clips from the episode over and over. Since they don't even try to give you any new information at all, they're just a poorly executed recap show. It is the one thing crappier than the "Amy Pond Hour" intro that BBCA has done with the show.

I don't think they are an attempt to explain anything. They are an attempt to hand a bone to long time Who fans.

/and in this case I appreciated it since Davidson is my doctor.

I don't want to pirate it, but iTunes needs to hurry the fark up if they want my $3.

Kids loved it. I liked it. The Mrs enjoyed it, and she doesn't watch Doctor Who. So, what the hey.

Smith is a Kid's Doctor. I'm okay with that.

The revelation moments for the kids that their Dad had been dead and Mom had never told them was heartbreaking. To me, that is what makes Doctor Who special. Here is a guy who can bring Narnia to kids because their Dad is dead and their Mom helped him once. He moves stars and planets, reboots universes, sky-dives through space, and can go anywhere, anytime with his magic, and the show is *all about* that human element. Humany wumany indeed.

t3knomanser: Surool: That was understandable because the fatties had to die.

No, no. They died because they were an interracial couple. All interracial couples in RTD land have to end tragically in some fashion. They were fat because THAT'S FUNNY. HAHAHA. COMIC RELIEF IN THE FORM OF LARD.

No, the male cat married to the human woman in Gridlock ended up fine. They weren't fat though. "All interracial couples"... How many were there?

Don't try to wiggle out by calling them an interspecies couple.

Surool: No, the male cat married to the human woman in Gridlock ended up fine.

Aside from having been in the episode "Gridlock", anyway. That's a fate worse than death (no, seriously, that episode was terrible).