Saw it. Not a bad special, but not the best Christmas special. Clara was tolerable here for a change and some of her arguing moments were kinda funny. Hope she stays like this till the end.
Since I live with my mother (I'm still a teenager. Admittedly an adult one, but only for a bit over a week so far) and my mother watches Doctor Who, I decided to watch Last Christmas. I didn't enjoy it that much. Although that could be put down to Digital TV breaking up all the time, the hot summer weather, the fan next to me making it hard to hear what anyone was saying, and the fact my mother doesn't know how to shut up.
Episode was pretty so-so. Had its moments but I don't feel anything that so shamelessly rips off other sci-fi (even if the Alien meets the Thing setting had some reasonably clever context) is all that successful. Massively disappointed Spoiler old Clara was just a ruse too. On a better note, I took advantage of this pretty amazing offer and got Dalek Empires 1-3 and the first season of the missing adventures for just under £10! https://www.humblebundle.com/books
BBC Sitcom Tops U.K. Christmas Day Ratings, '''Doctor Who''' Beats '''Downton Abbey''' Congratulations.
Nice deal on the audios, I read about the linkup with humblebundle on BF's site. I'm going to stay with a friend in January and he's asked if I'd be prepared to watch some Matt Smith episodes with him as he got the whole run on blu-ray. I said yes, but alcohol must be in plentiful supply He's suggested "Amy's Choice" and "The Doctor's Wife" which I vaguely recall liking and the Ice Warrior one which I've never seen....it must have been from later in his run. He did also mention something about the 50th Anniversary episode but I'm going to talk him out of that 'cos I've already seen Tom's bit on Youtube....which was very good.
The Deputy prime minister of the u.k? What did you watch..............oh wait, do you mean this guy Nick Frost........
lol, been drinking, I forgot to write deputy........ deputy prime minister of the u.k. have amended my post.
The bit at the end with Clara as an old woman who's lived a long and happy life would've been a good place to say goodbye to Clara, and I hate how the episode just goes "LOL Nope it was just a dream and she's a full-time companion again!", rendering both that scene and the end of Death in Heaven pointless, and making us put up with even more of the worst companion in New Who's history.
I've never been a fan of the Christmas episodes of the modern series. Still I overall enjoyed this one. Maybe because in many ways it wasn't really a Christmas episode, while at the same time absolutely being one. For a Christmas episode it was rather scary with the story really playing up the fear factor the way Moffat does best: something that is a recognisable fear and solution -- a threat that is only a threat when you think of it and the best way to fight it is by not thinking about it. I thought the Dreamcrabs were a very good find and everything about it just clicked. While things that didn't make sense (the whole science team with their flat personalities and lack of scientific behaviour) or seemed to be forgotten (Clara meeting Santa on the roof) all turned out to be important plotpoints. The dreams within dreams: thus the enemy weaponising a human characteristic, the dream, again very Moffat. I also loved Santa pointing out how the Doctor was basically an absurd notion, just as much fantasy and make believe as Santa Claus himself (something which only children believe in). Everything clicked for me making this an enjoyable view...and then we came to the end. If the episode had ended with the Doctor rescueing the 80 year old Clara and reuniting with her after not having come to visit in 60 years (and she basically never have taken up her life again, confirming her behaviour in the series so far), I would've been very pleased. That would've been the perfect ending of the episode and the perfect ending of the Clara story. But sadly, no. This, too, was a dream and he has reunited with a younger Clara and she again will travel with him. I think that's wrong. So incredibly wrong. Not because of the way how I feel about Clara, but because I feel her story has been told. We've had a very good year with her clearly developing into a bitchy control freak with escapist tendencies, lying and deceiving her (boring) boyfriend, while at the same time slowly alienating the Doctor. She and the Doctor clashed. Clashed badly. For them to keep on travelling together was already very strange after "Kill the Moon", but after the season finale it should be over. And this, the 80 year old Clara meeting the Doctor again, would've been the perfect ending. But sadly it was not to be. (Actually, I read the unconfirmed rumour that this was supposed to be the ending, but Jenna changed her mind and they had to adapt the ending of the episode.)
Episodes like this and the 50th, and Robin Hood use Clara well, she's best when she isn't the main focus and solving everything herself. But I agree a new dynamic is needed, we have Clara the modern girl, now we need a Time Displaced character like Leela or Jamie, or an alien character or Robot K9 Dog. Something new and different to break up the Doctor modern girl dynamic we've had since season 1 of the new series. Clara can stay if they want, but we need a 3rd character to offer a silly or odd view point.
Enjoyed it, to be honest Christmas day is always busy so I never get to watch it on the day. Woke up this morning with a sore throat and a cold coming on so my brain is feeling a bit mashed and completely forgot the episode had even been on until I saw another website talking about it.
I enjoyed it well enough. It was pretty well written and logical, but then because of that it also fell into the trap of being able to predict the plot well ahead as things went on. About ten minutes into the episode I turned to my mother and said 'Inception', and then shortly after that threw out the idea that the four people in the infirmary wearing face huggers were the four 'scientists' in their own shared dream. Once I had all that pegged I was mentally working my way back through the episode as it ran and working out even the first scene on the roof with Santa was a dream. The bit with old Clara near the end did have me foxed for a minute or so as it did seem like a decent way to conclude her character, but then I remembered how much of a hard-on the writers have had for her character last series so I knew they'd undo it via another dream-wakening. Even as the Tardis was vanishing right at the end I went, 'I bet they suggest Santa might actually be real, some bells or a tangerine or something' and there it was. I should be annoyed that I was ahead of the game all the way through, but actually it was entertaining to be given something for my brain to do while watching the episode. Somewhat pissed my mother off though as she kept snapping 'Stop telling me what's going to fucking happen!'. I think my biggest disappointment is that the Doctor seemed very underwritten this episode. Greatly downplayed and with little of his usual flair. Even Clara seemed to sleepwalk through most of it, if you'll excuse the pun. Clever/witty banter was very much lacking. Although Santa was fun. Amusingly, the guy playing Danny was the most alive and entertaining character in the episode. Maybe his recent role in Trollied actually put some life into his acting skills.
The reason that happened because the bit where she turned young again was added at the last minute when Jenna officially decided to stay. the original plan was to end it when she was old and the doctor and clara have one last christmas together. Hence the point of the title.
So, does this mean that Clara will be on the TARDIS full time? Or will she continue to go home to her teaching job? (on the other hand, with Danny gone, Clara has no real reason to stay on Earth as much as she did)
If her whole flip flopping on staying in the series was true I hope they gave her one more season and one more only. I don't like the fact that a companion has been around this long and she's approaching and almost passing Amy Pond's level of importance to the doctor's life.
