Geek TV Review: Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Snowmen

Doctor Who Christmas special The Doctor

WARNING: Contains spoilers!!

This Doctor Who Christmas special takes a beloved Christmas staple and makes them scary and evil: snowmen. And the episode is appropriately titled The Snowmen. It takes place in Victorian London. It includes Sherlock Holmes references and even has the Doctor dressed as Holmes. He looks almost as cute in that hat as Moffat’s other leading man: Benedict Cumberbatch. In this episode, the Doctor has abandoned his duty of saving the Earth, despite the efforts of old friends trying to get him back to doing what he loves.

Doctor Who Christmas special friends

There’s nothing I love more than reoccurring characters, so seeing this motley crew back in action was a pleasant surprise. Plus, the Sontaran, Strax is adorable in his suit.  And these aren’t the only familiar faces in the episode. Jenna-Louise Coleman is back with the name Clara and working as a governess for children whose previous governess was frozen in their pond a year before.

The turning point in the episode, when the Doctor realizes that he needs to help, is when he receives a phone call from the Silurian, Madame Vastra. Madame Vastra had told Clara that the Doctor doesn’t help people anymore and if she wants his help she is going to have to sum up the problem and it’s severity in one word. Madame Vastra tells the Doctor that the word Clara chose was “pond.” This of course is in reference to the pond in the children’s yard that seemingly swallowed their former governess. But how could Clara know that the word “pond” would hold so much meaning for the Doctor? Did she know?

At the end of the episode Clara dies and the Doctor learns her full name when he sees her tombstone: Clara Oswin Oswald. The Doctor of course recognizes the name as the name of  the girl who was actually a Dalek (in Assylum of the Daleks) who also died. The Doctor then points out that they had the exact same voice, but the same girl dying twice is impossible… The Doctor eagerly realizes his need to investigate this mystery. And we get a glimpse of a modern-day Oswald passing by the grave of “Clara Oswin Oswald.”

The other major revelations of this episode was the new title sequence and new TARDIS console room! I like the new console room, but I find myself wanting to pick up a controller and aim batarangs at those targets. Doctor Who Christmas special TARDIS interior

 

 

 

 

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