Last Christmas has aired! Viewers in the UK have seen the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special, and taken it all in: monsters, Santa Claus, the Doctor, being reunited with Clara… and more. But what did you think of it?
You should know what’s coming next – it’s a poll! But rather than ask you what you thought of the adventure on a loose 5-point scale, the task this time is a little tougher: does Last Christmas measure up to – or surpass – previous Doctor Who Christmas specials?
[polldaddy poll=8545098]
In addition to voting – the results of which we’ll analyse in the near future – you can leave your thoughts below in comment form. Keep it spoiler free, people, as some fans won’t be seeing Last Christmas just yet.
What the hell is ‘The Last Doctor’? One I’ve missed perhaps 🙂 – Maybe ‘Next’ would be better. Anyway, made my vote.
Oops. The result of too much ginger beer!
Surprised myself that I even picked it up due to pretty much the same reason 🙂
I’ve heard rumours previously that Jenna had second thoughts about leaving the show at this time which meant re-writes were needed for her to continue her time with the Doctor. Until watching it I had taken this with a large pinch of salt. But, after watching the ending, it totally seemed like she was originally destined to leave/die/whatever. Either way, I can’t say I’m upset as I am loving their dynamic together.
They played with the notion of Clara going rather cleverly (or maybe Jenna Coleman was leaving at one point but then changed her mind, necessitating a rewrite).
This one evoked memories of Seeds of Doom (polar base), Amy’s Choice and, in a blatant steal, Alien. Oh, and Inception with its layers of dreams. It was predictable in lots of ways (Danny Pink as Santa in Clara’s dream? Check.) but it worked. Somehow the monster faces were more disturbing when you could clearly see part of a human face underneath.
Hairs on the back of my neck are standing up on hearing Michael Troughton’s memories of visiting the set of Evil of the Daleks and Web of Fear and then going on set for this 47 years later.
I didn’t bother recording this as I was expecting a load of old cobblers. Saw a half decent result on the K so just watched on iPlayer. It was rather terrific. My faith in Who is restored after the mess of the end of S8. Good work all 🙂
Just when I’ve given up on Moffat he knocks it out of the park & pulls me back in. Darn you, & thank you, Steven Moffat; and thank you, Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman & Sam Anderson. I’ve noticed that the most recent Christmas special always does best in polls taken right after the special airs, but I believe this one will hold up as one of the best. I had hoped they would find a way to bring back Danny Pink, but a dream-state version of Sam Anderson is better than none at all.
I think that truly was Danny, possibly finding a way to reach out someway – maybe even stuck in the Nethersphere or elsewhere. As the Doctor said in this episode and Madame Vastra stated in Name of the Doctor, time travel is possible in dreams. We don’t know when Danny Pink may have entered into it, but it’s possible after his sacrifice that he did. I really loved that he said he didn’t save the world, he saved Clara and the world got lucky. I really wish we’d get more of his character, but I think this was it. Maybe we see Orson again, but Danny is likely done.
Wow, I went in with low expectations, but it was actually quite excellent!
It was a bit of a slow burn for me, as I hated not knowing what was going on, and it was confusing. But the theme of the episode was dreams; and with dreams, they do tend to just start in the middle of the action, have a weird pacing of time with jumps, and start to fall apart upon analysis (which the Doctor even explains in the episode).
It ended in a way that I felt very satisfied, and happy. The second to last twist would have been tolerable to me, and in the moment, I was thinking it would be a great conclusion. But the true conclusion made me feel happier, more excited for the future, and I knew then that was the conclusion I really wanted. I think the overly analytical critic in me thought it wanted an unexpected, more unconventional ending, but truth be told, I honestly like the happier, simpler ending that appeals to the masses. Guess that teaches me for being pretentious (not that anyone else is so for wanting an alternative).
I personally feel quite neutral about Christmas itself, and past Doctor Who specials were never anything quite great. I felt Time of the Doctor was a mess, ending one of my favorite Doctor’s journeys on a sour note (the only saving grace was Matt Smith’s great regeneration speech). The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe was overly camp and sentimental. The End of Time was a mixed bag of really great scenes with lousy, confusing science fiction tossed in. The rest of those specials were similarly hodgepodges of good and bad. But Last Christmas was the best for me by far.
I only have one minor criticism: I dislike characters stating ideas present in the story are borrowed / based on ideas from other fiction. It’s not quite breaking the fourth wall, and seems to be a cheap way of deflecting potential criticisms of plagiarism pre-emptively. One can never have a truly original idea, but doing one’s best to make that idea its own is the best method for a proper deflection. On the other hand, it does seem realistic that people would make references to fiction when experiencing anything remotely similar to things they see in movies, TV, etc. So, I’m not sure what the ideal solution is.
Really loved this one. Just about everything worked and was pitch perfect. Danny Pink’s return was marvelous, real (IMHO), and provided closure while the Doctor and Clara understood that they had lied in an attempt to protect the other – and each backfired. There’s a new basis for trust and honesty with the companion and Doctor. Unlike other Doctors (especially Smith’s), 12 has hidden what he’s thinking from all, including his companion, in attempts to protect others.
Others disliked S8. I enjoyed it mostly and think Last Christmas served as a great close to that chapter while laying the foundations for a new one – and a show with a bit of a different tone next year.
Only Doctor Who could bring Inception, Alien, and Miracle on 34th Street together. Nick Frost as Santa was brilliant. Capaldi was incredible, as usual. As he warms up, he is beginning to look like he may end up as may favorite Doctor by the time he’s done. Clara really grew this year as a companion – and I think we have the potential for that to continue. I’m glad she’s returning so we can see her exit on a higher note for the character. I never thought that Death in Heaven was how she’d exit. Now Clara and the Doctor understand one another.
I’ve already enjoyed this episode twice and it held up well on the second viewing. Frankly, it was even better the second time through. Can’t wait for Series 9.
I didn’t mind it. I got a thrill when you saw the parka-clad base personnel on the playback as I love the Thing. It was a bit slow paced but watchable.
I thought it was very similar to Amy’s Choice which I absolutely loved and seemed as if it were recycled but that’s fine. I was please when we saw older Clara having lived a good life with regrets and thought that was a nice way to leave and maybe Jenna should have bowed out then but I don’t dislike her so carry on Clara.
Was the girl who was nearly the companion supposed to be the woman in the shop?
That was Missy. Do try and keep up.
On first taste, a bit like christmas cake: light and sweet on the surface, but darker and more satisfying when you cut into the centre.
Are dreams just anaesthetic for the pain of real life? or to be meta-ish is Doctor Who escapeism from the pain of real life? or is entertainment the opiate that prevents the masses from overthrowing the vampyric economic oligarchy? sorry – channelling Jack Graham for a moment, back now.
Or do dreams inspire us to go back into real life with a will to – eg – forgive someone we’ve rowed with, get back onboard for the adventure, or just appreciate what we’ve got? I’m pretty sure others in the Inception and eXistenz genre don’t leave you feeling quite so positive.
Loved Shona’s dance, the Doctor’s observation that reality and fantasy are so hard to tell apart because they’re both ludicrous – yup, and the way it showed the Doctor doesn’t see age or youth or beauty as we do. Glad the penultimate one wasn’t the end – she may have taught all over europe, but had never moved on from either Danny or the Doctor. There’s a more satisfying ending to be worked out for Clara. Let’s see if S9 prooves this Doctor and companion one of the great partnerships.
The closing tangerine hint of Ming is fun: the Real Santa only exists in our dreams – or does he? and if he and the Doctor are so alike, the Real Doctor only exists in our dreams – or does he?!
Oh, and for BF fans:
The dream crab sits upon your head,
the dream crab drinks til you are dead,
the dream crab drugs you on your bed,
and eats you while you’re sleeping…
A terrific episode, the best of the Capaldi era, even better than Listen. Moving but not sentimental like some of the worst Xmas specials… Great dialogue, great cast. (loved the dance)..I was totally taken in by the elderly Clara episode and finally the Doctor laughs
I didn’t enjoy it at all. The whole thing seemed nicked from Insidious and it was rather dull. I shall, of course, try watching it again in sobriety to give it a fair hearing. Capaldi’s Doctor and Christmas mix about as well as oil and water, but I am long past expecting Christmas specials to be my cup of tea. To be fair though, last season gave me generous helpings of darkness and misery so I can’t complain too much.
I’m guessing you mean Inception. Give it another go with less booze 🙂 (Mind you, I’d had a fair helping of Champers and fine red and I thought it was great )
Like me, you might enjoy it more on second viewing, when you can ignore the bits you don’t like and have fun spotting the playful horror tropes (eg the OTT musical sting as the Thing in the Jar moves for the first time, the slide-zoom shot of Clara in the Corridor of Doom), and the clues that tell you why each bit is a dream. And that giant dream-crab ice formation outside the TARDIS.
Yeah, ok, Capaldi’s Doctor and Christmas schmaltz would clash, but the base-under-seige stuff fits him perfectly. And the way he and Jenna Coleman shine is the S8 highlight that just keeps working. enjoy the studied gentleness with which he handles elderly Clara, and the various bits where she shows us why she chose to stay on.
Or maybe I too have had a little too much seasonal spirit!
It feels as though the budget for the show gets smaller and smaller.The special effects appear less than special .. The script did seem a little stretched and too saccharine for my tastes . In the end it just felt like we were going over the same ground story wise.
Clara’s character development is the reason for every episode – or so it feels – and there is only so much one can take of that.
The show needs a proper budget to reflect it’s (Commercial) success . More writers and a bit more location filming maybe?
Anyway, here’s to 2015….
For me: Last Christmas, A Christmas Carol, The Next Doctor, The Christmas Invasion, The Time Of The Doctor, Voyage Of The Damned, The Time If The Doctor, The Snowmen, The Runaway Bride, The End Of Time pt.1